Havemercy is a mechanical dragon, empowered by magic, one of fourteen such creatures built to protect the city of Volstov during its hundred year war with its enemy, the Ke-Han. She can also talk and often does often to her rider, Rook. This novel is entertaining for many reasons, one of which is that it's told from the first-person viewpoint of the four main characters: Royston, a mage (with a Talent for exploding and burning things)who's been exile from the city of Thremedon for a sexual indescretion; Hal, the naive country boy who is dazzled by his knowledge; Rook, leader of the Dragon Corp, the group of fourteen men who, because of their prowess in handling the mechanical beasts have been lead to believe the city itself is theirs playground, and Thom, a young 'Versity professor who has been assigned by the monarch to teach the airmen how to conduct themselves in public. The story of how these four are brought together is played against the war between the two countries, one which the Dragon Corps has been winning until someone discovers a way to kill the magicians supplying the dragons' magic. Thom, bookish and nerdy, immediately clashes with Rook, who initially comes across as a foul-mouthed bully, going out of his way to humiliate this "intruder" and in the process learning a few things about himself which also brings about an unexpected discovery for Thom. The Airmen themselves are described enough to give each individualsm; in some ways the barracks where they live is like a gigantic Frat House with Thom as the unwilling Housemother. Royston finds himself the object of Hal's innocent passion and, because passion is the reason for his current predicament, is hesitant to take advantage of it. Then Royston is recalled to the capitol; Rook and the Airmen refuse to fly their dragons because the mechanical creatures are beginning to malfunction; and Thom and Hal attempt to discover a way to restore magic to the mages and win the war. Because this story has four viewpoints, it is vivid and dramatic and gives specific touches to each character. The clashes between Rook and Thom are shown from each man's point of view as well as the revelation of the secret the two unknowingly share. Royston's love for Hal is handled with delicacy and tact, shown from the mage's mature and somewhat sardonic aspect as well as that of the unawakened Hal who is at first dazzled by the older man's sophistication, then discovering a gentle soul lurking inside Royston's jaded armor. Since this is a tale of men at war--fighting against unexpectedly dire odds--there no romance per se, and I fully expected it to have an unhappy ending... so I was pleased at the resolutions for the characters. While they might not be what all readers would wish, I found the outcome of Havemercy to be totally satisfying within the novel's framework. Is there a sequel for these four characters? I certainly hope so. I'd like to hear more about Rook and Thom and Margrave Royston and his book-loving Hal.

This is a book where the cover sold it. That magnificent mechanical dragon and all those glowing reviews should have led to a grand steampunk story. What I got instead was 2 gay romances set against a detailed painted backdrop. There was no depth to the world or development of the people. The dragons were a minor prop, never explained and mostly offstage, and the action was left to the very end and rushed over. Mostly there was the older city gentleman seducing the young, naive country boy in a dreamy regency romance and the brutal, coarse airman versus the young, idealistic student who turn out to be brothers but it was still a romance. There were no women to speak of and the few there were were prostitutes or unsympathetic. Even the dragons are referred to as girls and treated like a favorite whore.

Havemercy struck me first when the cover came up in my Amazon recommendations. I've always had a thing for dragons. If you're looking for a story "specifically" about dragons, this might not be it. That is not to say there aren't any dragons, because there are, and for the small amount of page space she gets, Havemercy (said dragon) totally makes her vibrant personality known. The only thing is we unfortunately don't get to see much of her, although she is never far from our thoughts through the thoughts of the characters. However, on the total upside of all this, the rest of the human cast of characters are each very intriguing and I loved reading about each of their trials and tribulations. First we have Margrave Royston, a royal wizard with an amazing talent, both magically and for getting into trouble. His most recent transgression; an all too public affair with the crown prince of his country's newest ally. Hal is a simple country boy with a yearning for both a little affection and a lot of intellectual stimulation, neither of which is available at the home of his cousin, until the appearance of an exiled wizard changes everything for him. Rook is an arrogant dragon rider who cares for nothing other than flying his precious Havemercy and Thom is the unfortunate 'versity student assigned the impossible task of teaching the elite Dragon Corps the ways of manners and refinement.

This story, told in alternating parts, really focuses most on the innermost challenges facing each of them. We get to see how they think, feel, act and react to each other and when they are all brought together, the results are quite gratifying. There is both action (the story taking place during an ongoing war between neighboring countries) and romance (heads up for the said romance being of the gay variety for those that care) mixed along with more personal discoveries for each of the characters which made this an above average read for me and something I'm very happy to have found. It was exactly the kind of engrossing fantasy I've been looking for since finishing Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner books. Highly recommended!

Very nicely done! It's always a pleasure to run across talented new fantasy authors, and that's what we've got here. Ms. Jones and Ms. Bennett have put together a highly entertaining first novel that fans of the genre ought to take a look at; I doubt many will be disappointed.

The plot of the book isn't terribly original, as another reviewer has noted, but the authors are so good at making you care about what happens to their main characters that you hardly notice. Royston and Hal are an appealing pair, and the spiky relationship between Thom and Rook reminded me of nothing so much as the interaction between the two leads in the movie _Ravenous_. They're all fun to watch, even when nothing much is going on. Maybe especially when nothing much is going on.

The only real complaint I have about the book is the rushed feel of the ending. The authors should have taken an extra 30 pages or so to tie up all the loose threads in a more leisurely and satisfying fashion.

That's just a quibble, however. I bought the book on the strength of Ellen Kushner's recommendation, and I had a lot of fun reading it. You probably will, too.

I'm just not feeling the great enthusiasm. I thought "Havemercy" was an interesting spin on some SF tropes and it was really impressive as a first book. The writing was graceful but the book just wasn't more than mildly entertaining for me.
First off, the book was badly unbalanced. The plot was condensed into a few chapters. The book started out slow, which is nice for world building and all, but it took way too long for anything to happen. The action picked up about 3/4 of the way through the book. The action scenes were few but nicely handled but the ending was shamefully rushed.
Second, the world building was sketchy and confusing. The actual role magic played in the society was barely implied. We get a clear view of the power/political aspects used by the emperor but the general society was barely limned in. The three adjoining cities, bearing womens' names, were little more than caricatures. Molly was the slum. Yeah, got it already. What was trade in this society? How much, if any, social mobility was there? There were a few glimpses--young Hal escaping rural isolation, vicious Rook somehow being chosen by his mechanical/magic dragon--but overall the world building was careless at best.
Third, too many of the characters were flat and sterotypical in a novel that's very character-driven. The romance between naive Hal and older Royston was charming in an old-Harlequin-Barbara-Cartland mold. Hal was the essential pure, blushing virgin to Royston's damaged, worldly self. The slow seduction was sweet but corny because neither of the characters were anything more complex than types.
Unfortunately none of the other characters rang true as real people either. I vehemently agree with the reviewer who noted homoerotic overtones between the airman Rook and Thom the academic. The tension was explained away in a hokey long-lost-brother frill that was telegraphed chapters before. NOT convincing. The book is overwhelmingly masculine, hardly any female characters (besides whores and a nasty housewife) so the authors' weird tone deafness about men was all the more jarring. Example: hyper-macho Rook persecutes gentle Thom ruthlessly--but gently raises Thom by the chin to look into his eyes during an argument. A genuine WTF!? moment and one of too many.
I enjoyed the book, mind. The dragons were fascinating; worth a lot more development. The characters were more types than people and the world building was incomplete but the book was still a fun read. (Gorgeous cover art too.) So...a *good* book, and authors with a lot of potential.