Defenders of the Five Realms

Defenders of the Five Realms, John Harris, Arcturus Press, 1999

The island of the Five Realms is invaded by the warlike dragon men on a trumped-up charge, with the natives being caught sleeping, literally. Garig, one of the kings, is captured by King Olgar, the leader of the invasion, and the other three retreat to consult with the fifth king. Known as Cob, he leads a mountainous place of constant, shifting mists called the Glens. Even though men of the Five Realms can leap from towers unharmed, and drink rivers dry, the forces of King Olgar are too much for them.

Their only hope is a highland lad named Ronan, who singlehandedly stops the advance of King Olgar, not by sorcery but by playing against Olgar's relentless ambitions. King Garig is rescued, and in thanks, offers Ronan the hand of his daughter, Princess Finsha, in marriage. She had been sent to a faraway castle with her own personal legion of bodyguards when trouble started brewing. No one realized that she had already given her heart to the Captain of the Guard. Ronan suddenly learns a lot about the human heart, and the things that others can do to it.

This book belongs somewhere in that large gray area of Pretty Good or Worth Reading. The story may be a little on the basic side, and is perhaps best for someone who is new to medieval fantasy stories.