Author, J.D. Hallowell, sent me an e-copy of his fantasy novel Dragon Fate.
Description from Goodreads:
Delno Okonan is a young former soldier eager to put the swords and strife of war behind him, when a chance encounter leaves him inextricably entwined in a tangled web of dragons, magic, and intrigue, as he struggles to find his place among dragons and men, and stave off a plot by renegade dragon riders that threatens all he now holds dear. Teens and adults alike will find themselves hanging on every twist and turn.
I wonder if it is possible to have slice-of-life fantasy (or fantasy slice-of-life). Either way, that is essentially what this book is. A man stumbles upon a dragon and then goes on his merry way, eating, drinking, traveling, camping, occasionally talking to people, and learning about the care and upkeep of a dragon. It rolls along this peaceful path for a good 80% of the book (and I read it on a Kindle so it was actually 80%, as opposed to a generic long time expressed as 80%).
The anatomy, social and biological requirements, etc of the dragons was incredibly well thought out and detailed. The reader, along with Delno, learns a lot about dragons, how to be a good person, and even a little basic physics (though it’s not termed that of course). I enjoyed that….or I did after I stopped waiting for it to turn into an action adventure along the lines of Eragon and accepted that Delno and Geneva’s relatively peaceful daily life was the story. There was a little adventure in the last 20% of the book, but I thought it almost felt tacked on. Delno had an answer to every challenge, everything went according to plan, and with one notable exception he only met trustworthy friends who were more than willing to defer to his authority. There was never any sense that he was even taxed by anything he encountered. He was a little too perfect in every way for that. Oddly, though, since I had by that time decided that his actions were important more as an example of a moral existence than as a series of events I wasn’t too bothered by his glittering perfection.
The writing was very descriptive. If you enjoy your fantasy a little more on the philosophical side this is the book for you. If you’re looking for a heart stopping grand adventure this one might present a bit of a challenge.