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The Barnes & Noble Review
The Dragon's Son, the second book in Margaret Weis's solo fantasy debut saga (begun with Mistress of Dragons), revisits the medieval realm of Dragonvarld, where a parliament of godlike dragons rules in secret over the primitive human populace.
The High Priestess Melisande, the protagonist in Mistress of Dragons, is dead -- but her twin infant sons live on. One boy, whose father is a king, is born human; the other, whose dragon father is evil incarnate, is born a half-breed monstrosity. Soon after their mother's death, the boys' fates follow divergent paths. Prince Marcus is raised by a loving royal family and has all the privileges of wealth. Ven -- who is human from the waist up and dragon from the waist down -- is raised in the wilderness by an ill-tempered woman and must subsist on wild game. What they don't know is that two dragon factions are pursuing them for very different reasons: one to use them for nefarious purposes and the other to try to save them. But whom can the boys really trust?
No one has written more remarkable stories about dragons (except arguably Anne McCaffrey and Ursula K. Le Guin) than Weis and her longtime writing partner, Tracy Hickman, who are world renowned for their numerous bestselling Dragonlance novels. In her Dragonvarld trilogy, Weis not only prominently features dragons as integral characters but also masterfully delves into the creatures' complex history, culture, and psyche.
Fantasy fans who have enjoyed previous Weis/Hickman collaborations should definitely give this intriguing saga a try. Paul Goat Allen
Publishers Weekly
Weaving more spellbinding magic in the second book of her Dragonvarld trilogy, Weis charts the fate of Melisande's twin sons, whose bloody birth marked the cliffhanging conclusion of Mistress of Dragons (2003). Marcus, "human, born of love and magic," and Ven, "half-dragon and half-human, born of evil," are at the crux of a conflict within the Parliament of Dragons that secretly watches over a wonderfully detailed landscape similar to medieval Earth's. The innocent twins grow up apart in vastly different worlds: Prince Marcus inherits his mother's dragon magic and lives a semi-normal life as King Edward of Idlyswylde's bastard son, while Ven, human from the waist up (but blue-scaled, white-clawed dragon from the waist down), grows up the impoverished charge of a cold, grieving ex-soldier. Dragon's blood imbues each boy with fantastic abilities, but also puts them in danger from rebel dragons disguised as humans. Readers' hearts will ache for the conflicted Ven. Other notable characters include the wise Draconas, a dragon in human form who seeks to protect the twins and to uphold the ancient dragon law against killing humans, and Evelina, the vain and foolish gypsy who figures in Ven's reunion with his long-lost twin. A surprising, fire-breathing conclusion, sure to please dragon fans, sets the stage for volume three. Agent, Christy Cardenas at the Lazear Agency. (July 30) Forecast: A 10-city author tour with Wizards of the Coast, who'll be publishing her novel Amber and Ashes in August, will help raise Weis's profile among fans who've known her primarily as Tracy Hickman's collaborator on a series of bestselling fantasies. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Twin brothers, born of a dragon and a human priestess, are separated after their birth. One is raised in a court of humans; the other is brought up in hiding by a woman who names the child Ven (for Vengeance) and dedicates him to avenging his mother's death. As Ven tries to escape his fate, Draconas, the emissary of the Parliament of Dragons, works hard to bring about a peaceful understanding between dragons and humans. This sequel to Mistress of Dragons and the second book in Weis's "Dragon" trilogy explores the psyche of a young "boy" raised to the call of vengeance. For most fantasy collections. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
