This volume is the first of the Westlands group, but Kerr's nonlinear braided storytelling style loops back and forth in time to resolve mysteries left open from volumes 1 (Daggerspell) and 3 (The Bristling Wood).

Rhodry, being not only half-elven but lucky enough to have lived through his battles, has reached an age where his long-lived elven heritage is beginning to show: he's still in his prime, and people are beginning to talk. Jill, now a dweomermaster in her own right, confronts him with the need to fake his own death and leave Deverry, rather than have the truth about his right to Aberwyn (or rather, lack thereof) come out. (Nevyn, having fulfilled his ancient vow, finally passed on to his next life.) The best place for Rhodry to go is to his father's people out on the grasslands, leading to Kerr's first detailed treatment of the Elcyon Lacar, known as 'elves', and fulfilling the prophecy that he would die twice.

Apart from the 'present', with Rhodry, the main thread follows Aderyn. Naturally enough, when the elven kingdoms of the far west and south were destroyed by the Hordes, driving the elves out into the grasslands, they lost nearly everything, including much of their knowledge of dweomer. Aderyn, as a human apprentice passing his final dweomer test, was given a destiny to travel west and 'make restitution'. (This picks up a thread from _The Bristling Wood_).

We finally see the beginnings of things: how Aderyn's son, Loddlaen, began to go wrong, leading much later to the events in _Daggerspell_ (and even how the ruined fortress out on the edge of the grasslands came to be there). We meet the Guardians for the first time, one of whom first got the dwarven silver ring from Rhodry's then-current incarnation, only to give it back a few generations later when it was needed.

Nevyn really wasn't lying about 'a trace of elven blood in the Maelwaedds'; upon his first return to Deverry from Bardek after Maryn's death, he travels to Cannobaen, the Maelwaedds' home, to begin creating what will later be the Great Stone of the West. (For the stone's fate, see Darkspell; for where Nevyn got the idea, follow the thread of the Time of Troubles, which begins in _The Bristling Wood_).

We also see how matters were finally resolved between Maddyn and Bellyra: not in those incarnations during the Time of Troubles, but after their rebirths and next meeting in Cannobaen. As for Rhodry's current incarnation, now that he's out on the grasslands, some incidents from past lives are beginning to crop up, and Aderyn fears he may think to ask the question nobody should ask about death unless they're ready to face the dweomer...

Although I've read all of the Deverry series books that were published, this was the first in the series I ever read.

I was raised on C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and later discovered for myself Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I still remember the evening seven years ago when I opened A Time of Exile and read the prologue about the dwarven smith. I knew from the style and the tone that this was a work of some scope and that I had to decide then and there to follow the series or give this book away and forget the whole thing.

I've followed the series through and have not been disappointed. No other modern author of fantasy has had the ability to hold my attention for so long. There is a feeling of authenticity in every concept that is brought to our attention. We feel, truly, the joy and anguish of the main characters. We chortle madly with Rhodry when the berserk rage takes hold of him, and feel Lilli's despair and guilt about Maryn. And yes, we share the tedium of long sea voyages. Other authors have been flayed for less.

I am, admittedly, a very slow reader. I linger over passages and often have to put a book down to let what has transpired in the past few pages sink in. An average paperback novel will take me a few months to finish; it took me about three weeks to finish The Black Wyvern.

One can recognize that certain passages in the Deverry series are borrowed from pop culture; a scene from the movie Lawnmower Man and the Battle of Agincourt to name two. But where others might be accused of plagiarism, Ms. Kerr manages to pull it off and weaves them elegantly into her tapestry and keep us waiting hungrily for more.

I've loved every book I've read of Katherine Kerr in her Deverry series, and this one is no exception. It focuses on new characters and new story lines rather than dragging out the stories from earlier books (which she kindly resolved in a few books). If you like celtic-based fantasy, then you should be reading Kerr!

Whether or not you started with Daggerspell or if you have just recently started reading the works of Katharine Kerr, you should definately read this. I found the book entertaining with all the old characters mixed with the new and their wonderful skill at getting wound up in problems that seem to large to remedy. You get to see parts of her world that you do not see in the other books which is always exciting with this author. She transends into the world "high fantasy" well and the ending is rather different from most of her others because it is sudden and leads into the next book.

