Dragon Blade: The Book of the Rowan

The Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan #4

by Andre Norton, Sasha Miller

Over a year has passed since the defeat of the Great Foulness, and the ravaged earth has begun to heal. Lost for generations, the signet rings of the Four Great Houses---Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan---have been restored to their rightful heirs. And Ashen NordornQueen, mistress of the Land of Ever Snow, looks forward to a life of peace and happiness with her beloved husband and their newborn son---only to learn that an ancient evil still threatens all that she holds dear.

The Mother Ice Dragon, the fearsome progenitor of her deadly breed, has awakened from slumber to menace the world anew. Legend holds that only the Dragon Blade, forged from the scales of her vanquished mate, can slay the deadly female dragon, but the Dragon Blade has been lost for ages.

As Ashen embarks on a perilous quest to find the mystic sword, she leaves her castle and homeland in the care of her closest friends, including Rannore, Lady of the Rowan, who soon faces danger of a different sort....

Dragon Blade continues the saga begun in To the King a Daughter and continued in Knight or Knave and A Crown Disowned.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Danihelle Draklyn]

Hardly any mention of the Dragons at all. Characters were not that interesting, and I ended up just feeling sorry for the poor Mother Ice Dragon, with her children slain, and her beloved mate slain as well, and the only thing she has left of him is a damn sword that could destroy her!

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norton and Miller have written another fairly traditional fantasy, with a balance between homey, personal scenes and battles, both magical and mundane. There is humor and sadness, joy and loss. A satisfying if not very challenging or deep read.

[Sparkle32 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book. It has good plots, and plenty of them. The characters feel alive. The dragon blade legend is pretty interesting. It's an old legend, that happens to be true, except it has room for parts of it to be missing... I liked the book a lot.

[Mri]

When I get the chance.