Margaret Weis Master of Dragons

Master of Dragons

Margaret Weis

Tor, Nov 2005, $24.95, 352 pp.

ISBN 0765304708

Long before man walked the planet, dragons ruled the Earth, and even when humans started to multiply at a rapid rate, the intelligent magic-wielding beasts accepted their presence for the most part. As man advanced, so did his use of weapons, and in a century or two they could create armaments that could actually kill a dragon. Maristara the dragon went rogue and took over the kingdom of Seth, disguising herself as a human. She set up a breeding farm where dragons in human form mated with pure humans. Their offspring would look human but have the ability to use dragon-magic. The ultimate goal is for dragons to rule the half-dragons, who would rule the humans.

In Parliament, a traitor supports Maristara, and the dragon Grald in Dragonkeep has set up similar breeding programs as the ones in Seth. Marcus, the prince with dragon-magic is rescued from Grald by his half-brother Ven, who is half human, but below the waist he is dragon. Marcus makes his way home to his father's kingdom to prepare him for the war that is coming between humans and dragons, while Draconas the Walker, who walks among humans using illusions to appear as a human, tries to broker peace before the rogues begin the war. If Draconas, Marcus and his father fail, mankind will wind up as dragon slaves.

This work of high fantasy brings to a conclusion Margaret Weis's delightful dragon trilogy, with all the questions answered and loose threads tied up. One can empathize with the antagonist Maristara, who really believes humans could be the doom of dragon kind, even while they deplore her methods to neutralize them. Readers will be surprised and enchanted by the direction the author takes with her characters. Ms. Weis deserves award nominations for her magical trilogy.