Similar to "The Dragon Revenant" Kerr again returns to a linear plot previously set up in "Time of Omens," again abandoning her usual interaction of stories set within differing time periods. Obviously by now I am an enthusiast of the tale and world begun in "Daggerspell" and would recommend fans of better fantasy fiction take a look. Despite the positive response of the previous reviewer, however, Kerr's books are not written as stand-alones, and without the information provided by the earlier works, one's enjoyment of this book will be greatly limited. Despite the fact that it was the weakest book in the series, start with "Daggerspell": By the time you reach "Days of Blood and Fire" I'm sure you'll conclude that the considerable time invested was enjoyably well spent.

I do however have one reservation regarding this book: The introduction of a dragon. It may be a personal quirk on my part, but rarely have I found the active appearance of dragons in a tale either satisfying or credible. Often anthropomorphised in manner either typecast or silly - McCaffrey's romanticized and laughable wyrms are but the most notable examples - their inclusion as characters almost invariably fails to be convincing (At the risk of sacrilege I would include Tolkein's Smaug). Though the dragon here is present for only a few pages, it is apparant that it will play a large role in the next book, and it talks, which may not bode well for the conclusion of the series. Those of you who delight in clever wyrms, carry on. I will reserve final comment for completion of the next book.

This is the best fantasy book that I have ever read, and possibly one of the best books overall. Anyone who is a fantasy reader should definately pick this one up. It kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end, where I immediately ran out to pick up "Days of Air and Darkness" to find out how this chapter in the Deverry saga ended. Full of action, intrige, and emotion, this book is sure to give anyone a good read. I am about to order the rest of the series to see what else has gone on.

Katherine Kerr has written just 3 Science Fiction books, and a whole lot of Fantasy ones...
In my opinion her sf books are Very good, a step above the competition!
This book is a mixture of detective, cyberpunk, space opera, with some politcs thrown in for good measure

The characters draw you in and you will miss them when the book ends... but then I just discovered that there is a sequel... yippee!

This book is very different to Kerr's other books but I think it is better. Mystery, fantasy and a touch of romance make for a great book. Set in the white slums, police, politics, powers of the mind and a little baseball will keep you interested 'til the end. Just amazing!

"Resurrection," by Katharine Kerr, is one of the best short SF novels I've ever read.

Captain Tiffany Owens died -- twice -- and was brought back to life. Yet nothing seems to fit; well, almost nothing. Her cat remembers her; her family still loves her and shrugs off her strange behavior, and her fiancé is happy beyond words that his love survived, even if _not_ in one piece.

During her long stint in rehabilitation, Tiffany had come to terms with the odd, shifting sense of reality, and had blamed it on "bad neural wiring." As coma patients and people who've had horrific injuries have learned, the "wiring" doesn't always seem to match up with what one remembers of reality.

Or so Tiffany thought, until two strange men showed up. One, an impossible Reb from an impossible place, tells her he wants her to be happy. The other, an impossibly handsome man, tells her to go home -- to the Republic of California, what Tiffany's been assuming all this time was a fiction of her imagination.

But it's not. It's real; the blast that killed her threw her from one dimension into another, and she was brought back to life _in the wrong Universe_.

The story is whether or not Tiffany will stay where she is, where everything feels subtly wrong -- or go home, where everyone is used to her being dead, and everyone has gone on with their lives.

It's an extremely compelling story, enlivened by lots of realistic behavior from coma and rehabilitation patients, and a good amount of humor.

Ms. Kerr is better known for her Deverry/Westlands saga than any of her science fiction. Although I enjoy those books immensely, I think it's a shame those are what made her famous, and not this incredible novella.

This book deserved to win every award there was. I still have no idea why it didn't; maybe it wasn't even nominated, for all I know, which is even _more_ a miscarriage and a travesty of justice.

Read this book, and enjoy it; let's hope it'll be reprinted soon, so my mostly worn out copy can be replaced.

This novella is the basis for Ms. Kerr's later novel "Resurection". However, I feel this story stands better on its own.

This is the story of a female fighter pilot recovering from injuries endured in the line of duty, and trying to return to her old life. Except things are not as she remembers them... things like the name of the country she lives in.

