The Summer Dragon is available in trade paperback, audio and e-book formats from booksellers everywhere. Cover art and illustrations by the author.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Why do I love dragons? Is it their impossibility? Even with hollow bones, something that large carousing through the air with nothing but muscle power is pretty unbelievable. Is it their ferocity? I do also love bears and sharks (at a distance). Is it their mythical nature? I tend to be drawn towards those creatures too strange to exist in our world: the phoenix, flying whales, giant wolves who swing swords around in their mouths. You know – that kind of nonsense.

But dragons are special even among the extraordinary. It was only when starting The Summer Dragon that I realized - outside of The Hobbit, I have never truly read a great book about dragons. I’ve read a few decent ones, and more than a few middling attempts, but very rarely outside the Tolkien Legendarium has there been a novel wherein dragons were well represented. The Eragon series was fine at first, but really buried itself further in. I couldn’t read past the first Pern novel because I thought it was poorly written and stumbled around on shaky plot. I read one or two of the Temeraire books, but wasn’t hooked and was maybe even a little offended at the complete subjugation of dragons as war mounts. And of course A Song Of Ice And Fire has three dragons, but those books aren’t about dragons (unless you consider Daenerys one).

Yes, plenty of books have dragons in them, but few are truly about dragons. The Summer Dragon is definitely about dragons, both mythically and practically speaking. But does it do these magnificent impossibilities justice? It does and it doesn’t.

The basic plot of The Summer Dragon is that dragon roosts, places where dragons are raised and trained for the far-off military, are being attacked by an outside force of evil bad guys who not only steal dragons, but infuse them with a necromancy that defiles their every virtue. Maia is a young dragon trainer, the daughter of a master, and The Summer Dragon tells the story of her attempts to find her place in a world familiar but beset by villainy. Eventually, Maia gets her own dragon, through unusual and daring circumstances, who she raises and bonds with. War comes to the aerie, and she is forced to perform feats and stunts that put her so far outside her comfort zone that she can barely see the shore.

The book is about Maia, but it is more about dragons, and specifically Maia’s dragon, Keirr. These two share a bond that transcends friendship, and certainly surpasses any master/slave relationship. They are linked in mind and spirit, and the thing I most appreciated about the book was the respect afforded to these extremely intelligent, beautiful creatures. There is even a scene where a dragon rider calls his dragon a beast, and with that simple clue we can infer that he is a bad dude and that we will not like him. Other books have done this. Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy, with a power called the Wit, is an easy example of when animal bonds are done right. Fitz and his wolf Nighteyes share much in common with Maia and her dragon Keirr, and fans of the former friendship will find things to appreciate about the latter.

So there is no doubt that this a book about dragons. The trouble is, there is so much thought given to the care and training of dragons that very little is leftover for story. Characterization also takes a bit of a hit. This is fine because, honestly, I would read a training manual if it described the kind of dragon-riding details that The Summer Dragon does. In some ways it doesn’t need a plot. But I’d prefer to read a well-thought out novel that surprises and engages me with storytelling. The Summer Dragon tries this, and its world-building is actually quite good even if it’s limited to a few square miles, but there was very little to compel me to turn those pages outside of seeing what cool things dragons could do.

The plot of an evil army invading someone’s home is more worn out than Spider-Man reboots. There is an overarching story, of course, because this is a series, and Lockwood gives us some glimpses of what is brewing in the larger world, but despite sparking our curiosity, he does not give us much to whet our appetites. And so I am still left with the problem of loving something that very few people write about well.

CONCLUSION: Todd Lockwood’s art definitely captures the majesty of draconis. He began his book career as an artist, and I loved seeing his renditions scattered throughout the book. They manage to convey some sense of his vision without derailing too much of my own (the reason we don’t cram illustrations into every book we write is because reader imagination is one of the most important aspects of the process). Do I think Lockwood was mistaken in his need to put pen instead of pencil to paper? No, I think he has done quite well for a debut novel, and I will read the next installment of his Evertide series. It will likely have dragons, after all.

Official Author Website
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Grim Company
Read Mogsy's review of The Grim Company
Order Sword Of The North HERE (US) and HERE (UK)
Read Fantasy Book Critic Interview with Luke Scull
Read "From Zero To Hero: A Tale Of True Grit (Or how I got a book deal)" by Luke Scull

INTRODUCTION: One of the blogs I follow regularly is The Bibliosanctum and Steff (Mogsy) is one of the main reviewers over there. Her review style and choice in books is something that I’ve really enjoyed. So recently she and I came up with this terrific idea to do a review swap for one of the most anticipated titles of 2015. My thanks to Steff for agreeing to participate in this fun experiment and you can read ahead to find out her thoughts on Luke Scull’s Sword Of The North and then tomorrow head over to The Bibliosanctum to read mine.

