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Song of Dragons #1-3
Song of Dragons: The Complete Trilogy
Song of Dragons, an epic fantasy trilogy, tells the story of Requiem-a fallen, ancient land whose people could become dragons... and whose last survivors dream of flying again. With over 100,000 copies sold, the Song of Dragons novels have captivated readers around the world. Now you can read the entire trilogy in one collection.
BOOK 1: BLOOD OF REQUIEM
Requiem, a kingdom of men who could become dragons, lies in ruin. Its destroyer, the tyrant Dies Irae, leads his griffins on a hunt for survivors. Will Requiem's last children perish in the wilderness... or once more become dragons and fly to war?
BOOK 2: TEARS OF REQUIEM
Dies Irae masters new servants: the nightshades, demons of shadow who fear no sword or arrow. They suck the souls from all who live, like a glutton sucking marrow from bones. Can Requiem's last children, a mere scattering of survivors, defeat them?
BOOK 3: LIGHT OF REQUIEM
The world lies in ruin. Forests smolder. The crows feast. From the ashes, Dies Irae raises new soldiers: monsters sewn together from dead body parts. As the undead army marches, Requiem's survivors muster what forces they can... and prepare for their last stand.
BOOK 1: BLOOD OF REQUIEM
Requiem, a kingdom of men who could become dragons, lies in ruin. Its destroyer, the tyrant Dies Irae, leads his griffins on a hunt for survivors. Will Requiem's last children perish in the wilderness... or once more become dragons and fly to war?
BOOK 2: TEARS OF REQUIEM
Dies Irae masters new servants: the nightshades, demons of shadow who fear no sword or arrow. They suck the souls from all who live, like a glutton sucking marrow from bones. Can Requiem's last children, a mere scattering of survivors, defeat them?
BOOK 3: LIGHT OF REQUIEM
The world lies in ruin. Forests smolder. The crows feast. From the ashes, Dies Irae raises new soldiers: monsters sewn together from dead body parts. As the undead army marches, Requiem's survivors muster what forces they can... and prepare for their last stand.
732 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2012
655 people are currently reading
1008 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Arenson
148 books877 followersDaniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. The Huffington Post has called his writing "full of soul." He's written over forty novels, most of them in five series:
EARTHRISE — They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win. Start reading with Earth Alone, the first novel in this military science fiction series.
REQUIEM — Welcome to Requiem, an ancient kingdom whose people can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem is explored in six trilogies, which can be read in any order. If you're new to Requiem, you can start reading with Requiem's Song (you can download it for free). For fans of dark, gritty fantasy like A Game of Thrones.
MOTH — Discover Moth, a world torn between day and night—its one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless darkness. For fans of classic fantasy worlds such as Middle Earth and Narnia. Start reading with Moth, the first novel in this epic fantasy saga.
ALIEN HUNTERS — Got trouble with aliens? Call the Alien Hunters. A group of scruffy mercenaries, they'll remove the pest for you. Low rates. No questions asked. Start reading with Alien Hunters, the first book in this space opera series. For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
KINGDOMS OF SAND — Enter a world of sand and splendor, a world where gladiators battle in the arena, where legionaries and barbarians fight for glory, and where empires rise and fall.
EARTHRISE — They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win. Start reading with Earth Alone, the first novel in this military science fiction series.
REQUIEM — Welcome to Requiem, an ancient kingdom whose people can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem is explored in six trilogies, which can be read in any order. If you're new to Requiem, you can start reading with Requiem's Song (you can download it for free). For fans of dark, gritty fantasy like A Game of Thrones.
MOTH — Discover Moth, a world torn between day and night—its one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless darkness. For fans of classic fantasy worlds such as Middle Earth and Narnia. Start reading with Moth, the first novel in this epic fantasy saga.
