The Sign of the Dragon

*** 2021 Elgin Award winner! *** Drawing on Chinese and Mongolian elements, SFPA Grand Master Mary Soon Lee has penned an epic of politics, war, and the reach of dragons -- perfect for fans of Game of Thrones and Beowulf. As the fourth-born prince of Meqing, Xau was never supposed to be king. But when his brothers are deemed unfit to rule and eaten by a dragon, as is the custom, Xau finds himself on the throne. The early years of his reign are marred by earthquake, flood, and war. Then a demon thought long-dead returns, leaving devastation in its wake, and Xau must broker peace with his enemies. Can their combined strength vanquish the demon before it destroys them?

In the tradition of The Iliad, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Beowulf, The Sign of the Dragon is told in poetry. Many of the individual poems appeared in award-winning magazines such as Apex Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons. This is the first print edition of the entire epic and is accompanied by forty extraordinary full-page illustrations by Gary McCluskey.