The Dragons' Gift

by Betsy McCall

The Children of Daela, Elementals of Earth, have survived for more than ten millennia and for some seven of them, have waged a long and costly war against the Ishada, an equally powerful race of beings who covet their power over the elements of earth. Their allies are the Dragons, formed from the union of Fire and Air, each is sworn to defend the other, and for performing such a service, the Dragons offer Dagnan Te Daelan a a child with frightening power, a child with the power to save them and end this long war or to destroy them.

508 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Rebecca Haninger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel introduces a world where three moons mark the passage of time over a nation populated by a race of sorcerers who do homage to the Dragons. In this polymathic work, the author draws upon Medieval history, the Classics, linguistics, planetary science, and philosophy, along with a dabbling in martial arts, to bring the nation of Taera, with its landscapes, its weather, its people with their language, traditions, conflicts, politics and spirituality, to vibrant life with a Tolkienesque intricacy.
The antagonist, Lord Frayne Kristanic, allies himself with the mortal enemies of the Dragons, the Ishada, and drives the nation toward civil war in his attempt to unseat the Dragon Lord Dagnan Te Daelan. His psychopathy goes so deep that he subjects his own granddaughter, Trien, to lies, manipulation, gaslighting, and ritual rape to transform her from an empathetic child to a cold device for his ambitions.
As the author's first novel, The Dragons' Gift gives the reader the privilege of watching, within a single work, the evolution of her craft, cultimating, with an apt symbolism, in the birth of her masterpiece character, Draega Te Daelan, and her emergence as a gift.
I recommend beginning the series with this novel, followed by its prequel, The Dragons' Lord, and then its sequel, The Dragons' Child.