ALIEN HUNTERS — Got trouble with aliens? Call the Alien Hunters. A group of scruffy mercenaries, they'll remove the pest for you. Low rates. No questions asked. Start reading with Alien Hunters, the first book in this space opera series. For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
KINGDOMS OF SAND — Enter a world of sand and splendor, a world where gladiators battle in the arena, where legionaries and barbarians fight for glory, and where empires rise and fall.
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February 25, 2013
Song of Dragons Trilogy (Blood of Requiem, Tears of Requiem, Light of Requiem) - Daniel Arenson
The beginning of the description on Amazon states,"Song of Dragons, an epic fantasy trilogy, tells the story of Requiem -- a fallen, ancient land whose people could become dragons... and whose last survivors dream of flying again."
Since I read this trilogy as a 'single' book, that is how I shall review it. An entertaining series, this epic tale covers a span of decades, yet is mostly set within just a few consecutive years. Yet these few years are filled with a lifetime's worth of living.
There are several protagonists that appear throughout the story, but only one main antagonist. And like any good family, the original protagonist and antagonist are brothers. Not just any brothers, they are royalty. However the elder brother, Dies Irae, becomes the antagonist when he is passed over in favor of his younger brother, Prince Benedictus, to inherit the crown. The King considers Dies Irae to be his shame, simply because he does not have the requisite magic of the Vir Requis to shift and become a dragon - thus he can't possibly be considered as the next in line for king. This one decision eventually leads to patricide and ignites a war. Intended to be genocide of his own people, Dies Irae goes on to be the ultimate cause of the destruction of entire species.
The war is considered over as all the Vir Requis, or weredragons as Dies Irae names them, are supposed dead. Yet there is a rumor that King Benedictus the Black (due to his being a black dragon) lives on. And that rumor is what keeps one young Vir Requis from losing all hope, particularly when his home is no longer safe for him and he is on the run from Dies Irae himself.
A small band of surviving Vir Requis, including Benedictus, are chased from place to pace by Dies Irae and whatever army he builds. Somehow these four dragons manage to do what over a hundred thousand couldn't - they not only survive the armies of Dies Irea, but they go on to destroy them. Yet Dies Irae's insanity spurs him to continue to creates ever worse armies to throw at these dragons. Clearly much of the story is about battles and fighting, running and hiding - enough that Arenson manages to create a trilogy. One would think that all the warring and running would becoming boring well before the third book, yet he manages to infuse them with enough creativity to keep it from feel to repetitive.
He has created completely believable characters that are emotionally relatable. And they grow at the right pace, matching the action of the plot. You want to cheer for the good guys while still being able to see their flaws and, at times, want to hit them over the head with a golf club. And he makes the antagonist so repulsive that it can be difficult to read about him at times, yet you forget that tiny spark buried inside him that is the root of all his cruelty.
The world that Arenson has created is similar to others that are found in epic fantasies, yet has added his own distinctive mark. Never was there a time where the story was interrupted by a discrepancy in the world he crafted, or by a character stepping out of their role.
I enjoyed this trilogy enough that I was excited to learn that Mr. Arenson has more plans for to continue on in this world - but far enough into the future to hopefully avoid any redundancy in his storyline.
On a side note: I find myself compelled to comment on the names of the main characters, as there is a theme that is both intriguing and also slightly entertaining, as if he is testing the reader. For example, there is King Benedictus, Kyrie Eleison, Dies Irae, Gloriae, Agnus Dei, and Lacrimosa. And of course their relation to their homeland, Requiem. It seems clear that Arenson is specifically using the religious aspect of each name to tell another, more basic tale. The simplified version of good versus evil. It would seem that he is testing the reader's knowledge of the Requiem Mass. Either that or he is hugely inspired by it.
The beginning of the description on Amazon states,"Song of Dragons, an epic fantasy trilogy, tells the story of Requiem -- a fallen, ancient land whose people could become dragons... and whose last survivors dream of flying again."
Since I read this trilogy as a 'single' book, that is how I shall review it. An entertaining series, this epic tale covers a span of decades, yet is mostly set within just a few consecutive years. Yet these few years are filled with a lifetime's worth of living.
