Citadels of the Lost by Tracy Hickman
- ISBN-13: 9780756406721
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Publication date: 7/5/2011
- Pages: 368
- Series: Annals of Drakis Series, #2
- Source: From Publisher
Synopsis:
The Rhonas Empire of elves is built upon a thirst for conquest, disdain for other races, and an appetite for hedonistic self-gratification. They have complete control of the Aether — the mystical substance that fuels their magic. One use of this Aether is to compel total obedience of the slaves drawn from the races they have defeated.
But there are legends that tell of a time when humans and other slave races were free and dragons flew the skies. And they speak of a hero who will return to lead an uprising against their masters: a human named Drakis.
When Aer magic, the magic of nature itself, is wielded by Jugar, a captive dwarf, it signals the start of a rebellion straight from legend. In the ensuing chaos, the former warrior-slave Drakis Sha-Timuran, with a small group of slaves, flees for his life and freedom — lured by a melody that conjures visions of dark wings, scales, and fire. Following the melody he alone can hear, Drakis stumbles on the truth behind the legends: the dragons are real!
Can they survive the dangers of this treacherous realm and bring the truth behind the legends to the army of rebellion?
My Thoughts:
I’ve been a fan of Tracy Hickman novels ever since I first bought Dragon of Autumn Twilight in early high school. The books written by him and Margaret Weis are the most often read books on my shelf, after The Lord of the Rings. The worlds he creates are always interesting, detailed, full of history and greatly varied. Mr. Hickman’s novels leave me wanting to know more about the world setting; why is that structure a ruin now, what caused the last war, why would that become a custom of an entire race? One read through is never enough, I like to go back and reread each book looking for things that might have been explained later on in the series.
I read Citadels of the Lost in one go, unable to put it down. It’s book 2 in the series, so the reader is left waiting for the next book to come out, which thankfully is later this year. I’ve put of writing a review for this book for a while now, because I don’t know what to say other than It’s a great book. I loved reading it and can’t wait for Blood of the Emperor to find out how the story continues. If you’re looking for a good fantasy read, look no further.
My Rating
5 Penguins