This is definitely "specultative fiction", but nothing like the Deverry novels. It's set in California, probably about 20 years from "now". We see things through the heroine's eyes, and share her sense of fuzzy unreality as she chats with the devil & the mysterious rabbi who keep following her. The "revelation" at the end felt rather like the one at the end of "The Sixth Sense", or like watching "The Matrix": It left me wondering about the solidity of my universe.

As the 5th book in the Westlands novels, The Dragon Revenant introduces a number of new characters and plot twists. I enjoyed the ongoing connections between past characters that had played somewhat minor roles in previous books but that were reborn in this one. The evolving interplay between the elven population, the "round-ears", and the Guardians created new ground for subsequent books and held my interest through the end. I can't wait to read the next book!

The turning of the tide shows the uprise of the popularity of Shakespere. And rightly so too-it It seemed that for a while, his name was condemned to a fate of "just another white, male, Anglo-Saxon writer". This book has brought a different light to all of the plays that were once forgotten. Even though this book has also been forgotten and reshelved for the new, some libraries still have it, and I really enjoyed some of the offerings. My favorite was the "this is the way it actually happened" scenerio of Hamlet and the possible importance of Yorick. Another great one was the joke of the porn director trying to enlist the brightest stars of Hollywood to try to recapture the "prestige" of Hamlet with Mel Gibson. There is a little mention of Tom Stoppard in it too, which I liked. Recommended!

I've been rather bored with books lately, there are too many that are too similar to each other, but this one really caught my interrest. It has an intricate, well thought-out plot, fascinating characters and a society which feels alive - but...! It left too many loose ends.

So I went to look for information about this book on the net, and behold, there is indeed a sequel. Though I'm glad there's more, I just whish I'd known beforehand it wasn't a stand-alone novel since who knows how long before I get my hands on the next one?

I truly recommend reading Palace, but make sure you have the sequel as well - this is a "to be continued"-book in my opinion.

Usually indifferent to reading books written by more than one author, I was more than pleasantly surprised when I began Palace. This book flowed in a way that co-authorship does not usually allow.

Although the first two chapters made it harder to get into, once I perservered I found that this story was fantastic and I really enjoyed it - science fiction, action, romance, mystery all in one. Kerr and Kreghbaum do a great effort in making the story interesting and making me want to read more.

What a fantastic book. I did some research and found out that the sequal 'Eyes of God - A Novel of the Pinch' by Mark Kreighbaum has not only been written but is also reportedly an excellent read. BUT it is already out of print without any one appearing to know it was ever written.

This is a sad loss. Does any one have an idea how I could get hold of a copy?

I got hooked on Kerr's novels years ago. I always find that the time between volumes is too long. Often I go back and re-read at least two or three previous volumes so I know where the new book fits in. But that's not all bad; they're great to read again and again! My one criticism is the lack of a list of complete character IDs and a timeline. Because Kerr uses lots of flashback, it's difficult sometimes to remember how the characters fit into the overall story. I read the latest (?) release: "The Red Wyvren" and was somewhat disappointed that she didn't make more progress in the most recent timeframe, but chose to emphasize a much earlier time. Does this mean that another volume will be released soon? I hope so.

Katherine Kerr's superb descriptions and well-thought out story will always leave you hungering for more. You join all of Kerr's exquisite characters through their lives, whether it be in a far past life or their life 20 years ago. They make you wonder... what's going to happen to the characters next? The plot will make you gasp, shudder, and stay up until four thirty in the morning just... reading. I promise you -- buy this, and you won't regret it. I certainly didn't. This will make a GREAT addition to ANY book collection... even if you don't HAVE a book collection, get this one, I tell you! It's a MUST have!

This was my first book written by Katharine Kerr that I've *currently* read. Right now.. I'm clicking on almost every Kerr book on Amazon.com and putting them in my shopping cart -- does that tell you anything?

Kerr's Books are the Seinfeld of fantasy series: what happens in the ENTIRE series of books can be detailed in a paragraph or two. IN other words, almost NOTHING really happens. As you read each novel after another, you begin to suspect that the author doesn't really have a grand story to tell, that the entire jumping from one timeline to another is simply a device to describe the identical story each time with minor variations here and there.

Ironically though, it doesn't matter.

