Joust

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Summary: A Dragon and Her Boy
Review: Joust is a fantasy novel about a boy and a dragon. Vetch is an Altan and when the Tians conquer his part of Alta, his father's land is given to a Tian family. The soldiers who evict his family also kill his father and cause brain damage to his sister. Then, the surviving, conscious members of the family are informed that they are serfs, property of the Great King and bound to the land.

When Khefti-the-fat wants to gain possession of part of the property formerly owned by Vetch's family, he must also take possession of one of the family itself since the lands go with the serfs, so he chooses Vetch. Khefti works Vetch much harder than his apprentices, for they are Tian and can return home if their family agrees, and harder even than his slaves, for they are worth money, because Vetch is worthless to him alive. Khefti cannot sell him, but Vetch wonders if Khefti can keep the land without any serfs if his current serf dies.

Vetch is fetching water to the cistern that serves the tala fields when a man takes away his water bucket, drinks part of it, and pours the rest over his head. Vetch is very angry, but his anger turns to terror when Khefti comes with his whip to punish him for losing the water. At first Khefti does not see the stranger, but after two slashes of the whip, the man brings himself to Khefti's attention by holding back the third slash. While initially angry, Khefti starts to grovel as soon as he sees the stranger, for he is a Jouster, a dragon rider for the Great King of Tia.

The Jouster, Ari, requisitions Vetch for the Great King's service as his dragon boy and flies away with him on Kashet, the dragon, leaving behind a very angry Khefti. After one day as Ari's dragon boy, Vetch realizes that life will be much less difficult for him in this job and that Ari is an exceptional master compared to the other Jousters. As he grows to know more about Ari, Vetch begins to lose his hatred of this particular Tian. Moreover, he is gaining respect for a few others in the dragon corps, but he stills hates Tia itself. Nevertheless, he works ardently for the welfare of his master and his dragon, earning his place among the dragon boys.

The reason Ari is different is that he has raised Kashet from the egg, thus automatically becoming a Jouster. No other dragon has been trained in this way and Kashet is much more cooperative than the other dragons, especially with Ari, but also with Vetch himself, and to lesser extent with Haraket, the Overseer of the Dragon tenders and another man Vetch learns to respect.

Vetch decides to emulate Ari and raise his own dragon from the egg. Knowing that a serf will never be allowed to be a Jouster, he will have to hide all such activities even from Ari, but various events make such secrecy less difficult, possibly due to intervention by the Altan gods.

This story is set in a world much like ancient Egypt; even the names of gods and places are phonetically similar to Egyptian names. Tia is much like the Upper Kingdom and Alta is similar to the Lower Kingdom and, like ancient Egypt, the two kingdoms have very similar cultures, languages, gods, and physiognomies. Even the Tians recognize that the two kingdoms may have come from the same people, but don't want to think about it.

In fact, the Tians themselves had been conquered 500 years before and treated in a callous manner by the invaders. Although they have ousted the Nameless Ones long before, possibly with help from Alta, they still remember their heinous treatment, but now the Tians are treating the Altans in exactly the same way.

Not being an Egyptologist, I really don't know if the ancient Egyptians had a dragon mythos, but the mesopotamians -- e.g., the Assyrians and the Babylonians --- certainly did and many legends crossed the deserts between these civilizations. The headwaters of the Nile have often been considered a place where anything is possible, maybe even dragons.

Once again, the author brings alive an exotic culture and some of its people while presenting a vivid lesson in social ethics. Her portrayal of the Bedu provides another lesson about stereotypes. However, this story is a pleasure to read, so who cares if we learn something in the process. I do hope this is not a singleton novel, for the author ends the story with so many unfulfilled possibilities.

By the way, there is a lot of really interesting details of animal training, particularly of raptors, all applied to the training of dragons. Moreover, we learn that dragons are a lot like cats, especially when young. If you ever find a dragon egg, look to this book for good advice in raising the creature. Better still, email the author for assistance.

