Dragon Venom

Last updated

Dragon Venom
DragonVenom.jpg
First edition cover (publ. Tor Books)
Cover art by Bob Eggleton
Author Lawrence Watt-Evans
Series The Obsidian Chronicles
Publisher Tor Books
Publication date
September 28, 2003
ISBN 978-0-765-30279-3
Preceded by The Dragon Society  

Dragon Venom (2003) is the third and the final fantasy novel of The Obsidian Chronicles , a trilogy by American speculative fiction writer Lawrence Watt-Evans. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Plot introduction

Arlian has discovered how to kill the dragons; he now faces an all-out war between dragons and humans. The Dragon Society is split between those loyal to the dragons and those loyal to themselves. Arlian's quest for vengeance will find many secrets of the past, including the origins of the dragons greatest foes...the gods. The secret is quite simple, though the dragons have kept it secret for thousands of years: when a human being – male or female – is injected with dragon venom, he or she becomes a dragonheart (a human carrying a baby dragon), lives for a thousand years and then gives birth to the dragon. But if dragon venom is given to a pregnant woman, then her child will become a god - the one kind of being who can defeat and dominate the dragons. Thousands of years ago, the dragons succeeded in killing the gods who dominated them. Now, Arlian has given dragon venom to his steward's wife who is carrying a child - and her baby becomes a god, bringing back the dragons' most dreaded enemy.

The dragons attack the city, seeking to destroy the newborn god. To protect the baby god, Arlian battles the dragons - killing the three dragons who killed his family and turned him into a dragon heart. During the final confrontation with the dragon who killed Arlian's beloved grandfather - the being which Arlian hated most deeply of all those on whom he sought revenge - Arlian hears for the first time the dragons' own account of themselves, and learns that they are not wantonly murderous and destructive, though it seems so to humans. In fact, the dragons' lot turns out to be quite tragic, and Arlian had done quite a bit to make it more tragic.

In this final struggle with these dragons Arlian becomes badly injured by dragon venom (the only substance that can harm a dragonheart) so mages cut open his heart and remove the dragon within him. He then awakens to find the young god has healed him and at long last ends his quest for vengeance. The specific dragons who killed Arlian's family are dead, and he gives up his quest for revenge on dragons in general and his aim of completely exterminating them. At the end of the story Arlian is joined by his closest friends and for the first time in a long time feels the emotion of love, and is no longer driven by a passion for revenge. However, he keeps hidden the one weapon which can kill a god - just in case it might be once needed...

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medea</span> Daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Medea is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis. In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, she aids Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece. She later marries him, but eventually kills their children and his other bride according to some versions of her story. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress and is often depicted as a priestess of the goddess Hecate. She first appears in Hesiod's Theogony around 700 BCE, but is best known from Euripides's tragedy Medea and Apollonius of Rhodes's epic Argonautica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost Rider</span> Character from Marvel Comics

Ghost Rider is the name of multiple superheroes or antiheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.

<i>Dragonheart</i> 1996 film by Rob Cohen

Dragonheart is a 1996 fantasy adventure film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Charles Edward Pogue, based on a story created by him and Patrick Read Johnson. The film stars Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite, Dina Meyer, and Sean Connery as the voice of Draco the Dragon.

Birthright is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting that was first released by TSR in 1995. It is based on the continent of Cerilia on the world of Aebrynis, in which the players take on the role of the divinely-empowered rulers, with emphasis on the political rulership level of gameplay. The setting revolves around the concept of bloodlines: divine power gained by heroes and passed on to their descendants. Characters with a bloodline create an aura of command known as Regency, which is measured in the game using regency points or RP. Using regency, characters acquire a domain composed of provinces and holdings. The development of these domains is as much a part of the game as development of the characters. The game uses three-month domain turns to model actions of rulers over nations in much the same way as Dungeons & Dragons uses combat rounds to simulate time to model the characters' actions in battle. In 1996, Birthright won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement of 1995.

<i>Dragonheart: A New Beginning</i> 2000 film by Doug Lefler

Dragonheart: A New Beginning is a 2000 fantasy action-adventure drama film directed by Doug Lefler, starring Robby Benson, Christopher Masterson, Harry Van Gorkum, and Rona Figueroa. The film is a direct-to-video sequel to the 1996 film Dragonheart.

