Snow Blind (The Talisman Series Vol. 2.5) by Brett Salter

What worked:

This novella begins differently from previous books as it highlights Mr. Jones. He’s the series character who collects the knowledge of Darkbrand creatures while everyone else has the skills to fight them. Mr. Jones has a spell allowing him to teleport to different places worldwide. Most of the books have jumped into the action with dragons and their riders combatting viscous Darkbrands from the Void. This time, Mr. Jones investigates a possible new dragon ally in Antarctica. He is contacted from an email address he doesn’t recognize before being instructed to travel to Antarctica. He stops in Chile along the way where he meets a professional hunter. Readers will know right away that this man is evil and he will cross paths with Mr. Jones again. This is the first book in the series where Darkbrands aren’t a major factor in the plot. The author still finds ways to infuse levity into the story as he’s done in all of the other books.

Readers are introduced to the world of Ice Dragons which is the clan Krysta hails from. Krysta is a character from the second book who has gone through the Great Synergy. The author adds drama when Mr. Jones finds out many of the Ice Dragons aren’t happy that Krysta left, including her father. Yukon doesn’t believe dragons should bond with humans and he’s still angry that dragons were abandoned and hunted by humans in the past. Mr. Jones becomes an ambassador for humans although changing Yukon’s mind may be impossible. A small dragon named Glyph guides Mr. Jones through the caverns and adds a friendly voice to the story.

What didn’t work as well:

There are a couple of jumps to new settings that are unexpected and confusing. One of them describes characters not directly involved in this plot and the other is a flashback inserted into the story. The flashback would make more sense if it appeared right after Yukon is introduced.

The final verdict:

I suggest you read the first two books in the series before reading this novella to get some context into what’s happening. Featuring the quirky Mr. Jones presents a new kind of adventure in the series but brings up some of the same issues. Lovers of dragon stories will enjoy this book and I recommend you give it a shot.