Steelhands

June 13, 2011
Colorful atmosphere and a talky lack of action define Jones and Bennett's tortoise-paced fourth novel (after 2011's Dragon Soul) of fighter pilots on dragonback. Volstov's heroic Dragon Corps, now dismantled, helped defeat the wily Ke-Han. Now gruff former Chief Sergeant Adamo; amazonian Laure and her flaming "fiancé," Teverre; and prosthetic-handed diplomat and hero Belfour are reduced to dawdling through a search for bumpkin Gaeth, one of Adamo's students. Their quest leads to the discovery of a new generation of mechanical dragons being assembled with nefarious blood magic to form a new Dragon Guard, violating the Esar's treaty with the Ke-Han. Probably appealing most to young adult tastes, this extended mélange of adolescent angst, exploitative romantic relationships, and barracks humor never really takes flight.

July 1, 2011

As diplomats from the victorious realm of Volstov meet with their counterparts from the defeated Ke-Han Empire in the city of Thremedon, young people from throughout the land, many on scholarships, arrive to attend the prestigious 'Versity, where they hope to study in peace. When a strange sickness strikes newcomers Gaeth, a boy from the farmlands, and Laure, a girl raised as the son her father wanted, and students begin disappearing, a few people suspect a conspiracy that involves an attempt to re-create the magnificent and terrible army of mechanical, sentient dragons that won the war. The fourth installment in the authors' series (after Havemercy, Shadow Magic, and Dragon Soul) brings the magic of animated dragon-machines to another generation of potential "Airmen." VERDICT The authors' brilliantly established world, part magical, part steampunk, and the distinct voices of the four principal narrators make this fantasy a top-notch choice for series fans and lovers of Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" series.

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