Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tpaulsff 's review for:
The Rage of Dragons
by Evan Winter
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter is an African inspired fantasy that follows a young man named Tau who seeks revenge following a great personal tragedy. Tau is a lower common, one of the lowest rankings of society, who is training to become a military man in the ihashe, the common’s military. After his father is killed by a Nobel, Tau will stop at nothing to have his revenge, even if that means braving isihogo, the demon realm.
The world is pretty cool, African inspired and a bronze age setting with a unique magic system and a brutal society with rigid class systems. Isihogo is the demon world, where power is drawn from, but only the gifted can draw this power. Entering isihogo unprotected is very dangerous, as demons will attack a persons soul. I liked the world building and magic system and how it all plays into each other. Tau is an interesting character whose development and motivations are clear. Many of the side characters stand out as well and the action is solid.
I did find Tau to be a frustrating protagonist. I sighed at his choices more than a few times but he clearly has agency. The dialogue was at times distant and almost disconnecting. Maybe it’s just me. At times I wondered if the characters were even responding to each other. The prose was solid and at times shined but at others pretty straightforward. The story is action packed but maybe a little too frequent. It is a story about a warrior training after all. I thought there would be more dragons. I haven’t read too many stories with them and I liked this take on them.
“The savages, the ones not dead or dying, ran for the safety of the trees, but Taifa pushed her dragon to follow. It rose into the air, chasing those who fled, burning down the tangled foliage that hid her enemies from her. The heat of its fires melted white sand to black glass and where the flames fell left nothing but ash.”
The Rage of Dragons was a fun first installment and I will eventually check out the second. 3.75/5⭐️
The world is pretty cool, African inspired and a bronze age setting with a unique magic system and a brutal society with rigid class systems. Isihogo is the demon world, where power is drawn from, but only the gifted can draw this power. Entering isihogo unprotected is very dangerous, as demons will attack a persons soul. I liked the world building and magic system and how it all plays into each other. Tau is an interesting character whose development and motivations are clear. Many of the side characters stand out as well and the action is solid.
I did find Tau to be a frustrating protagonist. I sighed at his choices more than a few times but he clearly has agency. The dialogue was at times distant and almost disconnecting. Maybe it’s just me. At times I wondered if the characters were even responding to each other. The prose was solid and at times shined but at others pretty straightforward. The story is action packed but maybe a little too frequent. It is a story about a warrior training after all. I thought there would be more dragons. I haven’t read too many stories with them and I liked this take on them.
“The savages, the ones not dead or dying, ran for the safety of the trees, but Taifa pushed her dragon to follow. It rose into the air, chasing those who fled, burning down the tangled foliage that hid her enemies from her. The heat of its fires melted white sand to black glass and where the flames fell left nothing but ash.”
The Rage of Dragons was a fun first installment and I will eventually check out the second. 3.75/5⭐️