Review of Dragonclaw by Bev Hope

This review of Dragonclaw by Bev Hope appeared in edition 116 of Thyme (an Australian fanzine) and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the reviewer.

When I first picked up this book, I was determined to give it a favourable review even if it was mostly awful; after all it was the first novel I had seen by this Aussie writer, one has to give her a go. Well, I needn't have worried. The novel was superb! No effort whatsoever needs to go into writing a favourable review for this one.

The setting for this novel is a world much like 15th or 16th century Scotland or some such but with dragons and real practising witches. Just like in the real 16th century, witches are not permitted to live if they are found out. Consequently, they must live a life of concealment. The initial key players are the witches Meghan of the Beasts and her apprentice Isabeau the Foundling. We meet them when they are living in a forest, the whereabouts of their dwelling heavily guarded and surrounded by magic spells of concealment. They live a fairly simple life, only occasionally venturing from their secure forest haven to go to the towns to gather information and supplies that the forest and their cultivation cannot provide for them. All this changes when Isabeau has her 16th birthday, a time of great significance for an apprentice witch. Other witches come to the forest to celebrate her birthday, and to accept her as an acolyte after passing her Second Test of Power. Then calamitous events are set in place that leave Isabeau and Meghan chasing over much of the country-side, meeting, among others, a group of dragons from whom they must seek a favour. Then they separate and must fulfil quests of their own. There are great dangers inherent in these tasks, and a rather unfortunate incident occurs.

The challenges faced by Isabeau and by other key players, Iseult the scarred warrior and Bacaiche, are true tests of their mettle and force them all to grow a great deal. We develop sympathy with each of these characters, such as one can only do with a well-written character.

It has been quite a long time since I have read about such a rich vividly described world peopled with such complex characters. The plot is complex and twists and turns in unexpected ways, making me most eager to read the next book in this series. I highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy.