Book Review: The Island of the Seven Kings: Book I by Ken Stephenson

The Island of the Seven Kings takes us to a beautiful land. A high god and seven servant gods beneath him are worshipped by the people. This island also has a main ruler known as the Great Father and seven kings below him who are in charge of the cities located here. The people of this place are relatively peaceful, and follow the rules of the city in which they reside. Especially unique to this land are the dragons. While they are still young and unable to produce fire, specially selected individuals are trained to ride them. The riders develop a special bond with the dragons until their release when the beasts start producing fire. This is to protect the rider.

When visitors come to the island by ship, the peace is disturbed. Even though they initially pretend to be friendly, they are really interested in gathering information so that they can invade the cities. At the arrival of the strangers, several of the best dragon riders team up to demonstrate their abilities with the dragons. They form a group called the “Sky Raiders.” Pretending to be a military unit that has been in existence for a while, they practice incredible maneuvers over the arriving ships. This definitely captures the attention and concern of the invaders.

One of the team members secretly has a plan in which he thinks he can work with the dragons so that they can stay with their riders past their period of maturation. It is heartbreaking to have to leave these wonderful creatures after having years of being bonded with them. While all this is happening, several of the main characters are also dealing with affairs of the heart and coming into their own as couples. As usual, complications arise that affect their progress. This adds a great deal of depth to the unfolding drama.

Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2

Article tags

Spread the word
Bookmark and Share
Profile image for paige-lovitt

Article Author: Paige Lovitt

I review books for Reader Views. I was born in Long Beach, California but raised on the east coast in New Jersey but now reside in the Imperial Valley. I have a Master of Science degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling. …

Visit Paige Lovitt's author page

Read comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own
  • No image found
  • No image found

Article comments

Add your comment, speak your mind

Personal attacks are NOT allowed.
Please read our comment policy.
Please preview your comment.

blogcritics lists for May 22, 2013

fresh articles Most recent articles site-wide

fresh comments Most recent comments site-wide

most comments Most comments in 24hrs

top writers Most prolific Blogcritics for April

top commenters Most prolific Commenters in 24 hrs