The Dragon Soul: Rise of the Black Dragon

Shane C. Mess
AuthorHouse (2010)
ISBN 9781449096946
Reviewed by Marty Shaw for Reader Views 07/10)


An ancient evil rises up to destroy mankind and powers once wielded by heroes of legend are passed down to a new band of heroes in hopes that they can fight the power of the Black Dragon. While “The Dragon Soul” has more than its fair share of punctuation and spelling problems, it is also a great adventure with colorful and interesting characters.

This first book in a series has a slow start as we follow the adventures of elf warrior, Salamay, and his son, Kimkay, who is destined to stand against a great evil. It seemed to me that an excessive amount of time was spent following the life of Salamay and the childhood of his son, when such an in-depth history seemed to have little impact on the main plot. While provided with an informative history, the character of Kimkay the elf never reached his full potential in my eyes and I couldn’t get interested in his adventures and exploits. Thankfully, the story eventually shifts to other characters that I found to be immensely more satisfying.

The adventurous trio of Lizamn the wizard, Asheen the assassin/thief, and Ash the dwarf were a lot of fun to follow as they faced various hardships and enemies along the path to fulfilling their destinies. Any fan of “Lord of the Rings” will be greeted with familiar characteristics in both Lizamn and Ash, with the dwarf, in typical dwarf fashion, providing large amounts of comic relief. I found myself totally absorbed within the pages while watching the camaraderie of these travelers grow and was actually concerned about their well-being during tense and suspenseful moments. Joining this lively crew of adventurers are Dontay and Fate, two soldier-of-fortune types with histories shrouded in mystery. While very little is revealed about them in this book, enough tidbits were given to make me hope to learn more about them in the future.

Another prospective hero, who like Kimkay is walking his own path separate from the others, is Dreith Oramiss. Dreith is part man and part dragon, imbued with the best qualities from both races. While he appears to be the strongest member of this new band of heroes, his challenge will also be the hardest because, while he doesn’t know it yet, this battle will become personal for him.

Fans of fantasy and medieval tales that are filled with magic and danger will probably like “The Dragon Soul” and should definitely join the adventure.

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