Kerr has a such a superior writing style (esp. in the 3rd book onward) that the same boring story (a siege here and there, a new King disguised here and there, a foaming berserker here and there, Nevyn looking strong despite his burlap face here and there and EVERYWHERE, a main character getting killed with sudden regularity, the VERY bizarre appearance of a dragon, and finally the entire Guardian thread which appears to be pasted to the books rather than integrated) will keep you riveted to your seat, no minor achievement.

I read the series straight through and attempted numerous times to pick up something else. I couldn't do it. After reading Kerr's fluid prose, I couldn't handle anything else. You can only dream of how good she'd be if an original story was to be had.

For those who have complained that the plot threads of THE RED WYVERN and THE BLACK RAVEN were left dangling---it is time to stop. THE FIRE DRAGON draws together all the major threads of its companion volumes and ties them into a beautiful knot.

In the past, Prince Maryn's forces hold Dun Deverry, and the spring's campaign may well bring Deverry to peace. But the peace that Nevyn himself has schemed and sacrificed for may demand yet another price from those he loves, not only on the battlefield, but in the subtler intrigues of a newborn court. In the present, also, Rhodry, Dallandra and Evandar have survived a war won only by a terrible sacrifice, only to find that,once again, peace may demand an even higher cost than victory. Past and present resonate as the fates of characters both old and new converge, and even the compulsively careful reader may find a few surprises in store. Well worth the read.

O.k. I will admitt I am a book worm I mean I read the whole series in 2 weeks but I loved it so much. This book was awsome it had so many twist and turns and it did have a great story even if some don't agree. Katherine makes you know the person her characterization is so good. Every person I can feel what they are feeling even if it takes a while to get to know some of them. In this book I found that She kept on doing it. I was not shure of the dragon in the beginning but it ended that I do like her but then that surprise came that was hinted in the begginning. You will have to read and see how many surprises show up. I say read this book NOW!!

After an uneven start in "Daggerspell," Katharine Kerr has continued to build upon and expand the characters and world of Deverry, and with "Bristling Wood," the third book of the octet, has brought her storytelling talents to full maturity. Description, while lacking the depth of a Jordan or Martin, is nonetheless detailed and vivid, characterizations diverse and singular, and the secondary characters have begun to contribute significant roles to the story, greatly enriching the tale. With this volume Kerr's series must begin to be considered as a contender among the few truly notable works of fantasy fiction, and I expectantly look forward to reading the rest of the eight to see if the story fulfills its undeniable promise. Fans of "The Mists of Avalon" would be making a mistake in ignoring celtic Deverry.

*Shakes her head* I'm in utter shock that anyone could ever slightly diss this book. Filled with an intricate plot and devestating scenes, this goes on my favorite list. This book series does not go from 'beginning to end', like the traditional, but as Kerr explains, she borrows a Celt tradition. The story will get told, just not in a straight and narrow path. The story focuses on a saddening love story, kidnapping (on two counts), the past lives of our favorite characters, and a century old dweomer, or magic, worker living for the sole reason to atone for past sins. Read this book. It's worth your time and your money, a hundredfold at least.

For the profit of kings, well did he attack the hosts
of the country, the bristling wood of spears,
the grievous flood of the enemy.
- The Gododdin of Aneirin, Stanza A 84

This volume interleaves two skeins of history: the 'present' (Jill and Rhodry's time) and the last years of the Time of Troubles (the civil wars between Cantrae, Cerrmor, and Eldidd, all of whom had claims to the high kingship of all Deverry). The Time of Troubles thread began in _Darkspell_, but picks up here a generation or so later in the course of the wars of that terrible era.

In the present, Salamander has determined that the mysterious ring of dwarven silver is destined for Rhodry. But Rhodry's fate is that of Aberwyn - his brother's "barren" ex-wife, now married to another man, has just given birth to her first son, so Rhodry's recall from exile is the only way to avert civil war over the rhan. The ring is his from his blood-father, but he's heir to the rhan through his legal father. This story is continued in _The Dragon Revenant_ - Salamander's puzzle of how to get the ring into Rhodry's hands without destroying his claim to the rhan.

In the past, Maddyn (later Rhodry) has been wounded unto death in his lord's last charge, and as an outlawed man, has no choice but to turn mercenary. Here we have the founding of the silver daggers, and the beginning of the thread that will later lead to the forging of the ring. Maddyn's story continues in _A Time of Omens_, _The Red Wyvern_, and _The Fire Dragon_, and is concluded in _A Time of Exile_.