What do you think?
Rate this book
Dragonslayer #4
The Dragon's Egg
In the fourth and final book of the Dragonslayer series, Mandulane's army is poised to attack the Northlands in the name of a powerful god, but in truth Mandulane is using the act of spreading this new faith as a way to disguise his own personal greed and hunger for power.
Astrid has succeeded in warning her beloved country of imminent danger, and the Northlanders scramble to set up a clever defense, never realizing a spy in their midst is poised to take critical information directly to Mandulane.
Author's Note: This series is written for adults but appropriate for ages 14 and up.
Astrid has succeeded in warning her beloved country of imminent danger, and the Northlanders scramble to set up a clever defense, never realizing a spy in their midst is poised to take critical information directly to Mandulane.
Author's Note: This series is written for adults but appropriate for ages 14 and up.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2012
About the author
Resa Nelson
125 books116 followersResa Nelson is the author of the 4-book Dragonslayer series:
The Dragonslayer’s Sword
(nominated for the Nebula Award, finalist for the EPPIE Award),
The Iron Maiden
,
The Stone of Darkness
, and
The Dragon's Egg
. Her 4-book Dragonfly series takes place after the Dragonslayer series.
Her standalone novels include the mystery/thrillers All Of Us Were Sophie and Our Lady of the Absolute .
Resa has been selling short stories professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and she is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop. Resa was the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years as well as a regular contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.
You can contact Resa at ContactResa@aol.com. Follow Resa on Twitter @ResaNelson.
Her standalone novels include the mystery/thrillers All Of Us Were Sophie and Our Lady of the Absolute .
Resa has been selling short stories professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and she is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop. Resa was the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years as well as a regular contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.
You can contact Resa at ContactResa@aol.com. Follow Resa on Twitter @ResaNelson.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 29, 2013
Such a bittersweet ending to a wonderful series.
We continue to follow Astrid as she makes the decision to release her brother from Dragon's Head. Astrid takes his place only to realize she herself isn't dead. Trep, realizing she is gone, begins his search for her and finds someone he does not expect. Given a quest of his own he must make the decision to let Astrid follow her own path.
Being the last in this series there were so many questions that needed answers. So many lives we wanted to know what happened to. Nelson does an excellent job of tying up all these loose ends. We finally come to understand the essence of the Dragons that inhabited Tower Island and how Astrid and her brother are connected to them. We also get the background for the enemy Mandulane. We see what happened in his childhood to make him the monster that he became.
The ending was not something that I had expected. Without giving any spoilers, I'll just say that the war didn't go as I had thought that it would. Trep's quest in itself was bittersweet. And Astrid got what she didn't know she really wanted. I know that in life there are never any fairytale endings. And compromise and closure are important. But I will admit, in my reading I am a sucker for a happy, happy ending.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. It was a fitting end to this great series. If you have read the other books in the Dragonslayer Series you will want to read this one. And if you haven't read them then you should check them out.
I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
We continue to follow Astrid as she makes the decision to release her brother from Dragon's Head. Astrid takes his place only to realize she herself isn't dead. Trep, realizing she is gone, begins his search for her and finds someone he does not expect. Given a quest of his own he must make the decision to let Astrid follow her own path.
Being the last in this series there were so many questions that needed answers. So many lives we wanted to know what happened to. Nelson does an excellent job of tying up all these loose ends. We finally come to understand the essence of the Dragons that inhabited Tower Island and how Astrid and her brother are connected to them. We also get the background for the enemy Mandulane. We see what happened in his childhood to make him the monster that he became.
The ending was not something that I had expected. Without giving any spoilers, I'll just say that the war didn't go as I had thought that it would. Trep's quest in itself was bittersweet. And Astrid got what she didn't know she really wanted. I know that in life there are never any fairytale endings. And compromise and closure are important. But I will admit, in my reading I am a sucker for a happy, happy ending.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. It was a fitting end to this great series. If you have read the other books in the Dragonslayer Series you will want to read this one. And if you haven't read them then you should check them out.
I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
February 1, 2013
I'm always a little sad but at the same time happy for the conclusion of a series. And the Dragonslayer's series came to an end with the Dragon's Egg.
