Dragon and Soldier

"Dragon and Soldier" is the second book in a series known as the "Dragonback Adventures." I just started reading these books recently and I'm pleased to discover to that this is a continuing series and while there's already several of these out, there's still more to come. "Dragon and Soldier" picks up on the plot of of the character Jack Morgan (now going as Jack Montana) and his dragon companion, Draycos. These two share a rather special bond as Draycos is something of a symbiont --- he needs a host to survive. He has to become two-dimensional --- a sort of tattoo pattern formed on his host's skin every few hours. If he's not able to do this, then he just becomes two-dimensional anyway and eventually just disappears. It's a pretty interesting concept and it seems to be working well for the series so far. Draycos is a K'da soldier and in this book, Jack is continuing to try to help him out in unraveling an apparent conspiracy against his people. It's a mission that he's taken up reluctantly, but is now committed to. Knowing from Draycos that the people after him were mercenaries, they decide to get on the inside by joining a mercenary group. They hope that by getting in, they can unravel the plot from the inside and get needed data. Jack finds the training he's put through rough and grueling, but it's certainly small potatoes to what could be necessary to sneak through and get the information he needs. Along the way, he finds himself noticing a mysterious girl named Alison Kayna. Alison claims to have trained for another of these mercenary groups before, but washed out. But it's hard to tell what her real agenda is and if she's someone that Jack and Draycos can trust. Overall, this is another enjoyable and thought-provoking installment in this series by Timothy Zahn, who has also written a number of great books. I find myself interested in the characters and the plot moves along nicely. "Dragon and Soldier" (at least, the version I read anyway) comes with a handy readers guide at the end. It has questions and activities to get readers involved with the novel, such as "In Chapter 8, Draycos observes that he his accustomed to 'thinking as a warrior' and not as a thief. Is this an apology or a criticism?" The activities and questions seem suited to a classroom setting. Whether any teacher has or actualy will/would use this novel in the classroom is questionable, but it's certainly an interesting thought.

Dragon and Soldier (2004) is the second novel in the Dragonback Adventure series, following Dragon and Thief. In the previous volume, Jack had been framed for theft of cargo belonging to Braxton Universis and then was framed for murder; in fact, a BU security man had really killed the two aliens. Then Jack was extorted into stealing a cylinder from the purser's safe on a spaceliner. Jack was persuaded by Draycos to buck the system and revealed this scheme to the victim. But then he learned that the victim was really Braxton himself and managed to defeat an attempt by the conspirators to space both of them. Braxton nullified the warrants for his arrest and profusely expressed his gratitude. Since Draycos had helped clear him, Jack left as quickly as possible to start looking for the people who had ambushed the Shontine/K'da advance party. In this novel, Jack, Draycos and Uncle Virge discuss their options and decide not to report the situation to StarForce since someone in the government may be passing information to the ambushers. They cannot rely on mercenary units either. Instead, they decide to infiltrate one mercenary group and check their files for any relevant information. Jack signs on with Whinyard's Edge as Jack Montana. Things start to go wrong from the first contact with the recruiters. However, he meets another recruit, Alison Kayna, who seems to know everything and is willing to pass on her knowledge. Jack, Alison and the other recruits are put through a ten day training course to prepare them for army living and combat. The length of the course is not adequate for real training, so Jack assumes that they are being prepared as cannon fodder. If they survive their first combat, maybe they will receive further training. When Jack tries to break into the camp computer net, Draycos notices someone else sneaking around the headquarters building. Jack climbs out the window and returns to his bunk before the general alarm, yet the recruits are not rousted out of bed. Later Jack, Alison and four other recruits are called in for a special briefing. These six recruits are shipped to Sunright as computer operators. They are situated in an isolated camp far from other Whinyard's Edge troops. Then the regular troops in the area are withdrawn and the recruits are left alone in their bivouac. This novel describes Jack's introduction to mercenary life. He doesn't like it very much. Moreover, he now has an excellent chance of getting shot, either by the enemy or by friendly troops. He is still mystified by Alison, who never seems to be lacking in the required skills. Highly recommended for Dragonback fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure and sneaky gambits. -Arthur W. Jordin

This is the second book in the Dragonback series. I find these books very interesting - great for adults as well as children. The story is gripping and exciting. The premise of a two-dimensional alien who can become three-dimensional is very good. I enjoy reading the situatuions that Jack and Drayco get into, and the unusual way they get out of them. A great series for all.

Draycos is a K'da warrior. He is also a symbiont who chooses for his human host and adolescent space pilot, Jack Morgan. Jack and Draycos unite to stop a plot against Draycos' people, infiltrating a group of mercenaries, an act that leads to hair-raising adventure. (M/H/RR) Part of the DRAGONBACK series, the novel is the second installment of a romping space opera of the first order.

This knock-your-socks-off, rip-roaring-adventure from a master storyteller continues the story of former thief, fourteen-year-old Jack Morgan who teamed up in a symbiotic relationship with Draycos, a dragon-like warrior-poet in Dragon and Thief. This self-contained story stands alone but is such fun that readers will definitely want to read its predecessor. Trying to find leads that may help them save the refugee fleet coming from Draycos's planet, Jack infiltrates a mercenary organization as a raw recruit and ends up in the middle of a war. The combination of high-tech adventure and the philosophy and moral stands of Draycos give it wide appeal. Recently I was asked if anyone was still writing the kind of grand space adventure like Heinlein's juveniles or Andre Norton's tales that enticed so many people into science fiction fandom. Now I have the answer and it is a resounding yes! Zahn rocks!