Dragons of Starlight by Bryan Davis is an adventure novel about freeing the slaves taken by dragons from the planet of Starlight. The slaves have been chained for hundreds of years, not knowing about their past or that there is another planet, free of slave drivers. This picture really demonstrates the mood because of the colors and the taught chain. The slaves long to be free but because of threats by the dragons to their children and other reasons, cannot fight back. The slaves' lives are also dreary and dull, never with any color besides a splash of their red blood.

"At the foot of the hill, the fog completely shrouded Jason's two-story school...Perhaps the quick change portended a late-night storm" (Davis 20).

Half of the story takes place in Mesolantrum, a small community with mostly peasants and a few nobles and upper class men. This scene suggests that there are quite a few storms in the area and the inhabitants are quite used to it. Davis' description of the setting is rather carefree, but the actual setting suggests otherwise. The fog "shrouded" the school giving the reader an idea that not everything is known, that there are evil things going on that are under the radar. Also, there is a darkness caused by late time and fog. The idea of darkness is a theme throughout several of the settings. This picture demonstrates the foggy, mysterious setting as the fog hides everything beyond the black, twisted trees.

"With darkness blanketing the hill, walking home would be lonely, especially through the forest" (Davis 77).

Jason is sitting alone on the governor's front steps after being the brunt of the noble's jokes as the peasant bodyguard. Sadness and loneliness are demonstrated in the setting because of the way the scene is described. Paramount, however is the idea of darkness again. Not only is the place dark in the environment, but there is obvious prejudice between classes. This picture really describes Mesolantrum because the trees block most of the light, and the future obstacles are not visible, just as Jason is about to dive head-first into the adventure of a lifetime.

"A gray ceiling loomed overhead with a few stalactites just out of reach, each one dripping cloudy water at the rate of a slow heartbeat...Behind him, the river flowed swiftly past a sheer rock wall...He looked at the river-dark and deep" (Davis 194).

A feeling of fear is demonstrated because of the words "loomed" and "sheer". Both these words make one feel small and insignificant. The cave is also foreboding thanks to the phrase "slow heartbeat" and the deep, dark river that conceals its depths. The slow heartbeat gives the idea of death, or upcoming danger. Again, darkness is mentioned hand in hand with fear. This picture demonstrates the setting because of the short stalactites and dark depths as well of the wide river.

"PHOTO GUN IN ONE HAND, SWORD IN THE OTHER" (Davis 299).

The time period is interesting in Mesolantrum, with a medieval like background with science fiction mixed in. The medieval time is represented by the presence of kings, horses, peasants, dungeons and other objects. The science fiction is shown by photo guns, courier tubes, truth crystals and other unusual ideas. This picture demonstrates the side by side comparison between two time periods as well as how they fit together, much like puzzle pieces.

" ...the arid lands ahead...The squatty trees looked like stooped old men, their scant hair blowing in the warm breeze as they searched for morsels of food among the tufts of grass. To their right, the river flowed back toward the forest...A tree stood near the Mesa...had a severe crook in the middle that made it bend toward the rocky uprising, as if bowing in worship" (Davis 316).

The second half of the story takes place on Starlight, the planet where dragons reign supreme, lashing human slaves with sharp whips and forcing them to mine for natural gasses and work as personal servants for their households. The trees paint a picture of oppression and slavery because of their bent structure and "bowing" pose. The ground seems to be thirsty for something more than just water, but for freedom as well. This picture depicts this scene well because the tree seems to be bent under an enormous load, and while the ground seems to be luscious with green, the tree shows mostly brown, the color of natural death.

"Jason trudged to the top of a snow-covered ridge and looked out over a shallow valley of white, sprinkled with evergreens protruding from the wintry blanket. With the ridge curving around the valley in an enormous circle and rising to mountains on the far side, the scene appeared to be filled with ice, snow, and...a castle?...at the far side of the bowl, an immense structure sat at the foot of a snow capped mountain. Although ivory colored stone covered most of the outside, something red covered the...three turrets on the top floor" (Davis 232).

This scene shows an idea of delicate beauty and grace because of the word "sprinkled" and the way the landscape is described. With dark green contrasting the bright white, not to mention the bright blue sky, the land in the picture perfectly shows the gorgeous nature and way of life. The castle tells of extreme wealth or power because of the "ivory colored stone" and "three turrets on the top floor". Also, the evergreens seem to communicate freedom through their tall, straight structures that are not afraid to show their faces to the sun, a stark contrast to the other part of Starlight with the bent trees and arid lands.

The main idea the settings convey is darkness vs. light, or slavery vs. freedom. As the series draws to a close, the light begins to spread and freedom is achieved. Just as a candle's flame can be spread to wood to become a roaring fire, freedom spreads from one person to two whole planets finally living in harmony.

Hailey Thomas
5th period