RAGE OF THE DRAGON

Weis and Hickman (Secret of the Dragon, 2010, etc.), co-authors of more than a dozen fantasy novels in the popular Dragonlance series and the seven-part Death Gate Cycle, among other works, again team up for the third book in their Dragonships of Vindras series.

The story, which began with 2009’s Bones of the Dragon, continues as Skylan Ivorson and his Vindrasi warriors press on in their seafaring search for four of the fabled five Vektia spiritbones, in order to keep the insurgent Gods of the New Dawn from defeating Torval and the Old Gods. They again battle their treacherous enemy Raegar (who, like Skylan, has a magical dragonship with a summonable dragon) and tackle new dangers, including a monstrous, tentacled kraken. They also encounter the pacifist and matriarchal Aquin sea-people, who have built an impressive city deep inside a mountain. This entry offers few surprises, but the battle scenes are lively. It can be a bit plodding at times—particularly in a long section centering on the bland Raegar—and readers may wish for more dragon battles, or more world-building detail regarding the Aquins. But a late plot twist will leave fans of the series eager for the next entry.

A middling fantasy adventure that will appeal mainly to the authors’ longtime fans.