From Library Journal
Abandoned as a baby by her mother, orphaned at 23 by the cold man she thought was her father, Lanen Kaeler leaves home to find Dragon Isle of which she has long dreamt. This adventure fantasy by a gifted storyteller belongs on most fantasy collection shelves.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Every time it looks as if dragons had been done to death, along comes a yarn like this to revive them. Lanen Kaelar has always dreamed of dragons. Now she sets out on a long, perilous, winding road to find them. As she proceeds, magic seems to be pursuing her; perhaps that is because she may be the child of a father who promised his firstborn to demons. The dragons she seeks are ultimately not the ones she has dreamed of, for they are divided among themselves over whether the best way to preserve their ancient culture is to deal with humans or to shun them. With excellent narrative technique, wit, and intelligence, Kerner weaves these strands into a brisk story capped by a plausible happy ending. Her very superior debut deserves its place in most fantasy collections. Roland Green


From Kirkus Reviews
In Kolmar, tall young horse-farmer Lanen Kaelar dreams of meeting the True Dragons of the remote West. Soon, a Harvest ship, braving the terrible winter storms, will set off for Dragon Isle to seek valuable lansip leaves and fruit (they heal ills and prolong life). Though the chances of a successful return are small, Lanen will be aboard, along with Marik (he may be Lanen's father; he certainly has sold his firstborn child to demons). On Dragon Isle, Lanen meets Akor, the magnificent silver King of the Dragons, and finds that, somehow, she can speak with him telepathically; they fall utterly in love. But their love is forbidden by the Council of Dragons because of ancient strife between dragon and human. Meanwhile, Marik and his sorcerous sidekick, Caderan, are plotting all manner of wickedness. Eventually, Marik will grab Lanen (she is his daughter) and attempt to feed her to a demon; Akor, grievously wounded in defending her, is magically transformed into a man, and Marik has his brains scrambled by Akor's vengeful subjects. Other than the distracting and vexing multiple first-person narrators, a solidly detailed and impressively developed debut. Expect sequels. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
A “very superior debut.” —Booklist

A “solidly detailed and impressively developed debut.”—Kirkus Reviews

“With excellent narrative technique, wit, and intelligence Kerner weaves these strands into a brisk story capped by a plausible happy ending. Her very superior debut belongs in most fantasy collections.” —Booklist



Book Description
Lanen Kaelar has dreamed of dragons all her life. But not just dreaming, for Lanen believes in dragons.

Her family mocks her that dragons are just a silly myth. A legend. But Lanen knows better. And she means to prove it. One day she sets out on a dangerous voyage to the remote West to find the land of the True Dragons.

What she discovers is a land of real dragons more beautiful—and surprising—than any dream she could have imagined.



About the Author
Elizabeth Kerner, as the daughter of a Navy doctor, has always found the simple question 'where are you from?' one of the most difficult. Born in Florida in 1958, she spent much of her early life being moved around the Northeast and the South of the US, including a brief but glorious sojurn in Kodiak, Alaska in 1969. She started writing while in high school in New Orleans and no-one has managed to stop her since. She received her MA in English Language (Philology) from St. Andrews University in Scotland in 1981, being one of the first Americans to complete a full degree course at that institution, and promptly joined the unemployment line. She spent a number of years as a non-fiction editor of medical and scientific books and journals, but when she moved to Hawaii in 1988 a whole series of new possibilities arose and she was variously employed as a grunt in the woodworking industry, an office manager for the Big Island AIDS Project, a trainee in furniture restoration and an apprentice goldsmith. By this time, however, her writing was starting to go somewhere, and her first novel, Song in the Silence, was published in 1997 by Tor.

She now lives with her best-beloved husband Steven in a small town just outside of Edinburgh Scotland, and from her upstairs window can just see, if she leans out, the looming towers of the nearby power station. If anyone would care to dynamite several inconvenient homes that are in the way, she would have a sea view. Any reasonable offers considered.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Lanen Kaelar has dreamed of dragons all her life. But not just dreaming, for Lanen believes in dragons.

Her family mocks her that dragons are just a silly myth. A legend. But Lanen knows better. And she means to prove it. One day she sets out on a dangerous voyage to the remote West to find the land of the True Dragons.

What she discovers is a land of real dragons more beautiful-and surprising-than any dream she could have imagined.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Joyce Yen

Lanen Kaelar has always had this unexplainable fire burning within her. She longs to travel to the Dragon Isle and speak with the Greater Kindred-the Dragons. Upon her father's death, she finds she has suddenly been given the freedom to follow her dreams. She truly gets to become Lanen the Wanderer. Reaching the Dragon Isle is not an easy task, and along her journey Lanen discovers some truths about her personal history which will haunt her throughout her journey. Upon arriving at the Dragon Isle, Lanen can barely hold herself back from seeking out the dragons. Upon meeting Khordeshkhistriakhor (Akhor), the Silver King of the Greater Kindred, Lanen finds a soul mate. Just as Lanen has always wanted to speak with the dragons, Akhor, king of the dragons, has also had this undeniable urge to speak with humans. The two share their cultures with each other, and in this sharing they find true love. While their souls are married almost from the moment they meet, they are so different and their species have been in conflict for so long, it seems unlikely they can ever be together. They must not only face the Greater Kindred community, but they must also face a threat to Lanen's life. Song in the Silence is a riveting story of dreams, true love, and overcoming prejudices. Kerner weaves a delicate, intricate tale, drawing the reader into the hearts of the characters, who are drawn realistically and with depth. The story is told from many points of view. In the course of a single chapter, several first-person points of view are presented. For example, the reader first reads of Lanen's initial encounter with Akhor from her point of view and then gets to read Akhor's perspective of the meeting. The reader is effectively drawn into the soul of each character and is able to see the story through different eyes. Kerner expertly conveys the intensity of the characters' emotions. Readers will easily become invested in the future of Lanen and Akhor. Song in the Silence is a true page-turner and will have the reader glued to the pages until the story is finished. Kerner leaves an opening at the end of the tale so that the story can be continued. One cannot help but sense that this story is just the first of many adventures of Lanen Kaelar. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Broad general YA appeal, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

Kirkus Reviews

In Kolmar, tall young horse-farmer Lanen Kaelar dreams of meeting the True Dragons of the remote West. Soon, a Harvest ship, braving the terrible winter storms, will set off for Dragon Isle to seek valuable lansip leaves and fruit (they heal ills and prolong life). Though the chances of a successful return are small, Lanen will be aboard, along with Marik (he may be Lanen's father; he certainly has sold his firstborn child to demons). On Dragon Isle, Lanen meets Akor, the magnificent silver King of the Dragons, and finds that, somehow, she can speak with him telepathically; they fall utterly in love. But their love is forbidden by the Council of Dragons because of ancient strife between dragon and human. Meanwhile, Marik and his sorcerous sidekick, Caderan, are plotting all manner of wickedness. Eventually, Marik will grab Lanen (she is his daughter) and attempt to feed her to a demon; Akor, grievously wounded in defending her, is magically transformed into a man, and Marik has his brains scrambled by Akor's vengeful subjects.

Other than the distracting and vexing multiple first-person narrators, a solidly detailed and impressively developed debut. Expect sequels.