The Adamantine Palace
Memory of Flames, Book 1
by Stephen Deas
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Pub. Ed. $24.95
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Adamantine Palace
PROLOGUEÑJEHAL
Prince Jehal felt the dragon take to the air. Curled up inside a saddlebag, he couldn’t see a thing. But that didn’t matter. He could see it in his mind, exactly and precisely. He felt every stride as the dragon accelerated. He knew exactly when the dragon would make one last bound and unfurl its wings. He felt himself grow heavier as the dragon rose up
into the air.
The bag smelled slightly of rotten meat. Jehal wriggled and stretched as best he could, trying to make himself more comfortable in the tiny space. He forced himself to breathe slowly, suppressing the edge of panic that threatened to blossom inside him. Small spaces had never agreed with him, and the smell made him uneasy. It made him wonder what the bag had been used for before. Carrying dragon snacks was the obvious answer.
Is that me? Am I the snack of the day today?
The absurdity of the thought calmed him. Queen Aliphera was as shrewd as anyone, but she was also Besotted. Jehal had come to know what that looked like, even in a dragon- queen.
The dragon stopped climbing and began to glide. Officially, Jehal was indisposed. A great deal of effort had gone into his illness, every bit of it spent so that he and Queen Aliphera could be alone and unobserved. All he had to do now was stay hidden until the queen found an excuse to fly away from her riders, her dragon- knights. Months of work and then days of waiting for exactly the right weather, all for half an hour of absolute privacy.
He clenched his fists. One of his feet had cramped. He wriggled his toes. When that didn’t work, he tried to rearrange himself so his feet were underneath the rest of him. That didn’t work either, but by the time he gave up trying, the cramp had gone away anyway. Eventually, he fell
asleep.
He woke up to see gray sky pouring in above him. Every muscle in his legs was shouting at him, demanding to be stretched. He yawned, stood up and grinned at what he saw. They were high in the sky, skimming the base of the clouds. Aliphera liked to do that.
Jehal looked around, scanning the horizon, but there were no other dragons in sight. Finally, he looked at Aliphera. She was still half strapped into her saddle, but she was looking back at him, grinning. Her eyes were very wide. They’d flirted with each other for months, in little ways, little
stinging touches where no one else would see.
Jehal grinned back. Anticipation, that was the key. And now she had him alone at last.
“You look a little disheveled, Prince Jehal.”
Carefully, Jehal hauled himself out of his saddlebag. He crawled the few feet toward her, mindful of the thousand or so feet of empty space between him and the ground. It would be stupid to get this far only to plunge to his death.
“I want you, here and now.”
She laughed, but he saw a flash of excitement in her face.
Reprinted by arrangement with NAL Signet, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., from THE ADAMANTINE PALACE by Stephen Deas.
Copyright © 2009 by Stephen Deas
The Adamantine Palace
Raw energy and fresh ferocity. Brent Weeks brought it to the sword-and-sorcery saga, and Stephen Deas does the same for the dragon dimension in his brilliant epic debut, The Adamantine Palace.
With their terrifying natures alchemically subdued, the dragons of the Realms are bred by the nobility for hunting and war. So highly valued are dragons that the Empire has grown fat on international trade.
But as two rival houses are about to be joined in the Adamantine Palace, a rare white dragon has gone astray. And when even one dragon is loose, returned to full intelligence and fury, its memory of freedom—of a time when dragons ruled the world and man was little more than prey—could spell disaster for the Realms....
Hardcover : 384 pages
Publisher: Roc/Imp of Nal Signet ( February 02, 2010 )
Item #: 12-860335
ISBN: 9780451463135
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 inches
Product Weight: 14.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
re: KING OF THE CRAGS 
November 01, 2010
Pls note that THE KING OF THE CRAGS did indeed release back in August - across the pond in the UK. The US debut is not til February 2011. thanks, Rome
Reviewer: Rome E
:( 
October 15, 2010
Just found out second book did come out back in august. Except that SFBC doesn't have it :(. It's called---King of Crags--.
Reviewer: Omar
Excellent
October 15, 2010
Awesome read. Love how the plot unfolds. Can not wait for the second novel. Hopefully will come out real soon.
Reviewer: Omar
Please sir, may I have some more?
August 02, 2010
Wow! I have read many novels with dragons but The Adamantine Palace is unlike anything I've ever read. Usually, I can anticipate a plot but not this time.
Yes, I was a bit taken aback by most of the characters being so hard and deceitful; but in paying attention to the story, I realized that the setting is in a place where history as well as present survival is hard.
The story ends without an ending which of course means that there will be a sequel.
And I'm hungry for more.
Reviewer: Heather C
Twists and turns to nowhere
July 23, 2010
This is a book a many characters and many plots. Every one seems intent on deceit and revenge. I read the entire book waiting to see who would turn out to be the good guy, the 'hero'. There isn't one.
I finished the book and felt let down and sad that this might be someone's commentary on human nature.
Reviewer: Leila
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