By Tracy Hickman
DAW, $24.95, 432 pages
The escaped slave Drakis and his companions have followed the sound of dragonsong to the northern lands, only to discover that dragons are real! They’re also dangerous, and their flight from this new foe sends the group to an unknown land. Drakis must bring back the magic of Aether to the lands they now find themselves in. Doing so, however, will mean working together, difficult due to the secrets and mistrust swirling around them all, and the skepticism in an arrogant young guide who surely has other motives. Meanwhile, former Iblisi Inquisitor Soen knows his fate is tied to the escaped slaves, and he must find them before his own enemies in the Rhonas Empire find him.
Citadels of the Lost is the exciting second book in the Annals of Drakis series, and like its predecessor, it does not disappoint. All of the characters readers know – and may or may not love – from the first book are back, and the story only gets more intricate as it goes on. Hickman writes with authority, masterfully and flawlessly switching between different points of view and keeping this novel flowing toward an epic conclusion that only promises more to come in the next book. A must-read for fans of the fantasy genre.
Reviewed by Holly Scudero
