The Laughing Wolf

Book Review: There Will Be Dragons

John Ringo is at it again. He is taking a break from the Posleen universe he created and has come up with a new and wonderful universe to explore. I had the chance to read a good bit of the book before it was published, but chose not to so, and am glad I waited.

There Will Be Dragons is a delight, and so far he has avoided his usual great-battle-and-everyone-dies routine. The world is our own, a few thousand years in the future, where utopia is shattered and civilization must reform amid war and strife. Yet, part of it is a war of the gods, part is of the legions, and throw in the fact that there are sentient AI’s, modified individuals who range from were-bears to unicorns, and a race of Elves and you get something truly unique that appears to combine portions of the Norse Eddas, Paradise Lost, Celtic Mythology, and more into a realistic and self-sustaining whole. There are some insider jokes, and I was glad to see Heather Alexander and Bun-Bun make guest appearances. If you don’t know who these people are, shame on you. Click and learn. :)

I admit, one of my favorite characters is Bast, the nymphomaniacal Wood Elf, because she does seem like my ideal date: deadly warrior, wild lover, thoughtful philosopher. And an apparently ongoing feud with Bun-Bun, which to mortals would be deadly. There are many other good characters here, and a lot more thought below the surface than may be readily apparent.

Read it once for pleasure, and then go back and start picking at that which is below the surface. See how many mythological and historical references you can find, for there are a large number there.

Recommended.