There are several protagonists that appear throughout the story, but only one main antagonist. And like any good family, the original protagonist and antagonist are brothers. Not just any brothers, they are royalty. However the elder brother, Dies Irae, becomes the antagonist when he is passed over in favor of his younger brother, Prince Benedictus, to inherit the crown. The King considers Dies Irae to be his shame, simply because he does not have the requisite magic of the Vir Requis to shift and become a dragon - thus he can't possibly be considered as the next in line for king. This one decision eventually leads to patricide and ignites a war. Intended to be genocide of his own people, Dies Irae goes on to be the ultimate cause of the destruction of entire species.
The war is considered over as all the Vir Requis, or weredragons as Dies Irae names them, are supposed dead. Yet there is a rumor that King Benedictus the Black (due to his being a black dragon) lives on. And that rumor is what keeps one young Vir Requis from losing all hope, particularly when his home is no longer safe for him and he is on the run from Dies Irae himself.
A small band of surviving Vir Requis, including Benedictus, are chased from place to pace by Dies Irae and whatever army he builds. Somehow these four dragons manage to do what over a hundred thousand couldn't - they not only survive the armies of Dies Irea, but they go on to destroy them. Yet Dies Irae's insanity spurs him to continue to creates ever worse armies to throw at these dragons. Clearly much of the story is about battles and fighting, running and hiding - enough that Arenson manages to create a trilogy. One would think that all the warring and running would becoming boring well before the third book, yet he manages to infuse them with enough creativity to keep it from feel to repetitive.
He has created completely believable characters that are emotionally relatable. And they grow at the right pace, matching the action of the plot. You want to cheer for the good guys while still being able to see their flaws and, at times, want to hit them over the head with a golf club. And he makes the antagonist so repulsive that it can be difficult to read about him at times, yet you forget that tiny spark buried inside him that is the root of all his cruelty.
The world that Arenson has created is similar to others that are found in epic fantasies, yet has added his own distinctive mark. Never was there a time where the story was interrupted by a discrepancy in the world he crafted, or by a character stepping out of their role.
I enjoyed this trilogy enough that I was excited to learn that Mr. Arenson has more plans for to continue on in this world - but far enough into the future to hopefully avoid any redundancy in his storyline.
On a side note: I find myself compelled to comment on the names of the main characters, as there is a theme that is both intriguing and also slightly entertaining, as if he is testing the reader. For example, there is King Benedictus, Kyrie Eleison, Dies Irae, Gloriae, Agnus Dei, and Lacrimosa. And of course their relation to their homeland, Requiem. It seems clear that Arenson is specifically using the religious aspect of each name to tell another, more basic tale. The simplified version of good versus evil. It would seem that he is testing the reader's knowledge of the Requiem Mass. Either that or he is hugely inspired by it.
March 19, 2014
The first two books were decent. I like the idea of shape shifting into dragons. The third book was horrid. If you were to take out all of the repeated phrases like "maggots fell" and "blew fire", the third book is perhaps only 20 pages of actual content. I missed the grey area of characters. Each character was all good or all bad but not a bit of both. Every character was noble and had no other motive than the greater good. All could fight and none had real depth. I mourned the loss of none of the characters but felt relief when the last book finished.
February 7, 2013
I give this book a 4.25. While certainly a wonderful idea and a lovely addition to the world of dragon literature (the thought of these "weredragons" is enough to make any dragonlovers blood boil), there are a few notable problems. One, the author has a tendency to repeat phrases more often than I find necessary. The term "...roaring fire" is one such example, finding its way into every paragraph in every battle scene during the omnibus. Another notable con are the characters. They are either pure evil, full of cruelty and malice, or otherwise rather plain individuals. Our group of Vir Requis, apart from Gloriae's steely personality or Agnus Dei's fiery temper, seem somewhat indistinguishable from the common folk peering out of their crude huts as our heroes pass by. Lastly, the book continuously references the subject of rape, the bad guys frequently partaking of this activity. It's almost like that its expected of them. It is, however, a decent read for someone looking to get lost for a few days in a rather believable world.
February 5, 2015
If you want me to care about your female character. do NOT, under any situation, Rape her - repeatedly - without reason - I despise books that make you "feel" for their female character by raping her - FIND ANOTHER WAY! - why are the boys abused with punches or prison and the girls ALWAYS get raped - to make you hate the villain (he did it) and "feel" for the female potential lead - I say potential, because I stopped - I mean, seriously - throw away that trope in Fantasy fiction - it is a waste of ink on paper -
August 25, 2016
Wow!
I enjoyed this trilogy- I'm sad at a few events but overall really enjoyed the whole story and how it all came together. What I really enjoyed is that in this book the villain is the same- yet the heroes aren't made to look incompetent due to that fact. Well done! Starting the next Trilogy now!
I enjoyed this trilogy- I'm sad at a few events but overall really enjoyed the whole story and how it all came together. What I really enjoyed is that in this book the villain is the same- yet the heroes aren't made to look incompetent due to that fact. Well done! Starting the next Trilogy now!
August 16, 2022
All this series is about is zombies, dragons, and rape. Wish I could steal back the mental capacity it took to read these atrocities.
June 13, 2022
We're gonna rant about this later but for now I leave you with the thought that kept repeating as I read this one:
There's just so much rape. Just so, so, SO much.
I borrowed this from my uncle and it took me awhile to read this because sometimes you've just got to be in the right mood for things. I... am not sure I was really in the right mood for this. But to be fair, some of the content would probably never line up with the right mood for me so take this as you will.
Had this not been a trilogy, I would not have read the third book. The problems that cropped up in the first book (the repetition, the relentless threat of rape) are not any better in book two and while book one felt a little rough around the edges, I was still curious as to how things would get to where I kind of thought they might wind up.
Because I did read it as a trilogy and I did borrow it, I felt compelled to actually finish it. And uh, I kinda went off the rails right along with the book.
In general, I didn't love ANY of the characters once Lady M meets her fate. I was curious as to Gloriae and how her arc would take form but ultimately she left me the most annoyed.
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I feel so old when I do that. Anyway. Gloriae is the golden twin, kidnapped by her batshit crazy uncle (and our so over the top it's just uncomfortable to watch after awhile) who might also be her father and she eventually learns that the ...
Nope. First we discuss this: weredragons. It felt like we were going for a certain feel for this time period but weredragons just took me out each and every time.
Anyway, she learns that the weredragon her father brings home to torture is not, in fact, capable of cursing someone and making them shift into a weredragon (if they could, you really, really don't think they would've done that to Dies Irae considering his whole fucking evil origin story is that he was the first born son of a weredragon king and he couldn't shift?! Dude, if they could curse people to shift, Benny boy would've cursed him the moment he realized brother dear was going off the rails because he was left out of the family shifting game. JFC, Gloriae, use your brain) and that she might be telling the truth when she says that she's Gloriae's mother. The same mother Irae's been saying was murdered by weredragons and is thus Gloriae's evil origin story. Gloriae goes completely off the rails when her father is gravely injured and for some reason decides that if daddy Dies Irae isn't gonna make it, no one on the planet should and she unleashes the nightshades: nightmarish smoke monsters that suck the souls of their victims, leaving their bodies an empty, but still breathing, husk. These critters also go after animals so basically the world is fucked because Gloriae's an idiot of the highest fucking order.
Irae survives his stabbing but goes ahead and leans all the way into villainy and takes back his kingdom which is essentially just ash and husks at this point since the dragons peaced out and the nightshades have ruined a good chunk of the population. He banishes Gloriae because... sure, why not, and she quickly runs into the dragons who convince her that yes, the crazy dude who kidnapped her is not her father, or probably isn't, but does it matter since he's nuttier than nuts and lied to her about everything else? So she rejoins her family, rescues Agnus Dei from her nightshade hell, and then throws away all my goodwill by deciding you know what we need more of? Rape.
Specifically, she rapes her twin sister's boyfriend, Kyrie. She plans this out in advance, probably as soon as she's tasked with a mission where he's her only backup, and follows through even when she could back out at any point. Why? Why does she do this? Because she knows that Kyrie is in love with her twin and as soon as they're reunited they'll be inseparable (I mean, will they?) and they'll couple up and pop out some kids and if Gloriae's gonna help repopulate the species, she's gotta get with the only other weredragon she's not related to ASAP and as often as she can before they join back up with the family.
That's right. She's going to keep doing this as often as she can (or plans to, anyway) just so she can get knocked up, even as they're busy fighting a losing war, to repopulate the species... which at this point in time is 5 were dragons and 4 of those 5 are related. I... ma'am. You do realize you can probably bring in outside genetic material, right? Bed one of the survivors of the horror you unleashed upon the world instead of your sister's boyfriend?
No?
The only reason she doesn't continue this plan is because her sister interrupts them before Gloriae can finish getting nekkid. Seriously. She never shows ANY remorse for what she's done to Kyrie or Agnus Dei. Hell, she never shows any remorse PERIOD. The secondary baddie of the third book is created because of Gloriae's actions (she killed a bunch of NPCs and the wife/sister survives and holds a grudge) and we're treated to this:
"You killed innocent people, Gloriae the Gilded."
Gloriae snickered. "I don't care."
She's traveled far and wide at this point and seen how her horrific actions, not even counting the atrocities she committed against the weredragons we never met (so the brutal murder and y'know, skinning of literal children) and she does not fucking care. I think we're supposed to be on her side at this point because Umbra's also very much a villain at this point and yet she still feels like a better character than Gloriae, and Umbra's fucking Dies Irae, who is just the absolute worst at this point. He's literally creating monsters at this point in the story and Umbra's still with him and not just because he could kill her at any point, and she's STILL more sympathetic than Gloriae.
And yet... Gloriae the Godawful? When Benny and Lacrimosa both die, Gloriae is the remaining dragon who is given the crown. Not just because she's a few minutes older than Agnus Dei, but because we're supposed to believe that she's a better fit to rule than Agnus Dei. Which prior to Agnus Dei's hand being chopped off I might believe, but that combined with her losing her mind to the nightshades SHOULD have prompted her to grow up and become the ruler she was meant to be. Annnnnnnnd nope. Gloriae the rapist and murderer is our new Queen. WTF. She caused the world's near destruction and DID NOT CARE.
He did this. Not me. Him alone.
I mean, sure, Gloriae, your golden bastard father did the destruction you're currently bemoaning in Requiem but you unleashed the nightshades and they pretty much fucking decimated your part of the world, leaving the vacuum that let rise the mimics. But because you're the golden lost princess/daughter, you're fine? The fuck. (after awhile I started ranting to myself while reading this one and this bit is from that rant.)
Other issues that cropped up: I've mentioned the nightshades quite a bit by now, however it's because we're basically shown nearly every town/village is laid to waste due to their actions. Survivors are rare and quickly take one another out and animals are shown as not safe from the nightshades (never once does anyone stop to marvel that this means they have souls). And there's a fair enough time gap between Gloriae's unleashing of them and Irae waking up and realizing that he naps for one week and shit goes to hell, so a good, sizeable chunk of their world is screwed beyond belief. One of the things that I liked is that we're shown that when people basically are frozen where they fall, it means that they cannot defend themselves anymore. Fires break out, bodies fall prey to creatures/animals/bugs, they starve or die of thirst. Point is, in the first week a good chunk of the population is taken out.
And yet Irae's out here cranking out Mimics by the thousands. HOW. By the time he's ramped up production like that, there shouldn't be enough parts in the WORLD, let alone just his slice of it, because we're told more than once that the parts have to be relatively fresh. I think I was supposed to be awestruck in fear of these armies of creatures but instead I couldn't get over the sheer number of them that were supposed to exist but couldn't because of previously established deaths. Seriously, it did not compute at all and so I could never lose myself in this particular horror.
