Song in the Silence Book Review: Elizabeth Kerner's Dragon Fantasy Trilogy

Lanen Kaelar calls herself the wanderer, but until after her twenty-third birthday she was merely Lanen Hadronsdatter, tied to the farm of her father Hadron, a horse breeder and dealer. When Hadron dies, however, suddenly Lanen finds herself a woman of means, and she means to use it to fulfill her childhood dreams of wandering the world.

And she's going to start with dragons.

Little does Lanen know what her perilous trip to Dragon Isle will mean for herself, for the Dragons themselves, and for all of humanity. For Lanen, unknown to herself, is a child of prophecy and is desperately sought by forces vying for power in the world of Kolmar.

Without spoilers to the first book, I can tell you that Lanen and Akhor (now called Varien), must face many perilous travels in their personal quest to restore the Lost Ones: the small, cattle-like dragons that live still with humans, who lost their voice and reason thousands of years ago at the hands of a Demonlord who reduced them to animals. The True Dragons, or Kantri as they name themselves, abandoned Kolmar and humanity after that tragic event and retreated to Dragon Isle.

As they fight to find a way to restore the Lost Ones to true status as Kantrishakrim again, they are still pursued by Marik, who needs to fulfill his vow to sacrifice his own daughter to the demons, and Berys, the Demonlord in league with Marik, who has dark purposes that even Marik does not suspect.

This is a good series for older kids and for adults.

There is no foul language except a rare "damn." There are a few references to sexual relationships but they are very much in passing; nothing of a sensual nature is described or detailed.

There are two things that may concern some parents as occult dealings.

1. There are demons in this story, called the Rakshasa, and they are pure evil and dedicated to chaos. Humans may call upon them with the aid of protective devices such as chants, spells, drawn symbols, etc. The caller may sacrifice blood or even a life to the demons in payment for something the demon can do. A large part of the story is the attempt to kidnap Lanen so she may be sacrificed herself.

2. The dragons, or Kantri, are born with gems in the middle of their foreheads. These soulgems, as they are called, enable them to communicate telepathically. They are also retained by the Keeper of Souls after the dragon dies, and in times of need the Keeper may call upon and communicate with the dead dragons through their soulgems.