Here be Dragons

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Summary: 13th Century Welsh Historical Fiction, Romance & Pageantry!
Review: Sharon Kay Penman is a remarkably gifted writer. Her impeccable historical research, attention to detail and superb storytelling ability make her novels consistently excellent. "Here Be Dragons" is one of her best efforts. It is the second book in her Plantagenet series, which include "The Sunne In Splendour," "Falls The Shadow," and "The Reckoning." Each of these wonderful historical novels stands on its own, however, and while it is an extraordinary experience to read each book in order, one does not have to do so to appreciate the history, the characters or the period.

Ruthless, power hungry King John Platagenet ruled 13th century England with an iron fist. He was determined to bring Wales, a country divided, under his thumb and into his power. Charismatic Llewelyn Farr, Prince of Northern Wales fought to unite his country's nobility and provide a strong front against the English. He finally succeeded in securing a tentative truce with England by marrying King John's beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Initially wary of her new husband, her father's enemy, Joanna grew to love Llewelyn passionately over the years, but she was constantly torn between the politics of Wales and England, and her love for her husband and her father.

This is a complex saga of historic characters, politics, intrigues, betrayals, bloody battles and wars, romance, lust, power struggles, princesses held captive, revenge and forgiveness. Yet once begun, this extraordinary epic is almost impossible to put down. Ms. Penman portrays Wales, its people, culture and landscape vividly with glorious detail. It is fascinating to become involved with the characters and realize how linked they are by common ancestry. Not only is Welsh history tied to that of England's, but the royal families, Kings John's and Prince Llewelyn's, are linked by blood as are their descendants. Ms. Penman joins the histories and characters of these two countries to give the reader, not just a superb tale but a look at the bigger historical picture also.

This is truly one of the best historical novels I have ever read, and the four book series by Ms. Penman is absolutely outstanding. She paints an unforgettable picture of medieval England and Wales and the characters who made history. I cannot recommend these books highly enough.
JANA

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Summary: I wish I could remember who recommended this book to me...
Review: -I need to thank him profusely!

I haven't read much Historical Fiction so far, but I've been wanting to for quite a while. I was interested in medieval England primarily, and someone told me to, "Give Sharon Kay Penman a go- She's amazing!" I found the first book really cheap and dove in.

Taking place in the 13th century, we are given the tale of the ruthless King John of England, and his greatest rival, Prince Llewelyn of Wales. To gain a hold over Wales, John marries his favorite daughter, Joanna, to the influential Welsh Prince. Joanna wants nothing less, but as she slowly begins to love her father's greatest enemy, she finds herself torn between the two powerful men. The romantic tale is merely a tiny aspect of this engrossing novel. You will also witness the warfare, politics and what life was like during this brutal period of English and Welsh history. I can think of nothing to compare it too except Braveheart, which is high praise from me. This book has everything in it. It's amazing how some of the best stories in the world actually happened.

From what I've heard, and from the little I've witnessed, historical fiction usually means there will be a compromise in writing and story. Well, from page one, Penman grabbed me and wouldn't let go. After just this one book, she easily earns her place among my favorite authors. Here Be Dragons was simply captivating from beginning to end.

-Lysander

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Summary: Very Well-Written
Review: The book may be long, but not a word is wasted. The love story of Llewellyn and Joanna is timeless and relevant to modern times. I'm particularly fond of the strong female characters!

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Summary: My favorite book. Ever.
Review: I read this book 14 years ago, and it still stands out in my mind as the best book I've ever read. After all these years I still remember the people - Joahnna, Llewellyn, John - almost as if they're real to me. If you're looking for an emotional investment in a story, this one will do it.

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Summary: I highly recommend this book
Review: This is the first of a trio of books about Medieval England and Wales. Most of the characters in this book of historical fiction really existed. King John, who has been demonized by the Robin Hood tales, was a strong king of England who loved his children dearly and loathed his enemies. Llewellyn, the first Prince of Wales dreams of a united country. King John dreams of subduing Wales and Llewellyn. When King John marries his (...)daughter, Joanna, to Llewellyn, Joanna is at first reluctant and frightened. However, she comes to love her husband and finds that she must chose between spouse and father.

