The Last Dragonlord

Action brews constantly at several interstices within the web of characters in this honest and engaging first novel by Bertin. Linden Rathan, youngest of the Dragonlords--humans born with souls that are half human and half dragon--is lonely. Since the time he was born, six centuries ago, the True Dragons have not sensed the birth of a fledgling Dragonlord. It is feared that Linden's soul-twin--the Dragonlord with the other halves of his two souls--will never be born. Linden and the soultwins Kief and Tarlna are sent to Casna to settle a simple dispute over a king's regency--but the plot that unfolds there is far from simple. A group called the Fraternity of Blood seeks to destroy the Dragonlords using magic the likes of which has been seen only once, many centuries before. The brewing conflict between good and evil becomes more complex with the entrance of Otter, bard and longtime friend of Linden, and of Maurynna, one of the youngest and spunkiest ship captains anyone has seen, along with a host of characters from the court. Bertin's writing is only serviceable, but the flow of action and many layers of intrigue will float readers toward her novel's hard-fought conclusion. (Dec.)