The incredible new fantasy epic that began with The Dark Glory War continues in...
Fortress Draconis
In an age of treachery and peril, a young thief may be the prophesied savior ... or the betrayer of the world.
From Michael A. Stackpole, New York Times bestselling author and a master of epic fantasy, comes a stirring chronicle of magic, intrigue, passion, and the most unlikely of heroes...
Once one of the grandest of human cities, Yslin now has a dark heart known as the Dimandowns. And when Will, an orphaned young thief from the Dim, plots to prove himself to his master by stealing a prize from the exiled Elves who share the fetid slums, his theft of the strange artifact snares him in a web of prophecy.
It also brings him together with Kedyn’s Crow, a shadowy human warrior, and Resolute, a Vorquelf determined to redeem his long-lost island home. To them, Will could be the fulfillment of a long-held dream and the last chance the world has to save itself from Chytrine, the northern tyrant who would be empress of the world.
But their belief in Will finds few allies in a world torn by war and magick. Preoccupied with their own internecine struggles, the world’s leaders see Will as a pawn. Only Chytrine seems able to recognize Will’s destiny, and she sends her Dark Lancers to destroy him. For who better to destroy a hero than the ill-fated heroes of the previous generation, survivors of a failed war to exterminate Chytrine, now corrupted to her service?
Yet even as Will is tested, a new generation takes up arms where their predecessors failed. Alexia, princess of a dead nation, leads an army to oppose Chytrine. And the sorcerers of Vilwan have fashioned their own hero, Kerrigan Reese, bestowing upon him powers and abilities no human has held for centuries.
Together these heroes travel to the mysterious Fortress Draconis to stop Chytrine from stealing more fragments of the DragonCrown — a powerful artifact that, once in her control, will guarantee her dominion forever.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
**
From Publishers Weekly
In this first volume in a new epic fantasy series, prolific bestseller Stackpole (The Warrior Trilogy; The Blood of Kerensky Trilogy; eight Star Wars novels; etc.) immediately draws the reader into Yslin a city in a dark world menaced by a tyrant princess, Chytrine. Like all those subject to her control, Will, a young thief, despises Chytrine. True to fantasy form, Will views his life of crime as merely another profession, as ancient and honorable as that of barber or innkeeper. In fact, his highest ambition is to be placed in a league with "the Azure Spider," his hero. As such, he is surprised to find that destiny has a far greater role for him to play. His theft of a "silver" leaf seems to excite more of a reaction from its original owner than it should. Although it appears to be made of indestructible metal, it holds the suppleness and warmth of a real leaf. Its owner, like the princess Chytrine, is a Vorquelf. Will has been taught a hatred of Vorquelves by the man who took him in the Fagin-like Marcus. So he's mightily surprised when he's rescued from the leaf's owner by a Vorquelf named Resolute. With Resolute and Crow, a human, as companions, Will eventually finds his way to a blind Vorquelf, who paints the future into the murals of her cave. The coming of the thief, Will the Nimble, has been foretold. But whether he is to be that world's savior or destroyer is unknown even to himself. As usual, Stackpole provides a compelling and engaging escape. (Dec. 4)The Dark Glory War (2000).
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Will the Nimble, an orphaned thief, attempts a grand theft and falls instead into the hands of a warrior called Crow and a refugee Vorquelf named Resolute who recognize the young man as the fulfillment of a prophecy. Hoping to overthrow the tyrant Chytrine and prevent her from acquiring the DragonCrown, Will and his newfound companions set out for the Fortress Draconis. Stackpole's series opener introduces his cast of heroes and villains and lays the groundwork for successive adventures. A solid addition to the epic fantasy genre, this title belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
The incredible new fantasy epic that began with The Dark Glory War continues in...
Fortress Draconis
In an age of treachery and peril, a young thief may be the prophesied savior ... or the betrayer of the world.
From Michael A. Stackpole, New York Times bestselling author and a master of epic fantasy, comes a stirring chronicle of magic, intrigue, passion, and the most unlikely of heroes...
Once one of the grandest of human cities, Yslin now has a dark heart known as the Dimandowns. And when Will, an orphaned young thief from the Dim, plots to prove himself to his master by stealing a prize from the exiled Elves who share the fetid slums, his theft of the strange artifact snares him in a web of prophecy.
It also brings him together with Kedyn’s Crow, a shadowy human warrior, and Resolute, a Vorquelf determined to redeem his long-lost island home. To them, Will could be the fulfillment of a long-held dream and the last chance the world has to save itself from Chytrine, the northern tyrant who would be empress of the world.
But their belief in Will finds few allies in a world torn by war and magick. Preoccupied with their own internecine struggles, the world’s leaders see Will as a pawn. Only Chytrine seems able to recognize Will’s destiny, and she sends her Dark Lancers to destroy him. For who better to destroy a hero than the ill-fated heroes of the previous generation, survivors of a failed war to exterminate Chytrine, now corrupted to her service?
Yet even as Will is tested, a new generation takes up arms where their predecessors failed. Alexia, princess of a dead nation, leads an army to oppose Chytrine. And the sorcerers of Vilwan have fashioned their own hero, Kerrigan Reese, bestowing upon him powers and abilities no human has held for centuries.
Together these heroes travel to the mysterious Fortress Draconis to stop Chytrine from stealing more fragments of the DragonCrown — a powerful artifact that, once in her control, will guarantee her dominion forever.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
**
From Publishers Weekly
In this first volume in a new epic fantasy series, prolific bestseller Stackpole (The Warrior Trilogy; The Blood of Kerensky Trilogy; eight Star Wars novels; etc.) immediately draws the reader into Yslin a city in a dark world menaced by a tyrant princess, Chytrine. Like all those subject to her control, Will, a young thief, despises Chytrine. True to fantasy form, Will views his life of crime as merely another profession, as ancient and honorable as that of barber or innkeeper. In fact, his highest ambition is to be placed in a league with "the Azure Spider," his hero. As such, he is surprised to find that destiny has a far greater role for him to play. His theft of a "silver" leaf seems to excite more of a reaction from its original owner than it should. Although it appears to be made of indestructible metal, it holds the suppleness and warmth of a real leaf. Its owner, like the princess Chytrine, is a Vorquelf. Will has been taught a hatred of Vorquelves by the man who took him in the Fagin-like Marcus. So he's mightily surprised when he's rescued from the leaf's owner by a Vorquelf named Resolute. With Resolute and Crow, a human, as companions, Will eventually finds his way to a blind Vorquelf, who paints the future into the murals of her cave. The coming of the thief, Will the Nimble, has been foretold. But whether he is to be that world's savior or destroyer is unknown even to himself. As usual, Stackpole provides a compelling and engaging escape. (Dec. 4)The Dark Glory War (2000).
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Will the Nimble, an orphaned thief, attempts a grand theft and falls instead into the hands of a warrior called Crow and a refugee Vorquelf named Resolute who recognize the young man as the fulfillment of a prophecy. Hoping to overthrow the tyrant Chytrine and prevent her from acquiring the DragonCrown, Will and his newfound companions set out for the Fortress Draconis. Stackpole's series opener introduces his cast of heroes and villains and lays the groundwork for successive adventures. A solid addition to the epic fantasy genre, this title belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.