Dragon Defense Heirs Throne ebook
In the best traditions of Anne McCaffrey's fantasy books, "Heirs to the Throne" trilogy walks right on the border between Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi. On one hand, we have advanced technologies like space travel, cloning, mind transfer to artificially created hosts, to name a few. On the other, we have dragons, people with special abilities who can control minds, talk to animals, heal, or even use "speed time" - if you ever seen a "bullet time" in a computer game , that's how it looks like.
Planet Drako is shared by a race of intelligent, telepathic "wolves" and descendants of human colonists. Humans have abandoned advanced technology long ago and their society is that of an early medieval level. There's quite a variety of sociological archetypes here: desert riders ruled by sheiks, samurai warrior class (female samurai are the only foe the desert riders truly fear), European-style lords with somewhat decentralized monarchy, Merchant, Warrior, Seafarer's Guilds, and more. Different customs and traditions, reinforced by the lack of centralized governance, create some interesting possibilities for power struggles and uneasy alliances that make a surprising, if disturbing spectacle for the native inhabitants of the planet.
Earlier books describe the arrival of starship "Zebulon" to Drako, rise of King Donovan to power, his struggle with Jarrack, originally an assassin from the "Institute," an organization that originated the mind transfer, and who, due to his mind-control ability, has become a dangerous power after arriving on the planet. A lot happens in two previous volumes, so instead of giving too many spoilers, I'd recommend you start from the book one and work your way up. This book continues the saga and tells the stories, mostly of the second generation protagonists Donavan's children, who had three daughters, each one with special abilities; and Jarrack's descendants, some of whom have inherited his mind-control powers.
The story starts with Shariel, daughter of Jarrack, being targeted by a desert rider for abduction. Shariel has been raised away from her mother by aunt Bess. Then we move to Kriegen, the "wolf" native, who is appearing in front of the Council of Elders to make his case as a defender of the "Human Pack". A short flash to the "Institute," to give us some idea as to why Dr. Alexander is so pivotal to the plot and we are at the King Donavan's court, where hopeful lords present their sons to the crown, or more precisely, to the princesses. We consult with the ancestral spirits of the wolf people and run the forest with them, we make friends with the wild dragons and discover the reason they attack sailing ships, we attend a grand ball, we rescue captive children, and that's just the beginning of the story.
The narrative is very complex; many different characters make an appearance and move the overall storyline forward. The structure of the storytelling reminds me somewhat of George R. R. Martin's but in a good way - there's no offing the characters right when we have just begun to like them. This book, this trilogy, actually, falls into the "diamond in the rough" category. With no promotional budget behind the series, it's easy to miss even something this epic. So, pick these books up and spread the word - this is a lot of reading bang for the buck. Recommended.
ReplyDeleteI used to say that I wasn't a big fan of science fiction, but Diane Rapp changed that with the first book of her Heirs to the Throne series. I just finished Dragon Defense, the third book in her series, and I confess to being hooked on this story of an evolving civilization on the planet Drako, peopled by descendants of intergalactic travelers, telepathic wolves, and cooperative dragons who all work together to build a life outside the influence of the "Institute."
ReplyDeleteThe Institute is a force of oppression, maintaining control through technological superiority. The people of Drako reject technology until they are forced to embrace it to maintain their autonomy. Ironically, the enabling technology of "Transfer" is fully understood only by Dr. Alexander, a physician on Drako. Transfer technology allows a person to move to a new body periodically while accruing knowledge gained over multiple lifetimes, and it is critical to the Institute's ability to retain governing power. Dragon Defense is the story of the Institute's effort to abduct Dr. Alexander and force him to work on their behalf.
Many of the characters in Dragon Defense are familiar from the first two books, but in this book, we see their personalities evolve and grow, and watch their children mature into positions of leadership. The drive of the people of Drako to achieve self government and the moderating influence of their burgeoning democracy are the core themes in Dragon Defense. Read it and discover how a small group of determined people, wolves, and dragons can change the direction of a seemingly omnipotent malevolent government.
Lest I have made Dragon Defense sound too serious, let me add that the story is told with humor and pathos. It moves with the pace of a thriller, and the characters are personable - even the wolves and the dragons will engage the reader on a personal level. It was great fun to read. If you haven't already read Howl of the Wolf and the Havenshire Resistance, buy all three books today. You'll want to read them straight through - they're that good.