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Dragon Jousters #2 Alta
 
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Dragon Jousters #2 Alta (Paperback)

by Mercedes Lackey (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 8.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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Frequently Bought Together

Dragon Jousters #2 Alta + Dragon Jousters #3 Sanctuary + Dragon Jousters #4 Aerie
Total List Price: CDN$ 55.98
Price For All Three: CDN$ 41.56

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  • This item: Dragon Jousters #2 Alta by Mercedes Lackey

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  • Dragon Jousters #3 Sanctuary by Mercedes Lackey

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  • Dragon Jousters #4 Aerie by Mercedes Lackey

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Product Details

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

As in its predecessor Joust (2003), a clear, uncluttered style marks Lackey's latest light entertainment about wizards and dragons and social struggle. Vetch (aka Kiron), the hero of Joust, has escaped from the oppressive dragon riders of Tia with Avatre, the crimson female dragon he has secretly raised. In his native Alta, the former serf finds his fate interconnected with the destinies of Orest, youngest son of the Lord Ya-tiren, and the girl Aket-ten, a "Winged One" in training capable of speaking with animals. Vetch begins a new career teaching other Altan males how to bond with dragons from the egg. Vivid depictions of mythical creatures and a pastoral, casual approach to magic enliven such emotionally charged themes as cultural displacement, alienation and search for self. The crises of individual characters with easily identifiable conflicts nicely mirror larger catastrophes of plot. Full of adventure, romance and political intrigue if low on moral complexity, this highly readable fantasy will appeal particularly to young adults. Fans of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series will also be happy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Booklist

Young Vetch, former serf turned dragon boy in Joust [BKL Mr 15 03], and his hand-reared dragon, Avarte, escape from Tia and cross the deadly desert to Altan-controlled lands. Back among his own people, Vetch becomes indispensable because he knows how to tame newly hatched dragons, which then don't need to be drugged into submission. All is not well with the Altans, however. The Magi, who work their will on the world, have great powers they use to prolong the war that is raging for their own benefit. There's plenty of dragon lore as Vetch, now known as Kiron, teaches a close-knit cadre of young jousters how to bond with dragonets and train them for combat in the hope of ending the war. Rife with intrigue and dangerous counterintrigue, the story continues a classic quest-for-good-against-evil plot development while beautifully maintaining the world, society, and characterizations established in Joust. A very satisfying sequel with an ending that begs for another episode because the final battle is yet to come. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, Jul 15 2004
By N. Caswell "Book Worm" (San Francisco, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Dragon Jousters #2 Alta (Hardcover)
I couldn't wait until this book came out! i really liked Joust and i have read a lot of Lackey's books including the valdemar series which i really recomend. Anyway, Alta is a wonderful and exciting book that lives up to its predecessor Joust and i can't wait for the third one! The story is told well with twists and turns that i loved. The other characters are also very lovable and believable. Kiron, formerly Vetch, has found his place among the Altans and being only the second man to raise a dragon from birth he tries to teach the other Altan jousters what he knows and form and new type of jousters, those that raise their dragons from birth. As he does this he learns that there are always two stories to a war and that evil exists on both sides. i Highly recomend this book to anyone who has read Joust they will really enjoy it!
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3.0 out of 5 stars ADEQUATE CONTINUATION OF AN AVERAGE STORY, Jun 14 2004
By Phillip B. Spotts "cintibookworm" (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Dragon Jousters #2 Alta (Hardcover)
ALTA continues the story of Kiron (nee Vetch) started in JOUST as he makes good his escape from serfdom and begins a new life as a dragon rider. Making his way back to his homeland he integrates himself into the Alta dragon rider (Jousters) community using his knowledge of how to tame dragons without using drugs, the normal method. While training his new squadron of tame dragons he helps uncover a nefarious plot by the evil Magi and Alta's rulers to use the life force of their subjects for their own purposes, making him a primary target for their wrath.

ALTA and JOUST can best be classified as juvenal fantasy. Adults could quickly become bored with the fairly slow pace and lack of either romance (serious romance that is, there is some adolescent involvement with a girl he saves) or action. I won't say the plot is strictly formula but it is fairly predictable.

