'The most captivating children’s book I’ve seen so far this year,' Amanda Craig, The Times Ping is a slave in a little-used royal palace on the edge of the Emperor’s kingdom. Her tyrannic master is a cruel drunk who neglects his duties as Imperial Dragonkeeper and under his watch the Emperor’s dragons have dwindled from a magnificent dozen to a miserable two. When one dragon dies, only the ancient and wise Long Danzi remains. His fate seems sealed – until Ping comes to his rescue in a moment of startling bravery that reveals her destiny as a Dragonkeeper. Pursued by the Emperor’s forces and an evil dragon hunter, Ping, Danzi, and a rat called Hua, set off on a remarkable journey across the kingdom. Bound for the Ocean, they carry a mesmerising, beautiful dragon stone that must be protected at any cost. Surviving dangers of all kinds – a shape-shifting necromancer, and a ritual sacrifice among them – the trio finally arrive at Ocean, Danzi’s final place of rest. But as her dragon-friend leaves Ping forever, the dragon stone reveals its spectacular secret...
"[Mindy Mejia] is simply a beautiful writer…" —Twin Cities Pioneer Press"Mejia beautifully tackles the subjects of animal captivity, endangered animals, human-animal connections, and even evolution." —Global Animal"This is a thriller of the rarest form—one that touches both the mind and the heart. A wonderful read." —Mary Logue, author of the Claire Watkins mysteries"…impressive…ambitious…Mindy Mejia is a talent to watch." —Sheila O'Connor, author of Where No Gods Came and Sparrow Road A zookeeper fights to save the animal she loves, even as her own life crumbles around her… Meg Yancy knows she may be overly attached to Jata, the Komodo dragon that has been in her care since it arrived at the zoo from Indonesia. Jata brings the exotic to Meg’s Minnesotan life: an ancient, predatory history and stories of escaping to freedom. A species that became endangered soon after being discovered, Komodos have a legacy of independence, something that Meg understands all too well. Meg has always been better able to relate to reptiles than to people, from her estranged father to her live-in boyfriend to the veterinarian who is more concerned with his career than with the animals’ lives. Then one day, Meg makes an amazing discovery. Jata has produced viable eggs—without ever having had a mate. Faced with this rare phenomenon, Meg must now defend Jata’s hatchlings from the scientific, religious, and media forces that converge on the zoo to claim the miracle as their own. Finally forced to deal with the very people she has avoided for so long, Meg discovers that opening herself up comes with its own complications. And as she fights to save the animal she loves from the consequences of its own miracle, she must learn to accept that in nature, as in life, not everything can be controlled. Mindy Mejia’s gripping debut novel highlights the perils of captivity and the astonishing ways in which animals evolve.
Ancient China. Han Dynasty. Ping and Kai have travelled far, but their journey is not yet over. Danger stalks them. Ping must find Kai a safe place. But how? When a hidden message from Danzi makes the way clear, Ping knows that once again the journey of a thousand li begins with a single step. The triumphant conclusion to the multi-award-winning Dragonkeeper trilogy.
One Dragon Egg Holds the Key to the Future. When Kale, a slave girl, finds a dragon egg, she is given the unexpected opportunity to become a servant to Paladin. But on her way to The Hall, where she was to be trained, Kale runs into danger. Rescued by a small band of Paladin’s servants, Kale is turned from her destination. Feeling afraid and unprepared, Kale embarks on a perilous quest to find the meech dragon egg stolen by the foul Wizard Risto. But their journey is threatened when a key member of the party is captured, leaving the remaining companions to find the Wizard Fenworth, attempt an impossible rescue, and recover the egg--whose true value they have not begun to suspect. Weaving together memorable characters, daring adventure, and a core of eternal truth, Dragonspell--the first book in the Dragon Keepers Chronicles--is a finely crafted and welcome addition to the corpus of fantasy fiction.
