Think of your favorite action hero. Maybe he’s tall and broad shouldered. Maybe he’s a she with lightning fast feet. Your hero could even be wheelchair-bound and able to control the problem with his thoughts. No matter what your favorite heroes look like they have one thing in common—they get the job done. That’s the plan for Christopher Bartholomew in Tyler Blackwood’s newest novel, Seventh Dragon. Of course, he’s not dealing with your average threat.

Christopher Bartholomew is a warrior ridding the world of dangers no one suspects. Things like water dragons, demon wolves, and a thousand more unnatural creatures that threaten the stability of the human world if not for Christopher and his kind. A trained mind and telekinesis allows him to track the danger and eliminate it. Fighting all the time, or at least for the past two hundred years, tends to age a guy, although Chris resembles any buffed thirty-year-old male. Any guy with glowing eyes, that is.

MacKenzie Wallace, a slender, dark-haired beauty, is unaware she met Christopher. She’s also unaware she will turn into a demon wolf because of the wolf bite. Worse yet she’s unaware that, as a defender, Christopher will have to exterminate her. Which is a real shame since Mackenzie is the first female who interests Christopher in years.

Added to the "kill or be killed" standard in this unusual and predatory world, there are the prophecies detailing great disaster and a chosen one. The problem is the special ones are usually disguised, even from themselves. Christopher wrestles with his mission as a defender, while his heart longs for a mate, and he tries to understand cryptic prophecies.

An incredible amount of information is conveyed seamlessly about the new and different Earth in Seventh Dragon. The relationships between the fellow defenders are well defined and realistic. There was a bit of roughness getting through MacKenzie’s back-story, but after that the story moves fast. All in all, tightly written, a credit to a wordsmith with a vivid imagination.

Seventh Dragon is an excellent jumping off point for someone who has never read paranormal novels before. There is no requirement to have read previous books or have prior knowledge about the Defenders. Then there is the fact that it is an enjoyable race in the night with danger breathing down your neck. Ready to hit the ground running? Grab a copy of Seventh Dragon.
Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© November 2006