In the Labyrinth of Drakes

by Marie Brennan

eBook, 316 pages

English language

Published April 4, 2016 by Tor Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-4668-5698-1

(10 reviews)

The thrilling new book in the acclaimed fantasy series from Marie Brennan, as the glamorous Lady Trent takes her adventurous explorations to the deserts of Akhia.

Even those who take no interest in the field of dragon naturalism have heard of Lady Trent's expedition to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia. Her discoveries there are the stuff of romantic legend, catapulting her from scholarly obscurity to worldwide fame. The details of her personal life during that time are hardly less private, having provided fodder for gossips in several countries.

As is so often the case in the career of this illustrious woman, the public story is far from complete. In this, the fourth volume of her memoirs, Lady Trent relates how she acquired her position with the Royal Scirling Army; how foreign saboteurs imperiled both her work and her well-being; and how her determined pursuit of knowledge took her into the …

The thrilling new book in the acclaimed fantasy series from Marie Brennan, as the glamorous Lady Trent takes her adventurous explorations to the deserts of Akhia.

1 edition

Soh Kam Yung reviewed In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #4)

A journey through labyrinths on the way to an exciting conclusion.

4 stars

The build up is starting to pay off in this series. Events mentioned in the previous books come together in this book satisfyingly, leading to more questions that may be answered in the final book of the series.

In this book, the secret behind the bones of dragons is out. In an attempt to ensure wild dragons are not slaughtered into extinction for their bones, Isabella reluctantly helps her country's military force to try to breed dragons, so that at least wild ones will be safe. The attempt would take her to the country where a certain gentleman she met and worked with while on the Basilisk (the previous book) resides, leading to all sorts of uncomfortable questions.

But that is a sideshow at first: for she and the site used for dragon breeding comes under attack from saboteurs. And then she would need to enter the infamous Labyrinth of …

But that is a sideshow at first: for she and the site used for dragon breeding comes under attack from saboteurs. And then she would need to enter the infamous Labyrinth of Drakes (a maze of canyons) to continue her studies on dragon breeding. For that to happen, she must settle her relationship with the gentleman; which she does in a spectacular manner.

But enduring the hardships of the Labyrinth to study dragons would only be the start. For she and her companions would make a startling discovery in the Labyrinth that would answer some of the questions about the mysterious 'dragon people' of prehistory and raise new ones.

Some questions answered; new ones raised. The series is becoming very interesting and there is only one more book to come. That should well be a very interesting book to read.

Avarla reviewed In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #4)

Review of 'In the Labyrinth of Drakes' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The ending seemed a bit rushed, while the story before was very drawn out and surprisingly lacking of dragons. I still liked it very much, but it felt a bit like a broad, slow river very suddenly turning into a quick stream and ending in a waterfall.
I still love the Lady Trent books enough to dread the next book for it being the last one in the series.

altlovesbooks reviewed In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #4)

Review of 'In the Labyrinth of Drakes' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

In which we discover a good deal more than anyone expected

This is the fourth book in a series I started several years ago (before using Goodreads, even) but never finished. I'm aiming to rectify that glaring mistake, because I forgot how much fun these books are. Think dragons in a Victorian-era setting, with a natural sciences approach. It's great fun, funny in places, and I relate a great deal to Lady Trent's societal struggles.

What I liked most about this book (and where some of the earlier books suffered a little) is that you start out almost immediately in the action. There's very little of the "lets build an expedition" minutiae that, while still entertaining, haunted a few of the earlier books. It's a fast, fun, science-y romp in a sandy region of the world, where you're oddly entertained by descriptions of wingspans and breeding methods.