Joanne Bertin
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The Last Dragonlord by Joanne Bertin
This novel is Bertin’s first contribution to the
world of science fiction and fantasy and it’s a very good start. The
Dragonlords are a very special kind of folk. Described as immortal weredragons,
they appear human but have the ability to change into dragons when the need
arises. It is believed that each Dragonlord also has a soultwin, one special
being destined to complete them and share their lives to the fullest.
Unfortunately for Linden Rathan, for over six hundred years he has been the
youngest and last of the Dragonlords. For some unknown reason, despite all of
their abilities, the Dragonlords have been unable to sense the existence of any
others of their kind, making Linden’s prospects for finding a soultwin highly
unlikely.
Due to their longevity, the Dragonlords are
regarded with varying degrees of awe and esteem by the shorter-lived
true-humans. In times of crisis, or when fair and equitable justice is required,
the true-humans seek out the Dragonlords for their wisdom and agree to abide by
their judgement. Such a time is currently upon the troubled kingdom of Cassori.
Their leaders have died under mysterious circumstances and the young heir wastes
away with a troubling and undiagnosed illness, while two different factions
wrestle for the position of Regent. Linden Rathan, along with two other
Dragonlords, has been asked to mediate.
What appears to be a simple dispute quickly takes
on more dire aspects. The Fellowship, an old and evil society of true-humans
sworn to destroy the Dragonlords, is secretly gathering force through the
blackest of magics. Linden Rathan becomes increasingly entangled in the day to
day affairs of the humans he is involved with. And, there are whispers of a new
Dragonlord about, possibly Linden’s soultwin, if only he can determine who and
where she is.
I thought this was a great first effort in the
fantasy field by Bertin. I enjoyed the story and found the characters, both
minor and major, to be quite likeable. The pacing was fast enough to be
interesting, but not so quick that it felt rushed, with a good combination of
magic, action, and character development. Best of all, even though this story is
brought to a very good conclusion, Bertin has just completed a sequel involving
some of the main characters, Dragon and Phoenix. I’m looking forward to
reading it!
Reviewed by: Diane
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Dragon and Phoenix
by Joanne Bertin 
Bertin’s sophomore effort, Dragon and Phoenix, certainly proves the
old adage about judging a book by its cover. The cover artwork for this book is
gorgeous. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t live up to its promise. In the first
book of this series, The Last Dragonlord, Bertin took the old dragon
fantasies, livened them up a bit and gave them a new twist. I would have
expected the sequel to expand upon some of her ideas from the previous novel.
Instead, Bertin goes off on a whole new tangent, giving the book a decidedly
Oriental slant.
In Jehanglan the Emperor derives his power from the Phoenix, a magical
creature wrongfully imprisoned centuries ago. In a contrived and complicated
plot, it becomes apparent to the Dragonlords that a truedragon, or possibly a
missing dragonlord, may also be a captive. A small group, including Linden and
Maurynna, sets out to investigate. Maurynna has problems of her own, having been
unable to Change since her first time. However, rather than exploring this issue
in depth, Bertin focuses on the thoughts and manipulations of various characters
in Jehanglan. She is perhaps at her best while concentrating on the machinations
of Shei-Luin, the Emperor’s concubine.
The main problem with this novel is the quantity and quality of the various
plots and subplots Bertin tries to weave together. While some of the main
characters from the first book are present, Bertin also introduces a plethora of
new people. Many of them bear similar Oriental-sounding names, adding to the
confusion. It is very hard to see how any of these plots tie together and Bertin
takes more than half the book just setting the stage. She also skips around
frequently from plot to plot, making it difficult to get involved or care about
the characters she writes about. In my opinion, Bertin has made a mistake
typical of many new writers — she has tried to jam too many ideas into one
book and is unable to do full justice to any of them. The subplots were
superficial and generally leave the reader feeling unsatisfied with the results,
especially since most of them remain unresolved at the end of the story. Unlike
her first novel, which could have happily stood alone, it is very obvious that
Bertin has a sequel planned for this one. Despite my dissatisfaction with this
novel, I am not completely put off. I think Bertin has potential and will be
interested to see how she handles the next installment in the series, Bard’s
Oath.
Reviewed by: Diane
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