A Dragon of Black Glass

Moonfall #3

by James Rollins

The third book in the New York Times bestselling Moonfall series from thriller-master James Rollins, A Dragon of Black Glass is a tale of relentless adventure and the struggle for survival in a harsh world that hangs by a thread.

With the apocalyptic threat of moonfall looming ever closer, Nyx and her allies must venture into the eternally sunblasted lands to search for an ancient weapon buried untold millennia ago. All the while, enemies close upon her flanks, and a greater danger lurks ahead. For beneath a desert turned to glass, hidden from the scorching heat, life thrives—both wondrous and monstrous. But a more fearsome menace lies even deeper, where an ancient army has been seeded to protect a secret from any who dare seek it out.

Yet, can Nyx truly trust those at her side? Can she trust herself? For while her gift of bridle-song grows ever stronger, so does the danger of losing herself to a dark madness. Worst yet, the same afflicts Bashaliia, her winged and bonded brother.

Elsewhere, a looming war explodes across the Crown, forging new alliances and greater enmities, as lands around the globe are drawn into fiery conflict. Prince Kanthe—now consort to the newly crowned Empress of the Southern Klashe—must accept a mantle that poorly suits to become a traitor to his own people. In that role, he quickly recognizes a hard truth. To save the world, he must destroy all that he once loved.

Beyond such struggles, a new cunning peril smolders at the heart of a kingdom. Hidden in the Shrivenkeep of the Iflelen, an ancient bronze weapon has been awoken. Fed by blood, fueled by hatred, it has only one to end all life on Urth.

But in this goal, will Nyx prove to be its ally or foe?

The Moonfall
The Starless Crown
The Cradle of Ice
A Dragon of Black Glass

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy

Paperback

First published February 18, 2025

About the author

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with two furry companions, Echo and Charlie. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.

Reviews

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because you only *thought* you hated [spoiler] before.

This is all headed towards what promises to be an epic conclusion. Rollins has called A Dragon of Black Glass the “penultimate“ book in the series.

Obviously, this being the third book in the series, you'll want to start at the beginning: The Starless Crown. If you've been reading the series, you're almost certainly going to want to read this regardless of what I have to say. It's Rollins. It's the new Moonfall book. Nothing more need be said.

But let's say you're new to the series. I certainly don't want to spoil anything. But what sets it apart from other fantasy series?

There's the setting. The books take place on a world that is tidally locked. It always presents the same hemisphere to the Sun. Surface temperatures run from unbearably hot to unbelievably cold, with only a narrow habitable band–The Crown–in the middle. Though nominally a Fantasy–with all of the swords and horseback and kings and whatnot you'd expect–there are hints of a distant, technologically advanced past.

There's the action. In James Rollins Fantasy novels, the perils the heroes face seem truly dire. Most Fantasies, you kind of know who's likely going to survive, and the heroes usually manage to stay out of the bad guys‘ clutches, and have no trouble escaping if they do get caught. Not so with Rollins. Characters will die and/or suffer horrible injuries if the story demands it. And his imagination for creating deadly creatures loosely based on real examples is truly fiendish. This is not a safe, happy Fantasy kingdom is all I'm saying.

Yes, Rollins is more known for his thrillers than his Fantasy. But I'll let you in on a little secret: this isn't his *first* Fantasy series, but his third. For years, he was writing thrillers as James Rollins and Fantasy novels as James Clemens (looking at the copyright info at the front of his books leads me to suspect that *both* are pen names, not that there's anything wrong with that.) So he knows what he's doing, and his previous Fantasy series are every bit as intense and gripping as Moonfall.

If you're not reading the Moonfall books, you're missing out on one of the best Fantasy series I've ever read. Highly recommended!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in this series was so good. Book 3, this book, someone needs to edit out so much of the extraneous information and parts of the story that kept it dragging. There are certainly a lot of characters to contend with and happenings all over the globe that will tie together eventually. I hope the 4th installment of this series is not so long and drawn out. Still love nyx and daal and the worlds they go to. Not so much into all the battles.

