The Dragon's Doom

The Barnes & Noble ReviewIn the realm of Aglirta, the Serpent has been vanquished and a new king rules the Kingless Land. But even though the legendary Band of Four travel the land as overdukes, ferreting out rogue wizards and remnants of the Serpent cult, peace and prosperity are still distant dreams. Ingryl Ambelter, the undead former Spellmaster of Silvertree, is doing everything in his power to dethrone the Boy King, Raulin Castlecloaks, and finally do away with the king's overdukes. Ambelter's plan is to found a new Aglirta, a kingdom ruled by a council of wizards. The revolutionary plotting isn't limited to rogue wizards; priests of the Serpent cult have released a pathogen into the drinking water throughout Aglirta that either drives people into a homicidal rage or turns them into nightmarish beasts. They plan to blame the plague on the Boy King's inability to rule. As the Band of Four -- the giant Hawkril, the war captain Baron Blackgult, the master thief Craer, and the beautiful sorceress Embra Silvertree -- travel the Vale, smoldering tensions ignite a firestorm of treachery and magic. Fans of epic fantasy who haven't yet read Greenwood's Band of Four series (The Kingless Land, The Vacant Throne, and A Dragon's Ascension) should definitely give this saga a try. Paul Goat Allen