Dragonknight by Donita K. Paul Published by: Water Brook Press (2006) 393 pages Rating: 8/10 Buy it Now:    Also by Donita K. Paul: Dragonspell Dragonquest Dragonfire Dragonlight

What's a doneel again? I absolutely love Donita K. Paul's invented world and all her invented races (no elves or dwarves here - try emerlindians and o'rants and...), but between books I completely forget what they all are! Thank goodness for the glossary. This is a series that definitely would benefit from being read in order, one after the other.

This time around, the focus shifts from Kale the Dragon Keeper to Bardon the Squire, a supporting character from the previous books. Bardon is taking a sabbatical while pondering his future as a knight in Paladin's service, but his plans for peace & quiet are interrupted by the presence of two women who insist that he is to lead them on a quest to awaken some magically-sleeping knights. After he reluctantly agrees, the quest begins, but not without plenty of distractions (as you might expect from the previous books). Even should the quest succeed in finding the enchanted knights, how will they be awakened?

Bardon is actually a somewhat more interesting character than Kale, in my opinion. Perhaps it's because his quest to become a knight is somewhat less confusing than Kale's wizardly ambitions. At any rate, it's nice to see a stronger focus on a different character, though Kale's story is far from over, either.

The only real complaint I have here is the multiplying cast. The story begins with a very small, tight questing group, but by the end of the story, many new characters have been added, along with the return of practically every character featured in the previous two books. As such, some characters get lost in the shuffle and don't get the attention they would normally deserve in a more tightly-plotted story. Some characters seem very superfluous to the storyline, in fact. When a certain major cast member is reunited with a long-lost family member toward the end, a reunion that's been anticipated since the series began, the reunion is very brief and not very rewarding - because there's so many other characters to be dealt with at the time.

Outside of that, this remains one of the most delightfully original fantasy series to come on the market in years. Not as deep (or adult oriented) as the Legends of the Guardian-King, nor as light (or younger reader oriented) as the Landon Snow stories, the Dragon Keeper series is its own being, appealing to readers of "all ages" as the cover blurb proclaims. The adventures in this land of dragons are far from over, as Paladin hints near the end. The only thing that could bring more of a smile of satisfaction to my face than the enjoyment of this series is knowing that it's not over yet! Recommended.