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Luke Scull was born in Bristol and has lived most of his life in the British Isles. Luke also designs computer roleplaying games and has worked on several acclaimed titles for Ossian Studios and Bioware. Luke began his career, as a hobbyist game designer, who was selected by Bioware as one of his modifications to Neverwinter Nights, became a hit. Since then he has worked as designer on the Neverwinter expansion, Mysteries of Westgate, and an unreleased expansion for The Witcher role-playing game. He currently lives in Warminster with his wife.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: It is the Age of Ruin, a time in desperate need of heroes. But heroes are in short supply. The only candidates - a motley company at best - are scattered to the four winds.

Former rebel Sasha has now become an unwilling envoy between the powerful. Eremul the Halfmage languishes in disgrace, his warnings of approaching war falling on deaf ears. Yllandris, sorceress of the High Fangs, servant to a demon lord, has become that which she most despises. Davarus Cole, assassin of the immortal, lies on the brink of death. The legendary champion Brodar Kayne carves a bloody path towards his enemy of old in search of the woman he thought dead...

In this, the second blistering installment of Luke Scull's critically acclaimed trilogy THE GRIM COMPANY, past and present collide, plunging the Age of Ruin further into darkness...

FORMAT/INFO: Sword Of The North is 448 pages long, divided over forty-eight titled chapters. Narration is in the third-person primarily via Davarus Cole, Brodar Kayne, Yllandris, Sasha, Eremul and Sir Meredith. This book is the second volume of the The Grim Company Trilogy.

December 10, 2014 marked the publication of the UK e-book edition of Sword Of The North by Head Of Zeus and the hardback was previously released on March 12, 2015. The book will be published in the US on May 5, 2015 by Ace-Roc books.

CLASSIFICATION: The Grim Company series is a dark epic fantasy series that can be best summed up as Joe Abercrombie's grim wit & gritty characterization meets James Clemens' Godslayer Chronicles!

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Of the many fantasy sequels coming out this year, Luke Scull’s Sword of the North is high on my anticipated list. The follow-up to the hit that was The Grim Company, this second book continues with a story teeming with fantastic characters, a strong plot, and plenty of action.

In the first book we met Brodar Kayne, a hero from the cold reaches whose battle prowess and skill with a blade earned him the title Sword of the North. Together with a band of ragtag outcasts, he and his companion Jerek the Wolf were able to survive the chaos that reigned after the White Lady declared victory and succeeded the tyrant Salazar. However, their new ruler has proven not to be as benevolent as she claimed. Something feels rotten at the heart of the city as dissidents are captured or disappeared, but if the White Lady cannot be convinced of the new danger threatening Dorminia, the state of things are sure to go from bad to worse.

Our grim company is broken now, the characters scattered across the land to pursue their own personal quests. Amidst dark tidings about the Shaman and demon hordes in the High Fangs, Brodar and Jerek begin their journey back to their homeland in light of new revelations about Brodar’s family. Weakened and injured from the ordeal at the end of book one, Davarus Cole wakes up in a labor camp and immediately finds himself put to work, but deep inside he is a changed man, no longer the puffed-up blowhard he once was. Sasha grieves, believing Cole lost to her, and falls back into her drug addiction even as she travels with her slightly unhinged sister Ambryl to bring news to the White Lady. And last but certainly not least, there is Eremul the Halfmage who continues his investigation into the race of immortals known as the Fade. Who are these mysterious creatures? And what do they want?

Make no mistake, the characters are the highlight of this series. It’s difficult for me to single out any favorites, because they are all so well written, deeply developed and memorable in their own way. I don’t know how Luke Scull does it, but even when his characters are dastardly and unlikeable, they’re great. Take for example, the chapters featuring Sir Meredith and his misguided notions of honor. I found them a pleasure to read, if for no other reason because you know it’ll feel so good when the cruel “knight” finally gets what he deserves.

I also believe much of the characters’ strength comes from their all-too-human flaws, which are nonetheless balanced by admirable virtues…well, in most cases anyway. Even Jerek who is as crass as ever can be lovable in his own way, because one would think nothing can shake the old Wolf’s loyalty to his friends. It’s what makes one significant plot development late in the novel so heart-wrenching. When it comes to plot elements that cut deeply, there’s also Sasha and her hopeless cycle of abstaining from the moon dust only to fall off the wagon again and again.

Scull has this way of getting you right into the heads of his characters, and Sasha’s struggle with the drug is one instance where the storytelling really closes in at a more intimate level. It’s all about personal stories, and nothing can be more personal than the flashbacks to Brodar Kayne’s past. These chapters were excellent, giving insight into our rough and tough protagonist, especially with the way they were interspersed with his present perspective. The company may be no more, most of its members separated, but in the process we’ve actually been given some great opportunities to further explore each character.

I was also surprised that for a heavy book containing such abundant themes and trappings of grimdark, Sword of the North was a relatively smooth, breezy read. It’s helped by the strong thread of wry humor woven through the story as well as the straight forward prose and dialogue, which at times featured language that bordered on modern-sounding. It’s not all gloom and doom despite the action and brutal violence, and actually managed to pull quite a few laughs out of me too.

As for flaws, I can’t think of many at all. Sword of the North is the middle book of a planned trilogy, and there are a lot of plot threads to follow so you can expect a slight slowdown in some of them while we gear up for the finale. On the whole, I found this to be the case with Davarus Cole as well as Eremul’s chapters. That’s not to say they were boring; on the contrary, there’s a lot of development happening there. But in terms of pacing, they were no match for Brodar Kayne’s action-filled chapters. Practically every other scene featured Brodar and his companions sticking a sword in something’s face, whether they be bandits, the risen undead, or poop-flinging barbarians. There were a couple new plot elements inserted into that storyline that felt a bit awkward though, such as a certain character from the Jade Isles who joins Brodar and his party late in the book. I think Scull may be setting up some game changers for book three, but the introduction of this character still seemed quite sudden and random. I guess we’ll see if it pays off in the next installment, but something tells me the author knows what he’s doing.

CONCLUSION: All told, this book was very enjoyable. Speaking of the next installment, I absolutely cannot wait for the third and final volume of this trilogy. If the first and second books are any indication, the finale is going to be well worth it. In Sword of the North, Luke Scull delivered a truly stellar sequel.

*---------------*---------------*---------------*

Official Author Website
Order the book HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Blood Song
Read the first chapter (Verniers' account) here

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Anthony Ryan is a pseudonym used by the author as his previous day job prevented him from using his real identity. The has an academic background in history, works fulltime as a researcher and currently lives in London. 

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: “The blood-song rose with an unexpected tune, a warm hum mingling recognition with an impression of safety. He had a sense it was welcoming him home.”

Vaelin Al Sorna, warrior of the Sixth Order, called Darkblade, called Hope Killer. The greatest warrior of his day, and witness to the greatest defeat of his nation: King Janus’s vision of a Greater Unified Realm drowned in the blood of brave men fighting for a cause Vaelin alone knows was forged from a lie. Sick at heart, he comes home, determined to kill no more. Named Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches by King Janus’s grateful heir, he can perhaps find peace in a colder, more remote land far from the intrigues of a troubled Realm.

But those gifted with the blood-song are never destined to live a quiet life. Many died in King Janus’s wars, but many survived, and Vaelin is a target, not just for those seeking revenge but for those who know what he can do. The Faith has been sundered, and many have no doubt who their leader should be. The new King is weak, but his sister is strong. The blood-song is powerful, rich in warning and guidance in times of trouble, but is only a fraction of the power available to others who understand more of its mysteries.

Something moves against the Realm, something that commands mighty forces, and Vaelin will find to his great regret that when faced with annihilation, even the most reluctant hand must eventually draw a sword.

FORMAT/INFO: Tower Lord is 608 pages long divided five sections, each of which open with a Verniers account and numbered chapters. This pattern is very similar to that of the first book. Narration is in the third-person, via Vaelin Al Sorna, Reva, Frentis, and Princess Lyrna. The book also feature maps of the unified realm, the Alipran and Volarian empire. There are two appendices for the Dramatis Personae as well as the game of Warrior’s Bluff. Tower Lord is the second volume of The Raven’s Shadow trilogy.

July 1, 2014 marks the North American Hardcover and e-book publication of Tower Lord via Ace Books. The UK version (see below) will be published on July 3, 2014 by Orbit Books UK.

ANALYSIS: Tower Lord is a book that I’ve been waiting for since 2012. Anthony Ryan really announced himself in spectacular fashion with his self-publication success, which then translated into a traditional publishing contract. Two years later, a lot of fans are waiting to see if he can repeat and build upon his success with Tower Lord. In my review for Blood Song, at the end I had written "give this book a read if you want to read a story that’s closest to those written by David Gemmell." With Tower Lord, he not only proves that in spades by giving the readers a siege situation similar to that in Legend and also many more memorable events and characters. There will be mild spoilers in the review below so be wary before you start.

Let's begin with the story, in Tower Lord, we get three new POV characters besides Vaelin who was the sole narrator in Blood Song. Another funny aspect of the story is that this book also follows the same narrative format as Blood Song wherein the events begin in the near past and interspersed between five current accounts of the royal Alpiran chronicler Verniers Alishe Someren. As to why the story is set in such a format and what is Verniers doing will be up to the fans to RAFO. Safe to say it's quite shocking to meet Verniers who finds himself in quite stunning conditions.

We find Vaelin Al Sorna back to the Unified realm and seeks to find his relatives who might be still surviving. The second POV character is Reva a young woman with tremendous martial skills who seeks revenge on Vaelin for a past crime. She's not an Asraelian and seeks his death single-handedly, who she is and why she hates Vaelin is spoiler material and so I won’t comment on it. Safe to say for people wanting to know her identity can take guesses and I might just give you tell if you are correct or not in the comments section below. The other two POV characters are Princess Lyrna & Frentis. I, as a fan was expecting them to be POV characters and enjoyed getting to know their thoughts.

This book also magnifies the world situation by showcasing the continent east of the Alpiran & Unified realms, namely the Volarian Empire. The story begins by detailing an attack on the unified realms from many fronts. Vaelin is faced with a new responsibility when he's made Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches by King Malcius. He has to ride north and take charge which he does but not with some reluctance. Reva’s track has us focusing on how she came to hate Vaelin so much and how she tracks him to face him for a duel. Last when we met Frentis, he was aboard a strange ship heading off to lands unknown. We find him now as an Alpiran slave who’s fighting to stay alive. Lastly we also get to explore the Northern Reaches as Princess Lyrna tries to find accord with the realm’s northern neighbors.

That’s all I’m going to say about the plot contents, as what happens in the story is that realm truly faces an invasion that boggles the mind. I can see why the author choose to expand the POV list as this story would have been impossible to cover from just a singular POV. Another highlight of this book is that nearly every character that made a major & minor impression in its predeceasing title is back in this one (except the dead ones). We get to see all of them & experience different shades to them; this was an extremely pleasurable to read. A couple of mysteries from Blood Song, namely who attacked Vaelin in the Test Of the Wild as well as who was behind it get clarified. Many other bigger revelations also abound like what truly happened to Vaelin when he was an Alpiran captive. Who is the Witch’s bastard and who are his allies? There’s also a fascinating exploration of the Seventh order and the magic system espoused in this trilogy.

Secondly going on to the characterization, Anthony Ryan shines brighter in his sophomore effort by giving us many brilliant characters. Besides Vaelin, Reva, Frentis and Princess Lyrna get the POV turn and I loved how different the characters were from what we read in Vaelin’s thoughts. Princess Lyrna was the character that was the most intriguing to me and in this book, she gets to shine truly. There’s also the brothers (Caenis, Sollis, the order aspect, etc) who we have met before and now have acquired different roles. You’ll be surprised to see many of them and how they feel about Vaelin.  There are also some characters who make an appearance under a different name & it will be fun if you can spot them. Many of those who complained about Frentis’ cockney accent will be glad to know that it isn’t a problem in this sequel. Infact I would say he becomes a terror worthy of Vaelin’s status. The author also expands the readers on to the world by focusing on the realm and giving us fascinating insights into the various types of people and faiths that abound. This light is also shone upon the Alpiran as well as the Volarian culture.

Lastly the pace and action sequences are amplified across all the four POV sections, we get to see our favorite characters face odds that they have never thought of and the fun is reading how it all ends. Previously I talked about the siege-like conditions similar to Legend. The author displays his skills and gives us a fascinating account in to the siege via Verniers and then through the actual characters. This dual approach creates some confusion but it’s done in a way that will leave you with a smile in the end. Coming back to my original statement of this book being similar to Legend, David Gemmell's epic debut. We get a siege wherein legends are forged and this was the highlight of the story. And how does the author manage to top off such an exciting read, he cruelly ends the story with a chapter that hearkens back to the shocker that was the epilogue in A Storm Of Swords. This climatic chapter ends on such a note that you might not want to wait a whole year for Queen Of Fire.

