Terrific book. It's perfect for the summer--lots of unsentimental[1] action and conflict, a big cast of suitably complex characters and a powerful sense of place. It's about a dragon who comes of age in a country that is slowly falling into barbarism and where dragons are being driven to extinction. My only quibble is that one of the character's names (well, the one I noticed) is a literary joke that popped me out of the story everytime I read it.
The other nice thing about this book is that, unlike so many summer adventure books, this one is written in a smooth, strong style that's pleasantly free of clunkers. No hungry people eat "with relish." No one "looks up again at the spot where they were looking before," or other tooth grinders.
Nicely written. Nicely told.
[1]I stole that word off the cover. You know why? It fits.
