Customer Reviews

Sanctuary (The Dragon Jousters, Book 3)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was really looking forward to Sactuary, and I was somewhat disappointed when I finished it. ML takes the first 150 pages (of a 280 page novel) to get to the final chapter of Alta. The last 130 pages are a glossing-over of the details, plans, and events that lead to the final confrontation between the Magi and the Jousters. "Confrontation" is a bit of a strong word for the 45-second hand-to-hand combat between Kiron and the single Magi who is operating the Eye. And then things just fall down. And it's over. I'm left wondering if Ms. Lackey isn't too concerned about quantity and not nearly concerned enough about quality. I hope her next novel doesn't disappoint half as much as this one did.

While I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, the third one fizzled for me. Potential conflicts that could have made the story more interesting were avoided altogether. Former enemies work together in Sanctuary with no dissention, the male hero maturely avoids any misstep in seeking romance with the woman he loves, and dragons overcome the impossible and learn new tricks to save the day. Everything works out for the heroes in a very straightforward plotline that lacks any surprises or character development.

I think it's worth buying in paperback form to finish out the series, it's just not the same caliber as I'm used to reading from this author.

The first 2 books in Lackey's Dragonjouster series were excellent. The author created a new world, new scenarios, new theme and did them well. Imagine my surprise when I read 'Sanctuary' the third installment in this series.

It seems that the author, after throwing herself fully into the first 2 books, has lost interest in them and was mainly just trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible and finish the series. 'Sanctuary' could have been a satisfying end to Vetch/Kiron's story...as it was, I was left wanting....

I've enjoyed most of Mercedes Lackey's books, and while I enjoyed this one very much, it was not one of her best outings.

I always pictured Ari as a soldier and a leader of a small group of men under his command, not the leader of many hundreds hiding out in the desert so when he was "chosen" to be the King of Sanctuary, I didn't much buy into that.

My other real issue with the book concerns the encounter between Kiron and his love interest. Characters are supposed to grow and evolve as the story unfolds and I did not imagine Kiron giving into her demands as quickly as he did; it's as if he completely reverted back to the serf he was when the series started.

There was not as much detail in this one as there had been in the previous two; it was almost as if we were expected to have read the other two prior to reading this one.

This book is written simplistic in the extreme, more so then in the previous two books. Even in them, Kiron's life seems far too easy for one who's supposed to have overcome so much hardship, from the start things worked out in his favor at every turn. In spite of that, I truly enjoyed the first two books in this series, and like so many others, I was extremely disappointed in this installment to the series.

The way old enemies seem to get along without any trouble seems unrealistic. I would have expected more antagonism, and a bit more of a challenge in the establishing of the new culture they are creating, but as with so many other things, that conflict is skipped, never happens.

I have been noticing that Lackey's writing quality has been consistently getting worse, but to write an entire plot based on an inconsistency in the order and cause of events concerning the "eye" and the earthquakes, within the 2nd book Alta is pathetic. An inconsistent reference is one thing, but an entire plotline is something else.

Details are one of those things that I notice, and when I first read this book I was confused. The big earthquake spoken of from the disaster in the book Alta, came well before the eye was ever employed, was the reason for it in fact because of a revolt. There no mention of an Earthquake afterward, I reread Alta multiple times to be certain of this and it annoys me to no end when I read Sanctuary.

The final conflict as stated by others is feeble and not even worth mentioning, and on top of that, is based on that huge and annoying inconsonantly with the previous book.

Still I bought it, and am eventually going to get the last book, that's not even written in the same style as the first three books...and hope beyond hope that she lets this series lay to rest before she ruins it any farther.

Some of the urgency has left this series since the Alta dragonriders along with Kiron's former master Ari are now safely concealed in a mysterious city re-emerging from the remote desert sands. However, there are still evil wizards to defeat, daring rescues to undertake and more dragon biology to discover. If you read the previous two books of Joust and Alta, then you really don't want to stop there. This is good fun, great reading and comes to a resounding conclusion.

