Dragon Coast
Dragon Coast: the sequel to Greg Van Eekhout’s California Bones and Pacific Fire, in which Daniel Blackland must pull off the most improbable theft of all.
Daniel’s adopted son Sam, made from the magical essence of the tyrannical Hierarch of Southern California whom Daniel overthrew and killed, is lost-consumed by the great Pacific firedrake secretly assembled by Daniel’s half-brother, Paul.
But Sam is still alive and aware, in magical form, trapped inside the dragon as it rampages around Los Angeles, periodically torching a neighborhood or two.
Daniel has a plan to rescue Sam. It will involve the rarest of substances, axis mundi, pieces of the bones of the great dragon at the center of the Earth. Daniel will have to go to the kingdom of Northern California, boldly posing as his half-brother, come to claim his place in the competition to be appointed Lord High Osteomancer of the Northern Kingdom. Only when the Northern Hierarch, in her throne room at Golden Gate Park, raises her scepter to confirm Daniel in his position will he have an opportunity to steal the axis mundi-under the gaze of the Hierarch herself.
And that’s just the first obstacle.
Praise
“In Pacific Fire, Sam, the foster son of osteomancer Daniel Blackland, allowed himself to become absorbed by a dragon rather than let it fall into enemy hands. Now Daniel is determined to free Sam, but it will take all his skills as a magician and a thief … This volume marks a welcome return to the kind of heist plot that made Van Eekhout’s debut, California Bones, so captivating. The author’s fantastic ear for dialog is often well employed in snark, especially between Daniel and his friend and fellow thief Moth.”
—Library Journal
“Van Eekhout concludes the Daniel Blackland series, set in a magical alternate version of our world, with this solid installment … This installment features strong writing from van Eekhout, with exciting magical battles and a difficult heist …”
—Publishers Weekly
“Van Eekhout finishes off this trilogy in a manner that satisfies readers even as it leaves them wondering — in other words, he allows the perfect platform for telling more stories in this world. All of the characters round out their own storylines well. This is not to say everyone gets a happily ever after; there are some very George R.R. Martin-worthy conclusions for some of these characters, and no opportunity for answers or closure. This, however, is the mark of truth in storytelling, and it is accomplished in a very impressive and worthwhile way.”
—RT Book Reviews
