Within the Sanctuary of Wings

February 27, 2017
Brennan delights with this fifth and final memoir (after In the Labyrinth of Drakes) of Baroness Isabella Trent, adventuress and scholar of dragonkind in an alternate Victorian era. Lord Suhail Trent is delivering a lecture on the Draconean language when his wife, Lady Trent, is approached by a Yelangese man, Thu Phim-lat, with the astounding news that he has discovered a new type of dragon. This revelation is so compelling that Lady Trent resolves to journey to the place of discovery, even though it lies high in the Mrtyahaima Mountains on the far continent of Dajin, bordering on Yelang, with whom her own country is currently at war. Distance and difficulty do little to deter the indefatigable Lady Trent from making her way to the remote village of Hlamtse Rong. Above the village, she and her companions discover something completely unexpected: the remains of a bipedal dragon that perfectly matches ancient images of the Draconean gods. At that point, Lady Trent’s last and greatest adventure truly begins. Lady Trent is the perfect heroine for this history-flavored fantasy romp. Agent: Eddie Schneider, JABberwocky Literary.

Starred review from February 15, 2017
Fifth and final chapter (In the Labyrinth of Drakes, 2016, etc.) of the memoirs of Isabella, Lady Trent of Scirland, dragon naturalist extraordinaire.Iconoclastic, indomitable, and perspicacious, Isabella refuses to allow the prevailing Victorian ethos to deflect her from exploring and learning about dragons, which in this world are ubiquitous and take a bewildering variety of forms. Her one unrealized ambition is to force her way into the prestigious all-male Philosophers' Colloquium. As her husband, Suhail, attempts to decipher inscriptions in Draconean, the language of a long-vanished Draconean Empire wherein humans tamed, or perhaps worshipped, creatures who resembled bipedal dragons, a furtive stranger named Thu Phim-lat shows up; he's a native of the remote, mountainous country of Yelang, whose expansionist ambitions threaten Scirland. Thu reports discovering the remains of dragons preserved in the ice atop Yelang's loftiest peaks; they appear to be of an unknown and possibly extinct type. (Left to their own devices, dragon bones decay too rapidly for preservation.) Despite the geopolitical complications, Isabella naturally organizes an expedition to investigate. What eventuates is, omitting plot spoilers, an adventure that is part exploration, part dragonology, part political conundrum, narrated with all the charm, verve, and methodological rigor as previous volumes, that will tax Isabella physically and mentally as never before. There are a few caveats. Isabella dominates to such an extent that other familiar characters make only brief appearances, while new ones seem more archetypes than individuals. And the central mystery here has been touched upon in preceding volumes, so will come as no great surprise to existing fans. Still, it's a thoroughly absorbing conclusion to this refreshingly different and consistently intriguing pentalogy. Catch them all. Don't start here.

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April 15, 2017

Lady Isabella Trent, renowned expert in all things draconic, is presented with an irresistible challenge when she hears that the remains of an extraordinary dragon have been found in the remotest, highest mountains in the world (think Himalayas). She convinces her husband, Suhail, to help her mount an expedition to search for proof of the dragon, only to find something so amazing it will put all her other discoveries to shame. This concluding volume is a suitable cap to the series, after In the Labyrinth of Drakes; the dangerous mountain adventure delivers genteel thrills, and Isabella is an intrepid and delightful heroine, who is endlessly curious. VERDICT While fans will be sad to leave the series behind, Lady Trent has earned her retirement.--MM

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