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Dralin #1
Dralin
There are many cities in the world of Ryallon that know the touch of despair and evil, but none like Dralin. Towers of wizards rise high into the air, shrouded in the mists of magical smog. Poor sleep in the alleyways, becoming deformed by pollution. Life is short for many.
Throughout all of it, the cunning and dangerous members of the City Guard do their best to keep evil and crime from destroying the citizens of Dralin. Trained to fight in streets that make no sense, they keep wickedness from taking over completely.
A young woman fleeing her past makes Dralin her destination. A young Guardsman with his own dark history hopes to make a difference in a city that is without hope. Are sorrow and despair their only destiny, or can love redeem them? Two young girls raised in this city learn life's hard lessons early. Will they be defeated by its evil?
Underneath the city lie hidden dangers even more terrible than those that lurk in its dark streets. Ancient ruins of civilizations past still hold onto the memories of how grand they once were, while menacing creatures hope for a tasty meal to venture into their domain.
The Dralin Trilogy is a dark, swords-and-sorcery fantasy series following the lives of a few unusual individuals as they desperately try to survive in the sinister city of Dralin.
Dralin is a full-length novel of approximately 96,000 words, which would be about 400 printed pages.
Throughout all of it, the cunning and dangerous members of the City Guard do their best to keep evil and crime from destroying the citizens of Dralin. Trained to fight in streets that make no sense, they keep wickedness from taking over completely.
A young woman fleeing her past makes Dralin her destination. A young Guardsman with his own dark history hopes to make a difference in a city that is without hope. Are sorrow and despair their only destiny, or can love redeem them? Two young girls raised in this city learn life's hard lessons early. Will they be defeated by its evil?
Underneath the city lie hidden dangers even more terrible than those that lurk in its dark streets. Ancient ruins of civilizations past still hold onto the memories of how grand they once were, while menacing creatures hope for a tasty meal to venture into their domain.
The Dralin Trilogy is a dark, swords-and-sorcery fantasy series following the lives of a few unusual individuals as they desperately try to survive in the sinister city of Dralin.
Dralin is a full-length novel of approximately 96,000 words, which would be about 400 printed pages.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2011
23 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
John H. Carroll
40 books76 followersJohn H. Carroll was the youngest of seven children and was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1970 where he was kept in a dresser drawer with the clean socks. Luckily, he wasn’t kept with the dirty socks or else he might have grown up to become slightly warped.
As a child, John spent most of his time wandering through the Mojave Desert in an attempt to avoid people. He would stare at the sky, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. One of his favorite memories is watching his dad build the fuselage of Evel Kneivel’s skycycle in their garage. One of his least favorite moments was watching that skycycle fall into the Snake River. (Not his dad’s fault and he has documentation to prove it, so nyah)
As a teenager, John spent most of his time driving wherever he could in an attempt to avoid people. He would stare at the road, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. He was the captain of the chess team, lettered in golf and band while in high school, and wasn’t beaten up anywhere near as much as one might imagine.
As an adult, John spends most of his time gazing at a computer screen in an attempt to avoid people. He stares at the monitor for hours, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. Occasionally, he looks around to see what’s happening on planet Earth.
Quite frankly, it frightens him. He’s just going to do his best to write as many books as he can before aliens disintegrate humanity for being so irritating.
Emo bunny minions surround John at most times. He is their imaginary friend and they look to him for guidance. At one point, they took over the world. No one noticed because they left everything exactly as it was. They gave the world back after a week because it was depressing.
The Ryallon Series is his most popular endeavor into the field of writing. His Stories for Demented Children have lightened the hearts of many strange children and adults. He writes in the evenings and weekends whenever possible.
As a child, John spent most of his time wandering through the Mojave Desert in an attempt to avoid people. He would stare at the sky, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. One of his favorite memories is watching his dad build the fuselage of Evel Kneivel’s skycycle in their garage. One of his least favorite moments was watching that skycycle fall into the Snake River. (Not his dad’s fault and he has documentation to prove it, so nyah)
As a teenager, John spent most of his time driving wherever he could in an attempt to avoid people. He would stare at the road, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. He was the captain of the chess team, lettered in golf and band while in high school, and wasn’t beaten up anywhere near as much as one might imagine.
As an adult, John spends most of his time gazing at a computer screen in an attempt to avoid people. He stares at the monitor for hours, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. Occasionally, he looks around to see what’s happening on planet Earth.
Quite frankly, it frightens him. He’s just going to do his best to write as many books as he can before aliens disintegrate humanity for being so irritating.
Emo bunny minions surround John at most times. He is their imaginary friend and they look to him for guidance. At one point, they took over the world. No one noticed because they left everything exactly as it was. They gave the world back after a week because it was depressing.