Finally: book three introduces two more dragons. But because... I dunno, reasons, they're Kyrie's siblings. Which means the only way the were dragons will continue is if they outsource their hooking up/baby making and this is spelled out after we're treated to just the most UGH visual of both Agnus Dei and Gloriae being visibly pregnant at the same time for Agnus Dei's wedding to Kyrie. I twitched reading that. Just... ugh. Gross. WHY.
Also, DUH. Of course you idiots can intermingle with the mere humans. Why would you not think of that first, Gloriae? But also even still, this still means the were dragons are all related to two families. Ick.
Finally: I get why Ben didn't kill Irae the first time. Maybe even the second time. But everyone else pulling their punches? DUDE. Look around at the wasteland he's molded the world into (with Gloriae's help, I cannot stress this enough since she does not care) and then do the world a favor and TAKE HIM OUT OF THE EQUATION. The whole "we'll bring him to trial!" bullshit was just maddening. Everyone and their brother has spent the last two books declaring that Dies Irae MUST DIE and yet no one could bring themselves to finish the goddamn job until Gloriae's like fuckit, I'll kill anything and this loser isn't above death.
Basically: book one was fine if you could get past the use of weredragons, the repetition, and everyone calling Kyrie Pup or Kid even though it never really seemed to land right. Especially not pup.
Book two decides you need MORE rape and also let the world burn and I should've noped out here.
Book three leans into the monster fucking/creating and basically you can be an awful character and it's fine so long as you aren't Irae.
I didn't have a good time by the end and if you did, I'm happy for you but I do wonder if maybe we could've done without literally every female character we meet being under the very real threat of rape (or in Gloriae's case, being a rapist) because it was just a lot of rape. A lot. And it's all treated so casually and it's making me think of how casually it is treated in books, particularly those that are fantasy based but still want to feel grounded in reality. Blergh.
There's just so much rape. Just so, so, SO much.
I borrowed this from my uncle and it took me awhile to read this because sometimes you've just got to be in the right mood for things. I... am not sure I was really in the right mood for this. But to be fair, some of the content would probably never line up with the right mood for me so take this as you will.
Had this not been a trilogy, I would not have read the third book. The problems that cropped up in the first book (the repetition, the relentless threat of rape) are not any better in book two and while book one felt a little rough around the edges, I was still curious as to how things would get to where I kind of thought they might wind up.
Because I did read it as a trilogy and I did borrow it, I felt compelled to actually finish it. And uh, I kinda went off the rails right along with the book.
In general, I didn't love ANY of the characters once Lady M meets her fate. I was curious as to Gloriae and how her arc would take form but ultimately she left me the most annoyed.
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I feel so old when I do that. Anyway. Gloriae is the golden twin, kidnapped by her batshit crazy uncle (and our so over the top it's just uncomfortable to watch after awhile) who might also be her father and she eventually learns that the ...
Nope. First we discuss this: weredragons. It felt like we were going for a certain feel for this time period but weredragons just took me out each and every time.
Anyway, she learns that the weredragon her father brings home to torture is not, in fact, capable of cursing someone and making them shift into a weredragon (if they could, you really, really don't think they would've done that to Dies Irae considering his whole fucking evil origin story is that he was the first born son of a weredragon king and he couldn't shift?! Dude, if they could curse people to shift, Benny boy would've cursed him the moment he realized brother dear was going off the rails because he was left out of the family shifting game. JFC, Gloriae, use your brain) and that she might be telling the truth when she says that she's Gloriae's mother. The same mother Irae's been saying was murdered by weredragons and is thus Gloriae's evil origin story. Gloriae goes completely off the rails when her father is gravely injured and for some reason decides that if daddy Dies Irae isn't gonna make it, no one on the planet should and she unleashes the nightshades: nightmarish smoke monsters that suck the souls of their victims, leaving their bodies an empty, but still breathing, husk. These critters also go after animals so basically the world is fucked because Gloriae's an idiot of the highest fucking order.