Recommended for Lackey fans and anyone who enjoys interesting animals, exotic cultures, and daring adventure.

Rating:
Summary: Great dragon story
Review: Joust is the first book I have read by Mercedes Lackey. If you like dragon stories, you'll love this one. The cover art initially attracted me to the book. The story kept me reading. Vetch, a young abused serf turned dragon boy, takes care of a jouster and his dragon and during that time, learns a lot about dragons. Ari, the jouster, hatched Kashet the dragon from an egg and tamed him from birth. Now Vetch wants to do the same thing. He gets his chance when he steals an egg from Coresan, another dragon in the jousters' compound. Much of the story revolves around how Vetch pulls off taking care of the egg and later raising his dragon without anyone knowing.

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Summary: There Are Dragons in the Sky!
Review: Lackey does it again- and this time with the beginning of a new series, set in an Egypt-like world where dragon-riders joust in a war between two countries. Vetch is a mere serf who becomes the dragon boy to a Jouster, and in this novel his journey begins, with the duties of a dragon boy, and secretly training his own dragon, as well as conflicts between the loyalty he owes to his own people, and loyalty to his Jouster and his jouster's dragon.

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Summary: A NEW FANTASY WORLD WITH POTENTIAL
Review: Love her books or hate them (I have done both and everything in-between) it is difficult not to credit Ms. Lackey with the ability to come up with new fantasy realms that are at once different and engrossingly realistic. JOUST certainly fits those criteria. The story revolves around Vetch, a serf, lower than a slave, and mistreated by his Tian master. One day he catches the eye of a Jouster, a dragon rider and one of the elite Tian military, to become a new 'dragon boy.' The greatest portion of the book tells the tale of how he learns his new trade and the impressing of a dragon of his own.

Fair stuff, but almost too realistic. Too realistic? Impossible you say, nay not so. The problem with JOUST is that it is very realistic and as we all know reality can be a bit dull. So can JOUST. Sure we learn everything about the care, feeding and hatching of dragons but other that that JOUST is a bit light on plot or action and romance isn't even a factor in this one.

If you look at JOUST as the set up volume for its sequel then maybe it's not so bad, not that it is 'bad,' just ordinary. As with most of Ms. Lackey's works the writing is very good and the character development adequate. Sure there are better ones out there but JOUST still deserves a look, especially if the sequel can build on its foundations and deliver some real action and romance. It may be marginal but I still RECOMMEND it.

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Summary: Just Wonderful
Review: Mercedes Lackey has created another wonderful world. Its desert setting is worlds away from Valdemar. Vetch, the young protagonist, has been through very difficult times. He has seen his father placed in an impossible situation and die, his mother grandmother, and sisters taken away, and himself turned into a serf, the lowest of the low. He is starved, beaten, and subjected to cruel working and living conditions. When a Jouster rescues him and makes him a dragon boy, his hard-learned lessons of perserverance and hiding his emotions combine with his sterling work ethic and intelligence to earn him a measure of respect in his new profession. His new master is as different from his peers as Vetch is from the freeborn dragon boys. They strike up a comaraderie, with the care of the dragon as its basis.
The dragons here are unlike Anne McCaffery's. They come in different colors and are not ranked as rigorously in status. They are--perhaps--not intelligent and do not speak mind-to-mind as the Pern dragons or Lackey's other creations, the Companions. Vetch learns why his master's dragon is unique and, given a chance when an unplanned mating between dragons results in eggs, cares for an egg. He raises the dragon and trains it on the sly. When he is discovered, he seizes his opportunity to escape and try to return to his native country.
I very much enjoyed this new series and am eagerly looking forward to the next one. It doesn't look as if this world has as much potential for expansion as the Valdemar books have, but we'll have to wait and see. Lackey uses her considerable abilities to create a unique world and populate it with people both ordinary and extraordinary. You definitely won't be wasting your time reading this book.

