Embers at Galdrilene
I found this book in a roundabout way: It was mentioned by a forum friend who linked it saying a friend from another forum had written it. Classical social marketing. I only knew it was about dragons, and had been self-published. Well, I was looking for a new novel to read, the Kindle edition wasn’t especially expensive, and so I went for it. Plus I’m not averse to supporting an author who dares to self-publish.
It’s a nice tale. It’s about the last dragons in this fantasy world, which haven’t even hatched yet. Still in the egg, however, they are already calling out to people who can use magic. Unfortunatly, after a long and deadly war, dragons are assumed to be dangerous, and all magic users are threatened with the death penalty. Most people even turn themselves in, as a quick death is preferable to the inevitable insanity that magic brings – or so they believe. (Which is not true, as will be seen.)
Embers at Galdrilene describes the travels of six people who follow the call of the dragons. Travelling hard and constantly threatened by evil beings, they finally reach Galdrilene, the one place in this world where magic is not only tolerated but encouraged. And it is also the place where the last precious dragon eggs are guarded. Yet even as the first dragonriders in centuries train in Galdrilene, a new threat rises in the East. Some eggs of the evil black dragons have also survived – and find riders. Evil riders, power-loving people who want to rule the world. A fight becomes inevitable.
I enjoyed reading this novel, even though for me it dragged a little in the middle. That’s because the part introducing the six dragonriders to their duties feels rather ritualistic. I can understand why A.D. Trosper did it this way, but it seems a little repetitive. However, the novel quickly picks up speed again as soon as the black riders enter into the picture. The finale is so exciting and dramatic that I couldn’t put down the novel at all, even though it was getting very, very late … All in all, it was a very entertaining read (and I’ve read it a second and third time already, but that’s just me.)
You can find a trailer for the novel here. And here’s the amazon.com link, to the Kindle edition.