Irae survives his stabbing but goes ahead and leans all the way into villainy and takes back his kingdom which is essentially just ash and husks at this point since the dragons peaced out and the nightshades have ruined a good chunk of the population. He banishes Gloriae because... sure, why not, and she quickly runs into the dragons who convince her that yes, the crazy dude who kidnapped her is not her father, or probably isn't, but does it matter since he's nuttier than nuts and lied to her about everything else? So she rejoins her family, rescues Agnus Dei from her nightshade hell, and then throws away all my goodwill by deciding you know what we need more of? Rape.
Specifically, she rapes her twin sister's boyfriend, Kyrie. She plans this out in advance, probably as soon as she's tasked with a mission where he's her only backup, and follows through even when she could back out at any point. Why? Why does she do this? Because she knows that Kyrie is in love with her twin and as soon as they're reunited they'll be inseparable (I mean, will they?) and they'll couple up and pop out some kids and if Gloriae's gonna help repopulate the species, she's gotta get with the only other weredragon she's not related to ASAP and as often as she can before they join back up with the family.
That's right. She's going to keep doing this as often as she can (or plans to, anyway) just so she can get knocked up, even as they're busy fighting a losing war, to repopulate the species... which at this point in time is 5 were dragons and 4 of those 5 are related. I... ma'am. You do realize you can probably bring in outside genetic material, right? Bed one of the survivors of the horror you unleashed upon the world instead of your sister's boyfriend?
No?
The only reason she doesn't continue this plan is because her sister interrupts them before Gloriae can finish getting nekkid. Seriously. She never shows ANY remorse for what she's done to Kyrie or Agnus Dei. Hell, she never shows any remorse PERIOD. The secondary baddie of the third book is created because of Gloriae's actions (she killed a bunch of NPCs and the wife/sister survives and holds a grudge) and we're treated to this:
"You killed innocent people, Gloriae the Gilded."
Gloriae snickered. "I don't care."
She's traveled far and wide at this point and seen how her horrific actions, not even counting the atrocities she committed against the weredragons we never met (so the brutal murder and y'know, skinning of literal children) and she does not fucking care. I think we're supposed to be on her side at this point because Umbra's also very much a villain at this point and yet she still feels like a better character than Gloriae, and Umbra's fucking Dies Irae, who is just the absolute worst at this point. He's literally creating monsters at this point in the story and Umbra's still with him and not just because he could kill her at any point, and she's STILL more sympathetic than Gloriae.
And yet... Gloriae the Godawful? When Benny and Lacrimosa both die, Gloriae is the remaining dragon who is given the crown. Not just because she's a few minutes older than Agnus Dei, but because we're supposed to believe that she's a better fit to rule than Agnus Dei. Which prior to Agnus Dei's hand being chopped off I might believe, but that combined with her losing her mind to the nightshades SHOULD have prompted her to grow up and become the ruler she was meant to be. Annnnnnnnd nope. Gloriae the rapist and murderer is our new Queen. WTF. She caused the world's near destruction and DID NOT CARE.
He did this. Not me. Him alone.
I mean, sure, Gloriae, your golden bastard father did the destruction you're currently bemoaning in Requiem but you unleashed the nightshades and they pretty much fucking decimated your part of the world, leaving the vacuum that let rise the mimics. But because you're the golden lost princess/daughter, you're fine? The fuck. (after awhile I started ranting to myself while reading this one and this bit is from that rant.)
