Mercedes Lackey, Sanctuary

Mercedes Lackey, Sanctuary - For years. the magi, a magical, evil organization, have worked in the shadows to gain power; now they have come out in the open with the Eye of Light, a weapon of mass destruction. The war between Alta and Tia goes on because the magi feed off the essence of the dying and become even more powerful. Those with psionic powers, the god-touched, are being drained of their power to feed the insatiable hunger of the magi.

The magi believe that the fighting force of the Jousters and their dragons are dead but in the desert city of Sanctuary, far from the magic of the magi, a dragon wing survives, led by Kiron, who once was a serf and a dragon boy in Tia. Sanctuary welcomes all the refugees who are fleeing the magi. The magi plan to use the Eye against the Tia army that is invading Alta; Kiron must rescue the woman he loves and rally the people so that when the earthquake hits as a byproduct of using the Eye, they will be able to evacuate in an orderly manner so that some of Alta will survive.

Book three of The Dragon Jousters is a fantastic finale to an excellent fantasy trilogy. Kiron has grown from a subservient serf (lower than a slave) to a man who leads a mighty force that can take on the magi and save thousands of people. Much of the novel takes place in SANCTUARY as the people make a dead city come alive. The dragons have a special bond based on love and trust with their humans and fans of Anne MacCaffrey's Pern series will want to read this very special series.

Daw, May 2005, $25.95, 320 pp.

ISBN 0756402468

Harriet Klausner