Sanctuary is an interesting sequel to its predecessor Alta.

The story from the second book ended in such a way as to make a sequel mandatory. We were curious as to what would happen to Alta and Tia, sure that the story could not end with the hero, Kirion, escaping the Magi, but that somehow the atrocities that were rotting away Alta and Tia would be rectified.

This book follows that story and describes the daring exploits of the new jousters as they try to free those they can from the Magi.

We see the beginning of a new world order with Alta and Tia united.

We also see Kirion, mature into a leader amoung his people.

If you enjoyed the first book, Joust, Anne McCaffrey's novels of Pern or Mercedes Lackey's Heralds of Valedemar series (special horses as companions rather than dragons) then you will enjoy this book.

The first several chapters seem to be rehashing the previous novels and then the most of the rest of the book is about the building of sanctuary. With all that build up the ending is somewhat anti-climatic and rather a dissapointment. It almost seemed accidental in the end and not my favorite book by this excellent author.

Sanctuary (2005) is the third Fantasy novel in the Dragon Jousters series, following Alta. In the previous volume, Kaleth escaped to the Bedu and learned to become a Mouth of the Gods. The Blue People also helped Kaleth find the Lost City, which they renamed Sanctuary. Later, Kiron and Aket-ten took the twins Marit and Nofret to the desert edge to rejoin Kaleth in his Sanctuary.

Kiron and Aket-ten spread dust into the winds to blight the tala plants throughout Alta and Tia. When the tainted tala wore off, the drugged dragons shed their riders and escaped into the wild. Kiron and his wing outfought Kashet and took Ari with them to Sanctuary.

In this novel, a great sandstorm hits Sanctuary and all the dragons take shelter within a large building. All the dragons have been told of the coming storm and the younger ones are very nervous. Only Kashet and Avatre are unconcerned, having prior experience with such desert storms. The winds scream and roar around the building and through the cracks, but eventually all -- human and dragon -- fall asleep.

When they awake, Sanctuary has gained two major additions: a great manor and a temple complex. The gods have prepared the city for new arrivals, for Lord Ya-tiren, his family and the household servants appear shortly thereafter. They move immediately into the manor.

The temple complex has outbuildings that can be altered into dragon pens; with lots a work, each dragon will have a sandpit of its own and the rider will have private quarters next to the wallow. No more shared sleeping arrangement for the dragons or barracks for the riders.

Other refugees trickle into Sanctuary over the next few weeks. Among there are a contingent of Tian priests and priestesses. They are fleeing a few strangers who have ousted the previous advisors to the Great King and have started inviting gifted priests to the royal court. The bodies of some of these guests have turned up in the river.

With the Tian priests are Haraket, Baken and the few remaining Tian dragon boys. Soon the priests of Thet have worked the magic that keeps sand wallows heated throughout the night. They even create a cold room to preserve leftover meats from the hunts.

Kiron initiates a search for nesting dragons. While most escaped Altan dragons returned to the swamps, many of the fleeing Tian dragons settled into the desert around Sanctuary. Kiron has the Bedu and dragon boys looking among the hills and tells his riders to keep an eye open for nests while they are hunting.

In this story, Kiron finds a long lost city in the hills near Avatre's hunting grounds. As he is showing the city to Aket-ten, they also discover a nesting dragon nearby. After some consideration, he decides that the dragon is Coresan, the mother of Avatre. The dragon also seems to recognize him as her former dragon boy.

When Nofret decides that she needs a dragon of her own, Kiron and Aket-ten introduce her to Coresan. As the eggs hatch, Nofret provides food for the hatchlings. Eventually, Coresan accepts Nofret as a strangely misshapen dragon and even leaves the fledglings in her care.

Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of dragon taming, evil machinations, benign conspiracies and a touch of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Great read. Very imaginative. This book takes a different view of how humans and dragons can bond. Read all three in the series. Great addition to sci-fi dragon books.