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danerichter's review
3.0
If Han Solo had his own spin off series then James Austin McCormick’s Dragon would be the closest thing to it. Sillow, a green-skinned, child-like elf, is a likeable rogue smuggler with a penchant for drinking, smoking and using his mouth to find trouble. Step in his companion, Altus Brok, a tall, hulking warrior who is often the one to get his diminutive friend out of said trouble.
In their way is the evil aristocratic Tuolon, Hana Gax a lizard-like warlord bent on bringing destruction to the entire galaxy. What happens when you put the two heroes in Gax’s impossible-to-escape scenarios? You will have to read to find out, but I can say McCormick brings his own unique brand to the escape-by-the-skin-of-your-teeth situations and I must say that I was surprised by a few of the outcomes.
Painstaking care has been taken, down to what some would consider the minor details, but I certainly appreciated them, like the aptly named races. Sillow the silver-tongued Sylvan, Brok the herculean Hurkulun, or the Merdine - crustacean-like people and Nerius, a somewhat nefarious character.
World building is a bit light on for this reviewer’s liking but McCormick more than makes up for it with his fast-paced story and action-packed narrative. This sci-fi space opera would make a great audio book and sign me up as a fan if this ever becomes a TV series. It is worth noting that Dragon can be enjoyed as a series of short stories (as each chapter has its own adventure) and yet it has that easy flowing charm that would allow you to rollick through it in one sitting.
There is a constant theme of acceptance illustrated in many scenes where characters of different species work together to achieve a common goal. This is a great message to convey as it is particularly close to home in our world where gaps of cultural and ethnic diversity are rapidly closing. James Austin McCormick’s Dragon is a fast, fun adventure ideally suited for a younger audience or anyone wanting an introduction to the sci-fi genre.
In their way is the evil aristocratic Tuolon, Hana Gax a lizard-like warlord bent on bringing destruction to the entire galaxy. What happens when you put the two heroes in Gax’s impossible-to-escape scenarios? You will have to read to find out, but I can say McCormick brings his own unique brand to the escape-by-the-skin-of-your-teeth situations and I must say that I was surprised by a few of the outcomes.
Painstaking care has been taken, down to what some would consider the minor details, but I certainly appreciated them, like the aptly named races. Sillow the silver-tongued Sylvan, Brok the herculean Hurkulun, or the Merdine - crustacean-like people and Nerius, a somewhat nefarious character.
World building is a bit light on for this reviewer’s liking but McCormick more than makes up for it with his fast-paced story and action-packed narrative. This sci-fi space opera would make a great audio book and sign me up as a fan if this ever becomes a TV series. It is worth noting that Dragon can be enjoyed as a series of short stories (as each chapter has its own adventure) and yet it has that easy flowing charm that would allow you to rollick through it in one sitting.
There is a constant theme of acceptance illustrated in many scenes where characters of different species work together to achieve a common goal. This is a great message to convey as it is particularly close to home in our world where gaps of cultural and ethnic diversity are rapidly closing. James Austin McCormick’s Dragon is a fast, fun adventure ideally suited for a younger audience or anyone wanting an introduction to the sci-fi genre.
shanhaddock's review
3.0
The book was good, but the story wasn’t well told.
The setting was wonderful. There were several alien cultures and each was distinct. The characters were entertaining, even if Brok did sound a bit too much the stereotypical honorable warrior race guy at times. And the tech and overall plot were very interesting; I particularly liked the ending.
Unfortunately, the breakneck pace didn’t give me much time to enjoy those things before it was yet another fight scene. And the fight scenes could’ve stood to be a bit more interesting, which was a shame as they were so frequent.
Really, it felt more like a collection of related short stories than a single cohesive work.
And, finally, it could’ve been better edited. I’m not usually one to complain about typos, verb tense errors, and punctuation errors, but they were frequent enough to detract.
The setting was wonderful. There were several alien cultures and each was distinct. The characters were entertaining, even if Brok did sound a bit too much the stereotypical honorable warrior race guy at times. And the tech and overall plot were very interesting; I particularly liked the ending.
Unfortunately, the breakneck pace didn’t give me much time to enjoy those things before it was yet another fight scene. And the fight scenes could’ve stood to be a bit more interesting, which was a shame as they were so frequent.
Really, it felt more like a collection of related short stories than a single cohesive work.
And, finally, it could’ve been better edited. I’m not usually one to complain about typos, verb tense errors, and punctuation errors, but they were frequent enough to detract.
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