Alta

Vetch, now named Kiron, escapes to his homeland of Alta with his dragon, Avatre. He trains a new generation of dragonriders using humane methods to combat the corrupt Magi who use drugs to control dragons and prolong a destructive war.

Kiron, having escaped from Tia, attempts to build a resistance force in Alta. He introduces the concept of bonding with dragons rather than drugging them. Kiron matures from a slave into an educated, noble leader, though he faces political maneuvering from the Altan ruling Magi.
By the end, Kiron has developed a new squad of jousters and is prepared to challenge the corrupt powers.

Again, rich story. Vetch/Kiron starts stretching himself into a new role - and finds he's even more important (as in, necessary) than he thought he would be. Joust had relatively few fully-described characters - maybe four fully shown and another 4-5 sketched in. Alta has a lot more full characters - the wing, Orest and...arggggh, his sister (she's more important to the story than he is! Why can't I remember her name? Ah, Aket-ten) and their father - which makes it feel richer and fuller.

This is the second in the Dragon Jouster's series that began with Joust, which you should read first.

The series is centered on Kiron (in the first book known as Vetch) who is an appealing figure. In the first book he came across as angry and bitter (but with good reason, so he never came across as whiny.) In this book he comes into his own and to a position of leadership as he tries to teach his compatriots the secrets of raising tame dragons. The new, supporting characters in this tale of his fellow jousters-in-training and friends are appealing and memorable.

Lackey herself is involved with raptor rehabilitation, which may explain why her take on dragons feels so plausible. I also enjoy the setting, not the usual pseudo-Europe you show more see in high fantasy, but rather a magical land akin to Ancient Egypt, with a bit of the legend of Atlantis thrown into the mix. show less

I like the books Mercedes lackey writes, she is good at creating a believable world and people to populate it. This series starts off very strong though I do feel that it falls off a bit as it progresses. It is truly readable and enjoyable.

Alta is the second book of the Dragon Jousters series by Mercedes Lackey. It is not quite a complete novel in its own right and if you start here, some of the details may not be clear. Enough background is supplied through various means, however, that it may be read by itself. Alta is also more of a Young Adult story than the previous volume, although adult readers should find it quite enjoyable. It is not on par with any of Rowling’s Harry Potter novels or Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series, but it still a very rewarding read.

In this installment, we follow the main character, Kiron, as he completes his journey to freedom. We are introduced to another portion of mythic world he lives in and we follow him as he seeks to create show more a new identity for himself. We also follow his physical and emotional development as he begins passing into manhood and becoming a leader.

Lackey carries forward her theme of overcoming oppression and introduces us to a new cast of characters. Once again, the society Kiron finds himself immersed in is based on Terrestrial Ancient Egypt, with a nod to Ancient Greece by way of some supporting characters. If you have trouble with non-Anglicized names, you may have trouble following this story due to this influence. The plot for Alta revolves around hidden powers behind the throne destroying the lands for their own gain. There is a good deal of court intrigue involved, but most of the action focuses on Kiron training Avatre, his Dragon, forming a flying wing of his own and seeking to restore a balance of power between the two warring factions.

While this is an excellent fantasy series, it falls short of being really classical. The characters are well developed, but they did not reach me the way Frodo Baggins or Bilbo Baggins and their company did. The description Mercedes Lackey gives us of the world Kiron inhabits is not as complex, not as complete as the world Frank Herbert gave us for Dune nor as gritty as the Bas Lag setting of China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station. Still, I would rank it above the Temeraire series of Naomi Novik because while I do not feel compelled to actively pursue that series after finishing the second installment, I am anxiously waiting to move on to the third installment of the Dragon Jousters series. In fact, I’ve already acquired it; I just need to find time to read it. show less

An excellent sequel to Joust. More developed and complex plot, although still littered with typos and grammatical errors. I'm now completely hooked on this series, and love the Ancient Egypt meets dragon riders idea. More dragons are hatched and ridden, and there is intrigue and excitement. What more could you ask for? One of my new favourite series.

I thought this was a great sequel to Joust. It continues the action-packed, hard-to-put-down style of its predecessor and Kiron's story grabs you from the beginning. His growing bond with Avatre and his growing sense of self really emerge to take center stage as he fights for his country and, ultimately, the people.