I was interested in what would become of Vetch and I can't say I was disappointed, but then I didn't have particularly high expectations either. If you liked JOUST then you will like ALTA, if you didn't then don't bother.

Not the best but I have certainly read worse, I remain NEUTRAL on this one.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but too simplistic, Jun 8 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: The Dragon Jousters #2 Alta (Hardcover)
I enjoyed reading this book, not least because the reason I like fantasy is for the escapism. So it doesn't bother me that the issues it attempted to deal with - cultural displacement, a boy attempting to become a man, the beginnings of attraction to the opposite sex - had very little depth. I was very surprised to find that this follow-up to Joust did not have a fraction of the depth of culture that its predecessor had. There was a rich tapestry of the religious beliefs described in Joust which are barely given a nod in Alta. The cultures of the two countries which have been at war for centuries are sadly similar in almost every respect. Very little is said about Kiron's lost family and he doesn't even appear to give any thought at all to the possibility of attempting to rescue any surviving family members.

But perhaps what struck me the most was the same criticism that I had of one of the author's very early books - the first in the Free Bards stories - the first 3/4 of the book is a detailed almost day-by-day depiction of events, then, in the last quarter, events speed up for no apparent reason. The Magi suddenly escalate things that they have done subtly for three centuries, Kiron's trainee jousters seem to be ready for combat conditions much sooner than we had been led to believe, and the final conflict with the Tian jousters and the finale of Kiron's plan is all over within a few pages. The author could have taken the last chapter (all of 20 pages) and made it into about 10 chapters. This would have made it match the rest of the book in pace. The reader gets the impression that she had a deadline to meet with her publisher and rushed the last part of the book through to achieve it.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars What happened?
I was really looking forward to this book and so it was a huge disappointment to find it not half as good as Joust. Read more
Published on Jun 4 2004 by Amber

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but with a few minor flaws
"Alta" follows the story of Kiron, formerly Vetch, the serf-turned-Jouster, as he returns home to Alta and helps train the Altan Jousters in raising tame dragons. Read more
Published on May 30 2004 by Sophia

5.0 out of 5 stars Alta Delivers As Promised....
The follow up to Lackey's excellent "Joust", "Alta" follows young Vetch *now Kiron* as he returns with his dragon to his homeland. Read more
Published on May 29 2004 by frfubar8

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Frying Pan Into the Fire
Alta is the second novel in this series, following Joust. In the previous volume, Vetch the Atlan serf dragon boy had stolen an egg, hid it in an unused pen, and, after it... Read more
Published on April 28 2004 by Arthur W. Jordin

4.0 out of 5 stars Not too deep, but enjoyable
I read both Alta and Joust (Volume 1 of this series) over the weekend. So I obviously enjoyed the books! Read more
Published on April 20 2004 by Rusir-10

3.0 out of 5 stars I expected better!
Like Joust, there is a simplicity in Alta which I like. Yet Alta's plot leaves much to be desired. Is it because Alta is the second book in a trilogy ? Read more
Published on April 14 2004 by R.Parklane

4.0 out of 5 stars Alta, by Mercedes Lackey
I highly recommend Alta to those who enjoy fantasy novels, especially if you like them to have some historical similarities with the real world. Read more
Published on April 13 2004 by silenceinashroud

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
After picking up Joust at a local Wal-Mart while waiting for a perscription (I'd decided that I wasn't actually going to buy it - I didn't think the whole slave-boy-turned-hero... Read more
Published on April 4 2004 by Beth Withrowhill

2.0 out of 5 stars Tailored to YA readers
Alta fails to live up to the promise of Joust. While Joust seems somewhat targeted to a young adult audience, it provides the groundwork for a good fantasy series that also... Read more
Published on April 2 2004 by global_bookworm

1.0 out of 5 stars Good story, bad manufacturing.
This is not a negative review about Mercedes Lackey or the story itself. The part of the story I was able to read was very well written and highly engaging. Read more
Published on Mar 21 2004 by Caroline Selby

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