<i>The Dragon Society</i> (book) 2001 fantasy book by Lawrence Watt-Evans

The Dragon Society (2001) is the second fantasy novel of The Obsidian Chronicles, a trilogy by Lawrence Watt-Evans.

The Obsidian Chronicles are a trilogy by Lawrence Watt-Evans. The three books are Dragon Weather (1999), The Dragon Society (2001), and Dragon Venom (2003).

Jealousy in religion examines how the scriptures and teachings of various religions deal with the topic of jealousy.

The Viscount of Adrilankha is a fantasy novel by American writer Steven Brust, published in three volumes. Collectively, the three books form the third novel in the Khaavren Romances series. It is set in the fantasy world of Dragaera. Like the other books in the series, the novel is heavily influenced by and homages the d'Artagnan Romances written by Alexandre Dumas, and is written by Brust in the voice and persona of a Dragaeran novelist, Paarfi of Roundwood, whose style is a tongue-in-cheek parody of Dumas, matching both his swashbuckling sense of adventure and his penchant for tangents and longwindedness. The book's format and title correspond with The Vicomte de Bragelonne, the multi-volume third book of the d'Artagnan Romances. The Khaavren Romances books have all used Dumas novels as their chief inspiration, recasting the plots of those novels to fit within Brust's established world of Dragaera. The first five books in the cycle are inspired by the Musketeers books, while 2020's The Baron of Magister Valley uses The Count of Monte Cristo as a starting point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libra (DC Comics)</span> Comics character

Libra is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Justice League of America #111, where he formed the first incarnation of the Injustice Gang. Libra made his return with a leading role in Final Crisis in 2008.

<i>Dead Gods</i> Dungeons & Dragons adventure for Planescape

Dead Gods is an adventure module for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Conclave of Shadows</i> Series of fantasy novels by Raymond E. Feist

Conclave of Shadows is a series of fantasy novels by Raymond E. Feist, part of The Riftwar Cycle. The series picks up events following The Serpentwar Saga, and deals with the secret titular organization formed by the great magician Pug, and its initial struggle against evil necromancer Leso Varen while in the employ of Kaspar, Duke of Olasko.

<i>Rage of Bahamut</i> (TV series) Japanese anime television series

Rage of Bahamut is a Japanese anime television series produced by MAPPA that is based on the Rage of Bahamut game. The series was directed by Keiichi Sato and written by Keiichi Hasegawa, featuring character designs by Naoyuki Onda and music by Yoshihiro Ike.

This list of works by American science fiction and fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knull (character)</span> Marvel Comics supervillain

Knull is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Venom and Carnage, and later retroactively established as an unseen enemy of Thor and the Silver Surfer, as he was behind Gorr the God Butcher's mission to hunt down and kill various deities, in addition to having come into conflict with the Silver Surfer via a temporal black hole through time. The character is depicted as an evil deity who created the weapon known as All-Black the Necrosword and the alien races known as the Klyntar/Symbiotes and Exolons. The character would go on to play a more important role in the Marvel Universe.

<i>Dragonheart: Vengeance</i> 2020 film Ivan Silvestrini

Dragonheart: Vengeance is a 2020 fantasy adventure film directed by Ivan Silvestrini. It is the third direct-to-video prequel of the 1996 film, Dragonheart. The film begins before the events of Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire, but ends after them. It was released on Netflix, DVD, and Blu-ray on February 4, 2020.

<i>Dragonheart</i> (franchise) Film franchise about dragons that share their hearts with humans

Dragonheart, stylized as DragonHeart, is a Universal Pictures media franchise that began with the 1996 film of the same name, directed by Rob Cohen and written by Charles Edward Pogue, based on an original story by Pogue and Patrick Read Johnson. The film's moderate box office success and strong home media sales spawned the franchise, consisting of a straight-to-video sequel, three prequels, and various merchandise, including toys, trading cards, and books.

References

  1. Barron, Neil (2001). What Do I Read Next?. Gale Research Incorporated. p. 203.
  2. "Dragon Venom by Lawrence Watt-Evans". Publishers Weekly . October 1, 2003. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  3. "Dragon Venom" . Booklist . November 1, 2003. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  4. "Dragon Venom". Kirkus Reviews . September 1, 2003. Retrieved August 30, 2024.