The Dinosaur Lords

Milán (War in Tethyr) takes the arresting idea of knights on dinosaurs and expands it into the beginning of a complex and sweeping epic. The story is set in the Empire of Nuevaropa, a land much like late medieval Europe. Rob Korrigan, a dinosaur master, turns the tide of battle against noble mercenary captain Karyl Bogomirskiy’s White River Legion of battle triceratops, and the forces of Count Jaume Llobregat and Duke Falk von Hornberg finish Karyl’s destruction. Karyl dies twice, is revived both times, and eventually joins up with Rob to defend the pacifists of nearby Providence. Falk and Jaume return to the empire’s summer capital, where Jaume’s love, the princess Melodía, awaits—as do murder, intrigue, and a new war. Meanwhile, the Creators’ Grey Angels, mysterious entities who occasionally dabble in human affairs, watch and wait. Milán skillfully crafts his characters, giving each one vivid individuality. He has also given significant thought to just how knights might use dinosaurs as mounts in combat, suggesting novel techniques such as hadrosaurs that make sonic attacks. Readers who pick this up for the gimmick will relish it for the able storytelling. (July)