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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In Dan Rice’s The Bane of Dragons, Allison lives between two worlds because she has the blood of a human father and a skaag mother, a serpentine species that serves a vast dragon empire spanning many universes. When a rogue skaag appears in Japan, Dr. Frederick Radcliffe sends Allison to locate the creature before rival factions capture it. The run-in reveals intelligence about Tarratragonia, an expanding empire ruled by Empress Izayra, that plans to open a gateway into Earth’s universe. Allison joins Radcliffe on a mission through the slipstream toward the dragon capital to confront the threat directly. After entering alien territory, the group becomes prisoners of unfamiliar powers whose interests intersect with the empire’s expansion. As Allison negotiates with dragons, soldiers, and different species across worlds, the fate of Earth is tied to decisions made far beyond its skies.
Dan Rice’s The Bane of Dragons is set in a present-day Earth where sorcery operates beside advanced machinery, and it really is magic! Allison is a protagonist you want to root for, embodying both humanity and the invading species. I love Kyt, who belongs to the Rax species, technicians who maintain advanced warships for dragon commanders. She helps Allison even when the danger of discovery would be horrible for her. Rice does such a great job of elevating smart female characters and placing them in roles that buck stereotypes. The writing style is intelligent and completely immersive, and Rice knows just how to mix organic world-building with tech. Towering structures shaped like tentacles rise across a landscape, camouflage-skinned inhabitants descend from trees, and saucers hover overhead to escort prisoners into living structures. This is book four in The Allison Lee Chronicles, and it keeps getting better, brimming with expansive science fiction, dragons, alien civilizations, magical warfare, and brilliant mythology. Very highly recommended.
