Dragon Prince – Melanie Rawn

Category: Fantasy

This is the first book in the Dragon Prince Series and is one of my well-loved and somewhat tatty favourites. It has been a while since I last read it, so when I was opening boxes after my recent house move, and came across it, I decided I had to read it again.

I am a bit of a fan of dragons; I have been since I was little. I collect dragon figurines and I love reading books about them. This is a story that features dragons but it is not about them directly.

It is about a man, the heir to a prince of a desert realm in a feudal world. There are many such realms in this world each ruled by it’s prince, all ruled over by a High Prince who has his own realm as well. This is a world in which might is right and wars are fought over territory. A world in which dragons live and are hunted for sport.

The story follows the life of this man, Rohan, who dares to be different. He envisions a world with laws for all and the end to petty wars over land. So when his father dies and he becomes Prince in his own right he sets out to make his vision a reality.

His family, the woman who is to become his wife, and the leader of the Sunrunners, aid him in this. The Sunrunners are a group of people capable of manipulating sunlight and moonlight to perform feats of magic such as creating fire and seeing across distances.

The story follows his struggle to achieve his dreams, with some surprising revelations along the way. The realisation that sometimes to create civilisation you must first learn to be a barbarian and that peace and civilisation are tenuous things.

I love this book because I can lose myself in it. The story sweeps you along in the excitement and intrigue, the plotting, the hopes, dreams and fears of the characters. The characters themselves seem to leap of the page and become real. Sometimes they appear to be too noble, too perfect and then something will happen to make you realise that they are human after all.

This is fantasy on a grand scale full of drama, passion and romance. If you love all these things, you will love this book.

Rating: 9/10