Once dubbed “The Deadliest Man Alive,” Jarrod Torrealday is a former Olympic saber hopeful and medieval weapons expert banned from competition for killing another fencer in a duel. A young sorcerer from another world offers Jarrod the gig of a lifetime and a shot at redemption: advisor to the war council for a magical realm teetering on the brink of collapse, with a foreign army massing just … beyond its borders. Swept into a treacherous and deadly world of intrigue and conspiracy, Jarrod soon learns that the enemy mastermind is also from Earth, and has laid the foundations for a new kind of war. Seamlessly blending hard science with elements of classic sword and sorcery, Dragon’s Trail is an international bestseller that’s being hailed as the pioneering work of a new genre: the Fantasy Technothriller.
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Dragon’s Trail is a portal fantasy where an a modern warrior travels to a fantasy world to show off his weapon and martial arts expertise… not to mentions his modern steel weapons and armor. Mr. Malik demonstrates a knowledge of weapons and combat that most writers don’t demonstrate, and although some it it goes over the top for me, as do most action/adventure/thriller type heroes, it was still enjoyable. And as mentioned, the technical knowledge of the writer sets the book apart a little bit.
I came across Malik’s work through one of his writer’s columns which resonated with my experience, and grew very curious to see the results of Malik’s efforts. I picked up Dragon’s Trail at the soonest opportunity, and enjoyed it tremendously.
*** What to expect
An epic fantasy story, wherein a modern-day protagonist is taken from Earth to another world to act as a champion. We are with him as he learns about the politics, culture, and conflicts of the world. Occasional shifts to other point-of-views are interspersed for good dramatic effect.
While the technology is roughly migration-era medieval, society is different than Earth’s (more modern attitudes to women’s roles). Magic is there in the background, and isn’t of the spell-slinging variety. These, taken with the protagonist’s modern vernacular, lead to a classic epic fantasy combined with interesting twists.
*** What I liked
The realistic depiction of historical arms and armour, as well as fighting techniques. The violence is sudden and extremely gory, with the effects and after-effects of the associated adrenaline rush making it all very realistic.
I liked the details in the world-building, the light-touch of magic, and the occasional in-character humour (the scene buying the horse made me chuckle). It’s interesting to see how someone highly trained with some limited access to modern tools approaches a medieval society, and the resultant mayhem.
The intelligent language and evocative descriptions lead to an immersive and entertaining read. The concise storytelling style leads to a fast paced adventure. Malik strikes an excellent balance.
*** What to be aware of
There is an almost fanatical obsession with arms and armour, and those subjects are discussed in depth. For someone with martial arts experience and interest like me this is very engaging, but other readers may find this very much a “guy story”. There isn’t a great emotional journey for the protagonist (in fact, at time he can be a jerk), but rather this is a very plot-driven epic story of a hyper-competent swordsman leading war in some unconventional ways.
*** Summary
If you love HEMA and want to see some realistic sword fighting in your epic fantasy, this is very much the book for you. Malik achieved his goal, and this book is just as good as many traditionally published epic fantasies. Though the book is self-contained, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the just-released sequel.
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Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic – for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
Kind of reminds me of the “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” theme, or the 1632 Series, but with a mix of sword and sorcery along with sword weapons made by modern day methods and tech. Great hero and very sympathetic.
Can’t stop reading this seriesI get every new book of this author as soon as it comes out. Action packed and spellbinding. Can’t wait until the next one.
Having been an avid reader of all sorts of fiction (particularly historical & fantasy) for 5+ decades, I can honestly say I’ve never read a book quite like Dragon’s Trail. The humans, the other humanoids, the animals, the realm, the humor! All are compelling & addicting. Did I need to look up descriptions & photos of some of the uber-complex weaponry, military gear, & martial arts moves described by Mr. Malik? Absolutely! But that’s part of the allure of this book. It challenges the reader’s imagination… BIG time. The fact that Malik has been deployed back to duty in the Reserves means fans of DT will be forced to wait indefinitely for the second book in his series. Sigh. I’ve no doubt it will be worth it. But if I’d known how hooked I’d become by Jarrod Torrealday’s saga, I’d have waited to read it – until there were multiple installments already in print. By comparison, everything in my library looks pretty lacklustre right now!
I have just one question for Mr. Malik… other than manuals & research material, what do you read for fun?
I read a lot of mediocre books through Book Bub, but this wasn’t one. This book was so engaging that when I was done, I looked for the sequel. I was irritated that it hadn’t been written yet. Character development and motivation are probably the weakest elements in this book, but even so, the story carried my interest. It was a fun read.
Cool concept, lots of action and gratuitous violence. Excellent way to spend a rainy afternoon. Make sure you have a dictionary to keep up with the sword fighting terminology.
Waiting for the next one!
This action/adventure tale was great fun to read. The two modern day characters easily transitioned between worlds and gave a fun twist on the usual super-hero saves the world story. I liked the practical, humorous viewpoint of the two H’s. Look forward to the sequels!
Tried this book because it was really inexpensive and ended up really enjoying it. Prologue almost put me off, but the rest of the book was very enjoyable.
Fun to read, world is believable. ending is a little uneven.
I put my review on Amazon. This guy is a keeper. I will read everything he ever writes.