The Empire of the Stars (Dragon Throne) [Paperback]

Alison Baird (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dragon Throne | Publication Date: November 1, 2004

Baird, a fresh new voice in the tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley, follows up "The Stone of the Stars" with this second installment of her Dragon Throne trilogy of adventure, magic, and mythic beasts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Baird has produced a real winner, sure to please current fans and appeal to many new ones."

About the Author

I have loved books ever since I was given my first library card at the age of four. And from the very beginning most of my favorite authors were writers of fantasy: C.S. Lewis, Kenneth Graham, J.M. Barrie, Charles Kingsley, E. Nesbit, Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Madeleine L'Engle, Alan Garner, Susan Cooper, T.H. White, Mary Stewart. Looking back, my childhood seems to have been evenly divided between the suburban homes in which I lived and the lands of Oz and Narnia, Middle-Earth and Neverland in which my mind so frequently sojourned. Perhaps it is not surprising that from an early age I longed to be a writer myself. My surname, Baird, is the Gaelic form of "bard," and since the ancient bards were storytellers this certainly seems appropriate! I published a number of poems when I was twelve years old, and the excitement this gave me helped to launch my career: I have been writing ever since. Today I am the author of numerous books and short stories, for both children and adults, all in the fantasy genre. My books include The Dragon's Egg, a tale for young readers that was inspired by Chinese mythology; White as the Waves, a retelling of the classic Moby Dick using the whale's point of view; a Celtic fantasy novel, The Hidden World, and its prequel The Wolves of Woden; a series for teens, The Willowmere Chronicles; and The Stone of the Stars, the first volume in a trilogy for adults. Apart from writing, my interests are many and extremely eclectic: they include mythology and folklore, English literature, natural science, watercolor painting and classical music.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Aspect (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446690961
• ISBN-13: 978-0446690966
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,453,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertainingly and enthralling coming of age fantasy, October 27, 2004

By 

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

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

Ailia lived on Mera for seventeen years, never realizing that her mother took her from her home planet Arainia to escape enemies that would kill her before she fulfilled her destiny. Before she left for her home planet, she thwarted Mandrake the shapeshifting dragon and took the Star Stone with her. Most of the Arainia populace sees her as the Tryna Lia, who is fated to rid the worlds of the Celestial Empire of evil. Her tutors teach Ailia how to use her untapped powers although she is content to be an ordinary woman, not a near deity that people revere and fear.

On her birthday, Khalazar, a minion of Mandrake though he is unaware of that, sends Ailia a message that he is coming to destroy her. The Tryna Lia is sent into hiding but one of her inner circle is a traitor in league with Mandrake. She is taken to the dragon's home world where she finds a way to travel to Nemorah in the hopes that she can stop Mandrake and end his plans for war.

In the beginning of this book Ailia is an unsure, timid maiden afraid of her destiny; by the end, she becomes a warrior, her power fully developed and a champion who is not afraid to fight Mandrake as an equal. Her adventures on her home world, the Dragon's world and Nemorah cause her to grow up fast and take charge of her life. Ironically, readers feel sorry for Mandrake who finds that his dark ways cause the people who truly cared about him to turn their backs on him. Alison Baird's latest work is an enjoyable, entertainingly and totally enthralling coming of age fantasy.

Harriet Klausner