There's so much more I want to gush about this book but I think I've said enough. Regarding the negatives about this title, the only thing I can think is that the story has kind of a slow start with all POV chapters. It takes only a while for the pace to pick up but once it does, the chapters fly by on to a rousing action-packed finale that is memorable. Your mileage may vary but this is the only drawback in an otherwise superb sequel.

CONCLUSION: This book easily is the best heroic epic fantasy of 2014 (bettering the high of City Of Stairs which is yet to be released) and now all other books will have to excel to overcome it. Tower Lord is a loud proclamation that Anthony Ryan is David Gemmell’s natural successor and epic fantasy’s best British talent.

Official Author Website
Order the book HERE
Read chapter one HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Elves Of Cintra
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Dark Wraith Of Shannara
Read Ryan's review of Wards Of Fairie

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Terry Brooks published his first novel, The Sword of Shannara, in 1977. It was a New York Times bestseller for more than five months. He has published over two dozen bestselling novels since, including the Magic Kingdom series, the Word and the Void trilogy and, further installments in his Shannara series. A practising attorney for many years, Terry now writes full-time and lives with his wife, Judine, in Washington state.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: The quest for the long-lost Elfstones has drawn the leader of the Druid order and her followers into the hellish dimension known as the Forbidding, where the most dangerous creatures banished from the Four Lands are imprisoned. Now the hunt for the powerful talismans that can save their world has become a series of great challenges: a desperate search for kidnapped comrades, a relentless battle against unspeakable predators, and a grim race to escape the Forbidding alive. But though freedom is closer than they know, it may come at a terrifying price.

Back in the village of Arborlon, the mystical, sentient tree that maintains the barrier between the Four Lands and the Forbidding is dying. And with each passing day, as the breach between the two worlds grows larger, the threat of the evil eager to spill forth and wreak havoc grows more dire. The only hope lies with a young Druid, faced with a staggering choice: cling to the life she cherishes or combat an army of darkness by making the ultimate sacrifice.

FORMAT/INFO: Bloodfire Quest is 368 pages long and is the middle volume in the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy. March 12, 2013 marked the US Hardcover/Ebook publication of Bloodfire Quest via Del Rey Books. It was also released in Hardcover/e-book format in the UK on 12th March, 2013 by Orbit Books.

ANALYSIS: Bloodfire Quest is the second book in the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy. It follows on immediately after the events of Wards of Faerie, a book I reviewed for Fantasy Book Critic late last year where I said it was one of my top five Shannara books. Expectations were set, expectations were not met, but I still had a fun time reading it.

Bloodfire Quest follows four groups of surviving members from the first book and sets about carving them to pieces George R. R. Martin style. We have the druid expedition stuck in the Forbidding, we have the rest of the druid expedition that never made it into the Forbidding in the first place, we have the Elessedil sisters and friends who have been placed on a strict timeline in order to save the Ellcrys, and we have the Federation who are being reshaped under the leadership of a new Prime Minister. Each group goes about their business and its not pretty, with Brooks taking what hope they have left and completely crushing it. This is not what you expect from a Shannara novel, and it paints a bleak picture for the future.

If you've read the twenty-plus preceding Shannara novels, you will have a pretty good idea what to expect. So let’s talk about the major difference between this book and every other Shannara book that has come before it - the indiscriminate killing of characters for the entire duration. No character is sacred, from the red shirted airship workers to the many supporting characters, and even main viewpoint characters. This is a massive shift for Brooks - it was very surprising to read, and kudos for playing with people’s expectations. That said, the deaths often felt cheap and undeserved, a plot device designed specifically to "raise the stakes". I wasn't able to completely buy into this, and I know I preferred the scenes where Brooks was busy raising stakes personal to the characters. There are worse things you can do to a character than kill them.

To be honest, I don't have much more to add. I think the strongest writing occurred in the final 60 pages. I think this book and the trilogy as a whole is far too small for the story Brooks is trying to tell. I was disappointed that three of the four major plotlines that make up this book are recycled from previous Shannara books. But, I am still happily invested in the story being told. I can see where this trilogy is heading and I would like to see how this all turns out. I'll see you all again for the conclusion - I'm hoping it will be a good one.

CONCLUSION: Bloodfire Quest is a good Shannara novel, but it doesn't meet the expectations set by Wards Of Faerie. It was fun exploring the world of Shannara through the lens of four disparate groups, but the amount of blood shed during this book was surprising, and the recycling of old plots was a little disappointing. The ending of book two leaves the story in great shape, and I am interested to see how Brooks decides to conclude this trilogy.

*----------*----------*----------*