I enjoyed the three books before and this is not different! Resa Nelson's writing is still compelling and straightforward but still beautiful in a way that shares with you the magic of the book. The story is progressing with many surprises and with tons of action. The fact that even in the fourth book there was a place for getting the story a step forward and not just finishing it was something that i really liked. It was like the story still had secrets to reveal and grow and not just answer everything. Though there are no lose ends on some serious matters in the end which is good.
Astrid was one of my favorite characters at the previous books and of course she still was amazing, and even in the end we see how she shapes herself but it was another person that i loved to read about in this book. Drageen. He is different, changed and you get to see the world through his eyes and understand him way better than before. He is quite an interesting character and really different than Astrid even though they are brother and sister. His story in this one, was my favorite part to read following later Trep. Trep, a character who i didn't really pay attention before came to steal all the glory from Astrid. I liked how you could follow different people and see how the story changed them and actually connect with them.
The book does not have the perfect happy ending because it's life. It feels real. And the closing scene is one of the most beautiful scenes i've ever read, creating a sad smile but still a smile at my face. A wonderful series about dragons and humans and most importantly the change of people and the world. Enjoyed it to the core and i actually wish there was a little more. I will miss those characters.
I enjoyed the three books before and this is not different! Resa Nelson's writing is still compelling and straightforward but still beautiful in a way that shares with you the magic of the book. The story is progressing with many surprises and with tons of action. The fact that even in the fourth book there was a place for getting the story a step forward and not just finishing it was something that i really liked. It was like the story still had secrets to reveal and grow and not just answer everything. Though there are no lose ends on some serious matters in the end which is good.
Astrid was one of my favorite characters at the previous books and of course she still was amazing, and even in the end we see how she shapes herself but it was another person that i loved to read about in this book. Drageen. He is different, changed and you get to see the world through his eyes and understand him way better than before. He is quite an interesting character and really different than Astrid even though they are brother and sister. His story in this one, was my favorite part to read following later Trep. Trep, a character who i didn't really pay attention before came to steal all the glory from Astrid. I liked how you could follow different people and see how the story changed them and actually connect with them.
The book does not have the perfect happy ending because it's life. It feels real. And the closing scene is one of the most beautiful scenes i've ever read, creating a sad smile but still a smile at my face. A wonderful series about dragons and humans and most importantly the change of people and the world. Enjoyed it to the core and i actually wish there was a little more. I will miss those characters.
August 22, 2022
At the end of the previous book in The Dragonslayer Series, The Stone of Darkness, Astrid had determined that perhaps her brother, Drageen, was the most cunning and heartless man in all the Northlands, and therefore their best hope to defeat the woman-hating would-be conquerer, Mandulane. So, she freed him from his imprisonment within Dragon’s Head and took his place herself. Now, in The Dragon’s Egg, she finds herself unable to bear being crushed within the stone of the rocky outcropping and mentally cries out to the dragons to let her out. This wish is answered when the stone of Dragon’s Head splits freeing her. A mysterious voice points out that her stone of darkness has become a stone of light, urging her to let it guide her. Eventually, it embeds itself in her hand and leads her on yet more adventures across the Northlands.
On her way, she produces an egg, which her friend Trepp from her old village of Guell discovers. A dragon tells him he must take it to the Land of Vines and points him in the right direction to start.
The dragons, who have mostly been rather secretive and only rarely revealed themselves, do a lot of talking in this book. Mostly they talk to Astrid, but some of them speak to Trepp and Drageen as well. Astrid learns that she is part dragon and is reminded of the lessons that the dragon Taddeo taught her years ago: that she has the power to decide who she will be; that her choices determine what she is; and that she must choose to be who she wants to be every day, or else she will find out that she has lost track of herself and become what she never intended to be.
Drageen with the help of his group of Alchemists has some success in the fight against Mandulane initially. But Mandulane is a little like those unkillable monsters from the movies. He manages to cut Drageen’s legs out from under him and drop him into the ocean.
By this time, Mandulane has already arrived at the southern part of the Northlands where Astrid is waiting for him along with the remaining Iron Maidens, the villagers from the Northlands, and anybody else who can fight. They have some success against the Krystr soldiers, but Mandulane himself breaks through to where Astrid is. And, in an amazing final twist it is only the drastic measures employed by the Dragons to cleanse the lands that finally get rid of him.
On her way, she produces an egg, which her friend Trepp from her old village of Guell discovers. A dragon tells him he must take it to the Land of Vines and points him in the right direction to start.
