Dragonlings are a challenge at the best of times. When a
plot is discovered to extinguish the dragon shifters of the world, parents to
be Petra and Dagmar, Olga and Lee fear for the future.
REVIEW: Dragon’s of the Ice
DRAGONS OF THE ICE
Dragons among us, Book III
C. L. Kraemer
Reviewed by Jeffrey Ross
5 Stars of 5
An intriguing shape shifter novel! 5 Stars!
Dragons on Ice is epic in scope-- and its global vision and
cinematic presentation will remind readers of a James Bond film. The author
works on numerous current modern themes,
including the influence of big oil, political manipulation, and the intricacies
of marital relationships. Readers will learn a great deal about the classes of
shapeshifter dragons which robustly populate the earth, including their
history, mating rituals, and birthing practices. Yes, there are many
wing-flapping flying scenes and numerous spouts of flame images. The bad guy is
a most-villainous creature who pits himself against the decent shape shifters
just trying to get along with the "two-leggeds." A fun read combining
fantasy and political intrigue!
EXCERPT: Dragon’s of the Ice
Japan
The flight to Tokyo was
tedious and Lee Svensson was not a good traveler. Airplanes exacerbated
his claustrophobia, and the air turbulence upset his stomach. He disembarked
with the passengers heading into the terminal. It never ceased to amaze him how
polite Japanese travelers were. The walkways, while crowded, found the citizens
accommodating to one another and foreigners. Lee located his luggage at the
baggage retrieval. A close by kiosk offered instructions for the second leg of
his journey. He purchased a rail ticket to Sapporo and flagged a vacant taxi
willing to take him to the station. After settling in his window seat, Lee
opted to close his eyes and allow the gentle movement of the bullet train lull
him to sleep. There were two changes to make before he reached his destination
far to the north of Tokyo in the Hokkaido prefecture.
This was his first trip away
from Olga since they'd wed before the spring conference. If there hadn't been
so much evidence against the target, he would've passed off this assignment to
another. The nature of the investigation, however, required his presence at the
offices in Sapporo.
"Sir? Excuse me, sir.
We're at your stop."
The uniformed train
attendant woke him, opting to gently rouse the stranger.
"Domo arigato."
She smiled, a shy affair
showing a small dimple in her right cheek.
"You're welcome,
sir."
Lee rose from the seat and
stretched his muscles. He was facing one more transfer then eight hours of
sleep. His meeting wasn't for two more days, but he felt the need to be rested.
He'd be glad when he could stop moving and call Olga. She'd been acting very
odd before he left yesterday. Was it just yesterday? He shook his head
realizing his sense of timing had flown out the window after several time zone
changes.
The second transfer was
quickly accomplished as Lee settled his briefcase next to him. Safely ensconced
in his seat on the final leg of his journey, his eyelids began to drift toward
his cheeks.
The ring of his cell phone
startled him awake.
"Hello? Olga! Good
heavens, what time is it there?"
He listened to the voice of
his lifemate, feeling tightness in his shoulders disappear. His lips slid into
a smile and he stretched his legs before him.
"I know, my love, but
just put up with her while I'm gone. She is, after all, the one who promoted
you to the council and encouraged them to use your work."
The countryside was giving
way to homes. Lee straightened and started checking around his seat for
anything he may have left.
"What? Olga? What did
you just say?"
The sound must've been
distorted by such a long distance.
"Olga? Let me call you
back. We're at the final station, and I need to get to my hotel room. I'll be
able to hear you better from a landline. Okay?"
He sensed she wasn't
thrilled but clicked off his phone knowing she would wait for his call. Lee
made his way to the hotel and his room.
Showering away two days of
travel, he reveled in the hot water sluicing down his body chasing away the
aches and pains of sitting for so long. Over-sized, terrycloth towels
specifically set out for him as per his reservation request, warmed and relaxed
the remaining weariness from his bones. The urgency to sleep was exerting power
over his need to speak to his wife. He shook off the need to sleep. He'd better
call Olga or she'd worry unnecessarily.
Once he'd gone through the
hotel's phone exchange, he waited on the bed as the phone rang at the other
end.
"Hello?"
Finally. "Hi, sweetheart. I couldn't
quite hear everything you were saying while I was on the train. Now, what did
you want me to know?"
He sat listening to his wife
relay the news to him. This changes everything.
"I think we best talk
seriously about this when I get home. I'll be here for at least a week
following up on a… situation. The outcome here will determine my next
assignment. I miss you, Olga."
"I miss you, too, Lee.
Be safe. If this has anything to do with the events at the spring meeting, I
want you to promise me you'll be especially vigilante."
"I promise, love. I'll
call you every day."
Stunned, he crawled beneath
the covers depositing the damp towel on the chair next to the bed. Before he
thought to turn out the light, his eyes betrayed him and closed.
Lee Svensson was sound
asleep, the worries of the coming day temporarily forgotten.
REVIEW:
DRAGONS OF THE ICE
Dragons among us, Book III
C. L. Kraemer
4 Stars of 5
Reviewed by G. Lloyd Helm
I found myself in a world not unlike my own, except that the
actors were dragons with the magical power to appear to be people and to
function in human society with plain humans none the wiser. The dragons all seem to have the same
problems humans have; the everyday jobs and interactions that we all must
endure, the everyday paperwork problems, the decisions about having and caring
for children, but these dragons live on a more violent plain where a self
absorbed dragon thinks he should be the most powerful dragon in the world. He
thinks he should do away with all the "lesser" changeling dragons and
the minor dragons and let only the pure blood dragons like himself live. The
racism and dictatorial desire runs rampant within dragon kind.
The story has echoes of Harry Potter and the battle to rule
the world of magic, but it also has feelings of a James Bond, or George Smiley
novel. I rather liked it and it did hold my interest enough that I read most
every word rather than skimming through it.
I only gave it a four because there were Cherokee Indians
living in Tee Pees on the Rose Bud range and that isn't right. Cherokee's (My
People) lived in long houses before
Andrew Jackson drove them onto the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma, where
many of them including Will Rogers, lived and continue to live. They never
lived in Tee Pees. It's a small thing, but that kind of error steals
credibility from an otherwise pretty diverting tale.
ALSO BY C. L. KRAEMER
BLURB:
In a
world full of anomalies such as the platypus and self reproducing Komodo
dragon, is the human race willing to accept that dragons may be real?
Sapien
Draconi-human-dragon shape shifters-all over the world face this dilemma every
day. The question has become life and death as their species is plagued with
unexpected and unwanted shifting in the most unlikely of places.
The
Ancient Ones-full-blooded dragons-can offer advice, but few seem to put forward
workable solutions to the problem.
The
fate of the shape shifters hangs in the balance, and an answer must be found
before the Homo Sapiens find, dissect, and hunt Sapien Draconi to extinction.
BLURB:
Aleda Sable faces the toughest
decision of her life--to stay in dragon form, live as a two-legged or put one
foot in the human world and one talon in the dragon world.
An urgent call from her newspaper editor sends Aleda to
report on an accident whose driver appears to be a dragon. Authorities have the
scene locked down and aren't allowing access to anyone. Television broadcasts
flash pictures of scaly legs hanging from a crashed car. However, the bodies
disappear into thin air. When the stations try follow-up reports, all they find
are state highway workers busily tearing up the roads.
In determining the truth of the shifter disappearances,
Aleda finds the truth of her own dilemma.
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