Ms. Penman writes with incredible power and emotion. Her history is well researched, and her characters, settings and dialogue are all incredibly believable. You may find that when you put the book down you are wondering, just a bit, exactly where and when you are. I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: More than words
Review: This is a beautiful book! There are not many books that read as well as Sharon Kay Penman's. They are effortless reading. She has made all of the people in her books very real and personal to me. I am planning my first trip to Wales, due to this book. I'm going to start the second in the trilogy as soon as I sign off, and I have no doubt I will enjoy it as much as I have this one.

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Summary: Who needs sleep?
Review: This was the first "historical" novel that I have ever read. Due to the size of the book (over 700 pages), I figured it would take me weeks to read it. I didn't count on how involved I would get with the story. It has been quite a while since a book grabbed me enough to read until dawn. But this one did. So did the two other books in the series, "Falls the Shadow" and "The Reckoning". All three are highly recommended.

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Summary: Extraordinary Historical Fiction
Review: Fact certainly is more entertaining than fiction when it comes to Here Be Dragons. It isn't often you find romance, intrigue and betrayal all from the pages of a history book. This is an extraordinary glimpse of the war between Llewellyn the Fawr Prince of Whales and the cruel and ruthless King John of England for the sovereignty of Whales. King Johns illegitimate daughter, Joanna, becomes an unwitting pawn in this game of thrones when King John arranges for her to marry Llewellyn the Fawr. The historic cast of characters from both King Johns and Llewellyns courts lead such remarkable lives that little fiction was needed to bring their saga to life.

Have the second book in the series, Falls the Shadow, close at hand to find out what happens to some of the characters in Here Be Dragons but be ready to start a completely new adventure with another group of characters as extraordinary as the ones in Here Be Dragons.

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Summary: Not as good as I had hoped
Review: I picked up this book at the recommendation of several people and I truly wanted to like this book more but I couldn't.

The reason that I couldn't like the book more was the major female character of Joanna. She has a real conflict between loyalty to her husband Llewelyn and her father King John of England. This conflict I can understand and it added depth to her character, but there was another conflict for Joanna and that was trying to reconcile her memory of her father as kind and loving with the truth of the King who was often ruthless and cruel. I can understand that conflict also, but the combination of the two made Joanna act in irresponsible and often just downright stupid ways. I suppose Ms. Penman was trying to express the confusion, hurt, and pressure that these two conflicts caused in Joanna, but the end result was a stupid, naïve character that I just thought of as a spoiled brat.

Ms. Penman leans toward romance and much of the book was about the love between Llewelyn and Joanna. Because of Joanna's inability to make an intelligent decision, this love was tested often. By the time that Joanna pulled yet another stupid decision and had an affair with a man that she herself admitted she didn't love and Llewelyn sent her away, I was truly hoping the Lllwelyn would stick by his guns and live the rest of his life as a tragic figure.

Ms. Penman is capable of producing strong and interesting female characters as evidenced by the inclusion of Eleanor of Acquitane (John's mother). I see that Ms. Penman's book Time and Chance deals with Eleanor and it may coax me to read another of Ms. Penman's books. So I haven't written her off yet.

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Summary: History Leaps Off The Pages
Review: Having been recommended this book, I finally broke down and bought it. If my high school history classes were half as entertaining, I might have become a historian! Penman's historical accuracy is phenomenal. She brings to life real people in a manner that allows us to think of these long dead characters as living, breathing beings, rather than names in history books. She paints vivid, accurate potraits of the everyday events these real characters experienced: marriages, child birth, death beds, battle fields, court discussions, imprisonments. This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys GOOD historical fiction with detailed accuracy.
The love between Llewlyn and Joanna drives the story along beautifully.