Discovering a really good new-to-you author is like finding buried treasure in your back yard. You have to wonder why you didn’t find them sooner. Not to mention the instant case of greed you come down with. “Five books! She has five more books! There goes my Amazon allowance for the next month.” (And yes, I’m that generous with myself.)
I discovered G.A. Aiken not on Amazon as it turns out, but at my local Books-A-Million. There she was, sitting on the top shelf—well at least her books were. Lovely, no-nonsense covers with lovely half-naked men and the word DRAGON in every title. I couldn’t be more captivated. But were her books worth delving past those tempting covers? I’m happy to answer with a resounding yes!
Ms. Aiken has created a fascinating and complex world where dragons and humans co-exist—well, most of the time anyway. From Rhiannon, the white dragon queen, to mad queen Annwyl the Bloody, from Bercelak the Great to Feargus the Destroyer, all of her characters are larger than life and a joy to get to know.
And don’t get me started on her multifaceted dragon culture with its layers of social intrigue. Wars and battles abound, from major conflicts to family tussles—if you call bashing heads and tossing your sibling off the roof a tussle—which the Cadwaladr Clan does.
The other thing I have to mention is the dialogue. If you’ve sat through an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer just to listen to the rapid-fire dialogue, you’ll love these books. Never seen an episode? No problem. Trust me, you’re going to love the quips, zings, and general verbal mayhem which carry the various story lines to their wonderful and often humorous conclusions.
Without hesitation, I give each book a 5 out of 5. Oh, and for all you romance lovers, yeah, they have that, too…in abundance…frequently…as the dragons can shift to human form and waste no time taking naughty advantage of that little trait.
So thank you, Ms. Aiken, for sharing you wonderful imagination with the rest of us. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next Dragon Kin story.
11/30/11
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