DRAGON WAR
by Laurence Yep
Fourth (and last?) in the saga of dragon princess Shimmer's struggle to restore her lost home: At the end of Dragon Cauldron (1991), Shimmer, the Monkey wizard, and human child Indigo were captured by the evil Boneless King, while selfless human Thorn became part of the Cauldron so that it could restore Shimmer's Inland Sea.
Now they escape to help the dragons overcome the Boneless King, who's borne to the beginning of time by Shimmer's suddenly repentant renegade brother. Thorn, restored, is revealed as the throne's lost heir; Indigo becomes a dragon; and the Monkey cartwheels away on new mischief. Yep's vivid—and occasionally bizarre—characters and images are powerfully imaginative, a welcome respite from sword-and- sorcery stereotypes. Watching them bicker while snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is entertaining, while the breakneck pacing never lags.
Not for every reader, but destined to be a special favorite for a few.
(Fiction. 10+)