The Archons of the Stars [Mass Market Paperback]

Alison Baird (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

- The first book in the Dragon Throne series, The Stone of the Stars (0-446-69098-8), was published in Aspect trade paperback in 2/04 and has already gone back to press for a second printing. The mass market edition will be published by Aspect in 7/05 and will tie in with this novel. The second novel in the series, The Empire of the Stars, will be published in Aspect trade paperback in 11/04. - Alison Baird, a highly decorated Canadian writer, is the author of The Witches of Willowmere (Penguin, 2002). The Wolves of Woden (Penguin, 2001), and The Hidden World (Penguin, 1999). She is a Silver Birch Award regional winner for The Dragon's Egg (Scholastic, 1994), received an Honorable Mention for the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror for Dragon Pearl (St. Martin's Press, 1996), and was a finalist for the IODE Violet Downey Book Award for White as the Waves (Creative, 1999). - Dragons remain one of fantasy fiction's most popular creatures. The illustrated dragon cover will clearly position. The Archons of The Stars as fantasy, which outpaces science fiction in genre sales.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There's nothing more refreshing than a fantasist breaking with formula, as Baird ably does in this brisk wrap-up to the Dragon Throne trilogy (after The Empire of the Stars). Though she shows her roots in YA, she conceives a very grown-up solution for the kind and brilliant sorceress Ailia, who finds herself in love with both Damion, a martyred priest and Paladin, and Mandrake, a bitter half-dragon mage who offered his soul to the dark god Valdur in a bid to rule the universe. Faced with the option of joining the former in the afterlife and the latter on a higher plane, Ailia turns away from them both and chooses a solitary mortal life in the material world. Despite this seeming veneration of hedonism over considerations of good and evil, Baird manages to make this the most moral of three very moral books, emphasizing the importance of conscious choice and self-definition in a tale where every character is deeply influenced by parentage, past and prophecy. The adolescent audience will love this novel, older readers will find its conceptual complexity thoroughly redeems the bland plot, and those who disagree with the author's conclusions will still find tasty philosophical morsels.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Baird has produced a real winner, sure to please current fans and appeal to many new ones." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Aspect (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446613037
• ISBN-13: 978-0446613033
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,688,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific fantasy, August 24, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Archons of the Stars (Dragon Throne) (Paperback)

Ailia Shipwright has been recognized as the human savior Princess of the Stars Tryna Lia, expected to defeat the malevolent God Valdur though her enemy contains similar power coupled with much more experience and no morals. Over the years Ailia has learned to use her vast deity-like abilities (see THE STONE OF THE STARS and THE EMPIRE OF THE STARS) and her allies have helped her prepare for the final confrontation coming very soon.

Meanwhile one of her deadliest foes the Avatar of Valdur Prince Morlan remains almost exclusively in his dragon body as Mandrake prepares himself to become the host of Valdur. While their respective allies war all over heaven, earth, hell and every other place in between, the final battle remains between Ailia and Mandrake fortified by Valdur on the evil God's home territory. The chances of the Princess triumphing seem remote at best.

This is a fabulous climax to a terrific fantasy trilogy as readers who have followed Ailia will appreciate the strong final confrontation with the Baird universe at stake. The story line is fast-paced and action-packed while loaded with all forms of mythological creatures especially shapeshifting dragons. Still the saga belongs to the heroine whose coming of age might mean her death and that of everyone she cares about. The pressure of being destiny's darling still remains from the previous novels, but the Princess steps to the plate to fight mano vs. woman with everything at stake. It is better to read the previous books first knowing that THE ARCHONS OF THE STARS is a five star triumph.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous once you get into the story, January 18, 2012

By 

Ashley Vanstone - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Archons of the Stars (Dragon Throne) (Paperback)

I found this series very difficult to get into because the setting was so foreign and unrelatable. It wasn't until the middle of the second book when I finally managed to grasp the environment, and after that the story took off and I just loved it. The details are rich and the world in this series is fascinating to visualise. I highly recommend these books to anyone who loves fantasy and has an active imagination!