The Adamantine Palace

December 14, 2009
Deas’s dragon-riding fantasy debut lumbers along as sinister Prince Jehal, called the Viper, connives, seduces, poisons, and murders his way to the throne of the Kingdom of the Endless Sea. The story only leaves well-trodden fictional ground when unique white dragon Snow begins to communicate telepathically with her handler, Kailin. Neither cuddly or companionable, dragons in this world are violent fire-breathers who have been tranquilized by alchemists and forced to serve aristocrats for war and hunting. Snow’s dreams of freedom ignite her urge to incinerate humans and all their works, and she brings other dragons into her quest to destroy the alchemists forever. Played off against villainous Jehal and repetitive palace intrigues, Deas’s dragons provide fitful shuddery glimpses into alien minds, a few brief fireworks in an otherwise commonplace performance.

February 15, 2010
Controlled by an alchemical potion that blunts their ferocity, the dragons of the Realms serve as hunting beasts and war mounts as well as valuable tokens of wealth in the game of politics. Both Prince Jehal and Queen Shezira desire power and seek it through murder or marriage until a missing white dragon signals the onset of serious trouble in the Realms. Deas's debut fantasy features dragons that are wild and powerful when left to their own devices, and his characters are both diverse and complex. VERDICT Dragon-based fiction is popular, and fans of Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels, Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, and other dragon tales should enjoy this well-written fantasy debut.

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