Redeeming the Lost

June 28, 2004
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

June 15, 2004
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 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2004
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. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)