Review Title: {A Dangerous tale of Dragonic Proportions}

Monday, March 5, 2018

Review of {Dragon of Ash and Stars} by {H. Leighton Dickson}

A comprehensive review by John Adams Theibert Jr.

Review Method: In this review I will use a 10-element system to assign a star amount to this story out of a total of five stars. Each element has 2 components that are each worth 0.25 stars. Each element is worth a total of 0.5 stars. There are 5 primary elements and 5 secondary elements. There are 3 subtotal stars in the primary elements, obtained by adding the primary elements and rounding up. There are 2 subtotal stars in the secondary elements, obtained by adding the secondary elements and rounding down.

The Primary Elements: Idea, Plot, Characters, Setting, & Theme

The Idea (The Air Element) — hook and world: {The idea for this novel was excellent. The hook got me right away, because it was unique and interesting. I felt the world was clever and distinct, because it had an artistic and antique feel to it.} Air element interpretation of the Idea: {On a windy day the air rushed through the canopy of deciduous trees, hissing and creaking and causing them to sway and ruffle.} Stars for the idea: [0.5] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Plot (The Fire Element) — conflict and climax: {The plot was kind of hard to follow. The conflict seemed to be over generalized, without a clear antagonist. The climax was a little jarring, yet it was mildly fitting.} Fire element interpretation of the Plot: {The rally-car driving team got lost and left the race course only to have their engine over heat and catch fire, so they stopped, got out, ran, turned around, and watched their car burn and explode.} Stars for the plot: [0.5] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Characters (The Water Element) — development and dimension: {The main character was well crafted and clearly identifiable. The main character was well developed by description, dialog and narration. The main character was fully three dimensional, changing dramatically and consequentially over the course of the story.} Water element interpretation of the Characters: {The fire hydrant burst and began to spray uncontrollably as children gathered around and played in the water sprinkling out.} Stars for the characters: [0.5] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Setting (The Earth Element) — scenes and senses: {The setting was beautiful and dazzling, yet was not fully immersive. The scenes were the strong point, detailed and vivid in description. However, senses were not used thoroughly and effectively enough.} Earth element interpretation of the Setting: {The painting was a vivid depiction of a still life bowl of fruit, yet a real bold of fruit on a nearby table got more attention.} Stars for the setting: [0.25] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Theme (The Spirit Element) — lesson and epiphany: {The theme was a little thin and intangible. There did not seem to be an obvious lesson being promoted, unless you count life is hard, but keep trying. I did not see a clear epiphany, yet the point of view from a dragon’s prospective is kind of different.} Spirit element interpretation of the Theme: {The friendly ghosts thought that haunting the house was as fun for the people living there as it was her, yet she never thought that there was a problem until they moved away.} Stars for the theme: [0.25] stars out of 0.5 stars.

Subtotal stars for the Primary Elements (always rounding up), [2] stars out of 3 stars.

The Secondary Elements: Style, Substance, Grammar, Essence, & Impression.

The Style (The Mist Element) — logic and pacing: {The style of the story was solid and consistent. The logic of the story stayed reasonable and understandable. The pacing of the story was sensible and covered lots of ground, but seemed to flow smoothly} Mist element interpretation of the Style: {The stage fog creep over the feet of the rock stars as they started their concert.} Stars for the style: [0.5] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Substance (The Bone Element) — skeleton and teeth: {The substance of the story was strong yet lacked a cutting edge. The skeleton was well connected, in that the story felt well worked out. The story did not seem to be controversial in its approach, but was provocative in its execution, giving it a few small fangs.} Bone element interpretation of the Substance: {The skeleton gecko showed its tiny sharp fangs, some of which had begun to fall out.} Stars for the substance: [] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Grammar (The Wood Element) — sentence structure and word usage: {The grammar of this story was mostly good with a few problems. The following are typos I found with the kindle locations to help the author find them. The originals are in parentheses. (including my aviary-mates Majentrix,) Kindle Location [2627]: Might need to make mates possessive. (He broke the wind with his body) Kindle Location [2661]: In my opinion try a different phrase. (the war flag of Remus. The war flag of Remus.) Kindle Location [3079]: Repetition. (Dragonscent) Kindle Location [3791]: Might be two words.} Wood element interpretation of the Grammar: {The wooden counter top was smooth and polished with only a few bumps and scuffs on its surface.} Stars for grammar: [] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Essence (The Metal Element) — emotion and memory: {The essence of this story was intense and shimmering. This story employed a wide range of emotions from a dragon’s point of view, which was refreshing. The story had many memorable moments in all parts of the story.} Metal element interpretation of the Essence: {The metallic dragon egg glinted and sparkled in the bright warm midafternoon sunshine.} Stars for the essence: [0.5] stars out of 0.5 stars.

The Impression (The Shadow Element) — opinion and talent: {My impression of this story is great. In my opinion the author worked hard to craft a skillful and clever story. The author has a lot of talent in imagining a world from a dragon’s point of view.} Shadow element interpretation of the Impression: {The medieval army marching on the ridge of a hill near sundown, casting a shadow into the grassland valley below the hill, looking like a dragon with fully spread wings.} Stars for the impression: [0.5] stars out of 0.5 stars.

Subtotal stars for the Secondary Elements (always rounding down) [2] stars out of 2 stars.

Conclusion: {This story was fun, exciting, interesting, clever, unique, beautiful, dramatic, and provocative, with a sympathetic main character who felt completely fleshed out and connectable. The downside of this story was that it needed a clear and obvious antagonist. The story also had some thematic problems and was not exceptionally thought provoking, yet Overall the story was admirable and engaging.}

Grand total stars for the story — primary elements and secondary elements: [4] stars out of 5 stars.