Havemercy (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Danielle Bennett (Author)
Key Phrases: jaida jones, other airmen, Dragon Corps, Chief Sergeant, Margrave Royston (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jones and Bennett vividly convey the testosterone-saturated world of fantasy fighter pilots in this fast-paced debut. When the stereotypically Asian Ke-Han threaten the Volstov empire, graduate student Thom is sent to rehabilitate the Dragon Corps, an ersatz air force of rebellious, violent young men who fly enormous metal dragons animated by magic. As Thom struggles with his task, challenged most by the brutish ace Rook, the Margrave Royston, banished for an illicit homosexual affair, befriends Hal, an innocent but brilliant tutor who eventually becomes Royston's lover. These four join minds and skills to solve the mystery of a devastating plague and defend Volstov from the foreign army. The insular corps culture of combative homoeroticism and masculine archetypes dominates the book, as female characters fade far into the background. Despite few surprises or original flourishes, Jones and Bennett credibly bring the decadent empire and its inhabitants to life. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—The cities of Volstov and Ke-Han have been at war for more than a century. Volstov's flying Dragon Corps (think motorcycle gang with wings) is its greatest weapon. Made up of a ragged, motley crew of young men who don't fit in anywhere else in the community, their nightly raids cause havoc and appear to be getting the upper hand, with victory seemingly near. Then things start to change; "the girls"—as the dragon riders call their metal steeds—seem to be "off," unable to communicate, and start behaving as though their riders were complete strangers rather than the almost mind-connected teams they had been. The magicians of Volstov are also plagued with illness and affliction. What is causing the devastating shift in the 100-year war? Who or what is behind the massive change in the balance of combat? Perhaps it is the intruder from the 'Versity who has been stationed inside the Dragon Corps to find out what makes the riders tick; or maybe the Margrave's new lover has thrown the world out of whack, and he is the reason for the magicians' disease? All parties will have to work to save their kingdom, using cooperation and teamwork to do it. Fans of epic fantasy novels will be pleased with this one.—Joanne Ligamari, Rio Linda School District, Sacramento, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; 1 edition (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553806963
• ISBN-13: 978-0553806960
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #443,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars well done though anticlimactic, June 24, 2008

By	Clio Tandy (Mount Vernon, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I've been waiting for quite some time for this book to come out and, though I was initially disappointed by the sheer size of it (a rather unimpressive 388-pages, a quarter of the length of your average Harry Potter book), once I opened the book and immersed myself in its story, I was hard-pressed to pull myself back out again.

Havemercy details the intertwining stories of four very different people: Royston, a magician who has been exiled for dallying with a foreign prince, Hal, the adorable country tutor put in charge of watching over him, Rook, the lewd, crude pilot of Havemercy, the fiercest dragon in the Dragon Corps, and Thom, a young student unluckily roped into attempting to introduce the Corps to a trifling little thing like manners.

The book is extremely slow to start, spending much time, as with all fantasy novels, building up the world and introducing the characters. Action scenes are minimal (I think there were only two of them, possibly three) and the last, perhaps the most exciting, battle took place off-screen, leading to a rather anti-climactic finish. The book could have benefited from the use of a glossary as I've finished it and still have no idea what a 'bastion' is in this world, aside from functioning as a frequently used curse word. However, thankfully, the good well outweighs the bad.

The cast of characters are colorful and memorable. My favorite among them was Hal, whose bright eyes, desire to learn, and unwavering devotion to Royston make him as endearing to me as he is to the Margrave. The relationship between Royston and Hal is well-crafted (though it did bring back many memories of Nightrunner's Alec and Sergil) and I feel every almost-kiss and period of unresolved sexual tension with as much frustration as Hal himself must have felt.

The relationship between Rook and Thom, which I remain convinced had a romantic undertone no matter how many times the word "brothers" is drilled into my head, is equally staggering in its descriptive realism. You felt for them, their triumphs, their failures, the frisson that cackled between them on every page. Rook is a hard man to love, yet somehow Thom manages, and watching those walls get broken down without transforming Rook from the insensitive brute we were introduced to from the start is engaging to the very last page.

