The Dragon's Pool (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Third Book in the Jade Owl Legacy Series. A shadow stalks the lanes and streets, from Gui-lin to San Francisco, from Florence to the Dragon's Pool. In its wake, Rowden Gray and his China Hands follow a course to right the wrongs of time. The relic is hidden, but stirs in the soul and archaic rituals long since forgotten, but never lost. Some books are closed. Others are open, giving up their secrets. In the darkness, ancient terror awaits. A barren field yields up its magic and . . . the comets return to earth. The stalwart characters of The Jade Owl and The Third Peregrination are back, and joined by new players and helper bees and . . . yes, villains. It is time for the Tien-xin Rite. It is time to close history's fissure. It is time to complete the prophesy that dwells beneath Her Majesty's hem. It is time to count the teeth that emerge from the Dragon's Pool.

About the Author

Edward C. Patterson has been writing novels, short fiction, poetry and drama his entire life, always seeking the emotional core of any story he tells. With his eighth novel, The Jade Owl, he combines an imaginative touch with his life long devotion to China and its history. He has earned an MA in Chinese History from Brooklyn College with further postgraduate work at Columbia University. A native of Brooklyn, NY, he has spent four decades as a soldier in the corporate world gaining insight into the human condition. He won the 2000 New Jersey Minority Achievement Award for his work in corporate diversity. Blending world travel experiences with a passion for story telling, his adventures continue as he works to permeate his reader's souls from an indelible wellspring.

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (May 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442170999
• ISBN-13: 978-1442170995
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,935,118 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The China Hands Reconnoiter, September 1, 2009

By	Todd A. Fonseca (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

After saving the world and fulfilling the warrants in The Third Peregrination (Book 2 of the Jade Owl Legacy Series), Rowden Gray welcomes a more traditional domestic life. Expecting his second child and preparing for a new display as curator at the museum, all seems well. Yet Rowden's dreams foretell a future adventure and he wonders why it is the gifts of telekinesis and telepathy bestowed upon him by the now silent artifacts remain. For Nick Battle however, these are more than just questions but a curse. Blessed with similar gifts, Nick dons a mask and cape living out his nights as a vigilante attempting to right the worlds wrongs one incident at a time. Around the world, the other China Hands are once again inexplicably drawn to one another to not only save loved ones from the clutches of time but complete a new warrant involving an even greater power than they had previously encountered or expected.

In this third installment of the Jade Owl Legacy, Edward C. Patterson once again delivers on an intriguing fantasy. Whereas the first two books focus around the relics which drive much of the story, this book takes a moment to fill in the back story for the main characters. Patterson weaves a complex and detailed tapestry of families, legend, history, destiny, politics, love interests, and conspiracy all with an international flair including the requisite destinations of San Francisco and China with substantial time also dedicated to Italy. This book brings back some of the strongest characters from the first book including Nick's partner Simone and many of the others who were either not mentioned or had small parts in the second offering. As usual, Patterson's descriptions, characters, and cadence bring great texture to a very unusual, educational, and engaging story.

While the first two books could likely be read independently, I think this book is best enjoyed if the previous books are read first. Also, a companion series (the Southern Swallow Series) provides readers with additional information explaining the origins of the relics and the references to the key characters referenced throughout the Jade Owl Series.

Patterson has truly created an expansive and epic series with the Jade Owl Legacy. Though all warrants appear closed at the end of this installment, Patterson throws in a unexpected twist at the end leaving the door open for the next adventure.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The third in the Jade Owl Series - it's a WOW, June 7, 2009

By	ellen "ellen in atlanta" (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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The Dragon's Pool is the third in a masterful series by Edward C. Patterson. He is a Sinologist extraordinairre. In The Jade Owl, we meet most of our protagonists in San Francisco, Nick Battle, and his life-partner, Simon/Simone, Rowden Gray, and the rest of the 'China Hands' that include some of the best sinologists all interweaved in the history of China and the current study of China. The Third Peregrination, Owl's sequel takes us back to China and the China Hands once again, astound us with their courage, heart, and the magic and power that is an integral part of this series -
Now we have The Dragon's Pool...and although our favorite folks don't make it to China until over half of the book, the web of the story is gracefully spun by Edward C. Patterson, using the old and new characters to create a situation that must take our friends back to China to once again repair a tear in time, and rescue two innocents.
Those whom were thought 'family' friends are not, and mean evil to the China Hands. Those who were rescued, come forth into the most amazing book of the series to date.
Comets, dragons, oh yes, I said dragons, and the mystery that is Nick Battle that never fails to amaze, come into play.
The end of The Dragon's Pool is one of the most spectacular I have ever read and couldn't have even imagined, but not only is amazing, but shows love, hope and one hopes Mr. Patterson is writing book 4 of this wonderful series as fast as he can.
Mr. Patterson is a writer who knows his subject matter like no other, and he literally brings you with him in this wild ride of a series.
My words cannot do this series justice - it needs to be experienced.
In this instance - I would definitely suggest starting with The Jade Owl first, then The Third Peregrination, etc.
Edward C. Patterson also has a companion-like series starting with The Academician - The Southern Swallow - book 1 - that gives backstory to the series, but can stand alone.
This is one talented writer. These are long books that as you read, will wish they were 100 pages longer - lightening fast action and characters you come to love as your own, and even great bad guys.
Long live the China Hands!!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Patterson sustains the magic, May 12, 2009

By	Libby Cone - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We rejoin the China hands, plus their extended family (some spread across the dimension of time), as they seek to complete an ancient ritual before it is too late. Their enemies, more devious than ever, are determined to undermine them. Will they make it? Another volume of adventure and fantasy for those who don't like fantasy by this talented writer.