Kellogg Writers Series Whirling Prize WinnerBig Al’s Books & Pals 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards – Fantasy NomineeIn a land haunted by the legacy of dead dragons, Rowen Locke has been many things: orphan, gravedigger, mercenary. All he ever wanted was to become a Knight of Crane and wield a kingsteel sword against the kind of grown horrors his childhood knows all too well. But that dream … too well. But that dream crumbled–replaced by a new nightmare. War is overrunning the realms, an unprecedented duel of desire and revenge, steel and sorcery. And for one disgraced man who would be a knight, in a world where no one is blameless, the time has come to decide which side he’s on.
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Wytchfire by Michael Meyerhofer is the first book in The Dragonkin Trilogy. Rowen Locke has always dreamed of becoming a Knight of the Crane, but with war looming Rowen has to decide where he stands.
First I have to say WOW!!! I was thoroughly blown away by this story. It is your typical sword and sorcery tale, but yet it isn’t. Yes, it has the good vs. evil. Yes, it has magic. And yes, it has battles, and lots of them. But, what isn’t typical is the fact that you won’t find your typical races. You won’t find dwarfs, elves, orcs, and the like. This tale has a host of very different races. It was very refreshing to meet these new races and still have the feel of a sword and sorcery tale.
This story is very well written with vivid descriptions, and amazing world building. The characters are flawed, which makes them stand out from the pages and become flesh and bone. The dialogue is entertaining with a few laughs here and there.
I highly recommend this trilogy because it is well written with a host of new races, and lots of excitement.
*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
War is marching across Ruun and the Free Cities are falling. As the army reaches Lyos it appears that Fadarah, General of the Throng, has made a serious tactical error. Or has he? The battle for Ruun has been waging on for months, but the battle for Lyos is the pivotal one. Where does Silwren, Rowen Locke and the Isle Knights fit into this grand scheme? Are they pieces falling into place or monkey wrenches gumming up the works?
Wytchfire is full to the brim with epic fantasy. It’s a rich new world for me to explore with several different kinds of people, magic, fantastic history and medieval-type settings, but war, famine, disease, poverty and prejudice have made it into an ugly place. Told from several POVs the threads of this story are slowly woven into the beginnings of a complex tapestry. By the time this first book of the trilogy ends I have a better understanding of where this story is heading. And I have a feeling it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.
The writing is superb. It flows so smoothly and quickly that it took no time at all to be lost in the tale. The characters are well-developed and very real. I felt as if I could glance up and see them standing in front of me. I especially like Rowen, but there are others I like as well. Even the villains are, well, not likeable per se, but they pull me in two directions. At times I loathe them then they do something to make me pause and say, yeah, I can see why they are doing what they are doing. However, what they are doing is pretty damn fucked up. So, conflicted much? There are very rarely people who fit into an all or nothing category. People are shades of grey and those are the best characters to read about. They make me think, what would I do if I were them? Could I go that far?
This is an excellent start to a wonderful epic fantasy and I look forward to reading more about Rowen, Silwren, Shade, Fadarah, Aeko and all the others as the next stage in the war begins. Plus, you know, there are swords. What can I say? I have a thing for swords. 😀