THE SAINT OF DRAGONS

Hightman’s dragons are refreshingly evil, directly responsible for all the world’s ills: wars, pollution, disasters, crime, corruption, even chronic depression. Having spent most of his 13 years at an exclusive boarding school, lonely, undersized Simon knows nothing of this, until his father, Aldric St. George, snatches him from school with the news that he is the last of an ancient order of Dragonhunters. It’s his duty to exterminate the Pyrothraxes, the human-sized reptilian Dragonmen whose variable “magics” apparently function mostly to display unpleasant national stereotypes. Their nemeses aren’t much better: Aldric is scruffy, surly, and disappointingly unpaternal; Simon is torn between resentment, fear, and despair at his shortcomings in the family trade. But there is little time for adolescent angst, as the Dragons unfold a terrifying plot for mass destruction. Like a novelization of some unfilmed summer blockbuster, the story piles on nonstop action, terrific set pieces, and lots of spectacular fiery explosions to distract readers from the clunky prose, wooden characters, and nonsensical, cliché-ridden plot. If they can stop to catch a breath, they’ll probably just wait for the movie. (Fantasy. 12-15)