Within the Sanctuary of Wings: A Memoir by Lady Trent
Author: Marie Brennan
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 368
Price: 7:99
ISBN: 9781783297788
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes
We have followed the adventures of Lady Trent since her debut in A Natural History of Dragons and as her character has grown over the space of four books, this new novel is where we have to bring her saga to a close.
Author Marie Brennan uses her knowledge of archaeology, anthropology and folklore to pen this the last in the series, though it's not all over as she has more to offer with her other series the Onyx Court and Doppelganger series. What will appeal to the reader is the originality of the stories, documented as a person who is interested in natural history in the way we today read about Darwin and his origin of man, she like him has taken us through the various species of dragon, even some that had been only rumour before she managed to detail them in a way no one has ever had.
These memoirs of Lady Trent book also span five decades of her adventures, much to other people's disapproval. She is the consummate professional woman explorer who disliked taking on the role of a woman in society, preferring the company of like-minded friends and dinosaurs. A humane woman, Lady Trent only wanted to study these most elusive of ancient creatures. Marie can almost convince readers to believe they exist with the help of artist Todd Lockwood's fantastic illustrations and colour cover art. His portraits of certain characters give them a life of their own that blends in with the stories about them.
Lady Trent returns to her homeland to tell all about her exploits thinking she has documented every type of dragon there is until Mr Thu comes to inform her there is another found that had been thought extinct. After all the journeys she has taken, here is where she wants to set the record straight, telling the truth of what had really happened. Marie's five-novel series is a joy to read and never fails to surprise the eager reader.