[Amanda Forsting · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be one of the hardest reviews to write. On the first hand, James Rollins is in my top three authors, all tied for first place. When I buy his books, I countdown to the release date and then I devour them instantly. His style of writing is superb. His ability to link real world elements with fiction and fantasy is phenomenal. His character development is amazing. On the second hand, I had a really really hard time with this third installment of fantasy. I found big portions of it to be beyond boring, as in, I started skimming to get through what felt like redundant descriptive and repetitive descriptive sections. I felt like character development was much less creative or pronounced, and the storyline, in general, felt very slow. There were small sections peppered throughout that would grab me, hold me, and allow me to feel the “normal” James Rollins writing style and capture my full attention and intrigue, but then would without fail drop off again. While I love world building and the creation of something new, I had a hard time remembering the distinct different creations, places and peoples without constantly referencing back to the maps and pictures and even previous books. In all, there is really only a few characters I actually connected to or loved, and many of them just felt more distant, less defined, less developed. So while I feel more invested in the overall storyline (mostly because of how much I liked the first two books), this third one in some ways fell flat for me. Some elements of the storyline felt repetitive- here they go, to the other side of the world like they did in the last book, where they will encounter some major setback like they did in the last book, and face a new sect of enemy or people like they did in the last book, where they still won’t get to the ultimate goal of stopping moon fall, like the last book, and then they will learn of the next thing to do and head back home or to the next mission, like the last book. Of course none of the big enemies meet a fateful end, and it feels both redundant, aggravating and slow, with glimpses of excitement and tiny touches of development for only a few select characters. I wanted to love it as I love all of Rollins’ other things, but I just didn’t. I am kind of worried for the remainder of the series, and for what the next book holds (or doesn’t).

[Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one but some parts felt unnecessary to the plot (the whole Bhastyan trouble).

Rhaif was done dirty again. It's like Rollins doesn't know what to do with him anymore after he got Shiya to the group and he's still just hanging out doing nothing. He was so smart and independent in the first book but now he's just a knock-off Llyra and a Shiya fan. It's a shame.

Also, I'm not looking forward to having to wait for the final book, because this was originally a trilogy. I'm tired of authors dragging things out.

Also, Mikaen is the worst.

[Cam Montour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes a story just needs to finish.

[Adara · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 40%
As soon as Fens uncle threatened to rape his own niece to see what it felt like to have sex with a skinny woman because he could no longer have sex with his own fat wife, I bailed. I was already on the fence. The writing was all over the place, there was other stupid unpleasantness like Dahls shattering forearms during sex. Nyx never listens to anyone and endangers others, backstory dump with a new character. I’m done. It’s a cool premise but not executed well.

[Hallie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - I love this world. It lives rent free in my brain and I’ve been anticipating this book for a long time and I’m excited there’s still one more to go! I especially love the attention to detail of fantasy wildlife that Rollins puts in with his expertise as a veterinarian. That said, this installment felt lacking in the character aspect to me. Almost like as the world got bigger, the characters got smaller. It sometimes also felt somewhat bogged down in details of mechanisms - I felt this at certain times in the previous book, but more so in this one. Still, I loved it and am excited for whenever the last book comes out!

[Candice Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, can I just say that if you are going to create this amazing magical world that takes you on the most incredible adventure through different lands, culture ,do not leave me hanging/crying.
The man I hate the most at the end of the book I still hate him, but I truly hate him for those last few pages because it was like his humanity was fully gone.
The only thing I am more upset about right now is that the book is over.
I did not like the way it ended the way it.
However, I do realize the desired effect was to leave me wanting more.Well, I definitely want more.
Honestly, it is a must-read series, and I can not wait for the next book.Please james hurry up. Lol

[Damon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure why I was so excited to jump into this one. About half way through I really wanted to be done, but was too invested so I continued on. I enjoy this universe, but this book was about double the length it needed to be.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Rollins, long renowned for his outstanding and well-researched thriller novels, has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with in the area of Fantasy as well. A DRAGON OF BLACK GLASS continues the adventures previously covered in THE STARLESS CROWN and THE CRADLE OF ICE.