The dragons, who have mostly been rather secretive and only rarely revealed themselves, do a lot of talking in this book. Mostly they talk to Astrid, but some of them speak to Trepp and Drageen as well. Astrid learns that she is part dragon and is reminded of the lessons that the dragon Taddeo taught her years ago: that she has the power to decide who she will be; that her choices determine what she is; and that she must choose to be who she wants to be every day, or else she will find out that she has lost track of herself and become what she never intended to be.
Drageen with the help of his group of Alchemists has some success in the fight against Mandulane initially. But Mandulane is a little like those unkillable monsters from the movies. He manages to cut Drageen’s legs out from under him and drop him into the ocean.
By this time, Mandulane has already arrived at the southern part of the Northlands where Astrid is waiting for him along with the remaining Iron Maidens, the villagers from the Northlands, and anybody else who can fight. They have some success against the Krystr soldiers, but Mandulane himself breaks through to where Astrid is. And, in an amazing final twist it is only the drastic measures employed by the Dragons to cleanse the lands that finally get rid of him.
March 1, 2021
This fourth installment of in the Dargonslayer series is without a doubt the best and well worth the wait. All the unanswered questions get answered as well as a number of surprising revelations that I hadn’t even anticipated. The action in this book is nonstop and in most places it gets intense. Interestingly enough we get introduced to new areas as well as some people never previously mentioned who make integral additions to the story. I really wish there was a fifth book, or maybe a series that would follow a few of the new characte4rs just to see how their lives progress, not to mention I wouldn’t have to suffer separation anxiety as I bid this story line a fond farewell. Once again Resa gives the narration her all and makes it a very compelling story.
October 13, 2017
Kind of a weird ending...a bit sad too. I would have liked to have seen Drageen have more of a part in the story. I think the ending really could have been better as far as the bad guys being defeated.
May 30, 2019
What a finish!
Engaging story with several complex characters. I was not expecting several of the plot twists and was not let down pondering what happened to which person. I'm looking forward to the first Dragonfly book.
Engaging story with several complex characters. I was not expecting several of the plot twists and was not let down pondering what happened to which person. I'm looking forward to the first Dragonfly book.
December 24, 2017
Very good read. Sad the series has ended as I read it on kindle unlimited free trial . Loved all the characters and the story . Bit confusing at times but well worth persevering.
June 27, 2016
I both Love and Hate, The Dragon's Egg and it was pretty much a one day read. I am holding off for the moment for The Dragonfly series but will likely read it soon in hopes it is like the first two books rather than the second two.
I have never been as frustrated with a series, and that frustration comes from how much I like the protagonist and her journey, as well as the unique way the beings called “Dragons” where handled. So much possibility.
It will sound weird but what I loved most about the book was the emotional journey of Trep as he protects the egg (sand in eye), Astrid as she come in to her own and what she thinks of her life (It made me really happy...(Says to self “Blacksmiths don't cry.”), and a almost random character who is really cool and whose introduction ties this series to next. Also Kikita rules. Enough said.
It will sound just as weird but I hated, the main antagonist, his followers, the logistics of the conflict with them, and the resolution of that conflict . The antagonist remained weak and only mattered because someone had to lead the idgets who worshiped his silly religion. As for the resolution.... *picks up pillow and yells into it ….Three hours later... *still yelling.
I can not get deep into the logistics of the conflict but for there was a great deal of “what the heck” moments. Also before the final conflict there was a few chapters that should've been burned. In one of those chapters a character is shown to temporally be the love child of Legolas and Rambo at sea.
They are other parts that I enjoyed tremendously but can not say because spoilers.
It is cliché but when it comes the series, “It is what it is” a cheap series (cost wise) that is entertaining enough to get you to buy the next until your trapped with hopes that the next series can free you from the mire.
I have never been as frustrated with a series, and that frustration comes from how much I like the protagonist and her journey, as well as the unique way the beings called “Dragons” where handled. So much possibility.
It will sound weird but what I loved most about the book was the emotional journey of Trep as he protects the egg (sand in eye), Astrid as she come in to her own and what she thinks of her life (It made me really happy...(Says to self “Blacksmiths don't cry.”), and a almost random character who is really cool and whose introduction ties this series to next. Also Kikita rules. Enough said.
