From Publishers Weekly
Like 2002's well-received Voyage of the Shadowmoon, this second novel in Australian author McMullen's Moonworlds Saga expertly blends fantastic melodrama and broad farce. It also demonstrates the truth of the old saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Vain sorcerers create Dragonwall, a world-encircling magical barrier, to improve the weather, but they discover that the wall's etheric energy offers them an irresistible temptation to incinerate their rivalsâ€"or any entity that imagines it could exist outside their control. It's up to more cautious, self-doubting people to destroy Dragonwall, including a cowardly court musician, a centuries-old reformed vampire, a guilt-laden priestess and a drunken but chivalrous young lout who wishes to better himself. It takes a while for all those characters to get to where they need to be, literally or figuratively, and meanwhile agents of the Dragonwall sorcerers are plotting to thwart them. McMullen tells a lively tale that jumps from person to person as the plot meanders along, but the book is especially attractive for its tricky shifts from dark, passionate intrigue to sly but rowdy slapstick, like a Storm Constantine story line performed by Monty Python. There may be a lot of story to come before the world's balance of magical powers is restored, but readers won't mind if additional books in the series are as entertaining as this one. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
In 2002, on the heels of his critically acclaimed Greatwinter trilogy, a saga firmly rooted in sf territory, Australian rising star McMullen launched the Moonworlds series with The Voyage of the Shadowmoon, a story owing more to fantasy. In the second helping of the saga's eccentric wizards, embattled medieval cities, and enigmatic "glass" dragons, McMullen adds to a nucleus of characters from Voyage a few colorful new ones: Laron, a 700-year-old vampire in a 14-year-old body; Terikel, an ancient sage from a vanishing magical sect; and Wallas, a royal musician masquerading as a commoner after being falsely accused of regicide. While Voyage featured an insidious device known as Silverdeath, here the itinerant protagonists confront Dragonwall, a series of megaliths designed by powerful wizards to undo Silverdeath's destruction that, unfortunately, may prove just as deadly. McMullen has a gift worthy of the best mainstream authors for creating memorable, finely nuanced characters, making him must-reading for fantasy enthusiasts weary of routine sword-and-sorcery outings. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Sean McMullen, one of Australia's leading genre authors, delivers Glass Dragons, the scintillating sequel to Voyage of the Shadowmoon which Kirkus Reviews called "a brilliantly inventive, marvelously plotted sea-faring fantasy that both mocks and surpasses genre expectations. . . . Australian author McMullen writes like Roger Zelazny at the peak of his powers: his dashing, flamboyant, cleverly resourceful characters trade off insults and reveal surprising abilities as they swagger bravely from one hair-raising scene to another. Exciting, suspenseful, vividly believable, and great, clever fun: a major fantasy-award contender."

Glass Dragons continues the tale of Laron, the chivalrous 700-year-old vampire, the appallingly dangerous and beautiful Velander, and the long-suffering Terikel, as they investigate a secret project of arcane magic, a magic so dangerous it could destroy their world. A project which threatens to fall into the wrong hands.

Glass Dragons is a broad and complicated tale, filled with wonderful characters both new and old, woven through with low humor and great courage, built upon grand acts of heroism and love. Enjoy.



From the Inside Flap
Praise for Voyage of the Shadowmoon, Book One of the Moonworlds Saga:
"McMullen has once again crafted a marvelously unpredictable and intricate story, full of swashbuckling intrigue and adventure on a grand scale."--Publishers Weekly

"McMullen's Voyage of the Shadowmoon provides pleasures familiar from his earlier offerings: secret agents and ruthlessly ambitious adventurers in an epic-size story with a large cast and plenty of surprises in the who's-really-who department. It is a rambling and complicated tale, simultaneously busy and leisurely, woven through the several voyages of the spy vessel of the title. . . . We are treated to plots, crossplots, intrigues, betrayals, reconciliations, murders, massacres, genocide, secret identities, unmaskings, rescues, and paybacks-and also to displays of loyalty, courage, romance, and chivalry. A pleasure to read."--Locus

"One of Australia's most inventive sf authors demonstrates his prodigious talent for fantasy in a standalone novel that belongs in most libraries. Highly recommended."--Library Journal

"This novel represents world-building fantasy at its finest; complex characters and world-altering plots are interwoven to create a tapestry of great intricacy. McMullen is an expert craftsman whose stories will engage any fantasy lover, particularly those who enjoy such works are George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series. . . . This fantasy novel will be popular anywhere that epic fantasy is in demand, whether in high school or public libraries."--VOYA

"With the Aussie-style rowdiness McMullen showed in his earlier Greatwinter trilogy, it's a fun read."--San Diego Union-Tribune



About the Author
Sean McMullen is one of the leading Australian SF authors to emerge during the 1990s, having won more than a dozen national awards in his homeland. In addition, he has sold several dozen short stories to magazines such as Analog, Interzone, and Fantasy & Science Fiction, and was co-author of Strange Constellations, a History of Australian SF. He established himself in the American market with the publication of the Greatwinter trilogy (comprised of Souls in the Great Machine, The Miocene Arrow, and Eyes of the Calculor). His fiction has been translated into Polish, French, and Japanese. The settings for Sean's work range from the Roman Empire, through Medieval Europe, to cities of the distant future.

He has bachelor's and master's degrees from Melbourne University, and post-graduate diplomas in computer science, information science and business management. He is currently doing a PhD in Medieval Fantasy Literature at Melbourne University, where he is also the deputy instructor at the campus karate club, and a member of the fencing club. Before he began writing, Sean spent several years in student reviews and theatre, and was lead singer in three rock and folk bands. After singing in several early music groups and choirs, he spent two years in the Victorian State Opera before he began writing.

He lives in Melbourne with his wife Trish and daughter Catherine.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Glass Dragons continues the tale of Laron, the chivalrous seven-hundred-year-old vampire, the appallingly dangerous and beautiful Velander, and the long-suffering Terikel as they investigate a secret project of arcane magic, a magic so dangerous it could destroy their world - a project that threatens to fall into the wrong hands." Glass Dragons is a broad and complicated tale filled with characters both new and old, woven through with low humor and great courage, and built upon grand acts of heroism and love.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Like 2002's well-received Voyage of the Shadowmoon, this second novel in Australian author McMullen's Moonworlds Saga expertly blends fantastic melodrama and broad farce. It also demonstrates the truth of the old saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Vain sorcerers create Dragonwall, a world-encircling magical barrier, to improve the weather, but they discover that the wall's etheric energy offers them an irresistible temptation to incinerate their rivals-or any entity that imagines it could exist outside their control. It's up to more cautious, self-doubting people to destroy Dragonwall, including a cowardly court musician, a centuries-old reformed vampire, a guilt-laden priestess and a drunken but chivalrous young lout who wishes to better himself. It takes a while for all those characters to get to where they need to be, literally or figuratively, and meanwhile agents of the Dragonwall sorcerers are plotting to thwart them. McMullen tells a lively tale that jumps from person to person as the plot meanders along, but the book is especially attractive for its tricky shifts from dark, passionate intrigue to sly but rowdy slapstick, like a Storm Constantine story line performed by Monty Python. There may be a lot of story to come before the world's balance of magical powers is restored, but readers won't mind if additional books in the series are as entertaining as this one. (Mar. 26) Forecast: McMullen at first comes off as a cheekier (and less thoughtful) version of Terry Pratchett, but he also has a serious side that will attract Pratchett fans and others who prefer substance to their humor. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal