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I first got my hands on the book about 12-15 years ago at a local library and haven't had luck finding it since. Sadly I don't know the name of the book or the author and all I have to go off of is the cover image and the very few details I remember, though I was in early middle school at the time and the book was above my reading level.

In the beginning of the book it was following a female character who was in hiding during a war. She had to keep her hair dyed dark to hide her heritage, this included all hair on her body, not just on her head. The cover image was a man in a gas mask riding on a dragon while the background looked like an active war zone.

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  • I don't have an answer, but I might have memories of what I think is the same book that might help others come up with an answer. I remember a book with space faring (or maybe time traveling?) dragons, and I remember the riders having headgear that seemed like a gas mask, and I can picture that as the cover. Other details I remember - the dragons were weapons of war, and enabled some form of travel that otherwise was impossible. The leader of the dragon riders didn't have any teeth, just a sharpened metal bar in his mouth - that was presented as the utilitarian nature...
    – Joe Fromm
    Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 21:04
  • ...of a society of a culture that had been at war for decades. I also remember the dragon riders having a device that acted like a smoke screen, but electronic - people couldn't see anything while it operated. Does this sound like the same book?
    – Joe Fromm
    Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 21:04
  • A book about dragon riders that starts with a hiding female protagonist and the dragons enabled otherwise impossible travel sounds a lot like Dragonriders of Pern. Are you sure you're not mixing up some details of another book with DoP?
    – The Photon
    Commented Oct 15, 2017 at 16:56
  • I have read at least a few of the Pern books and the world in this book was definitely depicted as much harsher than Pern. Also the detail of the female lead might be somewhat misleading, again my memory on the books contents are shaky, but I don't believe she was the only lead, I believe she was alongside a male lead as well.
    – Trinigam
    Commented Oct 17, 2017 at 23:00

1 Answer 1

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Could it be Harry Turtledove's Out of the Darkness? The cover seems to match your description. It was published in 2005.

THE CLIMACTIC CONCLUSION OF A WORLD WAR

As the Derlavian War rages into its last and greatest battles, allied nations maneuver for advantage over one another in the postwar world. But before that time can come, the forces of Algarve, Unkerlant, and their allies must clash a final time, countering army with army and battle magic with ever-more-powerful battle magic.

In the midst of it all, the people the war has battered and reshaped must struggle to face their greatest individual challenges, as loves are shattered and found, terrible crimes avenged...and some journeys end forever.

Nor will the end of war bring lasting peace...

Out of the Darkness front cover

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  • That's it! You're amazing Mark, this is exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
    – Trinigam
    Commented Jul 6, 2018 at 15:55
  • @TheLethalCarrot -- nice edit!
    – Mark Olson
    Commented Aug 13, 2018 at 16:28
  • @MarkOlson Thanks, just added the link and the description from therein whilst fixing the tags on the question :)
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Aug 13, 2018 at 16:29

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