In his forthcoming novel, The Spine of the Dragon, Kevin J. Anderson introduces us to young Adan Starfall. He's the king of Suderra, one of three countries that make up the Commonwealth. He lives in Bannriya Castle, which sits atop the hill overlooking the capital city of Bannriya. Adan's mind is troubled, for a sandstorm is approaching. He watches as shopkeepers close their shops, and residents prepare their homes for what could prove a particularly violent storm.
Kevin J. Anderson's description of the Bannriya Castle initially reminded me of one described in the novel Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Not only are both High Fantasy novels, but both reference a dragon in the title. In fact, Kevin's novel is the first in a series called Wake The Dragon, so dragon-lovers have a lot to look forward to.
As for Bannriya Castle, and how it is situated in the town, I realized it reminded me of another town I had visited. Although the remains of a castle lie on the marshland along the coast, the English town of Rye sits of a hill, and another castle sits atop the hill. Just like Bannira, Rye is rich in history. In its time, it was a center for fishing in England. Even people in faraway London depended on Rye for the Cod and other seafood the ships regularly brought into harbor.
Unlike Bannriya, Rye doesn't sit on the edge of a vast desert, so thankfully, it's unlikely to suffer from sandstorms any time soon.
As a cowriter of the popular Dune novels with Brian Herbert, sandstorms are something Kevin J. Anderson is familiar with. We follow Adan as he hunkers down inside his castle to wait through the storm. Adan's father-in-law is a former desert nomad, so he knows how to fortify the windows and doors against the windblown sand. Nonetheless, one little diamond-shaped pane in a window breaks, and the storm rushes in. Everyone rushes to help, as that broken window could allow the storm's violence to sweep through the entire castle.
It's always interesting to me to think of England's rich history. It's a country that measures time in thousands of years, as opposed to hundreds. Like England, Suderra's history goes back millennia. Once, a race called the Wreth devastated Commonwealth lands with their wars. They created Humans to be their slaves, then disappeared over two thousand years ago.
After the sandstorm, a party of travelers arrives outside the city gates. King Adan rides down to meet them. To his astonishment, he discovers that they are Wreth.
I felt for Adan as he met these god-like beings. With their vast powers, Adan suspects he could not stop them if they stormed his city. Although they've ridden across the desert, they are not covered in sand. In fact, it appears they summoned the storm. When they ask to enter his city, as they wish to converse with him, how can he refuse them?
I imagined the Wreth walking up the narrow streets of Bannriya, heading toward Adan's castle. I felt his wonder and fear as the Wreth summoned controlled bursts of wind that blew the streets free of sand as they walked. For I too walked those streets, up and down the hill, many times during the weekend I stayed in Rye. Only for me, the town was imbued with magic even more powerful than that of the Wreth.
One of my all-time favorite authors lived in Rye. His name is E. F. Benson, and he set four novels in his Mapp And Lucia series there. Through those novels, I came to love Rye as much as E. F. Benson did. I guess that's why Rye came to mind when I started reading Kevin J. Anderson's new novel Spine of the Dragon. Rye is a great little town on the south coast of England, and fills up with visitors every weekend. Even if few people today have heard of E. F. Benson, the author's power, like that of the Wreth in Bannriya, remains in Rye.
I can't wait to delve further into Kevin J. Anderson's new novel, and see what other associations it brings to mind.
Dragon Dave
Spine of the Dragon, by Kevin J. Anderson, will be available for purchase on June 4, 2019.
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