Title: Spirit’s End
Author: Rachel Aaron
Series: Legend of Eli Monpress #5
Release Date: November 30, 2012
One of my favorite reads of 2011, the “Legend of Eli Monpress” trilogy was extremely entertaining. I am completely invested in all of the characters, and can’t wait to get my hands on “Spirit’s End” to find out what happens to them next! If you sick of the same old stuff, this is the series for you!!
Here’s a list of my top 6 favorite dragon books of all-time! What dragon books are at the top of your list?
#1 Dragon Weather
Author: Lawrence Watt-Evans
Series: Obsidian Chronicles
Adrian was only 11 when a dragon destroyed his village, killing everyone but him. Left alone and defenseless, he is soon captured and sold into slavery, sent to work the mines of the Lord Dragon. As Adrian grows through the story, he seeks vengeance on those who wronged him. I have to say I loved every moment of this trilogy – so much so that I bought them in hardcover. Watt-Evans is an excellent writer. He has a way of drawing you in, making every moment is engaging and entertaining. Not only is it an amazing dragon book, it just plain good fantasy!
#2 Joust
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: Dragon Jousters
Vetch is a young slave who yearns to become a jouster – a warrior who rides a dragon into battle. Sold into a house of riders, he soon finds himself caring for the great beasts. It isn’t long before he gets the idea to raise one in secret… Not only is this my favorite Mercedes Lackey series, but it’s quite arguably one of my favorite series of all-time. I love books that teach you things and after reading “Joust” I felt like I knew a lot more about how to care for and train dragons (useless knowledge, I realize, but filled with awesomeness nonetheless). Yet another series I had to have in hardcover, it was the ultimate fun-read!
#3 Dragon Champion
Author: E.E. Knight
Series: Age of Fire
This one I’ve already highlighted in a review. Told from the point of hatching, Auron is an anomaly, lacking the rock-hard scales of his species. Forced to make his way alone in the world long before he’s ready, he starts out on an unforgettable journey. The coolest thing about this book is that it’s told from the dragon’s perspective, and I’ve yet to read one done better. The author does an excellent job at keeping the integrity of the beast, rather than “humanizing” them as you see in other works. I loved it for its originality, and knew it had to be near the top of my list.
#4 The Last Dragonlord
Author: Joanne Bertin
Series: Dragonlord
Linden Rathan is a weredragon and the last of his kind. In an endless search for a mate, Rathan has to deal with constant threats from those who would see him destroyed. I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that this book was initially released back in 2000. Because the final book in the trilogy was twelve years in the making (and only announced recently), I never went back and reread these. Honestly, I only remember three things about these books: Rathan was a dragon-shifter, there was an excellent love-story, and I finished them eager for the next book because I loved them so much. Now that the final book is almost here, I’m definitely going to go back and enjoy these for a second time. In cast you were wondering, these were also deemed hardcover-worthy!
#5 Dragonflight
Author: Anne McCaffrey
Series: Dragonriders of Pern
A ragged kitchenmaid, Lessa struggles to take back her birthright. Her whole world changes after she meets a queen dragon, and bonds with her. Now, woman and dragon must fight to save their world from death that falls from the sky. This is a classic, and likely the series that sparked the passion for dragons in a lot of readers. There’s no way I can have a complete dragon list without including the Pern series. The initial trilogy should be on every fantasy-lover’s “must read” list!
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#6 Dragon’s Blood
Author: Jane Yolen
Series: Pit Dragon Chronicles
As a bond boy in a dragon nursery, the only way Jakkin can earn enough money to buy his freedom is to train a champion fighting dragon. As all the hatchlings are fiercely guarded and accounted for, Jakkin somehow manages to steal one, raising him in secret. What I loved about this series is that it both dazzled me with originality while still reminding me of other series that I loved. Set on another planet, it had elements of Lackey’s Joust, McCaffrey’s Pern, and even a touch of Harry Potter. Yup – I got them in hardcover. :)
There are many others that deserve mention, but none of them rocked my world quite like the six listed above. That said, there are still quite a few dragon books I’ve yet to read, and perhaps one day soon I can add a few more excellent titles to the the list.
What dragon books are YOUR favorites?
Title: Crown of Vengeance
Series: The Dragon Prophecy
Authors: Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: November 13, 2012 Now Available!
As the start of a new series by Lackey and Mallory, “Crown of Vengeance” looks promising. Loosely, it’s the story of a warrior queen elf who becomes the first being to bond with a dragon. Apparently, it’s a spinoff story of something eluded to in the pair’s “Valedemar” series, but is still sustainable as a stand-alone. Because Lackey wrote one of my favorite dragon series of all-time (Dragon Jousters), I’ll definitely be putting this one in my TBR list!
Title: The Orc King
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Series: Transitions #1
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 stars!
The Overview: An uneasy peace between the dwarves of Mithral Hall and the orcs of the newly established Kingdom of Many-Arrows can’t last long. The orc tribes united under Obould begin to fight each other, and Bruenor is determined to finish the war that nearly killed him and almost destroyed everything he’s worked to build. But it will take more than swords and axes to bring a lasting peace to the Spine of the World. Powerful individuals on both sides may have to change the way they see each other. They may have to start to talk. But it won’t be easy.
The Review:
As the first book in the Transitions trilogy, “The Orc King” is actually around book #20 for the series as a whole. Because I’ve already highlighted the overall qualities of the series in a post for book #1, “Homeland,” I wont go into too many details here.
Having so many books under his belt, it always amazes me when Salvatore continues to produce quality, page-turning novels. This was no exception, containing a great story, strong characters, and an awesome plot advance that boded for more great novels in the future. My favorite element to this book is its examination of motives within a inherently “evil” race. It highlighted that mortal enemies just might have more in common than they first thought. Salvatore did such a good job expanding on the orcs that at times they almost felt… human.
I once watched an interview with the author, in which he made the claim that everything book within a series he tries to write well enough to become a stand-alone. While he definitely succeeds as far as plot structure and overall craft, I don’t think this would be NEAR as enjoyable without the significant back-history behind it. In fact, I’m not even sure it would make sense. There were a lot of events that eluded to prior events, and the whole series summarized in a few pages sounds convoluted and confusing. If he truly wanted a stand-alone book, his books would be twice as thick filled with all the extensive back-history.
Recommendations: If this is your first introduction to Salvatore’s Drizzt books, I highly recommend you start with “The Dark Elf” trilogy.
Other books you might like:
The votes have been tallied, and the winner is… “Bitterblue” by Kristin Cashore!
For those of you reading along with me, I will be posting a thorough review on November 2nd, which is about two weeks from now. I am thrilled with this month’s selection, and look forward to hearing what all of you think about it as well!
Happy reading! :)
Title: “Magic for a Price”
Series: Allie Beckstrom #9
Author: Devon Monk
Release Date: November 6, 2012 Now Available!
Allie Beckstrom is one tough chick. I read the first book several years ago and really liked it, but somehow never got around to continuing the story (stupid college/homework). Anyway, this series has moved back to the top of my TBR list and I’m really looking forward to giving it the attention it deserves. Although I’m not very far along, I know this much – if you like Kim Harrison an Patricia Briggs, Devon Monk is right up your alley!
The Obsessive Bookseller 