The Ryallon Series is his most popular endeavor into the field of writing. His Stories for Demented Children have lightened the hearts of many strange children and adults. He writes in the evenings and weekends whenever possible.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 28, 2013
After the first series I didn't know what to expect. Dralin..a city mentioned often in the first series and many dire warnings from Tathan about how awful it is, will not prepare you for just how awful it TRULY is.
Dralin is, in every way you can imagine, a true cesspit of a city. Corruption, lawlessness, depravity of every nature, abject poverty and unbelievable wealth define this city.
Yet in pockets, here and there, you will find compassion, mystery, honor and even love.
In the first several chapters you will smile, cry, laugh, find hope and lose hope.
From there the book only gets better and takes surprising turns. It's hard to say too much without having to put a spoiler alert on this review. It will keep you guessing right from the start and make you care about the characters the same way the first series did.
I just bought books two and three and cannot wait to get reading.
Dralin is, in every way you can imagine, a true cesspit of a city. Corruption, lawlessness, depravity of every nature, abject poverty and unbelievable wealth define this city.
Yet in pockets, here and there, you will find compassion, mystery, honor and even love.
In the first several chapters you will smile, cry, laugh, find hope and lose hope.
From there the book only gets better and takes surprising turns. It's hard to say too much without having to put a spoiler alert on this review. It will keep you guessing right from the start and make you care about the characters the same way the first series did.
I just bought books two and three and cannot wait to get reading.
May 26, 2012
Technically 3.5 stars but worthy of rounding up.
Dralin is a dark and mysterious tale of follows the lives of two people. We first meet Sheela, a young woman attempting to escape her past life and start anew in a city that she knows is not a place for anyone let alone a long young lady. Valiantly coming to her aid is Frath, a City Guard who is, simply put, a good man. He does what he can to keep others happy and safe, thus taking Sheela under his wing. As you can guess this leads to the two spending a lot of time together. Frath shows Sheela around the town of Dralin, warning her of the areas to stay away from and, eventually, the two fall in love. Soon, a child comes into the world and that is where Dralin switches modes a bit and we now follow the life of Sheela and Frath's child Pelya, a daughter who is strong, intelligent, curious and very much loved by those around her, as she grows up in the city of Dralin.
The setting and surrounding scenery are vividly detailed. There was one scene that particularly gave me a tingling feeling at the back of my neck it felt so real. Filled with sword fights, deception and a great deal of magic and sorcery, Dralin is a very dark tale with only the slighted hints of happiness. That's not to say that Dralin is a depressing novel, because the tiny glimpses of joy? They SHINE. The wonder and amazement, the love and understanding are clearly brought through to the reader and we know...we just know that things will be ok.
There were two issues I had with Dralin. The dialogue. It just didn't seem to flow well enough during conversations to keep me truly involved in what they were saying, which caused me to go back a few times to reread because I missed something important. My other issue, may very well be answered in one of the next two books coming out (it's a trilogy, if I forgot to mention), but, without giving anything away, something happens and Frath makes a vow to someone and then......nothing ever comes of it. As I said, maybe it is something that will be dealt with in Ebudea, which is out now or the 3rd book Pelya.
Dralin is a dark and mysterious tale of follows the lives of two people. We first meet Sheela, a young woman attempting to escape her past life and start anew in a city that she knows is not a place for anyone let alone a long young lady. Valiantly coming to her aid is Frath, a City Guard who is, simply put, a good man. He does what he can to keep others happy and safe, thus taking Sheela under his wing. As you can guess this leads to the two spending a lot of time together. Frath shows Sheela around the town of Dralin, warning her of the areas to stay away from and, eventually, the two fall in love. Soon, a child comes into the world and that is where Dralin switches modes a bit and we now follow the life of Sheela and Frath's child Pelya, a daughter who is strong, intelligent, curious and very much loved by those around her, as she grows up in the city of Dralin.
The setting and surrounding scenery are vividly detailed. There was one scene that particularly gave me a tingling feeling at the back of my neck it felt so real. Filled with sword fights, deception and a great deal of magic and sorcery, Dralin is a very dark tale with only the slighted hints of happiness. That's not to say that Dralin is a depressing novel, because the tiny glimpses of joy? They SHINE. The wonder and amazement, the love and understanding are clearly brought through to the reader and we know...we just know that things will be ok.
There were two issues I had with Dralin. The dialogue. It just didn't seem to flow well enough during conversations to keep me truly involved in what they were saying, which caused me to go back a few times to reread because I missed something important. My other issue, may very well be answered in one of the next two books coming out (it's a trilogy, if I forgot to mention), but, without giving anything away, something happens and Frath makes a vow to someone and then......nothing ever comes of it. As I said, maybe it is something that will be dealt with in Ebudea, which is out now or the 3rd book Pelya.
July 29, 2013
The story of two teenage girls in a city of dark magic. Both have had unusual upbringing. They bond together and have a series of adventures. First in a trilogy. I was delighted by the wide variety of characters.
