rince Maryn is on the verge of a total military victory, soon to establish himself as the undisputed king of Deverry. After long and bloody civil wars, he has eliminated all of his enemies but one. Once he has defeated Lord Braemys, the wily leader of the Boar clan, the crown will be secure.
Katherine Kerr's new Deverry novel, The Fire Dragon, opens in the springtime. With winter behind him, Maryn is gathering an army which, he hopes, will utterly destroy the Boars and their followers. But as he rides off to war, he leaves behind a castle full of women and intrigue. His wife, Bellyra, is in the late stages of a risky pregnancy. His lover, Lady Llilloriga, is torn between her desire for the prince and her ardent wish to give him up for the good of the kingdom and Bellyra both.
At first, events appear to be moving in Maryn's favor. Bellyra delivers a son, and the assistance of Maryn's tutor brings the battle with the Boars to a swift and satisfactory conclusion. At the moment of Maryn's greatest victory, however, a malicious rumor is spread by one of his own courtiers, who accuses Bellyra of faithlessness. The gossip, and its consequences, brings tragedy and devastation down upon the castle. Ultimately Maryn, Lilli and Bellyra will all carry heartbreak to their graves.
In Deverry, though, death does not bring closure. Centuries later, in the city of Cerr Cawnen, the unlucky members of the king's court will be reborn, set against old enemies and troubled by past lives they cannot remember. And if they lapse into their old patterns of behavior, the entire city may fall prey to a dragon's wrath.
Reincarnation repeats a tragedy
The Fire Dragon is the 12th Deverry novel and the concluding chapter in a trilogy titled "The Dragon Mage." Readers who are already familiar with these novels will undoubtedly be eager to return to Kerr's world, which is both historically accurate and vividly realized. The use of reincarnation as a link between the author's intertwined storylines creates a strong sense of continuity which binds the related tales.
This novel's great strength is its women, and the depiction of the Princess Bellyra is particularly compassionate. She is entirely trapped--by her obligations as a noblewoman, by a double standard applied to adultery, and by her own mind, which is subject to vicious post-partum depressions. The inability of the Deverry men to fully comprehend her plight--and Lilli's refusal to ignore it--is what ultimately leads to ruin for everyone. The terrible events play out in a fashion that is surprising but, unfortunately, all too horribly believable.
One of the other great females in The Fire Dragon is its title character. Capricious and powerful, both protective and vengeful, Arzosah the dragon is deeply passionate. Able to summon the power of a volcano at will, her temper is a danger to the people of Cerr Cawnen even as she defends them against invaders and treachery. Her penchant for socialist pronouncements and her ready wit make her thoroughly delightful.
As a stand-alone novel, The Fire Dragon is less accessible. Though occasionally referencing events from the earlier parts of the trilogy, Kerr does not rehash her previous work. This is a definite plus, but readers unfamiliar with Deverry may find themselves unable to follow certain plot developments, or struggling with the somewhat cumbersome voice and dialogue in which the story is written. Fans of Kerr's earlier novels, however, and readers who enjoy complex sword and sorcery, will find this book to be a delight.