It will sound just as weird but I hated, the main antagonist, his followers, the logistics of the conflict with them, and the resolution of that conflict . The antagonist remained weak and only mattered because someone had to lead the idgets who worshiped his silly religion. As for the resolution.... *picks up pillow and yells into it ….Three hours later... *still yelling.
I can not get deep into the logistics of the conflict but for there was a great deal of “what the heck” moments. Also before the final conflict there was a few chapters that should've been burned. In one of those chapters a character is shown to temporally be the love child of Legolas and Rambo at sea.
They are other parts that I enjoyed tremendously but can not say because spoilers.
It is cliché but when it comes the series, “It is what it is” a cheap series (cost wise) that is entertaining enough to get you to buy the next until your trapped with hopes that the next series can free you from the mire.
February 3, 2013
I always feel a little bit deflated when I come to finish the last book in a series and the feeling I got when I came to the end of The Dragon's Egg was no exception.
I just get so involved and engrossed in the characters lives when reading a series and when things get wrapped up and I know there will be no more I am always a little sad.
This fourth and final instalment in the Dragonslayer Series deals with Astrid's struggle to realise her destiny and save her country from Mandulane's rule.
There are a lot of interesting and unexpected developments in this book which all help to round out and finish the story in a smooth but kind of bittersweet manner.
I have to admit that I was left quite surprised by a couple of aspects that I really wasn't expecting, but won't give away what so as not to spoil the story. When I finally finished it at first I was left thinking "Really, that wasn't what I would have thought would happen", but then as I thought about it a bit longer afterwards it all really did make sense and made me realise that not every book always have to have a perfectly happy ending to be a good story.
If you have read the first three books in this series I highly recommend reading this one so you get the complete picture.
I just get so involved and engrossed in the characters lives when reading a series and when things get wrapped up and I know there will be no more I am always a little sad.
This fourth and final instalment in the Dragonslayer Series deals with Astrid's struggle to realise her destiny and save her country from Mandulane's rule.
There are a lot of interesting and unexpected developments in this book which all help to round out and finish the story in a smooth but kind of bittersweet manner.
I have to admit that I was left quite surprised by a couple of aspects that I really wasn't expecting, but won't give away what so as not to spoil the story. When I finally finished it at first I was left thinking "Really, that wasn't what I would have thought would happen", but then as I thought about it a bit longer afterwards it all really did make sense and made me realise that not every book always have to have a perfectly happy ending to be a good story.
If you have read the first three books in this series I highly recommend reading this one so you get the complete picture.
February 14, 2013
I really love the Dragonslayer series by Resa Nelson! I finished the final book of the series today and it was breathtaking. The Dragon's Egg is a brilliant wrap-up to the series. I love how everything just seemed to meld together and flow along so well. The story continues Astrid's journey in life, love and war. She struggles to do what is right at all times. Astrid is such a multi-faceted character. She is pretty high on my list of best heroines ever.
Mandulane (the bad guy) cracked me up with his clotheshorse obsession. And the introduction of Killing Crow was a nice touch. It was also very interesting to have Dragreen come back into play. I just love all of the characters that Nelson has developed so well!
The ending was bitter sweet. I just did not want this series to end. It's just too good! But, the story took a natural course and everyone ended up where they needed to be.
I highly recommend the Dragonslayer series. It will be unlike anything else you've read, but I bet you will love it like I did. Or I hope!
5 stars to The Dragon's Egg.
Mandulane (the bad guy) cracked me up with his clotheshorse obsession. And the introduction of Killing Crow was a nice touch. It was also very interesting to have Dragreen come back into play. I just love all of the characters that Nelson has developed so well!
The ending was bitter sweet. I just did not want this series to end. It's just too good! But, the story took a natural course and everyone ended up where they needed to be.
I highly recommend the Dragonslayer series. It will be unlike anything else you've read, but I bet you will love it like I did. Or I hope!
5 stars to The Dragon's Egg.
January 13, 2017
Amazing
I just finished the series and I was delighted. While it had somewhat of a happy ending, I still cried. You'll see why when you read the series.
I just finished the series and I was delighted. While it had somewhat of a happy ending, I still cried. You'll see why when you read the series.
February 8, 2019
Awesome
I adore all of resa Nelson books, they are just amazing. The story is so unique and captivating and keeps you on your toes.
I adore all of resa Nelson books, they are just amazing. The story is so unique and captivating and keeps you on your toes.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews