"Great fantasy"
The war between Tia and Alta continues because of the
Jousters and their dragons, the first line of offense on
the borders. Although Tia has more Jousters and dragons
Alta has the magi which sends bad weather into Tia so that
the dragons cannot fly. Kiron, a former serf made dragon
boy to jouster Ari and his dragon Keshet discovers that he
is the only one who besides Ari who does not have to drug
his dragon to get him to obey him. In a daring move,
Kiron steals an egg, empresses the dragonet when it
hatches, trains it and flies back to Alta to try to end
the war. He believes he can show the Altan Jousters a better way of
fighting with the undrugged cooperation of their dragons
even though his country men have less trained jousters.
Kiron is accepted on to Altan training grounds and has
eight youngsters impress their dragons and the nine become
one wing united in their love for their dragons. There is
a powerful shadow group in Alta who doesn't want the war
to end and will use horrific methods to achieve their
goals. Kiron and his followers must prepare for the day
that the enemy will want the Jousters dead. In JOUST, the prequel to ALTA, readers are shown the
culture of Tia and how the ongoing war affects the
conquerors, the serfs and the Jousters. ALTA shares the
viewpoint from the other side and how one escaped serf
gives hope and a plan of action to the demoralized
Jousters. Mercedes Lackey, one of the great fantasists of
our time, writes a coming of age story that is memorable
and enjoyable. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted February 21, 2004
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