The novel is more character-driven than plot driven (which is why it seemed, to me, that the overreaching plot of war, secrecy, espionage, and conspiracy paled in comparison to how the characters reacted to them). The plot was lost in the thoughts and motivations of the characters so that it becomes less about Volstov's hundred-year battle against the Ke-Han and more about Royston's precarious relationship with Hal and Thom's struggles to not be eaten alive by the rowdy Dragon Corps.

However, Miss Jones and Miss Bennett did an excellent job of making their world and their characters fly off the page so that by the time the story was over I found myself longing for more. I hope to see more from them in the future.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good but not great, August 18, 2008

By	bookstealth "bookstealth" (Northern Illinois) - See all my reviews

I'm just not feeling the great enthusiasm. I thought "Havemercy" was an interesting spin on some SF tropes and it was really impressive as a first book. The writing was graceful but the book just wasn't more than mildly entertaining for me.
First off, the book was badly unbalanced. The plot was condensed into a few chapters. The book started out slow, which is nice for world building and all, but it took way too long for anything to happen. The action picked up about 3/4 of the way through the book. The action scenes were few but nicely handled but the ending was shamefully rushed.
Second, the world building was sketchy and confusing. The actual role magic played in the society was barely implied. We get a clear view of the power/political aspects used by the emperor but the general society was barely limned in. The three adjoining cities, bearing womens' names, were little more than caricatures. Molly was the slum. Yeah, got it already. What was trade in this society? How much, if any, social mobility was there? There were a few glimpses--young Hal escaping rural isolation, vicious Rook somehow being chosen by his mechanical/magic dragon--but overall the world building was careless at best.
Third, too many of the characters were flat and sterotypical in a novel that's very character-driven. The romance between naive Hal and older Royston was charming in an old-Harlequin-Barbara-Cartland mold. Hal was the essential pure, blushing virgin to Royston's damaged, worldly self. The slow seduction was sweet but corny because neither of the characters were anything more complex than types.
Unfortunately none of the other characters rang true as real people either. I vehemently agree with the reviewer who noted homoerotic overtones between the airman Rook and Thom the academic. The tension was explained away in a hokey long-lost-brother frill that was telegraphed chapters before. NOT convincing. The book is overwhelmingly masculine, hardly any female characters (besides whores and a nasty housewife) so the authors' weird tone deafness about men was all the more jarring. Example: hyper-macho Rook persecutes gentle Thom ruthlessly--but gently raises Thom by the chin to look into his eyes during an argument. A genuine WTF!? moment and one of too many.
I enjoyed the book, mind. The dragons were fascinating; worth a lot more development. The characters were more types than people and the world building was incomplete but the book was still a fun read. (Gorgeous cover art too.) So...a *good* book, and authors with a lot of potential.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Venti Mocha Malt Frappuccino of a Story, July 13, 2008

By	Thomas Schmitz - See all my reviews

I just finished the book this morning. Last week the stunning cover caught my eye. Then I read the jacket, the thank you notes and author bios. I found Jaida Jones's and Danielle Bennett's story compelling and decided to by the book, if just to support these two spunky young novelists. It turned out to be a good move. I could barely put the book down and eagerly returned to it each evening.

Four characters share first-person storytelling duties in Havemercy: Hal - the smart and eager, but inexperienced country tutor, Royston - a distinguished but disgraced wizard, Thom - the intelligent university-man trying to find his road in life, and Rook - the fighting foul mouthed dragon rider that every noble woman wants to bed. It's a story that builds to a glorious crescendo.

I am curious to know which author wrote which characters' sections. I can imagine Jaida and Danielle emailing each other their work with combined feelings of pride and hope, working together and trying to outdo each other and, in the end, pushing each other to new levels of excellence. There were many times when I smiled at the writing as much as I smiled at the story.

Havemercy is a Venti Mocha Malt Frappuccino with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle of a story. I eagerly await their next Volstovian adventure.