I was introduced to Lackey when a friend loaned me Arrow's Fall, the first book in her Herald of Valdemar series. The writing was a little uneven, but as I made my way through the series, I saw Lackey’s storytelling strengthen and her characters become fond friends. I was drawn to the Oathbreaker books and later to the Last Herald Mage trilogy and the Mage Winds trilogy. I also enjoyed her Diana Tregarde books.

Other books by other authors lured me away from her until I found Aerie, the fourth book in her new Dragon Jousters series. It was a most welcome homecoming. In the decade that had passed since I last read Lackey, I was most impressed with the extent of her world building and her character development. Even in the fourth book in a series, Lackey was able to keep me updated about what had happened in the previous books through a detailed first chapter and references sprinkled throughout the book.

In Aerie, we find peasant-born Kiron, now the Lord of the Jousters (another name for dragonrider), trying to establish an outpost in the cliffs of the desert after a devastating war brought on by the evil Magi against two kingdoms. What had once separated two peoples now unites them in peace. But, new magic is afoot in the land, and Kiron and his Jousters are called to help a blind priest find the cause and defeat it. Mixed in with this political drama is Kiron’s personal one. He is reunited with his mother who has plans to marry him off and make him reclaim their lost farm and return to tilling the earth.

Lackey paints a kingdom that is similar to what ancient Egypt might have been before its rise as a world power. Some of the pantheon of deities mentioned have similar names and attributes. And some of the political structure is also similar. However, Lackey twists these into new directions, especially with the introduction of dragons.

Aerie is a quick, but exciting read. It has made me want to find the first three books to read what will now be the backstory for me. I was impressed.