Monster's Legacy, The (Dragon Flight) [Hardcover]

Andre Norton (Author), Jody A. Lee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Dragon Flight | Publication Date: May 1, 1996

After an army approaches to take over the castle, Sarita, the child of the Countess, and one of the Earl's huntsmen flee to the forest for safety, hoping that the legend of Loden, a fearful monster, will keep the attackers away from them.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up?A fierce and mysterious attack on an absent Earl's holdings leaves only three survivors: Sarita, a talented embroideress; Rhys, a skilled woodsman who befriends her; and Valoris, the Earl's two-year-old son. The two young adults soon discover they share a common talent: both can sense the future, but in different ways. Together they hide from pursuers and protect the young heir until they can warn the returning Earl. Their flight leads them to the lair of the Loden, a legendary monster. The creature has long ago departed, but they use what it has left behind (its skin and an egg) to help them in their quest. After the violent attack described in the first two chapters, most of the action focuses on the ways in which Sarita and Rhys explore their emerging mental powers. The mystery and importance of the Loden gradually unfold through Norton's smooth, well-paced narrative. The characters are generally appealing, but largely because of their shared predicament and the ways in which they respond to it. Their individual personalities and the interactions between them are not particularly memorable. Many fantasy readers will enjoy Norton's latest, but it is not as engaging as Tanith Lee's The Black Unicorn (1991) or Susan Fletcher's Flight of the Dragon Kyn (1993, both Atheneum).?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-10. The intent of Dragonflight, a generally fine fantasy series that began with Robert Silverberg's Letters from Atlantis (1990) and includes Tanith Lee's Black Unicorn (1991) and Gold Unicorn (1994), Brad Strickland's Dragon's Plunder (1993), and Esther M. Friesner's Wishing Season (1993), is to provide YAs with novels by leading genre authors, with illustrations by noted sf/fantasy artists. The latest in the series, by one of the masters in the field, will not disappoint fans. Gentle Sarita, apprentice embroiderer, flees into the wilds with Earl Florian's very young son when the earl's holding is invaded and all within are murdered. Luckily, she encounters Rhys, one of the earl's huntsmen, who had been wounded but escaped by playing dead. The three manage to evade pursuers and make their way to the mountains said to be inhabited by the dreaded Loden, a monster who preys on humans. The quest here is for safety, both for the three who flee and for the kingdom; the talisman is a silver awl that had belonged to Sarita's mother; and the talents involve the ability to foresee. Mix in fast-paced adventure, a sense of constant danger, and a mystery about long-gone dragons and their legacy--and you have a very satisfying tale. Sally Estes

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1st edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689807317
• ISBN-13: 978-0689807312
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,090,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book got my attention and held it., September 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Monster's Legacy, The (Dragon Flight) (Hardcover)

This book is about an apprentice to the embroiderer Dame Araglas named Sarita and a ranger named Rhys and their adventure in Var-the-Outer.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Well, at least it's entertaining., June 20, 2001

By 

"saffron13" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster's Legacy, The (Dragon Flight) (Hardcover)

I found myself bursting into laughter thoughout this book. I know some people may like the dialogue, but it really ruined the entire mood, if there was one, for me. If you want one word to describe the dialogue, it's 'inane'.

I borrowed this book from a friend who said it was pretty good (of course, she reads dictionaries for fun) and began reading. It seemed okay at first, albeit a bit boring. The further I got in this book, the more I wondered if this was some author's idea of a practical joke. The plot was crazy - there was very little of it and the little that existed was confusing and/or cliched. The characters are so wooden you could build a bridge out of 'em (sorry, random Monty Python quote).

Oh, and one of them is named Rhys. I loathe that name.

I would love to give you some examples of just how laughable this book really sounds, but I gave the book back looong ago. It's the only one I've actually returned to her within the same week I borrowed it, which tells you something. In fact, the only reason I finished it at all was that I was incredibly bored and that dialogue was hysterical.

All right, I'll stop harping on the dialogue.

The monster itself, which is not a monster after all, is thrown in there so randomly that I was left scratching my head (metaphorically) and staring at the book in surprise when I finished. Much of the plot seemed random, when I could follow it. I love fantasy, but books like these make me start to question my faith in the genre.

In closing, I hope the rest of the series is better than this...although I doubt it could be worse. If you're ever depressed and want something to cheer (or crack) you up, just pick up this book. They should rename it "How Not To Write A Fantasy Story".