Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Dragon’s Teeth
Sequel to Dragon’s Eye

by James A. Hetley



      This is Hetley’s second novel duo. His first was The Summer Country and The Winter Oak, which dealt with Celtic magic in Maine.

I can’t say enough about James A. Hetley’s fourth novel, Dragon’s Teeth. I expected a thriller set in Maine about two hereditary witches. But I never expected to enjoy such an array of fresh characters, crossing so many spiritual paths or to have to hold on to my seat as the complex events unfolded like a mass of faults portending an earthquake. Dragon’s Teeth is the sequel to Dragon’s Eye, another roller coaster read that introduced many of these same characters and also a few who still lurk in the minds of the people whose lives intersected with them.

It can be a danger to try to explore more than one spiritual tradition in a novel and do it with any degree of skill. Hetley has been able to not only portray wielders of matriarchal earth magic with selkies, people who live their lives as people on land and as seals in the ocean, as well as beliefs of First Nations peoples. Throw in some real-life smuggling and electronic theft, add a pinch of foster care abuse, parent-child woes, and a complicated lesbian relationship, then mix with a few murders, some police work, and the continued disability from healing bullet wounds, and you’ve got the makings of one heck of a novel. Hetley does it all with precision and literary grace. I was extremely impressed with how he can get inside the minds of women and portray their innermost wants and feelings. Bravo!

The Book

Ace Trade
November 2006
Trade paperback
ISBN10: 0441014313
ISBN13: 978-0441014316
Contemporary fantasy
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Janie Franz
Reviewed 2007
NOTE: Reviewer Janie Franz is the author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!, Relaxation Techniques for Children, Relaxation Techniques for Adults; Co-author of The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book and The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book. Coming Soon: The Ultimate Wedding Workbook, Get Rich on Love, and Sacred Breath (a sound recording of relaxation meditations).
© 2006 MyShelf.com