Dragon Bones by Patricia BriggsAfter his father beat him, coming dangerously close to taking his life, Ward takes no chances. To avoid his father's future rage, Ward hides under the guise of an imbecile, letting all think that his father has beat the sense out of him, and reassuring his father that he is no longer a contender for his father's throne. Seven years later, when Ward is 19 and quite established as a simpleton, his father dies. Ward is declared both too young and too stupid to hold Hurog. To prove himself, Ward runs off to do battle. With him are an odd cast of magical characters. They face evil, but Ward has to face himself and his own desire for power.
The plot was easy to follow, unusual in a book with its own politics. It had magic, central to the theme, but not overshadowing it. Characters were mostly good and bad. But Ward's presentation of a simpleton is not believable. Two of the nastiest characters in this book are also the only two homosexual characters; do I smell homophobia?
Question: In one scene, Ward kills a severely injured enemy, to end his agony. Is this moral? Would you have the strenghth to kill an injured animal('cause I don't want to get into human morality) who was going to die?
Happy reading.
