Fire Dragon (Deverry Dragon Mage 3) [Paperback]

Katharine Kerr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2001 | Series: Deverry Dragon Mage 3

Book eleven of the celebrated Deverry series, an epic fantasy rooted in Celtic mythology that intricately interweaves human and elven history over several hundred years. The Fire Dragon tells two separate stories: one set in the "present" of 1117, and one set in the past, the era of the Civil Wars. In the present, Raena's trouble-making in Cerr Cawnen leads to terrible death and destruction but may ultimately succeed in offering the final working-out of Rhodry's Wyrd. In the past, Nevyn and Lilli attempt to solve the riddle of the curse tablet, but the price will be high. In this, the eleventh volume in the Deverry cycle and third of the Dragon Mage series, storylines begun in Dawnspell: The Bristling Wood, A Time of Exile and The Black Raven -- both the 'present' of 1117 and the past -- will reach their triumphant and spellbinding conclusion. But there will be more Deverry books to unravel the situation that climaxes The Fire Dragon!

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The true ending of the tragic tale of Prince Maryn's ill-fated love for a woman touched by magic comes to pass over two centuries later in the rivalry between Rhodry Maelwaedd and the sorceress Raena. As the fate of the Westfolk hangs in the balance, the workings of fate repeat an ageless cycle of love and betrayal. Kerr's multivolume Deverry saga reaches a turning point in this conclusion to the story begun in The Red Wyvern (LJ 11/15/97) and continued in The Black Raven (LJ 11/15/99). Purchase where the series has a following.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Booklist

The latest in Kerr's outstanding Deverry saga picks up its two major story lines where The Black Raven (1999) left them. We learn the fate of Branoic, Lillorigga, and Bellyra at the end of the civil wars and glean some indication of the effect of the curse tablet that first turned up in The Bristling Wood (1989). We also follow the adventures of many souls who are reborn two centuries later in Caer Cawnen, the free city of the North. The Westfolk, guided by Dallandra and guarded by Rhodry and the dragon Arzosah, bring young Jahdo home. But the city also hosts opposing bands of the Horsekin, both of which want Caer Cawnen as an ally in upcoming wars. Raena, still fervently believing in the goddess Alshandra and hating Rhodry, plots as she did in previous incarnations. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Voyager (August 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006482619
• ISBN-13: 978-0006482611
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,770,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Date The Best Of The Dragon Mage Series, January 9, 2001

By 

Elyon (Mesilla, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fire Dragon (Dragon Mage, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

While I have never entirely been clear as to the reasons behind separating this ongoing---to date eleven books---saga into three separate component series---Deverry, Westlands and the current Dragon Mage---as satisfying as the last two books of the latter have been, there is little question that "The Fire Dragon" elevates the story progression found in the two previous books, significantly ratcheting forward the tale's plot progression, and easily standing as one of the best books of the entire series. Many of the plot threads established in "The Red Wyvern" and "The Black Dragon" come to fruition in tragic as well as anticipatory ways, leaving one breathless for what I am told will be the concluding novel of this outstanding series that started with "Daggerspell" in 1986. And, perhaps, at no time has the author's prose seemed so sure of itself, boding for what I expect will be a stunning conclusion to the series.

As I have commented in earlier reviews of other books in this series, it is a shame that this complex and rich saga has not reached the attention of more readers. It is without doubt one of the finest epics of fantasy ever written, deserving the accolades to date heaped upon George R. R. Martin and Robert Jordan, let alone the popularity accorded less rewarding work, such as Terry Goodkind or Raymond Feist. Along with Patricia McKillip, Katherine Kerr remains, in the popular mind, one of the best and most underrated and least read authors writing fantasy today, and this is unfortunate, not only for the author but particularly for all those readers who are unaware of what gems this series represents. I can only hope that at some time in the future those who love fantasy will come to recognize this classic in the making, and that these books will be republished as a set in the form of which they are deserving. To see this book released only in mass market, and after the holidays, seems a travesty when one considers the quality of the work contained.

Once again, for whatever reason---I would like to suspect publisher indifference---this edition has been released without a complete list of characters, or in this case, incarnations. In a tale spanning several hundred years, with characters that shift and reappear upon the stage in various guises, it would have proven helpful to have been given a complete cast of characters. Even having read all the books, I find myself continuously having to refer back to the incomplete table of incarnations to fix the various characters and their manifold relationships in my mind, and this is compounded by the arbitrary absence of certain characters in the tables, such as here Nevyn (who, I suppose, by now we all know) and Aerynn, and the fact that the characters listed in the table for the Mid-1060's are incorrectly paired with their predecessors. In a tale as complex and chronologically complicated as this, with books separated in publication by at least a year and spanning almost two decades, it would have been helpful to provide a more complete list of characters and chronology of background events. Again, hopefully in the future, should this series be re-released, the publisher and author at that time will make the effort to provide their readers with a complete chronology and character list that a work such as this deserves.

I cannot recommend this work more highly. It deserves to be read and, to my mind, remains one of the finest works of epic fantasy fiction ever written.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The penultimate knot of the series, and excellent!, January 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fire Dragon (Dragon Mage, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

For those who have complained that the plot threads of THE RED WYVERN and THE BLACK RAVEN were left dangling---it is time to stop. THE FIRE DRAGON draws together all the major threads of its companion volumes and ties them into a beautiful knot.

In the past, Prince Maryn's forces hold Dun Deverry, and the spring's campaign may well bring Deverry to peace. But the peace that Nevyn himself has schemed and sacrificed for may demand yet another price from those he loves, not only on the battlefield, but in the subtler intrigues of a newborn court. In the present, also, Rhodry, Dallandra and Evandar have survived a war won only by a terrible sacrifice, only to find that,once again, peace may demand an even higher cost than victory. Past and present resonate as the fates of characters both old and new converge, and even the compulsively careful reader may find a few surprises in store. Well worth the read.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great sadness and suchlike, truly, February 20, 2001

By 

dennster (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fire Dragon (Dragon Mage, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just visited Katherine Kerr's web site, and got some horrible news: Bantam has decided it will not publish the next two novels of the series in the United States. Even though ALL TEN books so far are still sellers, a rare event in serialized novels, the last few novels have not sold "enough".

Bantam will continue to publish the first 10 novels for as long as they sell. Let's hope Ms. Kerr's agent can find another U.S. publisher for the next two. The good news is that the next two books WILL come out in the United Kingdom, so loyal readers won't get left hanging.

Thank you, Ms. Kerr, for writing such great novels, and creating such memorable characters. I can't wait to see Jill again!

One final thought. I realize that life isn't fair, but I still feel the need to point out that Goodkind (eh), Feist (double eh) and Eddings (shame, shame) are all wildly succesful. There's a place for these authors (male, teenage; basically me 15 years ago), but I wish they wouldn't crowd out intelligent fantasy for more demanding readers.