Song in the Silence: The Tale of Lanen Kaelar
The Tales of Kolmar series, Book 1
Elizabeth Kerner
Starscape (also Ace)
Fiction, YA? Fantasy
Themes: Dragons, Girl Power
****
Description
Lanen has always dreamed of dragons. Not the dull, simple-minded beasts of the Trollingswood mountains, but the beautiful, intelligent True Dragons of legend. Of course, it has been over a century since any ships returned from storm-shrouded Dragon Isle, their supposed haven. Now, many consider the True Dragons a simple fantasy, perhaps concocted by Merchants to protect the life-extending lansip groves of the island. Lanen can't believe that they don't exist, because they have always been real in her heart. At last, she gets a chance to escape a life of dull farming and search for the True Dragons herself. It will be a journey that endangers the worlds of human and dragon alike, as the Goddess Herself seems to have a hand in Lanen's adventures... as do the demonlords who serve the True Dragons' mortal enemies in the Seven Hells.
Review
This is a great story for dragon-lovers, a little different than the average tale. Lanen lives in a well-realized world (what we see of it) with interesting characters. I knocked it down a point because of its somewhat awkward narrative, which switches between various characters' viewpoints written in the first person. This is distracting, as it feels like the author is constantly jockeying for a more interesting view when the ones she had were fine to begin with. We didn't need a glimpse inside every character's head, especially when they had nothing new to add to the story, so the author comes across like an amateur, never trusting her instincts or her characters. I also clipped it for being - unannounced, save the subtitle "A Lanen Kaelar book" - the start of a series, or at least a probable trilogy. I like a little more warning when I step into a series. At the very least, I would like to know how long it intends to be. I will, of course, pick up the next book when I see it. If there isn't another book on its way, I'll have to knock this down another point. Nothing ticks me off like being set up for a series that doesn't happen...