Review: Dragon Weather

For thousands of years, dragons ruled the world. Mankind had tried to either kill the monstrous creatures or at drive them away with weapons and sorcery, but failed each attempt. Suddenly all the dragons vanished; story and rumor stating they fled deep into the bowels of the earth.

For hundreds of years there are few sightings of dragons. Humanity expanded across the world. They never forgot about their draconian foe, though: when the skies become almost unnaturally thick with clouds--during dragon weather--the creatures emerge into an orgy of destruction.

Arlian is a young boy in the village of Obsidian when he notices the darkening sky. Only by what appears to be sheer luck is he spared the sudden attack of dragons while everyone is killed. Events worsen though, as he is captured and sold by looters led by the near immortal Lord Dragon. As Arlian's lowered into the mines that would be his home for over a decade, he swears vengence on both Lord Dragon and the dragons who destroyed his home. He gets his chance after inadvertantly saving the life of his slave master....


I found Dragon Weather, written by Lawrence Watt-Evans, an engaging read. The plot moves briskly with most chapters five pages or less. Unlike some books, Watt-Evans keep each scene interesting in its own right and without repeating prior scenes. Also interesting is that every scene is from the viewpoint of the main character, Arlian. While this is common for stories told from a first-person point-of-view (POV), I rarely see it in third person. I found the choice worked well: there are many mysteries and surprises in the novel that could have inadvertantly been revealed by switching to another character's POV.

Character development suffers a bit in the novel. The story is strongly plot-driven by Arlian's quest of vengeance and I felt many of his other emotions (such as his love for Rose) almost cliche or unrealistic. And many of the secondary characters are even worse though Watt-Evans gives most an interesting background and/or viewpoint.

Being plot-driven didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. I love mysteries and I found many the answers to Arlian's questions (e.g., what happened to the dragons, the true goals of the Dragon Society, etc.) intrigue and unique to the genre. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and give Dragon Weather 3 1/2 stars out of 5.