Deas does scary dragons very well. The plot moves along briskly and surprises occur. Promising enough and neatly set up for a sequel. -- Jonathan Wright SFX [Dragons] are restored to all their scaly, fire-breathing glory. The tale rattles along at a nifty pace with action and intrigue. -- Peter Ingham THE DAILY TELEGRAPH With the dragon's destructive abilities never far from his mind [Deas] puts on a good show. The story runs like a whippet, while its politics keep up the amusement with Jehal's relentless treachery. This is a better first book than many, and good fun. -- Francis Smallfield DEATHRAY The Adamantine Palace is a fast, furious and entertaining book that grabs hold of the reader and whisks them off like a rollercoaster. The dragons, as promised, indeed kick ass and the book's ending is enticing enough to make the year-long-wait for the second volume feel irritating. THE WERTZONE In short: dragons, intrigue, poison, mercenaries and a Big Dark History. If you like that sort of thing then this is definitely worth a look. SANDSTORM REVIEWS Full of everything that I like about fantasy right now; strong characters, a complex plot and loads of dragons. These dragons are brutal and vicious predators that are only held in check by human ingenuity, Deas does a great job of showing the reader just what these animals are capable of and that's before they are freed from captivity... When that happens, Deas ramps things up to a completely different level with awesome displays of draconic power and cunning. GRAEME'S FANTASY BOOK REVIEW It is a difficult thing to write a novel that uses many of the icons of High Fantasy and make it enjoyable; this is something though that Stephen has done here. The book is an entertaining mix of Pern and Westeros, with the knowing characterisation of Abercrombie and the endearment of Novik. SFF WORLD Giving the book its edgier, more contemporary look meanwhile, are the characters and plot. At first glance, a cast of scheming princes and queens, over the hill kings, and money-hungry sell-swords may seem overly familiar, but Stephen does a great job of constantly surprising the reader. It's a fun and entertaining debut that will appeal to fans of both classic and contemporary fantasy. In short, Gollancz has discovered another winner. FANTASY BOOK CRITIC Roll over McCaffrey, there's a new Dragon Lord in town. -- Gareth Wilson FALCATTA TIMES ...a busy, fast-paced narrative. -- Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES
