The Barnes & Noble Review
The publication of Mistress of Dragons marks a milestone in the fantasy publishing world. It's the first true fantasy written solely by Margaret Weis without her writing partner, Tracy Hickman, who coauthored bestselling series like Dragonlance and Death's Gate Cycle.

Weis's new world of Dragonvald is a wild medieval realm populated by humans and secretly ruled by godlike dragons. The winged overlords even have their own governing body, the Parliament of Dragons, where events concerning dragons are discussed and policies decided. But dragon sightings are rare, and many humans don't even believe they exist -- except in Seth, an isolated mountain kingdom where the Mistress of Dragons is the true ruler. The Mistress heads a cultlike female monastery called the Temple of the Watchful Eye, where women are trained as fierce warriors or magic-wielding priestesses. The monastery's main mission is the defense of Seth against dragons. Although the last dragon attack was more than 20 years ago, the Amazonian warriors still train, and the priestesses still practice their powerful, arcane magic.

Melisande is the High Priestess, next in line to be Mistress of Dragons. The current Mistress is old and sickly, and it's only a matter of time until Melisande takes over the order. Life in the monastery is close to idyllic for Melisande and her lover, a woman named Bellona, who is commander of the warriors. But there is a whole world outside the isolated kingdom of Seth, one filled with humans and dragons alike who have conflicting ideas about the female monastery and its true purpose. Paul Goat Allen

Best known for her successful partnership with Tracy Hickman (Dragons of the Vanished Moon, etc.), Weiss launches a new series on her own that's sure to please high fantasy fans. In the world of Dragonvald, an ancient race of dragons with its own parliament has kept apart from the race of men and refrained from meddling in their affairs. Since a renegade dragon, Maristara, seized the human realm of Seth three centuries earlier, an Amazonian order of priestesses with magical powers and the Mistress of Dragons have kept the peace. But evidence that Maristara and a partner-in-crime have indulged in their taste for human flesh means renewed trouble. Draconas, who can change into a man, sets forth into human territory to resolve the problem. The ensuing conflicts and complications, as Draconas learns the true identity of the Mistress of Dragons, will keep readers turning the pages. A cliffhanger ending, involving the birth of a part-dragon human baby, will leave them eager for the next installment. Author tour. (May 28) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Weis abandons her uncompleted Sovereign Stone Trilogy (Guardians of the Lost, 2001, with Tracy Hickman) to kick off a new solo effort. The fair virgin Melisande, at 28, is High Priestess in the monastery of the Amazonian order, overlooking and protecting the people of the valley of Seth. Fresh virgin warriors for the order are produced by nine members--called cows--who are kept aside for giving birth (male babies supposedly are given to needy folk in the valley). Her lover is dark-haired Bellona, chief warrior, and her chief enemy in the order is Lucretta, jealous that the current Mistress of Dragons--70, white-haired, and bent--has chosen Melisande to replace her when she dies. As Melisande conducts her morning rites at the Chamber of the Eye, she sees a lone male dragon approaching and alerts the warriors, but the Mistress of Dragons, leading her priestesses in magic spells against the dragon, suddenly collapses, although the marauder is driven off. Centuries before, the Dragon Wars with humans ended and the Parliament of Dragons formed, ruling that dragons must keep from human affairs. Maristara, however, took over Seth and rules there, teaching the humans dragon magic. The only human form to attend the Parliament is Draconas, a warrior male who, as the Parliament’s servant but actually a dragon himself, can think in images along with the dragons. It’s suggested that Draconas be sent to Seth to abduct the Mistress of Dragons and bring her back to help find a way of overcoming Maristara. Draconas hoodwinks Edward, King of Ramsgate, to accompany him to Seth. Draconas and Edward repulse hired assassins on the road, but Draconas determines that Maristara is trafficking in the male babiesof the "cows" and has left a door open in Seth’s magic shield. The bang-up climax finds Melisande giving birth to twins, one wholly human, one half-dragon, as the pot boils for volume two.

Sure to please high fantasy fans.” —Publishers Weekly

“Full of intrigue, magic, and violence ... Weis has brilliantly conceived a world.” —Booklist (Starred Review)

“Non-stop action and surprise revelations keep the pages turning.” —RT Book Reviews

“An addictive read ... Exceptional book.” —KLIATT

“Weis gives readers several intriguing characters ... Readers will be pulled into the clashing cultures, fascinating personalities, and the secrets that still need to be revealed.” —VOYA

“Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis have emerged as standouts in the field.” —Dallas Morning News on Margaret Weis

“Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have built an impressive reputation creating fantasy worlds in far flung galaxies where all manner of evil lurks.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Margaret Weis

“Weis and Hickman are now definitely up at the same level as Dave Duncan or David Eddings, using conventional fantasy elements on the grand scale to produce excellent reading.” —Chicago Sun-Times on Margaret Weis

“A rich and vibrant fantasy world populated with various races and complex, believable characters.” —Library Journal on Margaret Weis

“A classic tale . . . touched with originality.” —Publishers Weekly on Margaret Weis