From Booklist
This is an archetypal tale given originality by excellent characterization. The Kantri, or true dragons, have returned to the human world from which they fled centuries ago after a devastating battle with a demon lord. One of the wisest Kantri, Varien has become so enamored of the human woman who sought them out that he has taken human form for her sake. But the lady has been captured by the demon-master Berys. Berys must be destroyed before he can call the demons to destroy both the Kantri and the Gedri (humans). A different character narrates each chapter, and the narrators include a selection of the villains. Kerner handles first-person narration quite skillfully, and she develops both characters and action smoothly. It helps to have read this book's predecessors, Song in the Silence (1998) and The Lesser Kindred (2001), in Kern's dragon series, but that isn't strictly necessary to enjoying this consistently intelligent tale, which will captivate even readers who thought themselves thoroughly jaded about draconic studies. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
The prophecies are coming true and the ancient race of the Kantri-or true dragons-have come back to the world of Men. It was through the actions of Young Lanen Kaelar that the Kantri were reminded of the larger world. It was bravery (and a mad belief in the old tales) that caused the young woman to start a perilous journey to find the great dragons of legend. In doing so, she found not only the reality of the myth but her own true love. He was the great Dragon King, an immensely powerful creature out of time who ultimately chose life over death, a puny mortal form rather than the power of a kingship to be with this most extraordinary woman. As he is Dragon in Man's form, the being known as Varien has risked much to stay by Lanen's side.

Their haven destroyed, the Kantri have chosen instead of seeking a new home to return to the land of their greatest defeat and to the fear of the people who rejected their aid so long ago. They bring ancient power and knowledge and the Kantri have come to see what the "littlings" have made of their world.

And much of what they find distresses them. For humans have squandered much of their heritage, the small dragons that were left behind are little more than cattle...and there are those who do remember the ancient ways...and have allied themselves with the race of demons who long to destroy all the world. The Kantri are disturbed and look to Varien and Lanen help them redeem what has been lost so long ago and make the world right again.

But Lanen is captured by the human demon-master Berys, who seeks to corrupt the ancient prophecy. He will try to use Lanen's new-found powers to gain control of the very fabric of the universe and in doing so, secure the demon forces of the otherworld and rule forever.

It is up to her true love Varien and one of the most unlikely alliances ever seen to rescue Lanen. And if Varien fails, not only will Lanen's life and the fates of his beloved Kantri hang in the balance. For the stage is now set for a confrontation between the forces of light and darkness...and if the good fail, not only will the Kantri fail but the human world will be doomed as well...



About the Author
Elizabeth Kerner, as the daughter of a Navy doctor, has always found the simple question 'where are you from?' one of the most difficult. Born in Florida in 1958, she spent much of her early life being moved around the Northeast and the South of the US, including a brief but glorious sojurn in Kodiak, Alaska in 1969. She started writing while in high school in New Orleans and no-one has managed to stop her since. She received her MA in English Language (Philology) from St. Andrews University in Scotland in 1981, being one of the first Americans to complete a full degree course at that institution, and promptly joined the unemployment line. She spent a number of years as a non-fiction editor of medical and scientific books and journals, but when she moved to Hawaii in 1988 a whole series of new possibilities arose and she was variously employed as a grunt in the woodworking industry, an office manager for the Big Island AIDS Project, a trainee in furniture restoration and an apprentice goldsmith. By this time, however, her writing was starting to go somewhere, and her first novel, Song in the Silence, was published in 1997 by Tor.

She now lives with her best-beloved husband Steven in a small town just outside of Edinburgh Scotland, and from her upstairs window can just see, if she leans out, the looming towers of the nearby power station. If anyone would care to dynamite several inconvenient homes that are in the way, she would have a sea view. Any reasonable offers considered.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The prophecies are coming true, and the ancient race of the Kantri, or true dragons, have come back to the world of Men. It was Lanen Kaelar who reminded them of the larger world. Her bravery and belief in the old tales set the young woman on a perilous journey to find the great dragons of legend. She found not only the reality of the myth but her own true love: the great Dragon King, an immensely powerful creature who chose life over death, a puny mortal form rather than the power of a kingship, to be with this most extraordinary woman. As a dragon in man's form, the being known as Varien has risked much to stay by Lanen's side." "Their haven destroyed, the Kantri, instead of seeking a new home, have chosen to return to the land of their greatest defeat and to the fear of the people who rejected their aid so long ago. They bring ancient power and knowledge and have come to see what the "littlings" have made of their world." "Much of what they find distresses them. Humans have squandered much of their heritage, the small dragons that were left behind are little more than cattle, and there are those who do remember the ancient ways - and have allied themselves with the race of demons who long to destroy all the world. The Kantri, disturbed, look to Varien and Lanen to help them redeem what was lost and make the world right again." "But Lanen is captured by the human demon master Berys, who seeks to corrupt the ancient prophecy. He plans to use Lanen's newfound powers to gain control over the very fabric of the universe, secure the demon forces of the otherworld, and rule forever." It is up to her true love, Varien, and of the most unlikely alliances ever seen to rescue Lanen. However, the fates of Lanen and the Kantri are not all that hang in the balance. For the stage is set for a confrontation between the forces of light and darkness, and if the good fail, not only will the Kantri fall, but the human world will be doomed as well.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Dragons, demons, humans and their intricate interactions are the focus of British author Kerner's solid conclusion to her high fantasy series that began with Song in the Silence (1996). One race of dragons, the Lesser Kindred, has been in exile and also denied sentience and speech for 5,000 years. A second dragon race, the Greater Kindred, are sentient and have a somewhat ambiguous relationship with human beings, who are viewed with some reservations because of their lack of telepathy. Opposing both races of dragons plus the humans are the treacherous, bloodthirsty demons, who wish to either enslave or exterminate their rivals. The fate of the world hangs on the return of the Lesser Kindred and their regaining speech and intelligence, as well as two human lovers, Lanen and Varien, whose courtship forms a complex subplot in its own right. Anne McCaffrey fans, take note. Agent, TK (July) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In response to a prophesy, the long-vanished dragons (or Kantri) have returned to the world of humans. When the human woman Lanen Kelar is captured by a demonlord in a bid for power over the world, Lanen's lover, the dragon Varian, and a group made up of Lanen's friends and family join to rescue her before her captor can destroy her and the Kantri. Kerner's third novel about Lanen and her dragons brings together many of the plot threads begun in The Lesser Kindred and Song in the Silence but creates enough new complications to justify future volumes. For most fantasy collections, particularly where dragon fantasy like Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" series is popular. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews