Steal the Dragon

This has some elements of The Hob's Bargain, with a more mature approach. This is book #2 of 3 (I don't have book 1). Enough information is provided so that missing the first book does not severely hamper understanding. This is a sword and sorcery, with a strong heroine and some much darker elements than most of her other books. Rianna is a former slave, dancer by trade, sent as a spy on a mission to help nudge the political machinations between realms towards a situation where slavery in general is abolished. There are also some interesting magical creatures. Easy read, but didn't capture me as fully as some of her other books.

This was a very enjoyable fantasy tale about a gypsy turned slave turned horse-trainer turned spy in the name of bringing together two waring nations and ending slavery. The story was easy to read and I found the characters enjoyable. I found the heroine's empathic abilities to be very interesting. It was an interesting and exciting story with a teeny-tiny bit of romance thrown in so I was very happy.

I didn't realize this is the second book of a trilogy until I read one of the other reviews. I certainly think this one works as a stand alone as I never even had a inkling I was missing anything.

I like it. This one overlaps in place, and to some extent in time, with Masques and Wolfsbane - Geoffrey the ae'Magi is about a decade dead, King Myr of Reth is a named (but not active) character, the (a) central concern is the longstanding quarrel between Reth and Darran. Oh, and it's the beginning of the reign of the Voice of Altis...having just read When Demons Walk, I knew as soon as he was introduced who was the Voice (so I read them out of order - oh well). I still don't know where Sham's city is - Southwood? - and still want a map. But the pieces fit together rather nicely. I like Rialla - like Sham, she's had her world torn apart and has rebuilt it, more or less. Now circumstances let/make her deal with the pieces she's been show more ignoring... she is persuaded into playing the part of the slave she was, and begins to deal with the scars left by that experience. Tris is interesting, but I wish we got to see more of him - we get a very little bit of him as a Sylvan, and a bit of him as a person, but not much. Like Wolf in Masques, we only get clues. Maybe there will be a second book for this, and for When Demons Walk? At least they acknowledge the romance by the end of this one, though there's a lot to learn for both of them. I enjoyed the story; again, I found that I'd forgotten most of it, which means I got to experience it all new. Yay! I really prefer these sorts of tales from Briggs, rather than the urban fantasy. I like the Hurog books best, but Sianim has supplanted the Hob for me, I think. Of course, if there were more in the Hob's universe, it might switch back...the more I read, the better I like it. show less

This is the story of Rialla, a girl who was taken by slave traders from Darran. She escaped to the mercenary city-state of Sianim, and now has a chance to end the slave trade in Darran by becoming involved in a mission for the Spymaster of Sianim.

This is a good book, but having read the Hurog duology and 'The Hobb's Bargain' by the same author, which had that something special (for me) that makes a really good story, I was a bit disappointed because I didn't feel that this book had that 'something special', in comparison. I notice that this is one of Briggs's earliest works and consequently it isn't surprising that the writing is a bit rougher in parts.

However, it is still a good story, filled with magic and adventure, and worth a show more read.

(October 2010)
3 stars show less

I enjoyed this book a great deal. I love her style for plot. She doesn't drag out what is going to happen next. If it seems like the obvious thing to happen, it just happens and quickly. If there is a surprise, then that happens naturally and is explored to the depth it should

There were a number of times I felt, "Hey she can't be doing that now, there's not enough book left."

So the story is rich.

The characters are well done, but not super deep. Mostly they just deal with tragedy and don't wallow in it like a lot of other books. They are interesting and active and have secrets. She doesn't drag a character around because she created them either. If it makes more sense for a character to run away from an upcoming problem, even though it show more takes them out of the action, they do. That's refreshing.

It wasn't until I got to the end that I thought there must be a sequel. I had no idea it was part of a series. Does make me want to look up the others in the series. show less

A well-told fantasy whose clichéd setup and storyline made for a less than engaging read.
The characters are interesting and seem believably 3-dimensional, but their backgrounds are underdeveloped, lacking in realism and plagued by stereotypes.
The worldbuilding is competent, but superficial.

Rialla is an escaped slave who makes a living as a horsetrainer in the mercenary city Sianim. She is called into service for the Sianim spymasterto prevent a murder. A murder that will prevent the beginning of an alliance between nations and the end of slavery in them.
Pretending to be a slave she travels to Darran - where she escaped from 7 years previous - with the brother of the murdertarget.
When the murder is committed, and her 'owner' accused of show more it, she allows herself to be reclaimed by her former master to collect proof of his guilt. SHe is aided in her efforts by a non-human magic user, and ends up confronting a prophet of one of the old gods.
The background of Rialla, and the rest of the characters, is sketchy which makes her seem less realistic, but since what there is of it is so clichéd that may be for the best.

The human - non-human relationship between an outcast human female having suffered great losses and a solitary male non-human whose race has dwindled into non-existance is very similar to the story in The Hob's Bargain - which is a much more wellwritten and coherent book. show less

Rialla, a former slave who escaped to the mercenary nation of Sianim. As a skilled spy and empath, she returns to Darran, her homeland, to prevent the murder of a Lord seeking to abolish slavery.

She partners with Laeth, the black sheep son of a Darranian lord, while navigating a dangerous world filled with deadly magic and gods. After a murder attempt, Laeth is framed, and Rialla finds aid from Tris, a non-human healer, to find the real killer.