The greatest twist that Rollins throws at readers is the fact that this stellar fantasy series is not a trilogy, ending with this latest novel. He freely indicates that the finale will take place in the 2026 release of the fourth and final novel in the saga. As with the prior two books, A DRAGON OF BLACK GLASS includes a much-needed CAST OF CHARACTERS list which spans four and a half pages. I found myself constantly flipping back to it during the read, as I am sure all other readers enjoyed it as well.

Rollins has tagged his fantasy epic as the Moonfall Saga as all of the events through myriads of characters are punctuated by the fact that the moon may be literally crashing into the Urth, essentially wiping out all living beings if not utterly destroying the planet. In order to stop this our heroine, the young girl named Nyx, must find an ancient weapon that may not even exist in an attempt to save everyone. The legend states that across the part of the planet that is completely ice-blasted and uninhabitable lies a weapon of ‘glass’ buried beneath the frozen tundra.

At the end of the previous novel and at the start of this one Nyx is aboard a ship and opens the story flying aboard a winged giant bat named Bashaliia. The oncoming moonfall event is fully on her mind and even though she does not trust all those traveling with her remains determined to prevent this event. Even while Nyx is consumed with events and individuals on the ship called Fyredragon, she still must deal with enemy factions on land who belong to the residents of the Western Crown. I have to admit that James Rollins has done a nice bit of world-building with this Moonfall Saga and it is necessary to read the tales in order to get the complete experience.

Much of the novel deals with the war that is breaking out across the Crown and this narrative is carried simultaneously to Nyx and companies trek to the frozen wasteland in search of the fabled ancient weapon that could end the war as well as their planet’s destruction. Nyx also must wage an inner battle as her specialized gift --- called bridle-song --- opens her up to certain dark elements that threaten to take over her soul.

Whereas Prince Kanthe from the Crown recognizes that he must destroy all he loves to save the world, Nyx is on an entirely different and more inclusionary path whereby she could become the savior of all beings. Meanwhile, the cunning weapon hidden deep in the ground has the power to either save or end all life. The question is that if Nyx should find it will she prove to be friend or foe in the face of such power?

Since Rollins already made it evident that this saga would end with a fourth novel, much is left open-ended in A DRAGON OF BLACK GLASS, but all those who have been along for the ride will feel excited to finally get closure to this epic and enjoyable adventure.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Ben Cheng · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is like a 2.5. It’s just such a sloggggfest. I feel like a billion things happened for no reason and the plot itself didn’t even advance that much lol. Like half the book could’ve been cut out and it wouldn’t affect the plot at all. Took me forever to read because I was just like ok I don’t care about this random skirmish in the desert lol. I like the worldbuilding but there’s just way too much happening and too many characters and povs. Will I read the last one when it comes out tho I mean yea I gotta know how it ends amiright

[Sassy Mystic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had its moments. It is dense and detailed I’m hoping the next book is better.

[Katie❄️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean Noivern would be perfect too.....

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third installment of Moonfall made up for the crashing disappointment and anger I felt when reading Onyx Storm.

This is how you do a third book. I didn't need to reread the other two books. I was able to keep the very large cast of major and minor characters straight. More importantly, everything that happened, felt like it was a must to the story. There were no side quests that weren't tied to the main event.

The characters were captivating, amusing, heartfelt, and so good. Even the big bad was almost likeable....until the end anyway.

The world building in this series is just perfect. Rollins leaves nothing to the imagination. His descriptions are rich, without being preachy, and his world is truly brutally beautiful.

