Amazon.com Review
Eric Van Lustbader leads off his Pearl series by mixing science fiction and fantasy into an exciting adventure with The Ring of Five Dragons. Although much of the book's mythology is standard fantasy fare, Lustbader creates intriguing and conflicted characters and spins a complex world of religion, magic, and technology around them.
The Ring of Five Dragons tells the tale of the people of Kundala, who have suffered for 101 years under the oppression of the alien invaders, the V'ornn. The Kundalan people are treated as slaves by the technologically superior and Nazi-like V'ornn, who seek to dominate them and deplete the planet's resources. But even the V'ornn have masters.
The Gyrgon are mysterious technomages who rule the V'ornn and have their own agenda--they want to find the source of the Kundalans' magic. To discover the secret, they must first find the Ring of Five Dragons, which is said to open the Storehouse. It has been written that untold treasures rest in the Storehouse, perhaps including the sacred Pearl. Now only the prophesied Dar Sala-at, who was born at both ends of the cosmos, can save and restore hope to the oppressed Kundalan people.
The Ring of Five Dragons follows the path of many fantasy series, with a prophecy to drive the action and a powerful hero to save the day. However, Lustbader writes rousing action scenes and gives his characters plenty of complex issues to deal with. He nicely switches between the V'ornn intrigue and the struggle of the Dar Sala-at, offering a surprise or two along the way. The Ring of Five Dragons is a satisfying read that sets up a good foundation for the rest of the Pearl series and that includes plenty of untied threads to weave together for future adventures. --Kathie Huddleston
From Publishers Weekly
An imaginative, otherworldly culture clash between technology and spirituality fires this ambitious first novel in a projected multivolume epic fantasy from bestseller Lustbader (Angel Eyes; French Kiss; etc.). Under the oppressive rule of the technologically superior V'ornn, the spiritually evolved people of Kundala have suffered a century of enforced slavery, wondering why their goddess Miina has abandoned them. The militaristic Gyrgon technomages, members of a V'ornn caste, yearn for the secrets of Kundalan magic, yet their misuse of the lost Ring of Five Dragons could be cataclysmic. Gifted in healing and mystical arts, the twin Ramahan priestesses, Giyan and Bartta, know they must locate and protect the prophesied savior, Dar Sala-at, "the Chosen One of Miina who would find The Pearl and use it to free the Kundalan from their bondage to the V'ornn." The twins head a huge cast an appendix lists 30 major characters that parades against the backdrop of Lustbader's richly detailed tapestry, with its complex plotting, fluid action writing and vivid descriptive passages. Another appendix provides a pronunciation guide to the V'ornn language, but a much-needed lexicon to Lustbader's litany of curiously coined words (cthauros, laaaddis, numaaadis) is unfortunately absent a minor quibble, since both newcomers to Lustbader and his ardent admirers will champion this novel as a potent portal to fabulous mythic realms. (June 4)Forecast: Lustbader's international reputation, with his titles translated into more than 20 languages, guarantees more than enough readers to warrant this 100,000-copy first printing.
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