First paragraphs
Chapter 1
“Hello, pretty little miss. Would you like to see the sights of Dralin?” the hawkish Guardsman asked with a leering grin. He brushed a few flakes of lightly falling autumn snow from his shoulder-length brown hair. A polished chain shirt peeked out from underneath the collar of a standard-issue black and brown tunic, while a long sword waited in its sheath at his waist for the opportunity to commit malice. Sheela stepped back in apprehension. Everyone in Dralin was to be feared, even many of the guards from what she had been told. “No thank you, Sir,” she responded firmly. Just because she was a plain farmer’s daughter didn’t mean she was a fool. Her stomach knotted in dread when the guardsman took a step forward and put a powerful hand on her shoulder, which menaced rather than comforted her. The smile he must have thought was charming came across as sinister.
Carroll, John H. (2011-10-16). Dralin (Dralin Trilogy) (p. 2). . Kindle Edition.
First paragraphs
Chapter 1
“Hello, pretty little miss. Would you like to see the sights of Dralin?” the hawkish Guardsman asked with a leering grin. He brushed a few flakes of lightly falling autumn snow from his shoulder-length brown hair. A polished chain shirt peeked out from underneath the collar of a standard-issue black and brown tunic, while a long sword waited in its sheath at his waist for the opportunity to commit malice. Sheela stepped back in apprehension. Everyone in Dralin was to be feared, even many of the guards from what she had been told. “No thank you, Sir,” she responded firmly. Just because she was a plain farmer’s daughter didn’t mean she was a fool. Her stomach knotted in dread when the guardsman took a step forward and put a powerful hand on her shoulder, which menaced rather than comforted her. The smile he must have thought was charming came across as sinister.
Carroll, John H. (2011-10-16). Dralin (Dralin Trilogy) (p. 2). . Kindle Edition.
August 17, 2019
The idea for this book was good, which is what kept me reading. Sadly, the writing style reminded me too much of cotton candy - enjoyable at first, but then too sweet.
The relationship between the couple was almost sickeningly sweet. I can accept love at first sight. But the idea that everyone loved her and everything just worked out for her - no. I was actually happy when she died because it meant the book would move on to someone else.
So much of this book is classic example of show, don't tell. The author says the man was heartbroken, but we don't really see it. We're told there is something about being God-Touched, but that aspect is talked about once and never again. As another reviewer said, we're told the city is dark and evil, but we never actually see it.
Finally, the girls are just too competent. I understand that they have been studying for much of their lives, but that doesn't explain how good they are (especially the caster).
In general, this book is too superficial.
The relationship between the couple was almost sickeningly sweet. I can accept love at first sight. But the idea that everyone loved her and everything just worked out for her - no. I was actually happy when she died because it meant the book would move on to someone else.
So much of this book is classic example of show, don't tell. The author says the man was heartbroken, but we don't really see it. We're told there is something about being God-Touched, but that aspect is talked about once and never again. As another reviewer said, we're told the city is dark and evil, but we never actually see it.
Finally, the girls are just too competent. I understand that they have been studying for much of their lives, but that doesn't explain how good they are (especially the caster).
In general, this book is too superficial.
May 4, 2020
The first half of this book is probably the very worst I have ever read and this was almost a one star dnf. I did make it to the end and even found an extra half star - rounded up to - to give.
Flat ridiculous characters, unbelievable story line and the incredibly boring Sheela, the likes of whom you will never see even in the worst Asian soap opera and I am actually going to read the next in the story. why? Because I want to see how the interaction between the two young girls progresses as they get older.
Flat ridiculous characters, unbelievable story line and the incredibly boring Sheela, the likes of whom you will never see even in the worst Asian soap opera and I am actually going to read the next in the story. why? Because I want to see how the interaction between the two young girls progresses as they get older.
July 2, 2017
I gave up reading this book at the 14% mark. It did not hold my interest, I really didn't feel like going back and finishing it just for the sake of finishing it, so I just backed out and deleted it. Your mileage may vary. For me it just dragged and with hundreds of other indie books out there, I just didn't feel like finishing it. Sorry!
October 2, 2013
I really enjoyed the willden so was looking forward to Dralin
After a slow and somewhat mushy start the story developed well
Just about to start the second book so hopefully it will continue to improve
After a slow and somewhat mushy start the story developed well
Just about to start the second book so hopefully it will continue to improve
May 25, 2012
Very good book, I found myself really liking the parents, and little girl, waiting for the next installment
January 6, 2013
Awful dialog I couldn't get past led me to bail on this one early.
April 25, 2013
Overall it is good and I'd like to see more of the series. But I'm not completely comfortable with the POV shifts and "loan" is not a verb. So I end up with 3.5 stars for this one.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews