Aerie

Very good series. 4 books in total. About a slave boy who raises a dragon from a egg and then escapes slavery with it. A love story is mixed in as wel.

I really enjoyed this book, since it not only continued the story of people I like, but it also provided information I'd been curious about, i.e., the fate of Kiron's mother and more information about the people who had enslaved Tia in the past. The types of magic used were interesting, as was the information about the gods. I've been pleased each time Lackey has written another in this series, as I'd thought the series was complete as it was. I wish she'd write another now, this time with continuations in the lives of the other dragon jousters, as well as the central characters.

This book is funny and exciting and interesting. You don't really have to read the first three books to understand it, but it's better if you do. It's about someone who was a serf and became a dragon-rider who Jousted, and then saved a country from magicians. Then they found a new place to live, where they help protect the desert from evil people. This is a good book. I really liked the dragons.

Aerie (2006) is the fourth Fantasy novel in the Dragon Jousters series, following Sanctuary. In the previous volume, Kiron rescued Aket-ten from the Magi and inadvertently initiated feedback within the Eye, which then ran wild. Deadly heat beams and the resulting earthshakes destroyed the central island of Alta and the damage spread outward. As the Tian army was invading across the Great Causeway, the final earthshake totally demolished the bridge. Amidst all the destruction, the Great Kings of both Alta and Tia were killed and so were most of the Magi. In this novel, Great King Ari and Great Queen Nofret rule the united Kingdoms of Alta and Tia from Mefis. Sanctuary is mostly occupied by priests. Aerie, however, has been claimed by many tradesmen and the dragon riders. Carved into the stone walls of desert canyons, Aerie seems to be made for dragon riders. The bottom floor of each dwelling is a tall room without windows and partially underground; filled with sand, it makes a perfect dragon wallow. The second and, in some cases, third floors have thick walls and small windows to protect against the sun and sand storms. The dragon riders need the extra room, for dragon taming has become a highly prized vocation. Kiron is now the Lord of Jousters, with eight wings under his command; some riders are former Tian jousters, but many have come from the common classes. Aket-ten has even organized a Queen's Wing with eight other females. Although the rank and admiration are welcome, the dragon riders do need to find a new use for their skills. The military in both Alta and Tia has been greatly disrupted by the machinations of the Magi and the subsequent destruction of the higher ranks. The caravan routes are no longer being patrolled by the armies and some soldiers have even become bandits. Obviously the dragon riders have a role to play in suppressing these thieves and murderers. Kiron starts having the dragons and riders train in patrolling and anti-ambush tactics. Even before they have completed the first day of training, the dragon riders have a live fire exercise against a group of bandits. He even finds a way to dispose of the captives. The caravan masters are very pleased with the new protection and make known their approval at court. Aket-ten finds her plans for the Queen's Wing to have Nofret's permission and approval, but the women are not volunteering for the positions. Her first recruit, Peri-en-westet, was eager to accept the job, but others are reluctant to undertake a vocation so associated with males and violence. Finally, Aket-ten draws on her on experiences and recruits seven other females from among the minor priestesses. Peri meets Kiron at dinner in the Jousters Court of Sanctuary. She is struck by the similarities between him and the stories told to her by Letis, her old mistress. As Peri learns more, she becomes convinced that Kiron is Letis's long lost son. In this story, Kiron finds the body of a lone

This, the fourth (and possibly - though, hopefully, not inevitably) final book in the saga of Kiron and his dragon Avatre keeps up with the pace of the earlier books and lives up to their promise. As other reviewers have said, the books tell of Kiron, the son of a farmer killed before his eyes by the enemy Tians. His family is taken into captivity and he doesn't know whether they live. Kiron (who is known by his ignoble child name of Vetch) is a serf, bound to the land that belonged to his family - lower than a slave. He has to work long and hard for the man who has acquired his family's land. All that sustains him is hatred for the enemy until one of the enemy, a dragon rider (or 'Jouster') named Ari, rescues him and takes him to care for his dragon. In a story reminiscent of Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Trilogy, Kiron acquires a dragon of his own with whom he becomes besotted (again, there is the same feeling as 'impressing' an Anne McCaffrey dragon). I hasten to say that referring to Yolen and McCaffrey is not intended to suggest any lack of originality since these stories have all the character development and good writing Mercedes Lackey is famous for. The stories (which probably could stand on their own but are SO much better read in order), chart Kiron's development from a frightened, abused child into a self confident young man, a leader and the pivotal person in the peaceful union of two hitherto warring kingdoms. (If they have a message it is that enemies can become friends if seen as individuals - but the message doesn't get in the way of a 'good yarn'!) In the meanwhile there is all the excitement, struggle, romance and happiness anyone could wish for. The Kingdoms of Tia and Alta are very similar to, and clearly based on, the kingdoms of Ancient Egypt and my only quibble is that several ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses' names have been changed by only one letter (e.g.Isis becomes Iris) - which I found slightly disconcerting. I understand that it might not be appropriate to use the same names since a reader might think that the stories are somehow historical but I wondered whether giving them completely new names would have been easier on this reader! Although Kiron has no magic of his own - other than his gift for rearing his dragon, there is magic which seems quite natural in the context of the story. In Aerie the Kingdoms are now one and Kiron has to find a role for the former Tian and Altan dragon riders since they are no longer required to fight (joust) each other. He does so successfully, settling them in a rediscovered city, improving their training and even handling the issue of girls who want to become dragon riders in what has been an almost exclusively male preserve. In dealing with the formation of a womens' (the Queen's) Wing he risks losing the love of his life. It is fortunate that Kiron has continued to build up and train the numbers of hand reared dragons and their riders since all are needed to com

Kiron once known as the serf named Vetch was a captured peasant in the land of Tia, which was at war for years with his native Alta. He was Ari's dragon boy and stole a dragon's egg, caring for it until it hatched and then when it was grown enough he flew it to Alta where he taught the dragon riders how to bind their dragons to them with love not drugs. The Magi, an evil group of priests, were responsible for the war and the deaths that ensued in their quest to become the rulers of both lands. Kiron placed a significant role in defeating them. The dragons and their Jousters, the king and queen of Alta and Tia, and some others fled their destroyed land and moved into the city of Sanctuary, located in the desert. In time more and more people showed up so they the Jousters and their dragons were forced to move to the stone caved up of Aerie. Lord Kiron is the de facto ruler of the Jousters and he realizes that with the war at an end and the two kingdoms about to become one the Jousters will act more like a police force than an army. However, in a border town all the inhabitants disappear and through the use of magic it is discovered that an old and ancient enemy is preparing to war against the two lands. Only the gods can stop them if they choose to interfere with the Jousters taking up a vanguard position against the Nameless Ones. This is the fourth and probably the last book of the Dragon Jousters and readers have seen how Kiron has changed and grown into his power through the strength of his personality and his great leadership abilities. This is an exciting saga that shows prejudice can be overcome when former enemies work together for the common good. Mercedes Lackey has a unique voice and an ability to write tales that readers want to read. Harriet Klausner