Title: Dragonslayer.
Series: Dragonslayer #1.
Writer(s): Duncan M. Hamilton.
Publisher: Tor Books.
Format: Advance Review Copy.
Release Date: July 2nd 2019.
Pages: 304.
Genre(s): Fantasy.
ISBN13: 9781250306722.
My Overall Rating: ★★★★☆.
Who doesn’t enjoy a good story featuring dragons? These giant flying puppies with flamethrowing abilities are beautiful gems meant to be cherished for their mere existence. However, killing these creatures has also always been an act that poor heroes have been trusted with countless times. A task this huge isn’t exactly one that anyone could easily accomplish, however. Set in the same world as his previous two trilogies, the Society of the Sword and the Wolf of the North, Duncan M. Hamilton sets his eyes on releasing three new novels within twelves months. Focused on magic, knights, and dragons, this fast-paced, action-adventure fantasy story gives fans a twist on the classic stories of dragon-slaying and witch-hunting.
What is Dragonslayer about? In Mirabaya, the skies were free of dragons for over a millennium. While the Chevaliers of the Silver Circle have fought and slain the beasts for countless years, they are now embracing a life of debauchery and drunkenness with little heroism to highlight their days. Simultaneously, the great mages of the past were overthrown, leading the lands exempt of magic. It is the return of a lone dragon causing terror and chaos to countless villagers that the young king of Mirabaya sought the help of the last Chevalier of the Silver Circle to honor the knights of old and rid the land of this newly emerged flying creature.
What initially seemed like a straightforward and simple quest turned out to be an entertaining and captivating hunt with some political schemes as sub-plots. With a mysterious hero—who doesn’t exactly consider himself as one—guiding the reader on a death wish, Duncan M. Hamilton does a great job in keeping the reader hooked on the idea that the foreshadowed confrontation between man and dragon will most likely be epic in some shape or form. While dragon-slaying seems typical in some classic Arthurian tales or video games, the author gives this story an interesting edge by providing readers with the dragon’s point of view alongside that of the protagonist.
Witchhunts are also part of the narrative as magic is not well-seen within society after years of not having need of it. While hunting down witches is common, mages remain hidden and attempt to live their lives in secrecy. Duncan M. Hamilton brilliantly incorporates this angle without dwelling too long on its importance. While magic and dragons are crucial to this story, it remains to be noted that the world-building isn’t as impressive as it could’ve been, leaving plenty of room for the author to develop his world in the next book. This niggle could also be explained by the fact that this new trilogy is set in a universe that is already established by two other trilogies, that might also be worth checking out first but not mandatory at all.
Dragonslayer is an enchanting and fast-paced fantasy-adventure story where mankind confronts dragons within magical boundaries to attempt to achieve heroic feats.
Thank you to Raincoast Canada and Tor Books for sending me a copy for review!
Roars and Echoes 
Flying puppies hé? What did you drink Lashaan?? Lol Great review as usual and yes I bet having the dragons POV made it interesting!
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Hahahah they are flying puppies! Imagine how fun it must be to have it by your side! 😂 But it was indeed interesting to see what went on in the head of this dragon throughout the story. I don’t think I’ve read books where that perspective has been included before!
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Well just this week I’ve read the Last Namsara and we got a glimpse of dragon’s minds 😉
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I like that cover, a lot. However, that little quote you showcased pissed me off. Much like vampires, I feel that dragons have been turned into this “oh poor me, I’m just a misunderstood being who wants to lurve everyone” kind of thing. I just don’t like the idea behind the quote, what with the deliberate use of the word murder.
Man, I just realized I think I’ve done nothing but complain on your posts for like the last month. I am really sorry. I’m not even in a bad mood or anything! I’ll try to be a ray of sunshine on whatever you post next, I promise….
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Hahahahah I love the cover too! I’d love to own a full poster of the full dragon in that style. And no worries hahahah I prefer all your honesty and pure emotions more than forced joy! 😜 But the quote and the whole dragon PoV was intended to make us understand why it was doing what it was doing. The whole “poor me” angle was intentional here but not to the point of siding with the dragon throughout the story. There’s a little bit of “character development” with it.
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A poster in that style would be great!
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Love the sound of this, Lashaan😁 I mean, you can’t go wrong with dragons, right?😉
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Hahah exactly! Although I have run into a couple of dragon-included stories that weren’t too great though! 😬
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Great post 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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Looks promising, especially the cover, and sounds like a solid read. Plus it’s on the short side, so I might even try to cram it in shomewhere 😉
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Yep, it’s not that bad at all. I had a fun time with it and am curious to see where it will go next now. 😁
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I loved your review! I’ve been super interested in reading this, but I think I’ll read the other trilogies first since it seems they set this story up.
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Thank you so much, Justine! I think it would be wise to check out his other books to familiarize with his writing style and world first but I assure you that it reads like a stand-alone too if you ever feel like getting straight into this one. 😁
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I admit that the dragon POV did make this very seductive to me. I was also dying to know if he was the last dragon left. I’m kinda kicking myself now. Though it sounds like he relied on his previous world building which you shouldn’t do in my humble opinion. Still I’m glad this wasn’t the dud I was frightened it would be. 😉
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Hahah I didn’t know there was one until I started reading! 😂 It was definitely interesting to see what went through its mind though but yes, it’s a bit unfortunate that it couldn’t give us more in terms of worldbuilding but it’s not the worse thing ever either!
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Did we ever learn about his dragon mate?
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Yes, you do, pretty early, in fact hahah
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Another helpful review that allows me to peek in at books I wouldn’t typically look at to read. Here’s an idea. Have a spoiler section, which summarizes the whole book. So if the reader thinks he or she is unlikely to read the book, but still curious about what happens, then they go to the spoiler section.
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Thanks for the idea, Karina! I’ll definitely note that one down. I’m not sure I could do it for everything I read but if it’s not too time-consuming, I’ll try and incorporate it! 😁
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Great review, Lashaan! 😁 I’d love to have a dragon-puppy too! And the story of this book reminds me a lot of Skyrim, or maybe it’s just the dragon! 😍
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Thanks, Caroline! ❤ Hahahaha tell me about it. It would be the best pet to have by your side! And I can't blame you for thinking of Skyrim. FUS ROH DAH! 😛
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Such a fantastic review, Lashasn!😁📚 I love the set up for your reviews and the blog is looking badass!😉📚❤
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Thanks, Dani! I appreciate it. It’s nice to hear from you again! 😀
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You’re welcome! It’s nice to talk to you again.😊
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Hi Lashaan, great to read your review on ‘Dragon Slayer’! I really enjoyed this book myself. I haven’t read Duncan M. Hamilton’s other books so I don’t know how much world building occurs in those books.
Would you recommend checking them out? I agree with you that there’s definitely scope for the world to grow in the next Dragon Slayer books… the difficulty of ARC reading is we’ve got a bit of a wait before the sequels come out haha!
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I haven’t read them either but I’m assuming that there’s way more world-building in them and in this one. Otherwise, if the sequel focuses on world-building, I’d be a bit surprised. It would be an odd but original strategy.
After that epilogue chapter, I think the next books will definitely have a lot of things to explore. But hey, the wait isn’t that long for this series actually. The whole trilogy is planned to be released within 12 months. 😀
Thank you so much for reading, Steph! I appreciate it a lot. 😛
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