With her bestselling fantasy trilogy, Dragon Prince, Melanie Rawn introduced us to Sunrunner’s magic and sorcerous evil, to a ruler striving to bring peace to warring kingdoms—and to her magnificent dragons.

In Stronghold, the first novel in Melanie’s Dragon Star trilogy, the peace won by High Prince Rohan is shattered when a mysterious invasion force begins a devastating campaign against the people of the Desert.

Now, in The Dragon Token, the time for retreat has come to an end as Rohan’s son and heir, Pol, rallies his forces in a desperate bid to halt the advance of the invaders. But ancient rivalries begin to weaken his alliance and only time will tell whether those loyal to the High Prince can defeat both the foreign invaders and the betrayers in their own ranks.

And even as Pol leads his troops forth, Andry, the Sunrunner Lord of Goddess Keep, is also determined to take the attack to this enemy force which has sworn to slay all workers of magic.

Yet the invaders have their own agenda of conquest, and they are even now readying to strike at the very heart of the Desert, stealing treasures which Pol and Andry would pay any price to reclaim—even if the price should prove to be their own lives….

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From Kirkus Reviews

Second of Rawn's Dragon Star trilogy, which itself is a sequel to her paperback saga of the Dragon Prince. Pol, now High Prince following the death of his father Rohan, determines to stand and fight the mysterious, powerful Vellat'im invaders from across the sea; Pol's sole advantage seems to be that the invaders are terrified of dragons. Pol's cousin Andry, Lord of Goddess Keep and Sunrunner religious leader, has been gathering power and experimenting with ancient magic--a source of tension between Pol and Andry. Now, Andry has set his own agenda for protecting his Sunrunners, as yet unaware that the real motivation behind the Vellat'im invasion is the desire of their High Warlord to dominate and possess the magical Sunrunner women. Pol, meanwhile, is beset by treachery, as some of his supposed supporters scheme for personal advantage by seeking alliances with the invaders. The burning question, then, is whether Pol and Andry will be reconciled in time to avoid defeat. Well plotted and appealingly written, with some useful character development here and there. But the overriding assumption is prior involvement: even the introductory synopsis Rawn thoughtfully provides is impossible to follow without knowledge of the previous trilogy. Leave this one to find its natural audience. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for the Dragon Star trilogy: 

“Rawn demonstrates a fine sense of world building and characterization.... Challenging fantasy well worth the effort.” —Booklist

“Continues the skillful plotting and complex relationships outline in previous novels. Epic in scope, with a large cast of vivid characters.” —Library Journal

“Rawn’s complex and appealing major characters, her fully imagined historical and cultural backgrounds, and her absorbing systems of Sunrunners’ and sorcerers’ magic all give this series a tremendous and well deserved appeal to lovers of intricate and intelligent fantasy worlds.” —VOYA

“Melanie Rawn’s dragons grow more fascinating with each new book. Readers will luxuriate in the spellbinding characterizations and compelling plot convolutions that make Ms. Rawn’s tales some of the best ever.” —Rave Reviews

“Rawn paints a strong portrait of a world where magic and war are strongly entwined.” —Bookwatch

“The climax at the embattled castle of Skybowl is exciting and tragic.... Rawn’s fans should love this one.” —Starlog