It's almost a rule of fantasy that prophecies come true, and "The Secret Texts" that give their name to Holly Lisle's trilogy make detailed, plausible predictions. The sinister Dragons, long-dead human sorcerers whose magic is powered by mass destruction of innocent souls, will return--only to be defeated by the gentler, weaker Falcon wizards and their great spiritual leader the Reborn. But Vengeance of Dragons shows the foretold history going wildly off-course.
This follows Diplomacy of Wolves, in which great houses with a Renaissance flavour--think Borgias or Medicis--clashed horribly and destructively while Dragons in the guise of friendly spirits coaxed unwary characters like woman shapeshifter Kait into doing their dirty work. Now Kait and her rival lovers carry the supposedly life-restoring Mirror of Souls, an ancient, beautiful-looking device which to magical senses stinks of decay. Secretly it's the focus of all Dragon scheming, and if activated by anyone except the Reborn will bring disaster. Soon a treacherous alliance of great houses sends armed zeppelins after the fleeing ship carrying Kait and the Mirror, and the outcome looks grim.
The tough-minded story is crammed with colourful action, violent clashes, betrayals and double-crosses, magical unpleasantness and repeated shocks as the plot takes deviously unexpected turns. With the Secret Texts discredited, Kait and the Falcons face appalling risks to build a new future from chaos, and the volume closes on a neat double cliffhanger. Expect further enjoyable twists in the concluding Courage of Falcons. --David Langford
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