Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Friday 29th March 2024 - 01:22:10

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Books > Fantasy > Dragon Empire 2 : Guardian of Empire review

« Ghosts of the Past reviewGhosts of the PastFarrah's Wraps - Smoky Chipotle reviewFarrah's Wraps - Smoky Chipotle »

Score: 9.8/10  [1 review]
5 out of 5
ProdID: 8431 - Dragon Empire 2 : Guardian of Empire
Written by Kylie Chan

Dragon Empire 2 : Guardian of Empire
Price:
$26.00
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by HarperCollins

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by HarperCollins or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
May 2019

Dragon Empire 2 : Guardian of Empire product reviews

Earth has joined the Galactic Empire, a vast interstellar society ruled by dragon-like aliens where everybody is immortal. Pain, famine and disease have been eradicated, but this doesn't mean the end of conflict. A cruel alien Republic has been watching from afar and wants to take the Empire's progress for its own.

Jian Choumali, ex-British forces and now Colonel in the Imperial space force, must fight to keep her friends, family and fellow citizens in the Empire safe. A brutal battle of skill and wits begins as Jian and her human colleagues attempt to combat the invaders - but with all their technology, enhancements and weapons in the hands of their enemies, the odds are stacked against them, and there is the very real threat of the destruction of the Empire itself.

Check out HarperCollins onlineClick here to see all the listings for HarperCollins Visit their website Follow them on Twitter Check them out on Facebook They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
aliens   dragon empire   dragons   interstellar   kylie chan   nanotech   politics   space
Other listings you may be interested in:
Dragon Empire 1 : Scales of EmpireDragon Empire 1 : Scales of Empire
Rating: 9.8
Endometriosis: A New Zealand GuideEndometriosis: A New Zealand Guide
Rating: 8.8
Tarantula BOO!Tarantula BOO!
Rating: 6.4
Dr Christian's Guide to Growing UpDr Christian's Guide to Growing Up
Rating: 10.0
A Fury of Aces 2 - Crystal VenomA Fury of Aces 2 - Crystal Venom
Rating: 10.0
Fluffy and Scruffy: A Tale of Two KittensFluffy and Scruffy: A Tale of Two Kittens
Rating: 10.0
The Ugly DuckingThe Ugly Ducking
Rating: 9.3
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs the Naughty Nightcrawlers from Neptune (#8)Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs the Naughty Nightcrawlers from Neptune (#8)
Rating: 9.9
Henry Bob BobbalichHenry Bob Bobbalich
Rating: 9.8
Kiwi One and Kiwi TwoKiwi One and Kiwi Two
Rating: 10.0
Wolf Girl #1Wolf Girl #1
Rating: 6.5
Dragon Empire 3 : Dawn of EmpireDragon Empire 3 : Dawn of Empire
Rating: 9.8
The Stinky Wonky DonkeyThe Stinky Wonky Donkey
Rating: 10.0

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of tucker

Review by: tucker (Karl)
Dated: 7th of June, 2019

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 9.8/10
Value for Money:
Score 9 out of 10
Level of Realism:
Score 10 out of 10
Rereadability:
Score 10 out of 10
Lose Track of Time:
Score 10 out of 10

After getting utterly hooked on the first book in the series I was excited to see this arrive. I was expecting it to continue along the same lines, and it did to a degree. It didn't go at all where I thought it would, and at first I felt disappointed, however the more I read, the less it bothered me and the more it gripped me with a fresh, new joy.

While the first book was very Earth-centric, this volume took us to the Cat homeworld for a significant chunk of the plot, and gave more focus to Oliver - the Cat orphan adopted by Jian - and his place in the bigger picture. It also developed the Cat Republic's backstory, origins and ongoing lifestyle. This gave the overall plot a nice refresh, but also expanded the scope of this story's universe exponentially. Characters that at first seemed to be little more than bit-players were revealed to be far more important to the ongoing development of the Dragon Empire, and Humanity's place as 'influencers at the highest level'. While this is a trope often abused, to the point that it's made irrelevant by its common use, in this instance, it was played delicately, almost subtly, and that made it far easier to accept without issue.

The technological differences between the Dragon Empire - effectively "managed" by the AI 'Marque' - and that developed by the Cat Republic (which, it turns out, is closer to a co-operative collection of individual kingdoms, not all that dissimilar to the Chinese military) is highlighted in a very sudden and stunning way. It's one of those 'hidden in plain sight' things that only reveals itself at the climax of the tension curve. We are also made aware that while these aliens look like giant cats - similar to the Kzinti from Larry Niven's "Known Space" (aka Ringworld) universe - they do not have the same playful nature even in their down-time. In fact, I was struck by the strong similarities between these two felinesque species - aggressive, territorial impulses, strong intellects turned towards domination and dominion, co-operation only when necessary, and betrayal as an accepted part of the societal norms.

Overall, I thought this a great second-in-a-trilogy, which is no surprise to me because Kylie has proven her ability, time and time again, to cleanly utilise the accepted format for trilogies: Book 1 is introduction of key characters and scene-setting, Book 2 is plot/world/character development and tension-building, and Book 3 is culmination, climax and cleanup. Kylie's tales have never failed to please me, and I admit freely that I am a very picky reader of sci-fi. If the balance is off, or the depth and detail isn't there by the end of Book 1, I'm unlikely to bother reading beyond there. I am excited to see where Book 3 goes, because the one thing I am realising in this series - Kylie's not playing entirely by the rules, and it's working!

Random listing from 'Books'...

Score: 9.8
Product reviews for listing 6507: Bloodtree Chronicles: Sanspell -  Author: Elizabeth Pulford

Product image for Bloodtree Chronicles: SanspellThe Silvering Kingdom is the home of fairy tales but the kingdom and all those within are in danger of vanishing because the Bloodtree - the source of all stories - has been poisoned.

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"I have a Heisenberg Quantum Car. Every time I look at the speedometer I get lost."
anonymous