Alan F. Troop, The Seadragon’s Daughter

The Seadragon's Daughter

Alan F. Troop

Roc, Dec 2004, $6.99, 304 pp.

ISBN 04541460073

Dragons are mankind's oldest enemies and it is lucky for the human race that few of these powerful beings remain alive. They live much of the time in human form but they have no love for humanity, whom they look upon as fodder. Peter DelaSangres, his wife Chloe and their two children live on their own private island, Caya DelaSangre, where they are able to behave as dragons do.

The waters around the island and the Gulf are now heavily patrolled by the Coast Guard because over two dozen people have recently disappeared from fifteen boats. They think a serial killer is stalking the seas. Peter is kidnapped by the female Pelk Lorrel, a dragon who lives in the sea. Lorrel poisoned Peter and he has to take an antidote every three days, thus trapping him in the home of the Pelks. Lorrel and the other female Pelks are able to seduce Peter through their singing and force him to mate with Lorrel, giving her a child. When the fighting arm of the Pelks get ready to attack Chloe out of fear that she will kill them, Peter escapes but without finding the antidote he has less than a week to live.

The Pelks are reminiscent of sirens, who lured sailors to their doom; as a race they are more amoral then the dragons of the air, what mankind thinks of as the traditional dragon. Both groups have magical powers and it is the most cunning who will win the upcoming war. The romance of Peter and Chloe, although not human in nature, is still beautiful to behold. Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff will love this fantastic island fantasy.

Harriet Klausner