One thing that I am not sure I mentioned in the previous two books, Rollins seems to understand that weird bond a girl gets with whatever little creature she decides is her bestie. All of the animal/human bonds in this series feel real, because they are exactly how real girls/women would actually interact with a heart animal.

I am beyond looking forward to the last installment, set for next year.

[Matthew Picchietti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this story and series. The writing is good, if not also exhausting and repetitive at times. I enjoyed the first two books in the series, the third (this one) was a bit more effort than I wanted, if there's a fourth book in the series, I'll not be reading it.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read, such a great sequel, loved all the updates, and I can't wait to continue on with the series!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. Nicola Barber has done a wonderful job narrating the series!

This is the 3rd Moonfall series, and I have been hooked since book 1. This is not the end of the series, I'm not sure if the book with end with 4 or 5 books in total, I've seen indications of both since the beginning of the series. This series has a ton of characters and bounces around alot from perspective to perspective, so it isn't going to be for everyone as there is alot of information to keep track of. The audio books are on the long side 22-25ish hours, so you need to be invested in the characters and their journey. I have found the pacing to be good and the world building to be engrossing. There are several genres represented in the books and series over all, we have court politics, as well as some cool science fiction elements, a bit of magic, action, adventure, and so much more. I'm anxious to see where our group heads in the next book.

As moonfall approaches, Nyx, her friends, and her ever present bat companion Bashaliia must race across the lands where the sun never sets to find the secrets to getting the earth turning again and preventing the apocalypse. On their journey they find only more secrets and more danger as the world on the sun filled side of the earth has learned to adapt and hide from the blazing heat, just as it did on the cold side. Nyx must continue to work on her understanding and control of her bridle song as it will be a key component to saving or destroying the world. While Nyx and her crew are braving the desert and fighting new monsters, elsewhere Kanthe is fighting a different kind of fight. He is dealing with political scheming and working with his new bride to gain allies where they can and uncover plots against them.

This does end with a cliffhanger so be prepared for that. The stakes are pretty high toward the end and I know readers who are invested are going to want to know what happens sooner rather than later. Each of our characters has a goal and a purpose and the author does a good job keeping the reader invested in that plotline before you can forget about them and what they are doing. I'm very anxious to see how our characters proceed with preventing moonfall and navigate all of the various other obstacles that are thrown their way in book 4.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Dragon of Black Glass by James Rollins is a high-stakes continuation of the Moonfall series that pushes its richly imagined world to its breaking point as the apocalyptic “moonfall” threat draws ever closer. Rollins’s worldbuilding remains vivid and expansive, layering fantasy with elements of adventure and nuanced character arcs. I recommend this novel to fans of epic fantasy who enjoy richly detailed worlds, ensemble casts, and adventure driven plots.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the threat of Moonfall fast approaching and a new enemy rapidly rising to power, stakes have never been higher as allegiances old and new are broken and reforged in the fires of war. Tensions continue to build in this penultimate installment in the Moonfall series, and I look forward to seeing that cataclysm that unfolds in what is sure to be a truly epic finale.

[Allison Bodnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book 3 in a series. Could’ve been a little shorter, but overall good pacing and character development. Looking forward to the finale in another year!

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the two before it, this book was amazing. Starting this book was like seeing an old friend. It is beautifully written. The story line continues smoothly from one book to the other. I truly enjoyed reading this book.

[Heather Brew · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!

[Jeff Guillory · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me about 1/3 of the book to get back into the storyline. But once there, I enjoyed the rest.

[Chasqui M.G.]

DNF’d halfway through cuz I just could not care less and the writing was getting increasingly worse. Interesting enough world it just couldn’t keep me hooked

[Mark Gielis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is getting long-winded—more of the same old story. The book is too thick. I had hoped the story would be finished after this one, but it continues.

[Kristelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I thought this was a trilogy, but this is not the last book. I think it definitely could have been, and should have been. That was very disappointing.

