Radford, Irene
THE HIDDEN DRAGON [The Stargods # 1]
Irene Radford
DAW 2002
Pb 384 pages
ISBN#
0-7564-0051-1
Three brothers in the smuggling business barely
outwit the Imperial Military Police fast enough, and inadvertently land
on a back-world so forgotten that the colonists have reverted to
barbarism and revere our young men as Stargods. Their space-ship is
damaged so the brothers O'Hara must linger on this world for the
minerals necessary for repair. Meanwhile the local dragon takes an
interest in them, for its brother human is a malign creature bent on
killing all who thwart him.
The science and magic of this story seem
well balanced, though hard sci-fi fans will find the science lacking.
Loki, Konner, and Kim O'Hara fly their family ship though "light-years
jumps" and "transactional gravitons", and deal with a scientifically
created disease in a scientific way, but they accomplish much more with
their psi-powers that are enhanced by this magical back-world. Loki has
telepathy. Konner has telekinesis. And Kim can heal, as well as see
into the future. My favorite part of the magic is a flying cat who
telepathically befriends our heroes. THE HIDDEN DRAGON is focused on
the age-old fight between "good verses evil," and therefore the
characterization is a flat black/white without the variabilities that
lend characters a semblance of realism. There is action in THE HIDDEN
DRAGON, but it's centered mostly around the "evil one's" attempts at
murdering everyone who won't worship him--the story basically stays in
one place, except for one ride on dragonback with a visit to a volcano.
The cover-art by John Howe is gorgeous! A sleek
silver-blue dropship sits dwarfed by emerald moss-covered tress, while a
large shimmery-transparent unicorn-like-dragon perches on its pointed
nose. Best part of the book, in my opinion. THE HIDDEN DRAGON is a
light read, recommended for fantasy fans who enjoy the "good VS evil"
scenario.
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