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Summary: A NEW TWIST.
Review: Not knowing personally what a real dragon is like, I have avidly read every book I could find about them. I find Mercedes Lackey's flying war-horses a refreshing change from McCaffrey's companions or Watt-Evans' dragon menace.
Young, starved and overworked, the only thing that keeps the serf Vetch going is hate. Specifically for his abusive master but also for the people who invaded his country, killed his father, confiscated the family farm and turned him into the lowest of the low. A quirk of fate brings Vetch to the attention of Ari, one of the very dragon riders who were instrumental in his present state. Ari confiscates Vetch in the King's name and trains him as his dragon boy.
The duties involved in caring for Ari and his dragon, Kashet, are relatively easy for Vetch. Add to that a full belly and a warm place to sleep and Vetch is almost happy. He is still a serf with no possessions and no future. But maybe....
The characters are interesting and their development makes for a very good story.
I have read almost all of Ms. Lackey's books and enjoyed most of them. Joust is now on my shelves with my favorites. I hope more books about Vetch and the war between Tia and Alta are soon forthcoming.

Rating:
Summary: Well written but unoriginal
Review: On the plus side, this is a well written book with fairly three dimensional, if drawn in broad strokes, characters.
On the balance side, this is fairly obviously the first book in a series and does not come to an end.
On the negative side, it isn't at all original. The dragons may not be completely identical to Pernese ones, but you need to look closely to spot the differences. The setting is mythological ancient Egypt. The only difference is that, in this setting, the Hyskos invasion happened before upper and lower egypt had been united. And the plot has been done before in infinite variations.

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Summary: mesmerizing fantasy
Review: The kingdoms of Tia and Alta are at war while at the present time the Tians are winning because they have better Jousters who know how to use their dragons as a tool of war. Much of Altan has become part of the Tian empire and Vetch, who was once a farmer's son, is now a serf, lower than a slave, belonging to a master who treats him very badly. When the Jouster Ari sees Vetch's owner whip him, he takes him away to the Jouster compound and makes him his dragon boy.

Vetch now cares for Ari's dragon Kashet who he comes to love. He has plenty of food and a fair workload but he never forgets for one moment that he is a serf with no rights. Although he comes to care Ari and a few other people in the compound, he can't stomach what the Tians are doing to his people. He wants his freedom and embarks on a course of action that will achieve that goal if he doesn't get caught.

Mercedes Lackey always writes a terrific story and this first installment in her new series is absolutely mesmerizing. Readers will feel for the protagonist who is only a ten-year-old child yet wise beyond his years. Once he sets a goal for himself, he sees it through no matter the risks. JOUST is a fantasy tale that will appeal to Anne McCaffrey's Pern fans as well as anyone who loves an adorable dragon.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Lackey does it again......
Review: The prolific Mercedes Lackey has been my favorite author for over seven years and she just keeps getting better and better... Now with Joust, a story.... a plausible story about dragons and how they *would* have lived has not only entered my head, and has stayed there (well, its only been a day since I finished it)but it has enthralled me to the very last page! I will not describe any of the story, because you must read to understand and enjoy it! Another great read by Misty, and another favorite to add to the list!
Read this book!!!

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Summary: A Tale of the Two Kingdoms
Review: The story (or at least the beginning of one) of a young serf and his struggle for freedom in fantasy depiction of the Ancient Egyptian Upper and Lower Kingdoms while they were at war.

There are alot of positive things that I can say for this work. For starters, the characters aren't all superheroes- they are very human in their thoughts and depictions. For another, while the descriptions are colorful and vivid, they aren't long-winded. The story is easy to follow.

However, some of the descriptions and phrases are repetitive- but not to the point that it really stands out. It simply appears after a few readings of the material. Also, towards the end, Jouster Ari tends to go... mushy.

However, overall, this book was a wonderful creation, and I am very much looking foreward to its sequel (for she left a very open-ended story, perfect for a sequel.)