The fantastic land of Amara is recovering from years of war inflicted on its citizens by outside forces–as well as from the spiritual apathy corroding the Amarans’ hearts. With Kale and her father serving as dragon keepers for Paladin, the dragon populace has exploded. It’s a peaceful, exciting time of rebuilding. And yet, an insidious, unseen evil lurks just beneath the surface of the idyllic countryside. Truth has never been more important, nor so difficult to discern. As Kale and her father are busy hatching, bonding, and releasing the younger generation of dragons as helpers throughout the kingdom, the light wizard has little time to develop her skills. Her husband, Sir Bardon–despite physical limitations resulting from his bout with the stakes disease–has become a leader, serving on the governing board under Paladin. When Kale and Bardon set aside their daily responsibilities to join meech dragons Regidor and Gilda on a quest to find a hidden meech colony, they encounter sinister forces. Their world is under attack by a secret enemy… can they overcome the ominous peril they can’t even see? Prepare to experience breathtaking adventure and mind-blowing fantasy as never before in this dazzling, beautifully-crafted conclusion to Donita K. Paul’s popular DragonKeeper Chronicles fantasy series.
A New Quest Begins in the sequel to DragonSpell A dragonkeeper of Paladin, Kale is summoned from the Hall to The Bogs by the Wizard Fenworth to serve as his apprentice and tend his newly hatched meech dragon, Regidor. But Kale isn’t going alone. The Hall is sending a student to monitor her performance and report back to the scholars. Worst of all, it’s Bardon– an older boy Kale finds irritating, but who at least can hold his own in a sword fight. New Friendships Are Forged Meanwhile, the Wizard Risto has seized another meech dragon, bringing him dangerously close to gaining the power he seeks. So with only a motley band of companions, Kale sets out on a desperate quest to rescue the second meech, to free those dragons already enslaved, and to thwart Risto’s devious plans. It’s up to Kale to lead the search and to embrace the role that’s rightfully hers. But will her efforts be enough to save the land of Amara from the dark future that awaits at Risto’s hands?
“Robin Hobb is one of our very best fantasy writers.” New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson With Dragon Keeper, Robin Hobb, critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling “master fantasist” (Baltimore Sun), begins a breathtaking new series about the resurgence of dragons in a world that both needs and fears them—the world Hobb’s readers most recently visited in her immensely popular “Tawny Man” trilogy. Volume One of the Rain Wilds Chronicles, Dragon Keeper is yet another magnificent adventure from the author of The Soldier Son and Farseer Trilogies, confirming the Contra Costa Times of California’s assessment of Hobb as “one of the most important writers in 21st century fantasy.”
The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Dragon Keeper returns with a second enthralling tale of dragons and humans, adventure and discovery, love and freedom Centuries had passed since dragons last roamed the war-torn world of the Rain Wild River. But as peace once again settled upon the land, a lost generation of sea serpents—ancient, half-starved, and weary—returned to cocoon, certain that they would be reborn as the beautiful and powerful dragons of legend. But their arduous journey exacted a heavy toll, and the proud serpents emerged as sickly, half-formed beasts, unable to fly or hunt . . . or thrive. For years now they have been trapped on a swampy riverbank between forest and river, hungry and barely alive, reliant on humans to provide for them. With their survival at stake, fifteen dragons—among them the wise golden Mercor, the haughty and dazzling silver-blue queen Sintara, and the delicate copper beauty Relpda—have set off on a dangerous trek into the unknown, up the Rain Wild River, in hopes of rediscovering the ancient Elderling city of Kelsingra, the lost haven for dragons and Elderlings alike. The dragons are accompanied by a disparate group of human keepers, rejects from Rain Wild society. They, too, yearn to find Kelsingra and create a home of their own, one in which they may make their own rules and decide their own fate. But is Kelsingra real or merely a fragment of a glorified past buried deep in the dragons' shared memories? No map exists to guide them, and the noble creatures find their ancient recollections of little use in a land changed by generations of flooding and seismic chaos. As the dragons, the humans—including the strong and defiant Rain Wild girl Thymara; the wealthy dragon scholar and Trader's wife, Alise; and her companion, the urbane Sedric—and their magical supply barge, captained by the gruff Leftrin, forge their way ever deeper into uncharted wilderness, human and beast alike discover they are changing in mysterious and dangerous ways. While the bonds between them solidify, starvation, flashfloods, and predators will imperil them all. But dragons and humans soon learn that the most savage threats come from within their own company . . . and not all of them may survive. Returning to the territory of her beloved Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies, New York Times bestselling author Robin Hobb creates a lush and ultimately triumphant tale set in an imaginative world of magic and wonder as compelling and emotionally resonant as our own.
The second epic adventure in The Dragon Keeper Chronicles! A thrilling new fantasy world full of magic and dragons. Crimson tries to convince a lost dragon to return to his kind.