Other issues that cropped up: I've mentioned the nightshades quite a bit by now, however it's because we're basically shown nearly every town/village is laid to waste due to their actions. Survivors are rare and quickly take one another out and animals are shown as not safe from the nightshades (never once does anyone stop to marvel that this means they have souls). And there's a fair enough time gap between Gloriae's unleashing of them and Irae waking up and realizing that he naps for one week and shit goes to hell, so a good, sizeable chunk of their world is screwed beyond belief. One of the things that I liked is that we're shown that when people basically are frozen where they fall, it means that they cannot defend themselves anymore. Fires break out, bodies fall prey to creatures/animals/bugs, they starve or die of thirst. Point is, in the first week a good chunk of the population is taken out.
And yet Irae's out here cranking out Mimics by the thousands. HOW. By the time he's ramped up production like that, there shouldn't be enough parts in the WORLD, let alone just his slice of it, because we're told more than once that the parts have to be relatively fresh. I think I was supposed to be awestruck in fear of these armies of creatures but instead I couldn't get over the sheer number of them that were supposed to exist but couldn't because of previously established deaths. Seriously, it did not compute at all and so I could never lose myself in this particular horror.
Finally: book three introduces two more dragons. But because... I dunno, reasons, they're Kyrie's siblings. Which means the only way the were dragons will continue is if they outsource their hooking up/baby making and this is spelled out after we're treated to just the most UGH visual of both Agnus Dei and Gloriae being visibly pregnant at the same time for Agnus Dei's wedding to Kyrie. I twitched reading that. Just... ugh. Gross. WHY.
Also, DUH. Of course you idiots can intermingle with the mere humans. Why would you not think of that first, Gloriae? But also even still, this still means the were dragons are all related to two families. Ick.
Finally: I get why Ben didn't kill Irae the first time. Maybe even the second time. But everyone else pulling their punches? DUDE. Look around at the wasteland he's molded the world into (with Gloriae's help, I cannot stress this enough since she does not care) and then do the world a favor and TAKE HIM OUT OF THE EQUATION. The whole "we'll bring him to trial!" bullshit was just maddening. Everyone and their brother has spent the last two books declaring that Dies Irae MUST DIE and yet no one could bring themselves to finish the goddamn job until Gloriae's like fuckit, I'll kill anything and this loser isn't above death.
Basically: book one was fine if you could get past the use of weredragons, the repetition, and everyone calling Kyrie Pup or Kid even though it never really seemed to land right. Especially not pup.
Book two decides you need MORE rape and also let the world burn and I should've noped out here.
Book three leans into the monster fucking/creating and basically you can be an awful character and it's fine so long as you aren't Irae.
I didn't have a good time by the end and if you did, I'm happy for you but I do wonder if maybe we could've done without literally every female character we meet being under the very real threat of rape (or in Gloriae's case, being a rapist) because it was just a lot of rape. A lot. And it's all treated so casually and it's making me think of how casually it is treated in books, particularly those that are fantasy based but still want to feel grounded in reality. Blergh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2015
So not recommended. I rarely give anything such a low rating, but this is deserved. Your best bet is to read the 1 and 2 star reviews it's gotten on any of the sites it's sold on because they all had it spot on. This was a poorly written series of books with many descriptions of people/place/etc repeated ad nauseum. I can understand using this technique once from one book to the next because often times the next book in the series comes months or years later. However when it's happening at least every other chapter and sometimes as often as the same damned page, it gets very annoying. The idea had much potential but was poorly executed. I'd ask for my money back, but the first book was free and the other two were gifts. I won't be reading anything else by this author.
November 21, 2015
More amazing tales in the land of Requiem. On the edge of your seat excitement.
January 15, 2021
This three-book set tells the story of Dies Irae, the oldest son of the king of Requiem, who did not have the magic of the dragons and was unable to shift into dragon form. Dies Irae stole his father’s griffin amulet, which allowed him to control the griffins (they had previously been enslaved to the dragons), took over the neighboring human kingdom of Osanna, and began a lifelong vendetta against the dragons of Requiem.
Blood of Requiem – In this first book, the main battle with Osanna is in the past – a dozen or so years ago. It appears that Benedictus, king of Requiem, his wife, