The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford

On October 12, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn FantasyLeave a comment

Publisher: Orbit (Trade Paperback – 12 August 2025)

Series: The Rakada – Book One

Length: 470 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Prepare for one of the most entertaining, thrilling and over-the-top fantasy novels of 2025 with the intensely fun novel, The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford.

Jackson Ford is a compelling author who has written an interesting array of outrageous novels over the years. Probably best known for The Frost Files series, which followed a telekinetic protagonist as she got in all manner of trouble, Ford has also released several fantastic science fiction novels under the name Rob Boffard. I have been hoping to read some of Ford’s books for a while now, and I decided to finally take the plunge with his latest release, The Bone Raiders. The first book in the author’s new The Rakada series, The Bone Raiders sounded extremely cool thanks to its entertaining plot and fun cover, and I couldn’t wait to dive into it.

In the grasslands of the Tapestry, raider bands used to run free as the supreme force of the wilds, pillaging towns and caravans at their leisure. However, the glory days of the raiders are over, thanks to the rise of a new Great Khan with a vision to have all the people of his realm living under his thumb. From his capital in Karkorum, the Great Khan has organised the slow destruction of anyone living in the Tapestry, with his mighty armies killing all who defy him.

Of the remaining raiders, none are as feared as the Rakada. Better known as the Bone Raiders, the members of the Rakada are deadly fighters capable of fighting off most threats in the Tapestry. However, their greatest weapon is their carefully cultivated reputation, gained by adorning their armour with the bones of the few people stupid enough to fight them. But after the constant battles to escape the Khan’s armies, the Rakada only have a few raiders left. With little food or viable targets to raid, the future of the Rakada looks grim, until a chance encounter with an araatan, a giant, fire-breathing lizard, gives young Rakada scout Sayana a bright idea.

After falling on the back of an araatan and accidently guiding its wild rampage to save the lives of her comrades, Sayana believes that these creatures are the future for her band. Determined to find and train an araatan to be the ultimate combat mount, Sayana forcefully enlists the help of a legendary animal trainer from the capital. However, coming up with the plan is one thing, but actually learning to ride the giant beasts without being burned alive is a very different proposition. Worse, thanks to Sayana’s actions, the Rakada soon find themselves being hunted by the Great Khan’s ruthless right-hand, who wants her kidnapped sister returned to her. To survive the vengeful onslaught coming their way and have any chance at a future, Sayana and her band will need to do the impossible and learn to ride the araatan or die trying.

Ford really did not disappoint with The Bone Raiders, as this awesome novel was everything I had hoped for. Loaded with slick action, entertaining characters, and a particularly epic fantasy premise, The Bone Raiders was a fiery blast of fun from start to finish. Working extremely well as the first book in the author’s new The Rakada series, The Bone Raiders was a great fantasy read with a lot of unique heart to it.

I have a lot of love for Ford’s ambitious and particularly awesome plot idea for The Bone Raiders, which saw a small band of badass, bone-covered female raiders attempt to change the status quo of their land by taming walking dragons, which frankly sounds a little out there, but which the author really makes work. Starting off with a raid which goes bad very fast, Ford provides an excellent opening for The Bone Raiders, which features great character introductions amongst an unfortunate ambush and the sudden appearance of a giant fire breathing lizard, whom one of the protagonists, Sayana, inadvertently rides to save the day. I really enjoyed how Ford quickly and effectively provided all the key details about this new fantasy universe, and some of the unique characters who inhabit it in this scene, and you get a great sense of the author’s style and humour here. This opening sequence soon leads to Sayana coming up with the ambitious plan to train the araatan and ride them into battle against the Khan’s forces. Forced to commit some light kidnapping of an additional supporting character, the protagonist is soon on her way to commit her plan, despite the worries of the Rakada’s leader.

While the protagonists attempt to gain the trust of a wounded araatan, Ford ups the stakes of The Bone Raiders’ plot through the sinister perspective of the book’s main antagonist Yesuntei. Yesuntei proves to be an excellent complex villain for this first novel, and her deadly hunt for the Rakada leads to all manner of trouble. Following some excellent sequences in the middle of the book, including a flooded raid and a brutal battle interrupted by sudden araatan attack, The Bone Raiders goes full throttle into its impressive final third, as Ford really amps up the action. Thanks to a well-executed betrayal, the protagonists enter a particularly dark spiral which can only be resolved by a truly desperate plan. As you can imagine in a book about first-time dragon tamers, things get crazy in this final section, including an all-out battle sequence with some true carnage. I loved how all the key story elements of this book come together in this final scene, and it truly was the chaotic ending The Bone Raiders’ deserves. Finishing off with a final foreshadowed reveal that sets up for some interesting continuation to the series, The Bone Raiders was so much fun to read, and I love its highly entertaining story.

I really enjoyed how this novel came together, and Ford clearly had a lot of fun writing The Bone Raiders, as the book featured a light-hearted style that expertly matched its over-the-top story. Bringing together a great blend of high-octane action, chaotic characters and amusing humour, there is a lot to love and laugh about The Bone Raiders, as Ford tries to reach those readers who love a more comedic tilt to their epic fantasy. However, there is far more to The Bone Raiders than that, as the author cleverly inserts inventive world building, subtle messaging, and some devastating emotional stakes around a particularly powerful cast. All this captivating complexity is well showcased through three separate perspective characters, each of which provides a different take on the events of the book, including the main antagonist’s hunt for the protagonists. Combine this with Ford’s excellent ability to pull together an over-the-top sequence of events, including several with araatan-riding shenanigans, and this was a very entertaining read that makes great use of the author’s complex and emotional writing.

One of the things that makes The Bone Raiders work so well is the varied and unique characters featured within the plot. Ford does an amazing job of breaking the story up between three fantastic main figures, and there is some compelling character development which adds to the complex emotional intensity of this crazy novel. Of these, the main protagonist is Sayana, a young scout of the Rakada, who ran away from a life of privilege to be free. The idealistic and determined Sayana proves to be a great catalyst for many of the book’s main plot elements, and Ford provides some interesting character interactions amongst her plans, especially as she finds romance, rejection and the resentment of her chief in the same place. The author writes an excellent arc around Sayana as she attempts to find herself, while also providing some hints at her past and who she truly is. While I saw the big reveal about Sayana coming, it was still fun and should lead to some additional glorious carnage in the future.

While much of the focus of the plot is around Sayana, you also get some excellent chapters from the perspective of her fellow raider, Hogelun. The Rakada’s muscle and brawler, Hogelun was an interesting choice for a secondary perspective figure, but it was one that worked well. A straightforward figure, Hogelun provides some interesting alternate viewpoints to the plot, while also trying to deal with a complex romantic relationship. Ford works in an excellent storyline about Hogelun finding her confidence and not letting others think for her, and I really enjoyed seeing her opinion on the chaotic events of the plot. While Hogelun is fun, my favourite point-of-view character was the antagonist, Yesuntei. A deadly figure who serves as the Great Khan’s right-hand, bringing about his vision, Yesuntei is resolutely determined to achieve her master’s goal. However, when her sister is kidnapped by the Rakada, she risks everything to recover her, including returning to her war-crime roots. Yesuntei ends up being a very worthy villain for this book, especially as Ford slowly strips away her veneer of control to showcase the deranged figure within. Ford also increases the audiences dislike of this character by showing the layers to her manipulations, especially towards her sister, that are cleverly revealed as the book continues. This helps turn Yesuntei into an excellent antagonist for this novel, and I was impressed with how Ford wrote her alternate perspective.

Of the remaining cast I need to highlight, one of the more significant is the eagle hunter, Tuya. Yesuntei’s sister, Tuya’s affinity for training and controlling animals sees her kidnapped by Sayana and Hogelun to help in their wild plan. Tuya proves to be one of the few truly selfless figures in the entire novel, and she proves to be a clever foil to both Sayana and Yesuntei, calling them out on their faults. Ford writes a great storyline around Tuya getting her freedom, and her reactions and motivations are some of the more realistic in the entire book. I also must highlight the other members of the Rakada, each of whom play a great role. The Rakada chief, Chimeg, was a great pillar of wisdom for the book, even if her advice is ignored by the others, and Ford writes a great story around her weariness of the fight, especially after so many defeats and setbacks. The archer Erhi was another great inclusion as the brains of the Rakada, as well as Hogelun love interest, and her complex narrative has some definite ups and downs. Finally, there is the particularly awesome final member of the Rakada, Khun, a seemingly crazy raider who joined the Rakada and has been having fun ever since. Khun is the book’s chaotic centre, and there were some hilarious scenes involving her. However, as with the rest of the cast, Khun has a dark past that is cleverly revealed by Ford as the book progresses, and which helps to make the already entertaining Khun a favourite character. All these great figures and their complicated development help to enhance the book’s amazing and epic plot, and I really appreciate how Ford uses them to make The Bone Raiders into something special.

With some brilliant chaotic energy, amazing action and a great sense of fun, Jackson Ford blazes into an awesome new series with The Bone Raiders. An outstanding novel, The Bone Raiders was a highly addictive read that effortlessly keeps the reader’s attention. I had an incredible time reading The Bone Raiders, and I cannot wait to see how The Rakada series progresses going forward. The recently announced sequel, Sisters of the Lizard, is already a highly anticipated 2026 fantasy release for me, and if it’s as entertaining as The Bone Raiders, I already know I’m in for a good time.

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Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik

On November 10, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Short Stories1 Comment

Publisher: Del Rey (Trade Paperback – 17 September 2024)

Series: Standalone/Short Story Collection

Length: 433 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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A must-read for all fans of fantasy author Naomi Novik is the excellent and highly enjoyable short story collection, Buried Deep and Other Stories. Featuring an intriguing combination of stories from across Novik’s imagination and established fantasy universes, Buried Deep and Other Stories was a particularly awesome read that I had a lot of fun getting through.

Naomi Novik is a well-established and impressive fantasy author who has produced some amazing works over the years. Best known for her iconic Temeraire series, which envisioned the Napoleonic Wars with dragons, Novik has produced some great books and stories over the years, including some interesting standalone works. I best know Novik from her excellent Scholomance books, which showcased a dark and impressive take on the magic school genre. The Scholomance books, made up of A Deadly Education (one of my favourite books of 2020), The Last Graduate (one of my favourite books of 2021) and The Golden Enclaves (one of my favourite books of 2022), were all extremely awesome, and this remains one of my all-time favourite book trilogies. As such, I was very interested in reading more from Novik and Buried Deep and Other Stories offered an amazing opportunity to explore her varied writings.

Buried Deep and Other Stories contains an auspicious 13 short stories, which run the gambit from entertaining to moving and bring together both previously published short stories and new tales fresh from the author’s imagination. While some of the reads are standalone stories, there were also entries from Novik’s more familiar universes, all of which comes together to make quite an awesome overall volume. I was initially drawn to this book by the promise of a continuation of series I’ve previously read, but I ended up staying for the whole inventive array, especially as you are gifted a vision into Novik’s future works.

Novik starts the book off strong with the fast-paced story, Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake, a Regency-style adventure with fantasy elements that follows a young, adventurous woman who wants more than a planned marriage. A chance pirate attack and a gender-morphing amulet provide the opportunity she is looking for while also leading to various amorous adventures. This was a very fun, and slightly randy, swashbuckling adventure that successfully highlights the author’s flair for combining historical periods with her own fantasy ideas. This proved to be a great first entry to Buried Deep and Other Stories, and I appreciated that Novik started things off fun.

Novik kept the book going strong with the amazing Afterhours, which serves as a follow-up to her awesome Scholomance trilogy. I must admit that of all the stories in this book, Afterhours was the one that I was most excited for, primarily because I had such a great time with the Scholomance novels, and I really wanted to see how the universe continued. Novik did not disappoint with a captivating story set a couple of years after The Golden Enclaves, with a look at a new class studying at the Scholomance magical school. Despite the Scholomance evolving and becoming less exclusive, some things remain the same, with the unusual witch Beata, finding her school life made difficult by the rich and powerful enclave students, including her roommate. Desperate to survive, Beata and her friends break curfew to obtain rare supplies, only to encounter some of the remaining monsters roaming the school.

This proved to be an entertaining and wonderful return to the Scholomance series, and I for one was glad to get a look at the school and its unusual setup following the chaotic events of the original trilogy. Novik does an excellent job expanding on her existing universe, and fans of the series will love this continuation, as well as a major cameo at the end. However, this story is open to reader’s unfamiliar with the Scholomance books, especially as Novik focuses the plot on a protagonist unaware of the full details of the previous books, allowing for an excellent outsider’s perspective as you explore the setting’s unique features. It was great to return to this iconic setting, and Afterhours was a fun read that both stood on its own, while also providing some awesome moments to the author’s existing readers.

The third story in this book, Vici, is a quick but highly fun entry that ties into the dragon taming world of Novik’s Temeraire universe. Indeed, Vici shows the origin of the universe’s entire dragon riding premise with a Roman historical tale that sees a young Mark Antony hatch a dragon egg. Novik produces a particularly entertaining and hilarious story, as her irresponsible Mark Antony (inspired by James Purefoy from the Rome television series), finds himself in all manner of trouble, made worse by his impressionable talking dragon. I loved this simple but highly effective story, which not only expertly works dragons into Roman history, but which also keeps the reader extremely amused with some great humour and over-the-top moments. One of the funniest stories in Buried Deep and Other Stories, and a wonderful mood lightener between other heavier entries.

This leads us to the book’s titular short story, Buried Deep, which serves as a powerful retelling of the Minotaur myth. Told from the perspective of King Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, Buried Deep follows her journey to becoming a priestess of the shrine that holds her brother, Minotaur, as he stalks the labyrinth under the island. Novik seeks to cast both Ariadne and Minotaur in a more sympathetic light, showing them as victims of their father’s schemes, with Ariadne seeking to undermine Minos by using the labyrinth to enhance her reputation. Thanks to its deep emotional edge and near gothic style, Buried Deep proved to be a particularly unique and memorable take on the Minotaur myth, and I loved seeing Ariadne’s perspective of events. You really appreciate her bond with Minotaur and the pain that his imprisonment has on her, and this was one of the more moving entries in Buried Deep and Other Stories. This story effectively showcased Novik’s ability to transform well-established stories and myths, and I’m glad Buried Deep was featured here.

The next story is the fantastic entry, Spinning Silver. A clever take on the classic Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, this story follows Miryem, the daughter of a village moneylender, who takes over her weak father’s business and becomes a successful businesswoman. A boast about her ability to make money brings her to the attention of a malicious faerie who demands that she prove her ill-timed words three times by turning his silver coins into gold. What follows is a fantastic and clever series of events as Miryem uses her business sense and quick thinking to technically fulfill the terms of the magical contract while also trying to get out of the unfavourable marriage promised as a reward.

I really loved Spinning Silver for a multitude of reasons, especially as it has a compelling narrative that brilliantly retells a famous fairytale in a darker and more modern manner, while also featuring a great historical Russian setting. This proved to be a particularly enthralling tale of fortitude and tough decisions that also subtly examines the historical hardship of the Jewish population of Eastern Europe. Spinning Silver is also an interesting inclusion as it bears the same name as one of the author’s novels. This short story, which was published a few years before the Spinning Silver novel, was the inspiration for Novik’s later book, with the author reusing elements from it. While readers who have already enjoyed the Spinning Silver novel will see some similarities between it and this short story, the entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories is very much worth checking out as Novik takes this short story in a different direction to give it quicker and more definitive conclusion. I think that the Spinning Silver short story works a little better than the overall novel, mainly because the concept was more focused and reached its key points sooner, but both prove to be excellent reads. This honestly proved to be one of the strongest entries in Buried Deep and Other Stories, and I see why Novik chose to expand it into a novel.

The fun continues with the fantastic story Commonplaces, which serves as the author’s unique entry in the Sherlock Holmes mythos. Set after the events of the classic Sherlock Holmes short story, The Final Problem, Commonplaces focuses on the character of Irene Adler after she hears about the events at Reichenbach Falls. This was a short but sweet story that provides an interesting modern look at the impact Holmes has on the characters he encounters. Novik’s take on Adler, which only utilises details from A Scandal in Bohemia, is particularly authentic, and doesn’t fall into the exaggeration that many of her current popular culture portrayals are known for. Shown solely from Adler’s perspective, you get some great interpretations into her personality, as well as her observations of the enigmatic Holmes. I felt the story went in some very interesting and memorable directions, and I liked how it both cleverly referenced A Scandal in Bohemia but also covered a potential romance between Holmes and Adler in its own way. Novik adds in a few subtle implications about Holmes’ romantic interests and inclinations, which I thought was a nice touch, and the resulting story effectively ties up the entire storyline between these two iconic figures. An overall fantastic story, Commonplaces is a fun and quick short that will appeal to a lot of readers.

Novik continues to delight with the seventh entry, ironically named Seven, which was one of my favourite stories in Buried Deep and Other Stories. Set in a unique fantasy city called Seven, the story is set around the city’s famous ceramics trade, which constantly ensures that the city is surrounded by seven giant singing statues. Whenever one of the statues breaks, a replacement is made from a beautiful yet deadly special clay by the city’s then master clay-shaper. Seven primarily follows Kath, a clay-shaper’s widow, who takes over her husband’s business with the help of grouchy kiln master and ceramic devotee Grovin, and eventually forms a reputation as a radical artist due to the simplicity of her pots and ceramics. Chosen to build the next singing statue, Kath is initially reluctant due to the life-shortening nature of the special clay, until the machinations of Grovin forces her hand.

I really loved Seven, and I think it is the story that best showcases how imaginative and skilled Novik is as an author. I was deeply impressed with how effectively Novik was able to build up a new fantasy city and then set up a complex and character-driven tale that debated art versus practicality in only 25 pages. You easily get drawn into the struggle of Kath as she becomes a famous artist and creator with all the trouble that entails, while simply trying to provide for her family. Novik works this initial premise extremely well, and then cleverly twists the entirety of Seven into a tale the examines the dark side of art appreciation. This darkness is conveyed by the complex and gruff character of Grovin, a man who only loves the beauty of ceramics, and whose desire to see more of Kath’s art forces him to some dark places. I loved the ironic twist that forces Grovin to live a life less devoted to the arts to get what he wants, and I really appreciated how Novik explored his obsession, and the differing views of what ceramics represent between the two main characters. If I had one complaint, it would be that the story wasn’t long enough; I would love to have seen a more concrete conclusion than the philosophical end Novik came up with, but this was still an exceptional story that really hooked me in with its creativity and unique focus.

Continuing onwards, Novik throws in two great short stories that break up the book in preparation for the longer stories towards the end, with Blessings and Lord Dunsany’s Teapot. Lord Dunsany’s Teapot is a tale of magic and imagination in the depths of horrifying war, while Blessings is a fun story about a young baby who gets over-blessed by six drunk and competitive fairy godmothers. Both these stories have their own unique flavour, and I liked how well they played off each other in short order. Lord Dunsany’s Teapot was a quick magical story with descriptive dark war elements to it that highlight the need for an escape from horror, while Blessings was an excellent comedic take on the fairy godmother trope from popular fairytales. I enjoyed both these stories, although Blessings was probably my favourite due to its hilarious, quick-fire content.

Next up we have the tenth entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories, with the book’s only science fiction contribution. Seven Years From Home is a striking story about futuristic colonialism in which a young diplomat from an ever-increasing galactic federation visits a prospective new member planet where a war is brewing between new, technological reliant colonists and the original settlers of the planet who have genetically modified themselves and are now in tune with nature. This was an interesting take on the classic story of technologically advanced colonists warring with nature-loving natives with an outsider amid the natives learning their ways. However, Novik takes her story in some different directions, with the natives proving to be far more adaptable than you would expect, and I loved this brilliant and intriguing tale. While it features a great story, Novik ensures that Seven Years From Home really stands out thanks to the protagonist, who finds herself caught between her loyalties to her home empire and the new friends she makes on her adventures. There were some great scenes as the protagonist becomes even more conflicted with her choices, especially as the information she sends home keeps the war going, and her attempts to find the same mindset of her hosts. This story ends with some touching tragedy and a great twist, and I felt that Novik’s foray into science fiction was a fantastic success.

Continuing, we have the book’s second foray into the Temeraire universe with the fabulous entry Dragons & Decorum. Set to the backdrop of the Napoleonic War that the main Temeraire books are based on, Dragons & Decorum is a reimagining of Pride and Prejudice with dragons. The primary story sees Elizabeth Bennett becoming a Longwing captain in the Aerial Corps, flying her dragon as professional soldier, much to the horror of her mother. However, despite her new role, Elizabeth still finds herself drawing the attention of Mr Darcy, and the two engage in a tumultuous courtship, with even more complexity thanks to Elizabeth’s romance-obsessed dragon and the ongoing war. Novik clearly had fun working elements of her dragon-focused world into this literary classic, and I loved her fantastic take on the classic book, especially as dragons add new entertaining angles to the romance. I felt that the author perfectly blended the more outrageous elements of her universe with the Pride and Prejudice plot, while also cleverly imitating Jane Austen’s writing style. The result is a particularly amusing entry that will appeal to both fantasy fans and Jane Austen fans, and I just love the hilarious impacts any book’s relationship to the Temeraire universe can have.

On the home streak we have the intriguing and dark story, Castle Coeurlieu, which saw the very young bride of a castle lord grow close to her similarly aged stepson and learn the unusual history of the castle in which they live, including several stories about people visiting a mysterious tower within its bounds. When plague strikes the region and her new friend flees to the tower, the protagonist follows, only to discover unusual occurrences, including three women playing with cards inscribed with the fate of the castle’s inhabitants. While Castle Coeurlieu wasn’t my favourite entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories, it proved to be a compelling darker story that added in some grimmer elements towards the end of the book. I enjoyed the different layers of lore surrounding the setting, and the curious young protagonist was well written and provided a great view to the plot. An overall interesting addition to the volume, that serves as a great buffer between two of its biggest stories.

The final story contained within Buried Deep and Other Stories is the captivating adventure tale, The Long Way Round. The longest entry in the collection, The Long Way Round was probably the story I was most looking forward to reading outside of After Hours, mainly because it provides readers with the first glimpse at Novik’s next upcoming book, currently titled Folly, following two siblings, canny sailor Tess and brilliant boat-builder Aston, who embark on a journey to cross the seemingly empty seas surrounding their known world and try to discover new lands. Forcibly accompanied by their High Lord, a young wizard looking to prove himself, Tess, Aston and their crew set out on their adventure, only to make some unexpected discoveries with major implications for their entire world.

Featuring a great combination of likeable characters, well-written nautical elements, and a compelling new world filled with unique elements, The Long Way Round was a particularly addictive entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories. Novik once again does a remarkable job effectively building up the scenario and the new fantasy realm in a short run time, and readers quickly find themselves getting invested in the protagonist’s journey, especially as the author does an excellent job exploring their motivations and desires. The set-up and apprehension of the first part of The Long Way Round is well balanced by the subsequent mystery contained in the second half of the story, as the protagonists find what they seek, even if they are uncertain what it is. Novik provides the reader with a series of stimulating and intriguing visuals and curious elements, and you really get into the spirit of the adventurous narrative elements. This honestly proved to be an addictive read, and I found the clever, character-driven nautical adventure to be moving and fascinating at the same time. I also found myself coming away from The Long Way Round extremely curious about Novik’s next book, and I will be interested to see whether it will be a direct sequel to this or something set further in the future. Either way, the mystery of the titular follies is something I hope to explore in the future, and I am now even more excited for Novik’s next book whenever it comes out.

Overall, Buried Deep and Other Stories turned out to be an awesome short story volume from Naomi Novik that showed me her true range and skill as a fantasy author. This book provides a fantastic collection of works, that hit you on every part of the emotional spectrum, including fun comedic reads and darker, tragedy charged narratives. I was also particularly impressed by the inclusion of unique standalone stories whose elaborate fantasy concepts were well established and the expertly utilised to tell compelling stories. The blend of original stories and windows into the author’s current and upcoming fantasy universes also ensured that readers of Buried Deep and Other Stories are in for a brilliant time. It proved very easy to jump between these different fantasy worlds, and I felt that all readers can appreciate and follow the stories contained within, even if they were tied into the author’s other series. As a fan of Novik’s writings, it was great to get some additional stories from her various universes, and the final story, The Long Way Round, has really gotten me excited to check out her next book. Folly (or whatever its name may change to) is now very high on my to-read list, and I hope we see it soon. As for Buried Deep and Other Stories, this was an incredible and fantastic short story collection that comes highly recommended for fans of Naomi Novik, as well as general fantasy fans looking for some compelling, shorter reads.

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Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

On December 30, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Young Adult4 Comments

Murtagh Cover

Publisher: Penguin (Audiobook – 7 November 2023)

Series: The Inheritance Cycle – Book Five

Length: 24 hours and 32 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the iconic world of Alagaësia with Murtagh, a powerful novel that continues his original series while focusing on a complex and damaged protagonist.

I am very excited about this review as it offers me the first chance to review a recently released Paolini fantasy novel. I am a massive fan of Christopher Paolini, having read every single novel he has written in his impressive career, including the science fiction Fractalverse series (To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and Fractal Noise). However, the series that most readers will associate him with are the Inheritance Cycle novels.

The Inheritance Cycle is an awesome young adult fantasy series that follows a young man who bonds with a dragon to take down an evil tyrant. A particularly iconic series, the original Inheritance Cycle consists of Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance, and it told a complex, well-established and exciting tale that saw the protagonist, Eragon, rise to great heights and eventually defeat the big bad. I was gifted the Inheritance Cycle novels when I was growing up and it became a favourite fantasy series that I read multiple times. While I tend to view it with a more critical eye these days, I still love it and its powerful adventure. Due to how much I enjoy this series, I have been eagerly awaiting a sequel for years, and I was so damn excited when I found out that Paolini was releasing a follow-up book. Murtagh was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023, especially when I saw that it was going to follow one of the best characters from the original series.

A year has passed since the war to free Alagaësia ended and the evil king Galbatorix was killed at the hands of the Dragon Rider Eragon and his companions. Peace now reigns across the land as the people look to rebuild. But there are two beings in Alagaësia who will never find peace: Eragon’s half-brother, Murtagh, and his dragon, Thorn. Already reviled for being the son of the traitorous Dragon Rider, Morzan, Murtagh is hated by every race in Alagaësia for the involuntary role he played in Galbatorix’s evils. Finally freed from Galbatorix’s iron control, Murtagh and Thorn travel the outskirts of the land, trying to find a semblance of harmony that has been lacking their entire lives.

However, the troubles of the world are always lurking, and the pair soon discover that not everything is as peaceful as it seems. Following warnings and whispers from an ancient dragon spirit, Murtagh and Thorn become aware of a dark conspiracy building in the land, as unusual rumours of brittle ground, the scent of brimstone and mysterious beings reach their ears.

Determined to stop a new evil rising and wreaking havoc, the exiled rider and dragon begin their own investigation and soon uncover the source of this evil: a mysterious cult whose influence stretches across all the races and nations of Alagaësia. Due to their surprising power and ability to manipulate the world, Murtagh and Thorn might be the only people capable of stopping them, and they set out to investigate. However, they are unprepared for the dangerous witch at the centre of this cult, as well as the deadly power she represents. Can Murtagh and Thorn defeat this evil before it is too late, or will they once again find themselves enthralled to a dangerous power beyond their comprehension?

Christopher Paolini returns with another outstanding book that takes the reader on an exciting and emotionally rich adventure which also cleverly expands his already elaborate setting. While I am sure my review might be partially influenced by nostalgia, I found Murtagh to be an exceptional read that brings back all the things I loved about the original novels while also showcasing Paolini’s increased ability as an author.

For this new book, Paolini goes backs to basics and creates a classic epic fantasy around one of his most damaged and compelling characters. Starting off a year after the climatic events of Inheritance, Murtagh follows the titular protagonist and his dragon as they try to unwrap a mysterious warning given to them in the last book. This warning and an obsession with redeeming themselves leads Murtagh and Thorn to investigate troubling rumours and encounter a group of dangerous warriors and infiltrators utilising powerful magic. This forces Murtagh into a search for knowledge while once again traversing areas of Alagaësia where he is the most wanted. There are some intriguing moments as Murtagh embarks on a series of side quests that will allow him to achieve his goal, including infiltrating a city, killing a giant fish, encountering old “friends” and uncovering corruption at the heart of a regiment of city guard. While I will admit that parts of this novel get a little slow in places, Paolini does a great job of reintroducing key elements of lore, building up a new growing threat and showcasing the main character elements of the protagonists, including their trauma, the bond between rider and dragon, and their unfairly given outcast status.

The second half of the book is extremely strong as Murtagh and Thorn come face to face with their new enemy, the witch Bachel and her unusual followers. Paolini writes this entire half of the book extremely well, as Murtagh attempts to at first subtly uncover what Bachel is plotting and what power she controls. Naturally things go wrong and this leads to a pretty dark and traumatic part of the story where Murtagh is at his lowest point. This part of the book is painful to read, especially as you have really grown to care for the protagonist, but it is so damn well-written and emotionally charged. Everything leads up perfectly to a much needed and exceptionally presented climax, where Murtagh manages to fight back and the resulting carnage is very therapeutic after all the dark scenes the reader has been forced to experience. The big confrontation was very epic and really tied into the author’s excellent characterisation of the protagonists, allowing for some impressive moments. The conclusion is both hopeful and worrying as a new big-bad looms on the horizon, and there are still many secrets left to unwrap.

I really liked how Murtagh came together as Paolini presents a powerful, character-driven read that really tries to capture the heart and feel of a classic epic. Murtagh really had all the best elements of Paolini’s first book, with a lone character and his dragon navigating through a complex world, searching for a big bad on the horizon. I loved these story elements, including the loosely connected quests, the elaborate and dark interactions in the second half of the book, as well as the general menace implied by the world’s new hidden threat. This story is so damn good and served as an interesting continuation of the original Inheritance Cycle novels, adding to the overall plot of the series, while also allowing the new protagonist to strike out on his own and encounter the world on his terms. Paolini really hits the right balance of elements in Murtagh, with a great focus on character work blending nicely with the complex story and great focus on expanding Alagaësia. While this series is usually marketed as young adult fantasy fiction, I honestly would consider Murtagh to be more of an adult book due to its elaborate story, big world, and complex older characters. Despite that, younger readers can still really sink their teeth into Murtagh as an early fantasy experience, and Paolini really hits the right balance of violence and other themes that ensures Murtagh is very palatable to a range of readers.

As I have made clear a few times already, Murtagh is a sequel to Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle series, where quite a lot of plot, character histories and elements about the world of Alagaësia were introduced. Due to it being a direct sequel, a large amount of this detail was essential for Murtagh, which does put newer readers at a disadvantage. I think Paolini did a good job of reintroducing these relevant story elements where needed, so new readers can dive into this book without too many issues. However, the re-establishment of these elements does take a little time, so there might be some occasional blind spots for these newer readers, especially towards the beginning of the book. As such, established Inheritance Cycle fans will get a lot more out of Murtagh than new readers, and there are tons of incidental references and callbacks that will make a lot more sense as a result. I was just so glad to finally get a new Inheritance Cycle book, especially one with such an elaborate and well-written story that connects to the original books in some creative and meaningful ways.

One thing I have always particularly loved about Paolini’s works is the insane amount of effort and detail he puts into developing his elaborate fantasy world. He did an outstanding job of this in the Inheritance Cycle, and the resulting world was filled with a fantastic history, some classic fantasy elements, and a complex evil empire ruled over by an all-controlling madman. I had an outstanding time exploring Alagaësia when I was younger, and so one of the things I was most excited about with Murtagh was seeing how much this fantasy world has changed in the aftermath of the protagonist’s victory. Paolini delivers this in spades, showcasing some intriguing changes as the nations rebuild, the other races once again integrate with humanity, and the compelling legends of Eragon’s victory over Galbatorix are built up, even if Murtagh’s role in that victory are largely forgotten. Many of the well-established rules of magic and Dragon Riders are brought back for this sequel, and Paolini makes sure to reintroduce them effectively for new readers.

It was quite interesting to see Murtagh’s less-knowledgeable take on much of this fantasy lore, especially as that cleverly tied it with his more brutal tutoring in magic than Eragon had in the original series. Indeed, Murtagh’s insights into many elements of this world are very different to those of the previous protagonists, and this helped to make a lot of the novel a lot more grounded and approachable. While it was great to see these familiar elements again, I also liked the new fantasy features of Alagaësia that Paolini came up with for Murtagh. While I won’t give too much away here, the new big bad of the series is very intimidating, and I loved how well Paolini set them up. The author is subtle with this introduction, and its gradual reveal really increases its threat level, as it seems potentially even more dangerous than Galbatorix. I look forward to seeing how Paolini expands on this, and I was so impressed with how much additional world building was featured in Murtagh.

A major highlight of this book had to be the compelling character arcs that formed the basis of the book. Murtagh is extremely character driven, perhaps even more so than the other Inheritance Cycle novels, and Paolini writes an exceptional story around his characters. Naturally most of this focus revolves around the titular character of Murtagh, who is the only point of view character in the novel. I was happy that Paolini decided to focus an entire novel on Murtagh, as he was such a great character in the original trilogy whose perspective you never got to experience. The son of a monstrous traitor who served Galbatorix, Murtagh eventually rebelled and tried to escape his fate, only to be captured again after meeting Eragon in the first book. Forced to serve Galbatorix against his will, thanks to the torture levelled against his newly hatched dragon, Murtagh ended up being the secondary antagonist of the series, especially once it was revealed he was Eragon’s half-brother. Murtagh was eventually able to free himself from Galbatorix’s control at the climactic battle however, despite the role he played in killing the big-bad, he is still very much reviled by the people due to the atrocities and murders he was forced to commit.

As such, the plot of Murtagh is essentially what happens if a somewhat redeemed Darth Vader (there are a lot of parallels between the two characters), was wondering the land trying to atone for the evils he caused and reflecting on all the mistakes in his life. I loved that we got to see this unique and compelling character focus, and it proves to be a very intense and powerful central storyline, especially as Murtagh is forced to relive a lot of the pivotal moments of his plot from the original novels, in addition to some previously unseen backstory. You really get to experience Murtagh’s regrets, despair and self-loathing, and Paolini does a great job of focusing on that, while also introducing some additional growth as Murtagh comes to terms with who he is. Paolini writes a fantastic redemption arc in this novel, and Murtagh really grows into a character you can care for. Naturally, Paolini rewards you for caring by showing some extended scenes of Murtagh suffering in some major ways, and some of these sequences, especially in the second half, pull at the heartstrings. The author expertly ties this suffering into Murtagh’s journey of self-discovery, and the scenes where he overcomes major adversity again proves to be some of the most powerful in the entire book. I also appreciated how Paolini portrayed him in a very different way to Eragon, as he is more angry, impatient, and less-well trained in many of the arts of magic. The author portrays these differing character elements in an extremely impressive way, and the character history surrounding the protagonist really explains why Murtagh is so separate from his fellow Dagon Rider and half-brother. I honestly was so impressed with how Murtagh was showcased in this book and he ended being a pretty exceptional character.

Due to their mental connection, Murtagh’s dragon Thorn is also a major character in the novel, and he proves to be an excellent alternative protagonist as a result. Thorn proves to be a fun and over-protective companion to Murtagh, especially with their joint history of abuse, and Paolini always does a great job of showcasing the soul bond that exists between a dragon and rider. In many ways, Thorn is very similar to Saphira from the original Inheritance Cycle novels, being proud, predatory and occasionally playful (very much like a cat). However, unlike Saphira, Thorn has gone through a substantial amount of trauma thanks to the machinations of Galbatorix, who used magic to age him quickly and tortured him the entire way to make him even more vicious. It was fascinating to see a psychologically traumatised dragon , especially as certain things set him off, and watching him try to mentally heal alongside his human is a very heartwarming part of the novel. While he does suffer at times alongside Murtagh, he also gets to cut loose at the end in a particularly cathartic, if destructive, sequence, which was really great.

Murtagh also features an interesting array of new supporting characters, who ensure some interesting interactions with the two protagonists. There is a noticeable lack of major characters from the original Inheritance Cycle novels, which I thought was a very clever move as it helped this novel to stand on its own. I did think that one or two good characters from the previous novel, such as Angela, might have fit into this storyline well, but I’ll settle for seeing them later, especially after how successful their absence worked here. As such, the supporting cast of Murtagh are all new characters, and Paolini did an outstanding job of introducing them and working them into the plot. While many of these characters did not appear in the story for a long period, namely because of the protagonist’s transitory narrative, several characters did stand out.

I loved the Urgal shaman Uvek Windtalker who Murtagh encounters in the second half of the novel, whose interaction with the protagonist leads to some powerful scenes. However, the true standout character in Murtagh had to be the main antagonist, Bachel. A powerful which and apparent profit, Bachel is a mysterious and aloof figure, who proves to be quite sinister. You end up getting quite a good look at just how malicious, arrogant and dangerous Bachel and her minions can be as the book continues, and Paolini does a remarkable job of building her up as someone to really despise. This ensures that you are really pumped up for the big confrontations with her at the end of the novel, and I liked just how effective the author was able to make her. These characters and more really help to push the narrative of Murtagh in some awesome directions, and I liked the more unique figures that were featured in this latest entry in the Inheritance Cycle.

While I did receive a paperback copy of Murtagh, I ended up listening to the audiobook version instead. This is mainly because the last few times I enjoyed the Inheritance Cycle I chose to listen to the audiobook format, and I wanted some continuity from that since they brought back Gerard Doyle, the narrator from the original Inheritance Cycle, to voice this latest entry. Doyle does an amazing job of narrating Murtagh, and I felt that he really enhanced the impact and enjoyment I had of the story. Not only has he got a great basic tone that helps move the plot and lore heavy parts of the book along at a good pace, but he also has some excellent takes on the character voices. His powerful voice for the titular character really hits all the right notes, and I love the range of emotion he can bring to this figure. He brings back the classic ‘dragon’ voice for Thorn that featured in the other Inheritance Cycle books, and I loved the somewhat bestial nature to it, as well as the ethereal nature of a mental communication. The rest of the intriguing cast is also well captured by Doyle, and he especially makes the main antagonist pretty sinister at times. This outstanding voice work really drew me into the Murtagh, and I easily absorbed a lot more of the intense detail and lore in this format. Coming in at 24 hours and 32 minutes, this is a pretty long audiobook (it would rank 15^th on my current Longest Audiobook I’ve Listened To list), but it really worth a listen, especially if you enjoyed the original Inheritance Cycle novels in this format.

I think the multi-page ramblings above make it clear that I had an excellent time with Murtagh. Christopher Paolini did an outstanding job of continuing his iconic Inheritance Cycle series, and I loved the compelling direction he is taking this story. I also love how much Paolini appears to have improved as a writer, especially when it comes to complex character work, and I cannot wait to see what the next stage in Murtagh and Thorn’s journey is. Murtagh is very-much worth the read, especially if you grew up reading the Inheritance Cycle books like I did.

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The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell

On February 25, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books8 Comments

Publisher: Gollancz (Audiobook – 3 November 2022)

Series: The Legacy of the Mercenary King – Book Three

Length: 19 hour and 47 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the very last books I read in 2022 might be one of the very best: the latest epic novel from Nick Martell, The Voyage of the Forgotten, which showcases just how much of an impressive, rising talent this outstanding author truly is.

Since 2020, one of my absolute favourite new fantasy authors has been the very, very talented Nick Martell, who burst into the scene in a big way with his elaborate and compelling The Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy. This series started with The Kingdom of Liars, an exceptional book that introduced Martell’s intriguing fantasy world and distinctive protagonist Michael Kingman. The scion of a formerly great family whose patriarch was executed for a murder he didn’t commit, Michael spent most of The Kingdom of Liars trying to prove his father’s innocence while also finding himself dragged into various conspiracies infecting his home city of Hollow. I had an amazing time reading The Kingdom of Liars, and it ended up being one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020. Martell expertly followed his first novel up a year later with the equally incredible The Two-Faced Queen, which continued many of the fantastic story threads from the first book. However, the stakes were raised even further with the protagonist forced to deal with immortals, dragons, assassins, serial killers and more, all while trying to stop the woman he loves from killing him. This was another exceptional read, and The Two-Faced Queen was easily one of the best books and audiobooks of 2021. Naturally, there was no way that I would not read the third and final book in the series as soon as I could. This third book, The Voyage of the Forgotten, was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and I eagerly dove into it just before the year came to a close.

After proving his father’s innocence and restoring his family’s place in Hollow society, Michael Kingman should be happy. However, the closer he comes to victory, the more tragedy and defeat he suffers. Not only is the love of his life, Serena, the queen of Hollow, engaged to a merchant prince with his own elaborate agenda, but dangerous conspiracies centred on Michael seem to emerge from around every corner. His sister is enslaved to an immortal Wolven King who seeks war with his soon to be freed brothers, while his mercenary mentor, Dark, is becoming one of the most dangerous creatures in existence, using his stolen dragon magic to wreak havoc and destruction in the name of love. However, his true enemy remains Angelo Shade, Dark’s father, who seeks to bring back his dead wife and will burn the world, and everything Michael loves, to achieve it.

Thrust once again into this deadly battle of forces outside his league or ability to comprehend, Michael only has his wits, his barely trained magic ability, and a few dedicated friends to fight against the immortal schemers who have spent years bringing their elaborate plans to fruition. However, Michael is well used to being outclassed and underestimated by everyone he goes up against, and he resolves once again to make everyone pay to keep those he loves safe from harm.

Gathering his allies, Michael embarks on a foolish quest to fully understand all the world’s secrets that have long been hidden from him and ensure that he has the weapons to survive. But his course of action will put him at odds with the deadly mercenaries of Regal Company, all three of the ancient Wolven Kings, and even his own mercenary company. Defeating all of them seems impossible, but that has never stopped him from trying before. Can even the legendary stubborn Michael Kingman succeed and achieve his goals of becoming a Mercenary King when fate itself seems set against him? And even if he succeeds, is he willing to pay the terrible price that victory demands?

Wow oh wow, what an epic book. Nick Martell continues to deeply impress me with his captivating story writing ability as he brings this trilogy to a powerful and momentous end that I was instantly addicted to. The Voyage of the Forgotten was a truly exceptional read, loaded with amazing characters, elaborate fantasy lore and an intense story that refused to drop my attention. I can find no higher praise for this book than the fact that I named it one of my favourite books of 2022 well before I had even finished it; the first half was that damn good.

Martell has come up with a pretty epic narrative for The Voyage of the Forgotten, and it is one that I will not forget in a hurry. However, the first thing that I need to say about the story is: if you haven’t read the first two The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings novels, go back and start at the beginning. Martell has loaded the entire series with a ton of intricate and interesting lore, and he starts rapid firing back to the events of the last two books extremely early on in the story. While there is a useful Dramatis Personae, as well as a fun summary of previous events from one of the side characters, which helped to refresh my memory, if you haven’t read the previous books you will get lost very quickly when trying to read The Voyage of the Forgotten. The narrator is constantly making references to previous events, revelations, or characters who only appeared in the prior books, and it can get a little confusing if you don’t know what he is talking about. As such, I would strongly recommend reading (or re-reading) The Kingdom of Liars and The Two-Faced Queen in advance, which is a very small chore considering how amazing they are.

Now, if you’re up to speed on the prior books, you are in for a real treat when it comes to The Voyage of the Forgotten’s story. Told mainly from the perspective of protagonist and calamity-magnet Michael Kingman, Martell weaves together an intriguing, action-packed and character-driven conclusion to the elaborate story he set up in the first two books, which also leaves a lot of room for the larger series to grow in the future. The author once again primarily utilises a chronicle style from Michael’s perspective, which really helps to tell this unique story, especially as it forces Michael’s chaotic and hilarious personality into the story and made every scene seem that little more entertaining and personal.

The narrative itself starts quickly and effectively, with a series of fun battles, big confrontations, and a horde of vengeful dragons, all of which ensures that the reader is quickly reintroduced to the chaotic main character and the multiple tangled webs and conspiracies that he has found himself involved in. The story quickly advances to the main issue of this book as Serena Hollow loses her memory, and Michael is forced into an epic quest to find a cure. This of course leads Michael to fight against the entire world, as everyone is opposed to his quest, and this ends up resulting in multiple intriguing or over-the-top encounters. At the same time, Michael is constantly trying to unravel the mysteries of the world and his many enemies. There are some epic scenes and sequences in this first half of the book that I really fell in love with, and Martell has some fantastic writing chops behind him that makes his outrageous concepts really work and come to life. For example, one of the best sequences in the first half of the book sees Michael trapped in his own mind, forced to experience multiple loops of a historical battle from an ancient time. The constant death and fighting that occurs over innumerable rotations slowly drives the protagonist mad, which Martell captures perfectly in exquisite detail. Partnered with this intriguing sequence are several scenes showing an external view of Michael’s body, which has been taken over by a malevolent entity. This ended up being one of the best moments of the entire book, especially as it has a very fun ending.

In addition to the action, Martell continues to unwind or add to the overlying layers of conspiracies, plots and personal or historical secrets that have always been such a fun part of this series. Several long-running story threads are finally resolved in the first half of the book, and it is so much fun to see Michael finally get quite a few intriguing answers. Martell really does not hold back with the revelations in The Voyage of the Forgotten, and the entirety of the book is loaded with characters unburdening their secrets (at least some of them) or discussing the unique history of the wider world. I absolutely loved every sequence where revelations about this universe and its fun inhabitants came to the surface, and it was fascinating to see how they fit into the wonderful tapestry that Martell has woven throughout this trilogy. This universe building is further enhanced by a series of great interludes with alternate narrators, which show events outside of Michael’s knowledge and experiences. Not only do these help to showcase some of the fun supporting characters from the first two books but it also deepens the narrative and shows what schemes his friends, and more importantly his enemies, are up to, which provides some fun foreshadowing.

Everything really comes to a head in the second half of the book as Michael and his companions are thrust towards their destinies. After several major setbacks and further revelations that show off the sheer scope and intricacies of the story, you and the protagonist are dragged back on the road towards the final epic confrontation. The author sets all of this off perfectly by finally answering some big secrets that have been bedevilling the protagonist since the beginning, and there is a particularly cool twist that makes you rethink every major event of the first two books. I really loved how Martell briefly changed the narration around when this big twist is revealed and had Michael address the audience directly to reveal why he never mentioned certain details in his previous storytelling. This helped to really sell the effectiveness of this major reveal, as well as showcase a previously unseen alternate layer to the character’s personality, and I personally thought that this was bit of pure genius from Martell. All this leads up to the big final confrontation as Michael finally comes face to face with Angelo Shade, the main architect of his family’s pain, as well as some other surprising foes. This big conclusion is everything you would want it to be, with some epic moments, utter tragedy and multiple character arcs coming full circle in all the right ways. While parts of this conclusion do get a bit overly complicated and metaphysical, I felt that it came together pretty damn perfectly in ways that really fit the universe and the controversial main character to a T. Readers will come away from this conclusion both heartbroken and hopeful, and I felt that it was an exceptional and very on-brand ending to one of the more distinctive fantasy trilogies of the last few years.

I honestly think that Martell wrapped this book up extremely well, and my only major disappointment is that there was not more crammed in, as I would have gladly listened to several more hours of it. The exceptional narrative, backed up with extensive lore, amazing character development and the very distinctive writing style helped to make this final book really pop, and I was honestly impressed every step of the way. I was also very happy with how Martell handled the sheer range of extensive storylines that he had set up in the previous books. My main concern before reading the final book was that Martell would be unable to wrap up every storyline or plot point he had set up. Indeed, there are still quite a lot of potential storylines and questions that were unresolved by the end of the book, but Martell is clearly setting up a sequel trilogy of some design in the same universe. Some of the best ongoing storylines have been left to continue in the future, and I for one am very excited for that as I hope to spend many more years getting lost in Martell’s world. I felt that the author was cleverly selective when it came to which storylines ended in The Voyage of the Forgotten, as he chose to close off the ones connected with protagonist Michael Kingman, while leaving others open. This ensures that any future stories will probably focus on some of the other characters that Martell has set up in this trilogy, and indeed it is pretty clear who that will be. I personally look forward to seeing a new take on this universe in the future, and it will be very interesting to see how the narrative continues with a major change in perspective.

One of the things that has always impressed me about The Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy is the elaborate and well-thought-out fantasy world that the story has been set in. Its dark and grim nature, coupled with the intricate history, compelling magic system, and diverse people, has always added so much to the story, and this remains true in The Voyage of the Forgotten. Because he did not shut off this universe completely, Martell was given free rein to continue to expand on his elaborate universe, and boy did he. The reader is treated to a ton of extra information and history about this amazing world, including some of the strongest glimpses about the mysterious Wolven Kings, the world’s various immortals and other unique creatures, and their long-running battles throughout history. There are several glimpses of the past thanks to magic, and you really learn a lot about what previously befall many of the immortal characters and how this affects their current motivations. In addition, several new cities, islands, nations, groups and other great elements are featured heavily in the plot as Michael and his companions explore the wider world and engage on some massive sea voyages. Martell does a great job of incorporating these new elements or character history into his wider narrative, with the protagonists either spending substantial time exploring this information, or else discussing it with the clear intention that it might become a major detail in the future. I really enjoyed how many of the previous novel’s mysteries were answered thanks to world expansion featured in this novel, and it is very clear that Martell has a lot more planned for this fantasy world in the future.

Of course, I also need to mention the cool magical system that Martell features throughout The Voyage of the Forgotten, especially as it has some major and extremely clever implications on the plot. Like the first two books, the main form of magic featured is Fabrication, which forces the user to sacrifice their memories to perform magic. It is actually quite horrifying to see the consequences of Fabrication misuse, as some of the users forget friends, facts or family, and this is often enhanced by the user’s sacrifice or by the fact that they suddenly lose all concept of someone they’d grown close to. However, this is nothing to becoming a Forgotten, someone who has completely lost their memories or sense of self, and this is strong explored in this book. I deeply appreciate the amazing way that Martell utilises this memory loss throughout The Voyage of the Forgotten, especially when it relates to the protagonist, as he often does not remember what he is forgetting, and it is always very heartbreaking when you notice that he, or one of the supporting characters, has forgotten something or someone important. This darker side of magic is well counterbalanced by the various impressive usages that occur throughout The Voyage of the Forgotten, and there are some rather elaborate battles that take place as a result. Martell also does a very deep dive into the origins of magic in this novel, and you find out some interesting facts about Fabrication, as well as other magical disciplines that exist in this universe, many of which have been cleverly foreshadowed throughout the trilogy. I really enjoyed seeing some of the over-the-top magic that was utilised by other characters throughout the various battles, and there are some very interesting moments as a result. It will be very interesting to see what happens to the magic use in the future, especially considering the major changes to Fabrication theory that occurred at the end of The Voyage of the Forgotten, and I look forward to seeing how Martell continues that intriguing plot thread.

While I can go on about the story, setting, magic and writing, for me the true strength of The Legacy of the Mercenary King books has always been the outstanding and extremely complex characters. This remains the case in The Voyage of the Forgotten as Martell brings many of his best characters back for a particularly emotional adventure. There are so many major and dramatic character moments throughout this book as Martell used the end of the trilogy to wrap up multiple character storylines and events. I really appreciated some of the fantastic development and big character moments that occurred throughout this final book in the trilogy, and fans of the first two novels are going to be very moved by what happens to their favourite characters.

The primary focus of the plot is naturally Michael Kingman. Martell has done some real wonders around Michael Kingman in the last two books, and he has ended up being one of the most complex characters you are ever likely to encounter. A highly damaged individual who has had his mind warped by magic, has seen his family destroyed, has been forced to live up to an impossible legacy, and has been kept apart from the love of his life, Michael has had a lot of growing to do in the last two books, and Martell has really laid on the character development. As such, the Michael Kingman in The Voyage of the Forgotten is wiser and more mature than we have previously seen, although he still has some ways to go. However, Martell ensures that this growth continues in this final book, as he keeps trying to become a better person, especially when faced with the certainty of his death and the loss of people he loves. There are some major moments when Michael is forced to face damaging revelations or hard truths and each of them change him in some way, often during a pivotal and well-written scene. Martell also cleverly includes some great secrets about his past and his life that I thought were pretty damn epic, especially as it answers some major questions about his personal history and why he is stuck in the middle of events.

Despite all this, Michael is still the same cocky bastard that he was at the start of the trilogy and his overconfidence, determination and sheer ability to enrage anyone he comes into contact with is so damn entertaining. Seeing normally calm and collected characters trying to deal with the Michael problem always result in some of the funniest scenes, and I loved the often hilarious edge that the character brings to much of the story due to his amusing narration. As such, you find it very hard to dislike Michael, no matter how hard you try, and his unique and heartbreaking tale is one that will appeal to many people. Martell wraps up much of Michael’s great and intense story in this final book and it was very moving to see some of the dark sacrifices the character is forced to make to save his family and fix some of his biggest mistakes. I guarantee you will not be prepared for everything that Michael goes through in The Voyage of the Forgotten, but you won’t be able to turn away as Martell does some dark, yet wonderful things, to his best creation.

In addition, quite a lot of the book focuses on major secondary character Serena Hollow, Queen and love of Michael’s life, who has had a turbulent relationship with her Kingman. This relationship gets even more complex in The Voyage of the Forgotten, especially when Serena becomes a Forgotten without any idea of who she is or what her many responsibilities are. You see a much more free version of the character in this book, and I found the differences between this person and the vengeful queen of the second book to be very intriguing. The continued focus on the relationship between Michael and Serena hits extra hard as a result of this loss of memory, and it is fascinating and moving to see them attempt to rekindle what they had. Honestly, their entire story is pretty tragic in this final book, but I was nice to see a powerful conclusion to their doomed love story and Martell features some damn fine character work when it comes to Serena.

Aside from Michael, The Voyage of the Forgotten features a rich and extensive cast of characters, many of whom are returning from the previous two books. Standout characters include Dark, the mercenary killer who serves as Michael’s mentor and possibly most dangerous foe, as he attempts to find his own way to bring back the dead. Dark is a brilliant character, and I love how Martell has written such an edge of menace around him, although by the events of The Voyage of the Forgotten Michael is pretty much immune to it, resulting in some very entertaining interactions. You also have to love the sinister Angelo Shade as the main antagonist of the book. Michael’s former foster father and the man responsible for his family’s downfall, Angelo has been an outstanding manipulative bugger the entire way through this trilogy, and I loved seeing more of his games in this final book. Watching his elaborate plans come to fruition is pretty amazing, and Martell does a good job continuing to show his past and motivations, ensuring his obsession with bringing back his dead wife is mirrored by Michael’s attempts to save Serena. Other great characters like Naomi, Chloe and Alexis have some fantastic moments in this book as the main supporters of Michael and Serena, and it was great to see some of their storylines. The rest of the cast make some fantastic appearances as well, although it is interesting that several key characters from the first two novels only had minor appearances, and indeed I was a tad disappointed that some figures, such as amusing immortal nobleman, Charles Domet, were barely featured. However, it is clear that Martell is saving them up for future entries in this larger series, and I look forward to seeing what happens to them next. Overall, this was a great cast of characters and Martell should be congratulated on the amazing character work he did.

While I received a massive physical copy of The Voyage of the Forgotten, I chose to listen to the audiobook version of this book when it first came out, and boy was I glad that I did. I have often said that the audiobook format is the perfect way to absorb vast amount of lore and universe elements (at least for me), and, with all the revelations and expansions that Martell featured here, that proved to be a major boon. The story came across perfectly in this format, and you can easily visualise the powerful scenes, battles of wits, and some of the more outrageous actions of the characters, as they are read out to you. It helps that this audiobook was once again narrated by one of my favourite audiobook narrators, Joe Jameson, who has impressed me before with the first two audiobooks in the series, and with his work on King of Assassins by R. J. Barker and the fun Warhammer 40,000 novel, Fire Made Flesh. Jameson always does a remarkable job with his narration of Martell’s books, and his great tones and pacing help to move The Voyage of the Forgotten along at a fast clip. However, the main advantage of Jameson as a narrator is the cool voices he brings out for the characters. While I was not the biggest fan of a couple of his female voices, the majority of his narration was pretty much spot on and I felt that he really showcased the cool personalities and emotions of the key figures. However, the best voice is saved for the main protagonist and narrator Michael Kingman, who Jameson perfectly encapsulates throughout the course of the audiobook. Jameson really gets into Michael’s head with his narration and expertly portrays his personality, emotions and thought process. This great portrayal of the central characters adds so much to overall quality of the entire audiobook, and my enjoyment of The Voyage of the Forgotten as a whole, and I loved every damn second of Jameson’s narration as a result. This honestly was the best way I found to enjoy The Voyage of the Forgotten, and I very strongly recommend it as a result. With a run time of just under 20 hours, it does take a little bit of effort to get through this audiobook, however, it is more than worth the effort as you will have a fantastic time.

If this extensive write-up didn’t give it away, I clearly deeply loved The Voyage of the Forgotten. Nick Martell has wrapped up his The Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy in an exceedingly epic way, and I deeply enjoyed how the elaborate, powerful, and character rich narrative came to an end. This is some of Martell’s best work yet, and if you haven’t experienced this amazing fantasy author’s work yet, you are really missing out. I look forward to seeing how Martell will continue this story in the future, and any follow-up trilogy that will jump to the top of my to-read list the moment it is announced. In the meantime, make sure to check out this exceptional book, as well as the proceeding two novels in the trilogy, as The Voyage of the Forgotten gets one of the easiest five-star ratings I have ever given out.

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Fool’s Gold by Jon Hollins

On December 10, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy2 Comments

9780356507651

Publisher: Orbit (Paperback – 26 July 2016)

Series: The Dragon Lords – Book One

Length: 517 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for all manner of craziness and exceedingly entertaining fun as Jon Hollins presents an amazing book about heists and dragons with Fool’s Gold.

A few months ago, whilst perusing my local book fair, I happened upon a copy of Fool’s Gold by Jon Hollins (a pseudonym for fantasy author Jonathan Wood), which really grabbed my attention. The first book in Hollins’ The Dragon Lords trilogy, Fool’s Gold had a fantastic plot synopsis which involved heists and dragons. I was very intrigued by this cool book, which sounded so very fun, so naturally I made sure to grab it. As a result, it was nice and handy when I was in the mood for a fun fantasy book, and boy was I entertained by this cool read.

In the fantasy land of Avarra, there are many different magical creatures and beings who infest the world and bring all manner of chaos with them. However, no creature is as dangerous, arrogant, and domineering as the dragons, especially members of the destructive Consortium who have taken over the isolated nation of Kondorra and rule it as overlords. Employing a private army, the dragons impose massive taxes on the lands surrounding their lairs, driving the people into poverty and forcing many to lose everything.

It is only a matter of time before something gives, and when Willett Fallows loses his farm to greedy dragon who controls his village, he snaps and becomes a fugitive. On the run, Will finds himself in the most unusual of situations after a chance meeting with four unlikely wanderers in a nearby cave, including a skilled warrior woman, a murderous lizard man, a dragon obsessed academic with explosive magical powers, and his village’s local insane drunkard. Together the five new companions come up with an ambitious plan to steal all the gold from the local dragon lord and make their escape.

However, when their heist unsurprisingly goes wrong the friends find themselves in a surprising position as the nation’s apparent saviours. Suddenly worshipped by a massive following, the companions must find a way to escape both the deadly retribution coming their way and their own insane devotees. But no matter how hard they try, all their plans seem to backfire until they find themselves in the middle of a deadly religious war against the dragons. Can they pull off one more con to destroy the Consortium, or is everyone about to end up dead in a field of fire?

Fool’s Gold is an exceedingly fun and very entertaining read that I was able to finish off in a few days, especially once I got caught up in its exciting and fast-paced narrative. Hollins sets everything up very quickly, with the new fantasy world introduced, the dragon’s control of Kondorra established, and all five of the main characters brought together. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the extremely coincidental meeting that saw all the protagonists meet up in the first few chapters, the story evolves at a much more appropriate pace from there, with the characters quickly planning their theft of the local dragon’s hoard. I was a little surprised at how fast the first heist came about, as I figured it would be a long-term plan that would unfold much later in the book. However, featuring this heist early on really works, as it sets up the rest of the story extremely well while also showcasing early just how crazy and over-the-top this book is going to be. The chaotic results of the first heist see the protagonists incorrectly declared religious saviours destined to bring down the dragons. Suddenly leading a ragtag army, the protagonists are forced to engage in several more attempted heists and plots against other dragons and their minions. While these plans often backfire in very funny ways, the protagonists keep failing upwards and must keep the con going while dealing with a multitude of problems, including deranged followers, immense responsibility, and deep personal issues. This all leads up to the final confrontation with the dragon Consortium, with the characters unleashing their most ambitious plan yet. Watching this final plan come together is pretty damn awesome, and the insane battles and crazy results that follow were so damn epic. I ended up really loving this compelling and very fun story, which Hollins leaves open for some intriguing sequels in the future.

Fool’s Gold is an incredibly fast-paced novel with a great writing style that makes it very easy to power through. The author has a brilliant and wicked secret of humour that infects his writing, and I found myself chuckling the entire way through, not just because of the jokes but because of the insane scenarios that resulted. I was also deeply impressed with how well Hollins brought together several genres to create a compelling and hilarious read. The book initially appears to be a classic fantasy read, as the author quickly and effectively sets up an intriguing new fantasy world at the start of the book, which contains several classic fantasy creatures and elements that are likely going to get expanded on in the sequels. However, it soon becomes apparent that this isn’t going to be a typical fantasy book, especially as the very modern sense of humour and language that Hollins employs gives it a whole new tint. I often enjoy when authors feature contemporary language and attitudes in fantasy novels, and I felt that Hollins uses it to great effect in Fool’s Gold, giving the book a distinctive tone. The author further brings in the brilliant heist elements to the book, which I deeply enjoyed thanks to all the fantastic plans and cons. It proved to be extremely fun to see all these elaborate and weird heists get planned out and executed in a fantasy universe, and it combines extremely well with the humorous tone and fantasy elements of the book. I deeply enjoyed how this captivating story came together, and I can’t wait to see how the next books in the series pan out.

I also really liked the cool characters featured in Fool’s Gold, especially as Hollins came up with a very eclectic and damaged group of central figures. The book primarily revolves around five protagonists, each of whom have multiple chapters told from their perspective and who unite as a team very early in the book. This includes Willett Fallows, the former farmer who turns to heist planning after the dragon’s greed takes everything from him. There is also the fantastic pair of Lette and Balur, a female adventurer looking to settle down and her lizard man companion who loves all forms of violence and is determined to fight and kill the biggest opponents he can find, in this case dragons. There is also Quirk, a former mage turned academic who arrives in Kondorra to study the dragons and finds herself dragged into the group’s plans so she can get a closer look at the dragons and their lairs. Finally, there is Firkin, a local drunk whose failure years ago to defeat the dragons drove him mad and who finds new life during the new adventures.

All five characters are pretty crazy in their own way, and I think they made for quite an intriguing and amusing focus for the narrative, especially all the interesting growth Hollins makes use of. Will’s evolution from a farmer to a master strategist was very well written and I appreciated the compelling examination of how the power he started to wield was potentially corrupting him, especially when he holds the lives of so many in his hands. The inevitable romance between Will and Lette was handled well throughout the book and it came across as a natural and well-developed relationship. Balur, the battle-loving lizard man was easily one of the most entertaining characters in the novel, and I loved seeing his mad rages and various attempts to kill the dragons they encounter, especially as it results in an incredibly funny and hilariously brutal final fight at the end of the book. I was also quite impressed that Hollins was able to keep up Balur’s unique style of speech for much of the story. Firkin’s rise from unpredictable drunk to unpredictable drunken religious mouthpiece and rabblerouser was exceedingly funny in places, especially as you are never quite sure whether he is actually insane or just messing with everyone. I did find his continued crazy speech a bit too much at times, although the occasional hints at his deeper intelligence and sanity made up for that. However, the best character work was probably reserved for Quirk as Hollins really dives back into her history as a child soldier/mage who was gently rehabilitated and taken into the academic lifestyle. Quirk finds herself reverting to her old destructive magical ways throughout the course of the adventure and she must figure out who she truly wants to be. I had a great time with all the cool characters in this book, although I do wish that the greedy and arrogant dragons might have gotten a little more development. Overall, I would say that the characters were some of the best parts of Fool’s Gold and look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

Unsurprisingly, I had a pretty wonderful time with Fool’s Gold and it ended up being as thrilling and compelling as I hoped it would be. Jon Hollins wrote a wildly entertaining and very funny fantasy heist narrative for Fool’s Gold, which came equipped with some great fantasy elements and a bunch of excellent characters. I really enjoyed Fool’s Gold and I will have to try to grab the next two books in the Dragon Lords trilogy, especially when I’m in the mood for some crazy, over-the-top adventure and excitement.

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Dragon Mage by M. L. Spencer

On December 6, 2022February 13, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books4 Comments

Publisher: Stoneguard Publications/Podium Audio (Audiobook – 19 December 2020)
Series: Rivenworld – Book One

Length: 27 hours and 18 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 hours

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Prepare for an epic fantasy adventure with a great classic feel to it, as awesome author M. L. Spencer presents the massive and captivating fantasy novel, Dragon Mage.

Back in 2020, the fantasy book world was abuzz with talk about the compelling and impressive fantasy fiction epic, Dragon Mage by M. L. Spencer, who was already known for her Rhenwars Saga and Chaos Cycle books. While I have not had the opportunity to read any of her previous works, Dragon Mage definitely caught my eye, especially with the very cool cover with the awesome art. While I never got the chance to read this book when it was first released, I did grab an audiobook copy of it and have been looking for an opportunity to listen to it for some time. When I found myself in the mood for some great high fantasy a few weeks ago, I decided it was finally time to listen to Dragon Mage, especially as a future Rivenworld book is apparently on the horizon, and boy did I have an outstanding time with it.

Aram Raythe is a simple lad from a small fishing village in the middle of nowhere. A strange boy with a love of knots and an inability to understand people, Aram thinks that he will go through life alone and hopes for a quiet existence as a sailor. However, Aram has a secret that he has never told anyone: he can see the colourful strands that make up the world, and he can manipulate them to do magic.

When a bard arrives at the village, seeking an apprentice, Aram uses his powers to help the only person who was ever nice to him, fellow teen Markus Galliar, get chosen; however, he is unprepared for the chaos that this action will unleash upon his life. While the bard, who recognises his potential, attempts to take him to safety, Aram accidently unleashes his power to cause a rift in the world. Soon the village is visited by an Exilari sorcerer, who captures Aram and Markus, seeking to drain Aram’s essence and use it to power his own magical abilities.

Aram’s destiny lies not in the torturous extraction cellars of the Exilari but with an order of dragon riders from another world. When fate drags him to them, Aram will find acceptance and friendship for the first time in his life, as well as the opportunity to fight against the Exilari, their dark allies in this new world, and the ancient monsters who control them. But to do that, Aram will need to learn to tap into the massive power lying deep within him and figure out how to use it to become a true Champion, the most powerful beings in two worlds. Can Aram become both a Champion and a dragon rider, and what role will Markus play in his turbulent life?

I am really regretting not reading this book when it first came out. While it was a lengthy read, Dragon Mage proved to be an excellent and captivating high fantasy adventure, and it was exactly what I was in the mood for. Featuring an elaborate and massive narrative, complete with unique fantasy elements and some exceptional characters, Dragon Mage was an outstanding book that gets a full five-star rating from me.

Spencer produced an extremely epic and complex narrative for Dragon Mage that I had a particularly awesome time getting through. Now, I do have to admit that Dragon Mage has a pretty lengthy story and it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to get through it. In addition, the narrative does get a bit slow in places, especially at the beginning, and there were a few points where I struggled to make progress. However, if you set aside the time for it and make an effort to keep going, I guarantee that it is more than worth it, as it unfolds into an epic, multidimensional coming-of-age story that has a real classic fantasy vibe to it. The impressive, self-contained tale within will keep you entertained and stick with you well after you have finished reading it.

The story itself starts off with an extended introduction to the main characters of Aram and Markus, which showcases their personalities, histories and views of the world, while also featuring their first meeting and the start of their friendship. I struggled a little to get through this opening part of Dragon Mage, mainly because I did not initially connect with Aram and his distinctive personality. However, once you get several chapters in, the excitement starts to increase, as you see the full potential of the protagonist, as well as the introduction of a brilliant antagonist, Sergan Parsigal, who really moves the narrative along. He quickly captures the two protagonists, which leads to several brilliant scenes, including an awesome and exciting escape from monsters from outside of reality. From there, the story evolves into more of a magical school narrative, which I naturally loved (see my recent list about favourite books with magical schools in them), although it doesn’t last too long, as Spencer throws in a pretty dark twist and a heartbreaking time skip.

Following this time skip, the story evolves again, with Markus and Aram separated for a while after Markus rescues Aram. The two characters soon develop in different story arcs, with Aram spending time in a completely new world, which sees him finally starts to explore his full potential. After some more chapters in a whole different magical school setting, the main characters converge again, with some great drama. Without going into too much detail, the rest of Dragon Mage keeps building on the plot from the first half of the book, and the characters are thrown into a ton of deadly situations as they continue to grow and discover their destiny. Spencer layers the rest of Dragon Mage with a great combination of adventure, war, character development, training, romance, friendship, conflict and tragedy, which comes together into an extremely powerful narrative. There are some truly epic scenes throughout this second half of the book, and you really grow attached to all the major characters in the book, which Spencer will make you pay for in some dark sequences. Some of the major appeal is watching the slow but steady growth of the protagonist as he evolves from being unconfident and isolated to a powerful hero, helped along by the friendships he forms with those close to him. Everything ends with a massive pulse-pounding confrontation that will keep you on your toes and ensure you cannot put down this book as you wait to see how everything turns out. Readers will come away from Dragon Mage extremely satisfied, and the author leaves open some intriguing storylines for the future, that I hope the author will continue.

One of the things that I particularly appreciated about Dragon Mage was the elaborate and compelling fantasy elements that Spencer introduced. Dragon Mage actually features two separate realities, which were previously joined before being separated into The World Above and The World Below during a historical cataclysm. These worlds can still be journeyed through by breaches caused by magic users and much of the plot revolves around the characters trying to stop an evil plot to recombine the words in a new cataclysm. The book starts off in The World Above, a typical medieval setting which is ruled over by a despotic empire controlled by an order of magicians known as the Exilari, who gain their power through draining the essence of anyone with magical potential. The second half of the book is set in The World Below, which features a range of magical creatures, including dragons, magical horses, and other creatures. The World Below is in the grip of deadly war between an evil demigod (one of several who rule both worlds) and an order of dragon riders, who serve as its primary protectors. Spencer does a great job introducing both worlds throughout the course of Dragon Mage and while they might not be as heavily explored as if there was only one world, you get a good sense of how they different and the histories that surround them. Both are very distinct in their own way and I had a lot of fun seeing both, especially as they provide a compelling contrast to each other as two halves of the same coin. I really like the switch between worlds that occurred halfway through the book and having the focus change to the more magical World Below made for quite an enjoyable and exciting read.

I was also a fan of the unique magical elements contained within Dragon Mage, which, as the name suggests, is big on magic and dragons. The magic itself is quite interesting, if a little ethereal in its description, and there are a few different versions of it. The primary form of magic is shown through Aram’s eyes and is tied into the strands of energy that make up the world. These strands, which only a few people can see, can be manipulated and tied into knots by the magic user for various magical effects. This is a very unique system, and it ties in well with Aram’s peculiarities, especially as he spends much of the early part of the book obsessed with knots without anyone understanding why. This results in some awesome displays of magic, and I found Aram’s perception of the magic and how it works to be extremely fascinating. Other forms of magic include Markus’ magical immunity, natural passive magic from other characters and items, as well as the magic of the Exilari, which they gain be stealing the essence from magic users like Aram. The destructive Exilari make for exceptional villains in this book, especially as they bask in their stolen power in a very creepy way, and I deeply appreciated that Spencer spent the time to explore their organisation, especially as the protagonists spend time in their training facility.

Then of course, there are the dragons, which inhabit The World Below. I always enjoy a good dragon focused story, and this one was pretty fun as Spencer goes for a sentient dragon that bonds with a rider. While this has been done before, I think that Spencer altered it enough, especially as quite a lot of the book is dedicated to them and their place in the world. The author spends a substantial time exploring the bond between human and dragon, and you get to see the entire process, from the initial training of the human recruits, the hatching of the dragons, their bonding, and then their eventual use in combat. There are a huge number of dragon characters in this book, and you get to see inside many of their minds and their bonds, especially as Aram can communicate with all of them. The bond itself is a deep and personal connection, and I loved the scenes that examine how lethally strong it is, with human or dragon rarely surviving the death of their partner. Having the emotional connection to a dragon becomes a key aspect of several of the key characters and it was really moving to see characters who have lost a lot in their life find new companionship with a soul bonded dragon. The subsequent scenes of dragon combat are extremely awesome, and I appreciated that Spencer introduced some equalisers to make sure that they didn’t come across as too overpowered. I had a wonderful time with all the fantasy elements in this great book and Spencer made great use of all her unique or fun elements to enhance and tell a brilliant story.

On top of the elaborate narrative and compelling fantasy elements, I was also very impressed by the amazing characters that Spencer featured in Dragon Mage. The story revolves around an outstanding cast of complex and damaged characters, each of whom brings their own light and pull to the book. Spencer sets all of these characters up extremely well, and while it might take you a while to appreciate a couple of them, once you do, you become extremely invested in their story and want to find out what is going to happen to them next.

The most prominent character in Dragon Mage is the extremely unique character of Aram Raythe, and this book is primarily his story from childhood to adulthood. Aram is a particularly fascinating choice for central protagonist; while he is shown to be a chosen one with great power, he also portrayed as socially inept and with many strange behaviours. I believe that Spencer wrote Aram as an autistic character (or the fantasy equivalent), especially as he is usually described as a Savant. I personally really enjoyed this, as you don’t see a lot of autistic characters in fiction, and it was a great twist on the classic chosen one story. Aram has a very different viewpoint of the world, and once you understand him you find that he is one of the sweetest and nicest fantasy protagonists you are likely to find, and you really start to care. Unfortunately, Spencer decides to punish you for caring for this character, as the author puts Aram through all manner of hell and torture which really ups the emotional impact of the story. Not only does Aram already have a distinct lack of confidence and social issues, but he is also repeatedly tortured and is deeply traumatised for much of the book. There is also a hidden history to his parentage and a ton of secrets that his mentors are keeping from him that will cause him further grief and impact his confidence. Watching him overcome all of this is very moving, and it is nice to seem him find some friends and slowly build up his confidence. Of course, there is still a lot of trauma coming for him, and you will continue to suffer as you watch him grow. Personally, I deeply appreciated Aram’s powerful character arc and it was one of the most enjoyable and compelling things about Dragon Mage. His entire character history and personality really set him apart from other fantasy protagonists and I appreciated the work that Spencer put into developing him and making him so appealing to the reader, especially as it pays off once he finally finds his confidence and starts to truly become a Champion.

While much of the narrative focuses on Aram, Dragon Mage is also the story of Markus Galliar, who befriends Aram early in the story and shares in many of his adventures as they become close. Markus becomes fascinated by Aram and his unique view of the world, especially when Aram tries to help him escape his abusive father. This friendship soon takes on new heights once Markus discovers Aram’s abilities and he starts to become his protector, a job helped by his own immunity to magic. Constantly forced together, they form a strong bond which survives being captured by the Exilari and several other misadventures. Despite being separated several times throughout the book, the two keep getting drawn back together and Spencer writes a great continuous narrative about their strong connection. The two share a very heartwarming friendship throughout Dragon Mage, and I really appreciate the interesting dynamic they form which sees Markus act as both protector and social guide, even when Aram develops his immense power. While this did have the potential to be a bit one-note, and indeed Spencer did feature way too many scenes of Markus worrying about Aram or waiting over his sick bed, I felt that the author featured a great balance with their relationship, which really pays off once Aram matures and becomes a better friend. The author also ensures that Markus develops outside of his friendship with Aram, and he soon becomes his own man, forced to deal with the horrors of his past to survive. Markus ends up being an extremely compelling and well-rounded protagonist and the author used him perfectly in combination with his unique central character.

Aside from Aram and Markus, I also really need to highlight two other excellent major characters in Esmir Revin and Sergan Parsigal. Esmir is a former dragon rider and Warden to the last Champion, who died due to his failure. Locked in his own despair and regret, as well as the distain of everyone around him, Esmir is given new life when he encounters Aram and Markus and begins training them to be Champion and Warden. I really enjoyed Esmir as a character, especially as Spencer really captured his grief, regret, and self-loathing over his past mistakes. Watching him become a gruff, but kind teacher, represented a great redemption arc in the book and I felt that he was a particularly complex and enjoyable supporting figure that the author did a great job with.

I was also really drawn to the character of Sergan Parsigal, who is one of the major villains of Dragon Mage. The Exilari sorcerer who discovers and initially captures Aram and Markus, Sergan is an ambitious and powerful magic user who seeks to turn his discovery to his advantage. Highly arrogant and malicious, Sergan cuts a distinctive and sinister figure throughout the story, even when he appears to be on the protagonist’s side, especially as he spends most of the book gobbling up magical essence to power his own spells. I loved how Spencer portrayed him as both an adversary and a mentor to Aram and Markus at different points of the book and he ends up forming quite a complex relationship with the protagonists. While at times Sergan is shown to be potentially thoughtful and caring, especially during an early conversation with Aram, he keeps reverting to his own selfish form, and he ended up being one of the best and most complex antagonists in this entire story. I had a wonderful time with these brilliant characters and I’m barely scratching the surface, as Spencer featured a range of great supporting figures and villains throughout the novel, all of whom deeply enhanced this amazing narrative.

To check out this impressive fantasy read, I chose to grab Dragon Mage on audiobook, which is my go-to for massive pieces of fantasy fiction like this. With a runtime of over 27 hours (currently the 13^th longest audiobook I have ever listened to), the Dragon Mage audiobook represents a substantial time investment for audiobook fans, although I personally think it was worth it. I tend the find that the audiobook format really enhances my appreciation of the elaborate words that authors create, but it also really brings me into the narrative. This was definitely the case with Dragon Mage, as this format did an outstanding job enhancing the story and I loved hearing all the intense detail about Spencer’s new, unique world and its fantasy elements. It also helped that they got an excellent narrator for Dragon Mage in the form of Ben Farrow, who did a remarkable job here. Farrow is a deeply impressive narrator who perfectly brought this story to life and moved it along at a crisp pace. Not only was he able to recount the massive amount of detail and lore that Spencer fit into the story, but Farrow also came up with a huge selection of fitting voices for all the characters in Dragon Mage. Using a range of different tones and accents, Farrow dove into the cast, and I loved how he was able to capture each character’s essence with his voices. For example, he perfectly showcases Aram’s hope and childlike wonder at the world, while also capturing his fear, uncertainty, and lack of confidence, especially after all the hell he goes through in the early chapters of the book. Other characters are expertly portrayed as well, and I loved how Farrow showcased Markus’ determination, Esmir’s weariness, and even Sergan’s intense arrogance and distain for everyone else. This outstanding voice work helped to turn the Dragon Mage audiobook into something very special, and I had an exceptional time listening to it. I would strongly recommend the audiobook version for anyone interested in checking out Dragon Mage and you are in for an excellent and captivating time if you do.

Overall, Dragon Mage was an amazing fantasy novel that really showcased M. L. Spencer’s skill as an author of epic fantasy. Featuring a captivating narrative that follows great characters around an elaborate new fantasy world, Dragon Mage is exciting, moving and awesome in all the right ways. I had an exceptional time reading this outstanding read and I look forward to seeing how Spencer will follow it up in the future. Recommended reading for anybody looking from some classic fantasy fun.

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Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Books with Dragons on the Cover

On April 26, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, List11 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday participants are tasked with listing their top books that have covers with a specific design element chosen by the blogger, for example books with certain colours, items or animals on their cover. I thought that this was a pretty clever idea for a topic and I decided to go big with it and choose book covers that have the ultimate animal for my list, dragons.

Let’s face it, we all love dragons! They are some of the coolest creatures in mythology, with multiple cultures having their own version or alteration of the dragon in their storytelling traditions. Due to how iconic there are, the use of dragons in storytelling naturally transferred itself across to the world of fantasy fiction, becoming one of the most classic and well utilised monsters or companion creatures in books and movies, such as The Hobbit and the A Song of Ice and Fire series. As such there are multiple book covers out there that feature dragons to some degree and I was curious to see which ones amongst them were my favourite.

To pull this list together, I had a think about all the best books that featured cool dragon-related cover art. There were quite a few of these awesome, dragon-covered novels so I decided to limit myself to only using books that I have actually read. In addition, because dragon-centric series tend to use images of the creatures across multiple entries, I will limit myself to one novel from each franchise, just to create a bit of variety. This still leaves me with a pretty impressive collection of novels to choose from and I had to do some severe cutting to get it down to a top ten list with my typical honourable mentions section. I think the list turned out pretty well as there are some great novels below with awesome dragon imagery on their covers.

I will quickly note that I did have a couple of issues finding good quality pictures of some of the relevant covers I wanted to feature here, particularly for some of the older novels, but I have still tried to feature them as best I can. Apologies in advance if some of them don’t turn out perfect.

Honourable Mentions

The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell

The Voyage of the Forgotten Cover 2

I love the cover but chose to only feature this as an honourable mention as the book hasn’t come out yet.

A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist

A Darkness at Sethanon Cover

A couple of the alternate covers for this great book feature dragons on them, but this was the best looking one of them.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker Chan

She Who Became the Sun Cover

Usagi Yojimbo: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy

A great use of a dragon in the cover, even if the dragon in the title is more of a metaphor for firearms.

Top Ten List:

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

The Shadow of the Gods Cover

An incredible novel with an incredible cover. Easily one of the best uses of dragons in cover art that you are likely to ever see.

Dragonslayer by William King

Dragonslayer Cover Combined

This fantastic Warhammer tie-in novel is spoiled for choice when it comes to dragons on its various covers.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

Guards! Guards! Cover 2

One of the best Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, I love how well the dragon is used, both in this original cover, and in the novel’s exceedingly clever mystery.

Black Leviathan by Bern Perplies

Black Leviathan Cover

An extremely epic and distinctive cover for a fun action fantasy novel. Black Leviathan, which is the English edition of Perplies’s original, German novel, The Dragon Hunter, actually has two fantastic cover variants with dragons on them, although I think the one the English version shown above is a lot more visually impressive.

Black Leviathan alternate cover

The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker

The Bone Ships Cover

All three books in Barker’s The Tide Child trilogy featured iconography of the series’ water-dragons, but I think the first entry, The Bone Ships, looks the best.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

Eldest Cover

You can’t have a dragon-based list without featuring an entry from Paoloini’s Inheritance Cycle. All four novels in this series featured dragons on their cover, although I think that this cover from Eldest was the most striking.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Priory of the Orange Tree Cover

A very beautiful cover for this complex and intricate fantasy novel.

Warcraft: Day of the Dragons by Richard A. Knaak

Warcraft - Day of the Dragon Cover

Several great Warcraft and World of Warcraft tie-in novels feature dragons on their covers, but my favourite of these is Day of the Dragons by Richard A. Knaak, which was an awesome story.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Cover

Was there ever a chance I wasn’t going to feature this classic cover on this list? Of course not.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Cover 2

Dragonclaw by Kate Forsyth

Dragonclaw Cover

The original cover of the first entry in Australian author Kate Forsyth’s The Witches of Eileanan series, Dragonclaw, had a great dragon picture on it, and it serves as an excellent first impression of an amazing fantasy book.

Well, that’s my list. As you can see there are some incredible books out there that make great uses of dragons on their covers. All the above novels are really good, and you will have an incredible time reading them, while also appreciating their stunning, dragon-filled covers. I had a lot of fun coming up with this list, and I will have to think about replicating it with another creature, item or colour in the future. In the meantime, let me know what your favourite books with dragons on the cover are in the comments below.

Call of the Bone Ships by RJ Barker

On January 18, 2021February 22, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books18 Comments

Publisher: Orbit (Trade Paperback – 24 November 2020)

Series: The Tide Child – Book Two

Length: 491 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the biggest rising stars in fantasy fiction, the always impressive RJ Barker, returns with the second novel in The Tide Child trilogy, Call of the Bone Ships, an epic read that was one of the best fantasy releases of 2020.

Welcome back to the boneship known as Tide Child, a black ship of the damned crewed by those condemned to death for various crimes in the Hundred Isles and tasked with fighting in a war against their nation’s rivals, the Gaunt Islanders. Following their first grand adventure, which saw Tide Child save the last of the vast sea dragons from whose bones the powerful ships are made, much has changed in the world. The Shipwife of Tide Child, Lucky Meas Gilbryn, seeks to undermine her mother, the ruler of the Hundred Isles, by working with black ships of both nations to create a new settlement outside of their tyrannical controls. However, their previous decision to save the last dragon has had unexpected consequences, and soon the ocean is alive with the news that more dragons have returned. With their return comes the battle to kill the creatures and harvest their bones to create more ships, as the nation with the most ships will rule the waves. However, the crew of Tide Child find themselves drawn into a different conflict when they chance upon a damaged ship with a hold full of dead or dying prisoners.

Attempting to find out more about the mysterious cargo, Meas and Tide Childs’ Deckkeeper, Joron Twiner, try to follow it to its original destination, only to discover that their new island sanctuary has been destroyed and its people carried off for a nefarious purpose. As they start to fight back against their former comrades in the Hundred Isles, Tide Child finds itself in the midst of a dark conspiracy which will push the entire world into chaos and conflict. A new war is coming to the oceans, and no-one is safe from its deadly consequences.

Well damn, how does Barker keep on doing it? Over the last few years, RJ Barker has been one of the most consistent and outstanding fantasy fiction writers out there, producing several incredible and deeply enjoyable novels. I was a major fan of his debut, The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, as all three novels, Age of Assassins, Blood of Assassins and King of Assassins were amazing reads, with each one being better than the last. However, Barker’s writing was on a whole other level in 2019 when he published the first entry in The Tide Child trilogy, The Bone Ships, an epic read that detailed the trials and tribulations of a condemned crew aboard a ship made from dragon bones. I absolutely loved The Bone Ships and it was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019. Needless to say, I was extremely eager to receive my copy of Call of the Bone Ships, and it was one of my most anticipated reads for the second half of 2020. Unfortunately, circumstances forced me to hold off reading this novel until the end of the year, which I deeply regret as this was another awesome novel from Barker that got an easy five-star rating from me.

For Call of the Bone Ships, Barker has come up with another exciting and amazing narrative which follows a unique group of protagonists on a deadly adventure through a dark fantasy world. Told primarily from the point of view of Tide Child’s Deckkeeper (first mate), Jordon Twiner, this is a massive character-driven story filled with action, intrigue, and betrayal. While the first novel in this series focused on a wild adventure as a ship followed their new captain on a quest to find a sea dragon, this second novel focuses more on the politics of the Hundred Isles, as the Tide Child and their allies attacking as undercover rebels to undermine the cruel ruling hierarchy and determine what their plans are. After an intriguing introduction, Call of the Bone Ships swiftly devolves into a war novel, as Meas and her crew begin to fight back against the oppressive Hundred Islanders who oppose them. At the same time, Joron is forced to deal with a number of personal issues aboard the ship as he finds himself thrust into the midst of danger and betrayal as everything in his life goes to hell around him. The plot of Call of the Bone Ships goes into some dark but captivating directions, and the Tide Child crew are hit with some major curveballs and tragic events. All of this leads up to an impressive conclusion which is highlighted by a major and dramatic cliff-hanger that is going to require any reader of this book to desperately wait for the final entry in this series to be released. While this book was a tad slow to start, especially if you were unfamiliar or somewhat forgetful of the events of The Bone Ships, it eventually resulted in a truly epic and outstanding story that proves impossible to put down once you get wrapped in its intense and captivating narrative. The plot of Call of the Bone Ships has a fantastic flow on from the previous entry in the series and served as an excellent sequel, making great use of several of the story elements introduced in The Bone Ships and more than living up to the hype Barker established with the first The Tide Child novel.

One of the things that I have been most impressed with for this series is the author’s ability to create a gripping and consistently well-written maritime story. Narratives that are primarily set aboard boats are notoriously hard to write, but Barker has risen to the challenge, writing a novel rich in naval and maritime detail, with a major fantasy fiction edge to it. Call of the Bone Ships contains an intense amount of intriguing detail about the coming and goings aboard the ship out at sea and Barker does an amazing job highlighting the various day-to-day actions a crew are expected to undertake, as well as all the unique features that makes a ship in this fantasy universe different from real-world ships. This impressive attention to detail translates extremely well into several naval battles and combat sequences, and it was cool to see the Tide Child engage in battle with other ships in some outstanding and beautifully written sequences. In addition, Barker ensures that every major character in this novel had a real nautical feel to them. Everything about these characters, from the way they spoke to how they act or think aboard the ship made you think of old sea-salts who had spent a lifetime on the waves, which helps to bring an interesting ring of realism to the story. I also really love the intense and encapsulating atmospheres that Barker creates with his excellent writing ability, and you get a real sense of the moods of the entire ship throughout the novel, whether it be despair at something bad that has befallen the ship, or the sense of repetitive boredom that arrives from the ship doing the same action day after day with no break in routine. All of this helps to produce a truly exceptional narrative, and I cannot emphasise how impressive the author’s various nautical inclusions are.

While the series is nominally about the dangerous events that the Tide Child finds itself involved with, in many ways its plot is driven by the growth and development of the main protagonist and point-of-view character Joron Twiner. At the start of this series, Joron was a depressed and embittered young man who was unjustly forced aboard the black ship and made its Shipwife due to his lack of courage and determination. But after meeting Meas and beginning to serve under her, Joron has become a competent officer who has the respect of most of his crew and who is now dedicated to Meas and her mission. Call of the Bone Ships turns out to be a major novel for Joron as he participates in several adventures and battles, showing his skill as a commander, warrior and leader throughout the novel. However, participation in these adventures has severe consequences as Joron gets beaten down and broken apart multiple times from injuries, betrayal and personal tragedy. Watching Joron suffer is quite a hard part of this novel as the reader becomes extremely attached to him due to his likeable personality and sheer determination. However, it is worth it to see Joron rise again as a stronger and much more developed person, and this ended up being a fantastic part of his personal story arc. A lot of this book is also dedicated to Joron’s mysterious ability as the caller, someone who is prophesied by the Gullaime (the enslaved avian wind mystics who provide power to the ships) as a great saviour. Joron, who first experienced these powers while calling a sea dragon to his aid, continues to develop certain abilities which prove to be rather effective and spectacular throughout the novel and opens up a lot of opportunities for the character. The end of Call of the Bone Ships leaves Joron in an extremely intriguing position, and I am deeply curious about how his story will end in the final novel.

In addition to his complex protagonist, Barker also includes a literal raft of impressive and captivating characters, most of whom serve as members of Tide Child’s crew. These great characters each have distinctive personalities and add a great deal to the narrative. The main side character is easily Lucky Meas, the Shipwife of Tide Child who has turned her ship from a bastion of reprobates to a group of heroes with a noble purpose (mostly). Meas is a truly inspirational character who has served as a close mentor to Joron and who continues to lead her crew with wisdom, experience, and humility. Meas was a little less utilised in this novel than in the first book, with Joron taking more of a lead now that he has some command experience. She was still a fantastic and distinctive character within this latest novel, and I really enjoyed where her personal story arc went, even though we still do not have that much information about her backstory. Another great character was Tide Child’s ultra-powerful Gullaime, who continues to work along the crew, especially Joron, who has a special connection to the creature. The Gullaime also has a rather intriguing arc in this novel, and it is clear that he will play a rather substantial role in the ending of the overall series. The mysterious bird creature also develops a lot more as a character in this novel, especially after encountering different members of his species, although he continues to provide his entertaining tirades of broken speech to the crew. The rest of the crew prove to be extremely compelling, and I liked the fact that Barker spent time expanding out the roles and personalities of a huge number of side characters, including giving several of them brief point-of-view chapters. However, in some of these cases it did seem that the author only gave these characters more of a role so that he could then brutally kill them off, much to the heartbreak of the reader. A number of these characters do get some rather substantial and enjoyable story arcs, and it will be interesting to see where the remaining members of the crew end up in the final book.

I have a lot of love for the dark and elaborate fantasy worlds that Barker creates in his novels, and the one featured in The Tide Child series is particularly amazing. I deeply enjoyed this harsh and cruel world of small islands, deadly seas and warring nations, especially with the cool gender-bent world (for example, captains are known as Shipwives, while boats are referred to as him). I really enjoyed returning to this amazing and creative world, especially as it proves to be an incredibly rich setting for the novel’s awesome and addictive narrative. Barker does some excellent world-building in this second entry in the series, and you get some cool features, such as different groups of Gullaimes who lack wind powers but serve as jailers for their powered brethren, some new powers for the characters and some intriguing new locations. All of this helped to create a more elaborate and impressive narrative and it is always cool to see more of this grim and deadly fantasy universe, especially as Barker’s awesome writing bring so many of the more impressive elements, such as the giant dragons, to life in such epic fashion.

The final thing I wanted to praise about Call of the Bone Ships were all the little details featured within the paperback version of the novel, that I would have previously missed in the first The Tide Child novel due to me checking out The Bone Ships in audiobook format. I definitely have to highlight the impressive and intricate cover above, which was drawn by talented artist Edward Bettison. The covers for this series are extremely cool, and I cannot wait to see what amazing design the artist comes up for the final entry in the series. I also really liked the awesome artwork that was featured within the novel. Not only is there a fantastic and detailed map at the very front of the book but there is also some sweet artwork at the start of each chapter, which depicts locations, creatures and characters from within the book. Barker has also featured a short index at the end of the novel which contains some of the crew titles that were created for the series, detailing what each crew member is supposed to do. All of these details are great and eye-catching inclusions to the novel, and I felt that it made Call of the Bone Ships just a little bit more special.

Call of the Bone Ships by RJ Barker was another epic and outstanding novel that shows why Barker is one of the most impressive new fantasy talents in recent years. This incredible sequel to 2019’s The Bone Ships contains an exceptional and addictive story at sea, featuring rich and complex characters and all set within a creative and vibrantly dark fantasy world. The combination of these awesome elements helps to create a captivating and powerful read which turned out to be one of the best books of the year. I cannot recommend this novel enough. If you have not found out about RJ Barker yet, you are really missing out!

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Black Leviathan by Bernd Perplies

On March 9, 2020November 5, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn English Translation, Fantasy4 Comments

Black Leviathan Cover

Publisher: Tor (Trade Paperback – 25 February 2020)

English Edition Translated by Lucy Van Cleef

Length: 331 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out 5 stars

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Get ready for an exciting fantasy adventure from acclaimed German author, Bernd Perplies, with Black Leviathan, an extremely fun and inventive novel that is essentially Moby Dick with dragons.

Bernd Perplies is a best-selling German fantasy and science fiction writer who debuted in 2008 with his first book, Son of the Curse Bringer. He has since authored several different series, including the Star Trek Prometheus trilogy, which he co-wrote with Christian Humberg and which were the first Star Trek books licensed to be written outside of the United States. Black Leviathan was initially released back in 2017 in Germany under the title The Dragon Hunter, and it is the first book in his Sea of Clouds series. This is the first one of Perplies’s solo books to be released in English (his Star Trek books got an English releases), and it was translated by Lucy Van Cleef.

Welcome to the Cloudmere, a floating expanse of thick cloud, mists, floating islands and mountain tops high above the ground. Thanks to the magical kyrillian crystals, which allow anything holding them to float in the air, airships now also fly through the Cloudmere attempting to harvest the useful resources available in this harsh landscape. The most valuable of resources come from the dragons, the ferocious beasts that soar amongst the clouds and mountains. Various species of dragons exist, each with their own special talents and defences, and each of which are valuable in their own way. However, hunting dragons is a dangerous occupation, and only the bravest, the most skilled or the extremely desperate set out into the Cloudmere as a drachenjäger, a dragon hunter.

Lian is a young man living in the floating city of Skargakar. The city’s entire economy revolves around the hunting and processing of dragons, and Lian himself makes a small earning carving kyrillian crystals. Lian also looks after his father, Lonjar Draksmasher, a famed drachenjäger of yesteryear whose injuries have driven him to drink. But when Lonjar is murdered in front of him, Lian instinctively gets revenge on the criminal who killed him, and now needs to get out of town quickly or face the wrath of his victim’s father, the most dangerous crime lord in the city. Taking up his father’s magical hunting spear and accompanied by his best friend, Canzo, Lian seeks work aboard one of the many drachenjäger ships leaving the city. The only one willing to take them on is the infamous Carryola.

Boarding the Carryola they find themselves working with an eclectic and effective crew of drachenjägers, and Lian believes that he has reached relative safety. However, the captain of the Carryola, Adaron, has an obsession that may prove to be the doom of Lian and the rest of the crew. Adaron is determined to hunt down and kill the Firstborn Gargantuan, a rare Black Leviathan dragon, a creature out of legends and one of the most destructive beings lurking in the Cloudmere. Now caught between a powerful dragon and a crazed captain, Lian must find a way to survive, but he quickly learns that death is always lying just around the corner in the Cloudmere.

This turned out to be a fantastic and deeply enjoyable fantasy adventure novel which I had an absolute blast reading. Black Leviathan features a fast-paced and action-packed story of a group of dragon hunters flying around in the sky chasing after a mythical and gigantic dragon, and what’s not to love about that? Perplies introduces a ship full of distinctive and compelling characters (most of whom you shouldn’t get too attached to), including an obsessive and ruthless captain, and sets them up against a powerful foe. This results in quite a fun and exciting novel, and I enjoyed some of the intriguing directions that Perplies took the story. While some elements of the story are a little bit typical of action adventure novels, such as characters whose death is a foregone conclusion the moment you meet them, this was an excellent story that is extremely easy to enjoy, and very hard to put down.

One of the best parts of Black Leviathan is the clever and inventive new world that Perplies has created as a backdrop for his fun story. The author did an outstanding job producing a unique fantasy world up in the clouds, filled with all manner of sentient races, exotic locations and intriguing magical technologies, all of which prove to be really fascinating to explore throughout the course of the story. The Cloudmere is an amazing location for a fantasy novel, and I really enjoyed seeing an entire book spent up in the clouds, either in floating cities or aboard magically powered airships. However, the highlight of this new world has to be the various species of dragons that roam the Cloudmere and dragon hunters that chase after them. Black Leviathan features a world where dragon hunting is a vast and profitable industry, and it is really quite interesting to see the various aspects of dragon hunting and its subsequent applications within this novel. There are some obvious similarities between this fictional dragon hunting industry and the real-life historical whale hunting industry and was really cool to see Perplies reinvent this iconic historical trade with fantasy creatures, floating ships and a sea of clouds.

The dragon hunting aspect of the book also results in some pretty incredible action sequences. There are some really exciting and fun dragon hunting scenes featured throughout Black Leviathan and watching the crew of an airship attempt to take down a dragon in mid-air was easily some of my favourite parts of the entire book. Perplies came up with some very clever hunting techniques for his drachenjäger, and it was very cool to see all of them unfold, especially as many require the protagonist to jump onto the back of the targeted dragon and kill them while riding on their back. This fantasy world also has many different types of dragon with a variety of different abilities (some breath fire, some have sword-like tails), each of which results a different sort of hunt with its own range of difficulties. Of course, the biggest hunt of all is when they catch up with Gargantuan, the titular Black Leviathan, the largest and most powerful dragon in the Cloudmere. That hunt goes about as well as expected, and it was extremely exciting to see the crew attempt to use their tried-and-tested techniques against this beast.

I mentioned at the start of this review that Black Leviathan was a bit like Moby Dick. That is because it features a captain who is obsessed with killing a specific rare beast who wronged him years ago, in this case a black dragon rather than a white whale. The entirety of this feud is actually shown in this book, as the first two chapters deal with Adaron’s first ship getting destroyed by Gargantuan, with nearly all his friends dying, including his fiancé, whose hand he was holding when she was eaten (with Adaron left holding her severed arm). As a result, the Adaron we see in the present is a much harder man who bears a great hatred for all dragons and is determined to find and kill Gargantuan no matter the cost. This results in a great story of obsession and hatred as Adaron scours the Cloudmere for his prey, while also attempting to kill any other dragon he comes across. The author has done a great job showing Adaron as an eccentric and damaged character from the first time the protagonist meets him. Not only does he order his own whipping every time a member of his crew gets killed by a dragon but he also keeps the skeletal hand of his fiancé in his cabin as a constant reminder of his mission to kill his prey. However, as the book progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that his obsession with finding Gargantuan has driven him insane. Not only does Adaron sacrifice his crew’s safety to locate the dragon but he ignores the concerns of the people serving under them and he even utilises dark practices to find his prey. This all results in a great final showdown with Gargantuan at the end of the book, and I think that the author did an amazing job concluding this captivating story arc.

Black Leviathan by Bernd Perplies is an excellent and deeply enjoyable fantasy adventure that combines a great central story with an extremely creative fantasy world to create a compelling and fun read. This book is filled to the brim with action and adventure and is guaranteed to get any fantasy lover’s pulse racing. I really loved this book, and I look forward to any future English releases of Perplies work. I do note that Perplies released a second book in this series in 2018, The World Finder, and hopefully we’ll get to see that in English in the next year or so.

u1_978-3-596-29671-2

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The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker

On December 27, 2019February 22, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books29 Comments

Publisher: Hachette Audio (Audiobook – 24 September 2019)

Series: The Tide Child – Book One

Length: 17 hours and 2 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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From one of the brightest new stars in fantasy fiction, R. J. Barker, comes The Bone Ships, a remarkable and extremely captivating new adventure that can be described as Gaunt’s Ghosts meets Moby Dick in an incredibly inventive new fantasy world.

Barker has been making some serious waves in the fantasy genre over the last couple of years, ever since bursting onto the scene in 2017 with his debut novel, Age of Assassins, which started The Wounded Kingdom trilogy. He quickly followed this up in 2018, when he released the second and third books in this trilogy, Blood of Assassins and King of Assassins. I absolutely loved all three books in this trilogy, although I haven’t yet reviewed King of Assassins. Spoiler: it does get five out of five stars from me and recently made my Top Ten pre-2019 Books list.

As a result, I was very excited earlier in the year when I found out that Barker was writing a whole new series. The Bone Ships is the first book in The Tide Child series, and it has been pretty high up on my to-read list for a while, as I have featured it on both my Top Ten Most Anticipated July-December 2019 Releases and my Top Ten Books I Would Like to Read by the End of 2019 lists. I ended up listening to the audiobook version of The Bone Ships, narrated by Jude Owusu, and what I found was an excellent and inventive fantasy read that might just be one of my favourite books of 2019.

For generations the rival nations of the Hundred Isles and the Gaunt Islands have been fighting each other for dominance of the vast oceans that make up their world. In order to fight this bitter conflict, great ships of war were constructed using the bones of the giant sea dragons, the arakeesian, as only these boneships could withstand the rigours of battle and all the horrors the seas contain. However, years of warfare and shipbuilding has taken a terrible toll, as the arakeesian are now all extinct, and both sides’ supplies of dragon bone are nearing their end.

Of all the remaining boneships in the Hundred Isles fleet, none are considered lower than a black ship. Black ships are ships of the dead, where every crewmember aboard has been condemned to die in shame, unless they can redeem themselves through some great act of bravery. However, the crew of the black ship Tide Child have no intention of performing any acts of bravery, and they and their shipwife, Joron Twiner, are content to drink themselves into oblivion—that is, until the arrival of “Lucky” Meas Gillbryn.

Meas is one of the most respected and feared commanders in all the Hundred Isles, but she has recently been disgraced and banished to Tide Child. Quickly taking control of the ship from Joron, Meas works to turn Tide Child and its crew around and make it into an efficient and proud crew of sailors, because they have a dangerous mission to undertake. The first sea dragon in a generation has been spotted, and whichever side hunts it down and claims its bones will gain a distinct advantage in the war. However, Meas has a different plan in mind, and sets out to protect the dragon from all who want it. Facing off against rival ships, raiders, pirates and treachery from within, can the crew of Tide Child survive to become the stuff of legend, or will their death sentence finally be carried out?

Well damn! Now that was a pretty awesome read! This latest offering from Barker was a superb and elaborate tale of redemption, adversity, camaraderie and adventure on the high seas. Not only is it based on an inventive premise and an elaborate new fantasy world but it contains a first-rate and compelling story that I absolutely loved. This is an absolutely fantastic story which is paced out extremely well and, after the necessary introductions, quickly turns into an addictive yarn with a number of clever elements to it. The end result is a powerful and enjoyable tale which is a wonderful self-contained story but which also sets up some intriguing storylines for any future instalments of this new series.

At the heart of The Bone Ships is an excellent story of camaraderie, respect and selfish people coming together to be part of something bigger. The main setting for the book, the boneship Tide Child, is completely crewed by condemned men and women, most of whom have given up on any form of redemption and are more concerned with petty crime and getting drunk. However, when Meas enters the picture, she quickly turns them into an efficient crew and reignites their pride as sailors and soldiers for their nation. This evolves into a really good redemption arc, as the entire crew really starts to come together as a close-knit team and are eventually given a task which could make them all heroes. The vast majority of the crew subsequently rise to the challenge, so much so that their usually hard-as-nails and determined shipwife is at one point willing to sacrifice everything to save them. This is a pretty fun and amazing part of the story, and it helps that Barker spends time introducing a number of key members of the crew and building them up as likeable characters. There are quite a few fantastic and enjoyable characters scattered throughout the story, and their inclusion really helps the reader grow to care about the people on the ship.

The best character relationship in the book can be seen between the two main characters, Joron Twiner and Meas. Joron is book’s point-of-view character and starts the story off as a drunken, apathetic wreck. Upon losing the position of shipwife to Meas, he expects to be placed at the bottom of the ship’s pecking order, but Meas keeps him on as her deckkeeper (first mate), despite her evident low opinion of him. Throughout the course of the book, these two characters grow closer and eventually become something closer to friends, while at the same time they both show considerable growth as characters. Meas spends a lot of time mentoring Joron, and he slowly moves on from his personal despair to become a respected and capable officer on the ship. Moreover, Joron slowly begins to lose the resentment he holds for Meas for taking his position as shipwife, and starts to really respect her, and see why she is a better commander of the ship. At the same time, Joron also starts to better understand what drives Meas, and why she is so determined to succeed in her mission. The two make for a wonderful partnership, and I think that Barker did a particularly fantastic job with the character of Meas, and I loved his portrayal of her as a rough, tough captain with a secret heart of gold.

While all the character elements I mention above are pretty spectacular, to my mind, one of the most striking and enjoyable things about The Bone Ships is the excellent nautical elements that the author was able to work into the story. I have to say that I was very impressed that Barker, whose previous series was set entirely on land, was able to come up with a detailed and exciting story set mostly aboard a ship, especially as he was utilising these elements for the first time in this book. The author installs a huge amount of nautical detail into his story, and the depictions of life and work aboard a ship of war was pretty amazing, so much so that at times, the reader feels like they are actually aboard this ship. I felt that Barker did an amazing job of combining these cool nautical details with the new fantasy elements he introduced in this book to produce a truly unique adventure on the high seas. I also loved all the shipboard action and combat that occurred throughout the course of the book. There were some really elaborate battles set throughout the story, from an attack on the Tide Child from a flotilla of smaller boats, to a wide-ranging battle between opposing groups of larger ships. The utilisation of unique tactics and fantasy elements, such as powerful crossbows, wind magic and the fact that they are fighting above a giant sea dragon, make for some truly thrilling and exciting battle sequences, which were an absolute treat to read. I am so glad that Barker decided to set this story on the open seas, as it made for truly amazing novel.

One of the other things that I liked about The Bone Ships was the excellent new dark fantasy world that Barker created for this new series. Barker has a real talent for this, as seen in The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, and he did it again for this latest book, where the reader is given a fascinating glimpse into a large, ocean dominated world, with all manner of unique fantasy elements in it. This new world is a harsh and deadly place, filled with a huge number of deadly sea beasts that can kill a man in a number of gruesome ways. Into this, Barker also introduces a fun new ship-based culture, complete with a matriarchal society, an intriguing religion and enslaved wind-controlling bird-people. In addition, the two nations that are showcased in this first book are locked in a massive, generations-old conflict, which has completely consumed their societies. I felt that the author did a good job of introducing all the elements of his new world to the reader in a timely and complete manner, and there was never any deficit of knowledge that reduces the reader’s enjoyment of the book. There are so many tiny details that Barker installs in this world, such as the use of paint for good luck, the rarity of metals (island nations, not much room for mines) and the gender bending of ship names and titles (ships are thought of as male, while the captain is called shipwife, no matter their actual gender). All of this, as well as the cool new fantasy elements that Barker comes up with for the story, such as the giant sea-dragons whose bones are used for shipbuilding (what a concept!), make for an exceedingly fascinating background for this fun story.

As I mentioned above, I chose to listen to the audiobook version The Bone Ships, narrated by the talented Jude Owusu. It ran for just over 17 hours in length, which I was able to power through extremely quickly, especially once the story really got going. I have to say that I was really glad that I decided to utilise the audiobook format, as I felt that it helped me visualise all the cool action and excitement that was occurring aboard Tide Child. In addition, I always find that the audiobook format helps me appreciate all the details of a story’s universe, and this was definitely true for The Bone Ships, as I was really able to dive in and fully experience the great new fantasy world in all its glory.

I also have to say how impressed I was with Jude Owusu’s excellent narration of this audiobook. Owusu has a fantastic voice, which I felt really fit into the nautical theme of the entire book. He also comes up with some very distinctive and fitting voices for the various characters that feature within the book, which I felt helped bring out many of these characters personalities. I was particularly impressed with the harsh and commanding voice that he utilised for Meas, and the various sequences where she was barking out orders and threats aboard the ship were a real treat to listen to, as it perfectly encapsulated the shipwife. Other standout characters that Owusu brought to life include Mevans, who the narrator gifted with an exceedingly cheerful voice which fit his personality perfectly, and the mysterious Gullaime, whose narration contained a certain birdy quality to. I also have to commend the real and obvious enthusiasm that Owusu brought to the role. I have always found that enthusiastic narrators can make an audiobook truly come to life, and Owusu was a really good example of this. Not only did his voice contain some noticeable excitement when he narrated the various action sequences throughout the book, but he really got into voicing elements of the story, such as the various shanty-like rhymes that Barker installed throughout the story, or the various nautical response of the crew. The way that he shouted out “Ey” (the sailor’s way of saying yes) multiple times throughout the book was a lot of fun, and I could feel the infectious enthusiasm of the crew while he did this. The sheer passion and vocal skill that Owusu puts into this audiobook is just fantastic, and I cannot recommend this format enough, as it was an amazing way to enjoy this epic book.

The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker is an absolutely outstanding read that I cannot recommend enough. Barker is quickly becoming one of the most impressive new fantasy authors out there, and he honestly gets better with every book he writes. The Bone Ships had so many cool elements to it, and any readers who check it out will be quickly hooked by its captivating story and bold adventure. I cannot wait to see where Barker will take this story next, and I would strongly encourage any reader looking for their next amazing fantasy tale, to check out this great new book. Also, how awesome is the cover for this book!!

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