Tor Starscape (Trade Paperback), ISBN 0-765-34268-5

An excellent fantasy, even in this abridged edition, for both young adults and other lovers of fantasy, SONG IN THE SILENCE adds to the mystic surrounding true dragons and their relationship to humans. Lanen Kaelar dreams of dragons, wants to go to Dragon Isle, and chafes at the restraints holding her to the horse farm. After the man she calls father dies and she inherits the prosperous property, she decides to leave the farm in her cousin's keeping and follow her dream to its ending. Learning that her birth father, a man she's never met and didn't know existed, traded her (his first-born child) to a demon master prior to her birth does little to dissuade her from her quest.

A certain ballad sung by traveling bards holds the sounds of dragons in a pause -- or so some believe. Lanen knows it to be true because she heard the song. It matters not a whit that others scoff and belittle the legend, say dragons do not exist, she knows the truth and will prove it before she quits.

Although I had read this previously, I found it just as enjoyable the second time around. Lanen proved just as courageous and, perhaps, a trifle foolhardy, but her adventures and her guile made it a galloping read. I recommend it to all Harry Potter lovers, especially girls who might want to see what a "girl" can achieve by her wits and her determination -- especially a not-too-pretty girl who follows a dream to a very nice ending.

Elizabeth Kerner shows great skill in plotting and an ability to bring freshness to what could be a hackneyed dragon tale. Her dragons make me wish they lived and loved just beyond the horizon. I would love to hear their Song in the Silence.

Patricia Lucas White

Patricia Lucas White's latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I've Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.

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