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5.0étoiles sur 5
Takes the series to a whole new level - and then some, Juil 5 2004
The Book of Fire, the third book in Marjorie B. Kellogg's Dragon Quartet, takes the series to a whole new level, closing out with a most thrilling final hundred pages full of emotion and rife with surprises. This is a much different book than its predecessors The Book of Earth and The Book of Water (each of which you really must read before beginning this novel), largely because the dragon in question here, Fire, could not be more unlike his siblings. In terms of setting the stage, one must know that four dragons (Earth, Water, Fire, and Air) created the world and then began a long sleep from which they would awaken only at the end of that world. Something has gone horribly wrong with the world they created, though, and they have each awakened, apart and with limited knowledge of their histories. We met Earth and his dragon guide Erde in the Germanies of 913, Water and her guide N'Doch in the Africa of 2013, and now the shared quest of the dragons takes us, in answer to the summons they hear, to an earth even farther in the future and a dragon sibling who has traded any thoughts of his purpose for the trappings of power as an awesome god among men.This future time is one of great misery, as only a few habitable regions remain on the ecologically ravaged planet. The first two dragons' suspicions about their brother Fire prove accurate; putting the lie to any notion that all dragons are good and noble, Fire terrorizes the people as a god and keeps his dragon guide Paia in complete ignorance as the high priestess of his temple. Erde, N'Doch, Water, and Earth do not come alone to this world, however, as Erde feels compelled to bring Baron Kothen with them. Kothen's ties to Erde's enemies at home have been broken now, leaving him a broken man, yet Erde knows instinctively that this man she has dreamed about and come to love is a necessary component in the puzzle of the dragon quest. Each of the main characters grows tremendously, none more so than N'Doch, much to my pleasure (for I was never able to really connect with him in the previous novel). Kothen's transformation in the latter stages of the tale is most welcome indeed, N'Doch steps up to become the kind of leader I wanted him to be, and Erde herself continues to grow in boldness and authority - although, to my sadness, heartache seems to remain her constant companion. This novel features a much more elaborate plot than what has come before in the series, and Kellogg managed to genuinely surprise me with a few twists in the latter stages of this book. Fire is a magnificent, albeit misguided, dragon, and his story is far from complete as of yet - there is little feeling of closure here, setting the stage for what I hope will be a real humdinger of a conclusion in the fourth and final Book of Air. Filled with wonderful characters who grow and mature before our very eyes, The Book of Fire is a thrilling, absorbing read that builds upon and transforms the story as we have known it up to this point. The Dragon Guide circle may be complete, but the essence of the dragon quest, the whereabouts of the mighty dragon Air, and the future role Fire will play in events are all quite up in the air - not to mention the futures of these wonderful human characters and the outcomes of several tragic events going on still in the times and places from which they came.
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