As interesting as all the events of this book were, the story progressed very slow for the first 60% of the book. There are multiple POVs from both the herein groups of the story as well as the aggressors. It made the progress slow, even if I was highly invested in all their individual stories. Nonetheless, I am still highly invested in this story and will continue the series. It’s one of the most interesting plots I have ever read.

With enemies on all sides and many obstacles, Nyx and her crew sail a sky ship across the sandy dunes to try to find the turubyn to be used in preventing the devastation of moonfall.
They know their journey leads to a vast army of ancient ta’wyn and a dragon of black glass blocking their access to the turubyn, and their chances of success are slim but they have no choice but to try to save Urth.

Meanwhile, Prince Kanthe, now king consort of the Klashean people tries to capture the ancient awakened ta’wyn Kryst Eligor in any way possible from his brother Mikaens’ castle to unlock the secrets held by the Kryst, and find the location of the key to start the Urth spinning and prevent moonfall. Kanthe has to dodge his own challenges in this task while his brother Mikaen in Azantiia purposely tries to sabotage Kanthes plans and turn everyone against him.

At the same time, the earth is showing signs of moonfall with earthquakes, floods, and other extreme calamities while the kingdoms are stuck in their own wars and strife, creating great hurdles for those trying to stop moonfall.

[Vickie Woodard · Rating 3 out of 5]

MEH

In the past, a book by James Rollins would have me up all night (maybe several nights... days,too). This book exploded in so many different directions it made me dizzy.
Just hoping the next book ties up all these loose ends.

[Michael Jacobus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series overall but when listening to this third installments, I found myself really missing the OG team from book 1. in this installment we get a lot of POV chapters from characters I don't really care about and less depth and exploration of some of the OG team that hooked me into the series in the first place. there is plenty of "previously on..." written into the early parts of the book which were helpful b/c I didn't relisten to book 2 prior to listening to book 3 and so was able to be reacclimated to this world fairly easily. love the narrator. I just finiished book 1 again after 3 and feel confirmed that character growth from our OG team really feels more flat in some places by the time we get to 3. I'll for sure listen to book 4 but enough with new characters.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Rollins delivers another thrilling installment in his Moonfall series with A Dragon of Black Glass. It picks up right when book 2, The Cradle of Ice, ends and keeps gathering steam as the cast of characters race against time to stop Moonfall even at the detriment of their lives. With each book in this series (The Starless Crown (book 1) & The Cradle of Ice (Book 2), A Dragon of Black Glass continues Nyx and her friends & allies trek to the next piece of the puzzle in order to stop the moonfall that is propecized to doom their world if it happens. James Rollins signature writing style is here & this reader was thrilled to discover how thrilling this latest book continues the adventure of Nyx and the gang that started in The Starless Crown. With some twists and turns I so didn't see coming, some losses and new allies, the reader is delved even deeper in this world James Rollins created and I know I am not the only one wanting to see where the final adventure will take them as the urgency really picks up in book 3, A Dragon of Black Glass. If you enjoy epic fantasy stories filled with unique and intriguing characters, a world that is similar to our own yet so very different and much more. I just hope book 4 doesn't take forever to get here.

[Amy Verkruissen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason, I thought the Moonfall series was a trilogy but I quickly realized as I approached the halfway mark that there was no way that a proper ending was coming in A Dragon of Black Glass. James Rollins quickly brings you back into a chaotic world in which Nyx and Daal in the desert and Prince Kanthe and his group of friends tries to stop the monstrosity of the bronze god Eligor being brought to life by Wyeth and now the king himself, sacrificing those he claims to love in the name of power.
There is a lot of information in this book and I sort of wish there had been a quick "previously in the Moonfall series" to refresh your memory of who and what was happening because there are a ton of characters, along with new faces and new places...it can be a bit much to get into the groove of the story but once you do? What a ride! Very much looking forward to the next/last book in the series!