Dragon and Thief, by Timothy Zahn

Dragon and Thief is a departure from the previous Zahn books I've read.

First, it's clearly the first book in a series, as the hero, young Jack Morgan, gets himself involved in a galactic conspiracy involving megacorporations and alien refugees. The previous Zahn books were all self-contained. The fact that this one is the first of a series isn't a bad thing, since it is a quick read. Having more novels to move onto after it gives the reader something to anticipate.

Second, this book is a bit more of an adventure, with fantasy elements, than a science fiction novel. Sure, it's set in a science fiction setting, but it lacks the science fiction aspects that the previous Zahn books I've reviewed had.

Instead, we have an alien who looks like a dragon, who can turn two-dimensional and needs a host to live. We have Jack Morgan, a young con-man/thief who's struggling with his own desire to belong to something after the death of his uncle. It's a bit like the Jupiter series of books, but without the hard science.

In Dragon and Thief, Jack meets Draycos, and together they learn about the conspiracy that threatens not only Jack himself, but Draycos' entire people. Fans of Lawrence Watt-Evans' books will feel right at home in the adventure-like feel of the novel.

The book will definitely appeal more to fantasy adventure fans than hard science fiction fans.