Sanctuary (Dragon Jousters Series #3)

by Mercedes Lackey

Overview

In the third novel of the best-selling Dragon Jousters series, The Altan serf Vetch has escaped the enemy kingdom of Tia, only to find his homeland, Alta, enslaved by the evil Priest-Kings. With a small band of followers, Vetch must gather a secret army of dragon riders to rid their world of war and magical domination once and for all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101119051
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	05/02/2006
Series:	Dragon Jousters Series , #3
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	232,202
File size:	393 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is a full-time writer and has published numerous novels and works of short fiction, including the best-selling Heralds Of Valdemar series. She is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots. She can be found at mercedeslackey.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Leaves us simultaneously satisfied—and longing for more." —Realms of Fantasy

"Lackey's back to doing what she does best...effective and compulsive reading."—Locus

"Fast-moving action and intriguing characters."—Book Net

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Sanctuary, the third and final installment of Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jousters trilogy (Joust and Alta), heralds a climactic era in the series. As a cadre of evil sorcerers prolong the bloody war between Alta and Tia for their own twisted desires, Kiron -- a humble serf turned heroic dragonrider -- and an ever-increasing group of exiles try to end the conflict once and for all.

Kiron and refugees from both Alta and Tia have found Sanctuary, an almost mythical lost city in the desert where they have begun to build a new society based on tolerance. Sanctuary is to be "the city of the Gods of Alta and Tia together in harmony, the symbol of the joining of the Two Lands." With a growing number of dragonriders as the city's protectors, the Sanctuary brain trust -- which includes the prophet Kaleth and the city's new rulers, Nofret and Ari -- resolves to fight the sorcerers (known as Magi) and try to save the thousands of innocents from their clutches. But how can a handful of dragonriders defeat a group of almost invincible wizards?

On the subject of dragons, Lackey says "sooner or later every fantasy writer seems to have a go at them." But unlike McCaffrey's bio-engineered fire-breathers, Margaret Weis's sentient overlords, or J.R.R. Tolkien's treasure-hoarding monstrosity Smaug, Lackey's dragons are more like wild birds of prey. She describes them as "featherless raptors the size of small airplanes." Fans of dragon-powered fantasy sagas will thoroughly enjoy how Lackey delves into the legendary creatures and their relationship with their human riders. Paul Goat Allen

bn.com

In Lackey's well-crafted third Dragon Jousters book (after 2004's Alta), wing-leader Kiron, the former serf known as Vetch, and a disparate group of refugees from the countries of Alta and Tia flee to the desert, to a hidden refuge that the gods have uncovered and named Sanctuary. In Sanctuary, Kiron and a small cadre of Jousters are safe from the evil Magi, who are draining Alta and Tia of their "gifted ones." Kiron and the Jousters with their magnificent dragons, who have as much personality as the human characters, must learn to co-exist in a land of extremes. Kiron discovers that it might be possible to deal with some of the freed dragons of Tia who have gone wild. Even though Sanctuary may be concealed from the diabolical Magi, no one living there can forget their presence. Once again, Kiron and friends must face their fear and brave danger to help save Alta from the Magi's depravity. Spot-on dialogue and just the right amount of exposition mark this rip-roaring adventure as superior fantasy fare. Agent, Scovil, Chichak, Galen. (May 3) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"Leaves us simultaneously satisfied—and longing for more." —Realms of Fantasy

"Lackey's back to doing what she does best...effective and compulsive reading."—Locus

"Fast-moving action and intriguing characters."—Book Net

From the Publisher