Brian Rathbone

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I don’t remember when I chose this book originally or why, but I noticed it on my extensive to-be-read list and decided to give Dragon Airways a try. It starts slowly with so many points of view (POV) it’s a little overwhelming at first, but here’s the thing. Each POV offers another piece of the puzzle, revealing a complex world full of people both with good and bad intentions, but none of the characters are simple.

The downside of so many POVs show more is while the reader is never left in the dark, sometimes the tension is cut because there are few unanswered questions. On the other hand, the seeding was excellent so when later events unfold, the solutions don’t come out of nowhere but rather are founded on events we already know.

Once we’re more familiar with the main cast, the focus narrows a bit. The story demonstrates the devastating costs of war to all sides and the dangers of a brutal megalomaniac. It does this through the eyes of those with decision-making power and those without.

The readers take a few harsh blows in this lesson, but at the same time, there are some wonderful reconciliations and new discoveries. These act as gifts in the face of tragedy, whether it’s a character stepping into a leadership role or finding a new artifact of legend to aid their cause.

I’m speaking generally to avoid spoilers. The essence of the story is a sister’s love for her unusual brother and a bad king’s desire to use those like Emmet to increase his magic hoard.

Emmet can sense magic. He is the equivalent of an autistic child with time sense as his overwhelm. His character is a real strength in an already strong cast in part because we see him through his sister’s eyes and his own.

Riette hates herself for not being better at caring for Emmet, all the while unaware he is cognizant of what’s going on around him if unable to articulate it. That’s just one complexity the characters struggle with, and it’s well written even when the actual writing has rough sections and sometimes repeats concepts more than once.

Then, of course, there are the dragons themselves who play a critical role and are fully realized even though they don’t exactly communicate with people in words. There is no question the strength of the bond between rider and dragon, but who is in command might not be so clear.

Bottom line, the book creates a fascinating world peopled with characters to love and hate. It then places them inside a harrowing story with powerful insights into long wars and those who wage them. A big story told from the middle of the battlefield with the characters growing understanding along with the reader. It’s well worth holding on through the slow beginning, and I’m glad Dragon Airways caught my eye. show less

Caitrin, her cousin Chase, and their friends Osbourne and Strom are farmer's kids, living ordinary lives, until events start to close in on them. Their land is about to be invaded by a powerful and expanding empire, and a religious prophecy is about to come to fruition. Uncomfortably for her, Caitrin, it seems, is the Herald of the return of the Comet, which is the symbol or vehicle of a goddess.

With the Comet becoming visible in the sky, Caitrin now has power, and and this teenager who show more never expected this is quite convincingly inept and clumsy in her first (initially accidental) uses of it. This quickly gets her a reputation as a witch--the dangerous kind that no sensible person wants around.

And of course, no one believes the prophecy about the invasion until the empire's ships are on the horizon.

Caitrin and her friends' efforts to survive the initial invasion while Caitrin struggles to master her new power dominate this first volume, and we begin to get clues to an over-arching story with a longer history than the four friends suspect.

I like these characters. They're good-hearted and fallible. They have some really smart ideas, and they also screw up sometimes. They don't always do the right thing, but they do always try. Even with traumatic events for the kids, and disaster befalling their land, this is, as odd as this may sound, a very good-natured book, and I enjoyed my time with it. I could quibble endlessly on details. Societies with mediaeval-level technology are not going to have rough gender equality. It's just not going to happen because of the birthrate required to keep those societies viable. If the planet (note that there's some suggestion we may not be talking about Earth) really passes through a comet storm every thousand years or so, there are going to be some impacts that are really not good for life on that planet. Who cares? This is a fun book! Go with it!

At least, I had no difficulty doing so, and these are the kinds of things that often make me quite cranky.

Recommended.

Audiobook, so I almost certainly bought it rather than getting a review copy. In any case, I'm reviewing it voluntarily. show less

This book is well written but I found it difficult to keep up with all the characters. While I understand the need to have multiple characters in multiple places to convey this very complex, painful yet explosive story, I prefer stories with fewer characters and deeper connections.

Excellent book.
The story is very good, and I like the characters. Best of all are the small details - it reminded me a lot of my youth growing up on a cattle ranch. It's wonderful to read a work of fantasy by someone more comfortable with woodlands and farms than starbucks and tv.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series with great anticipation.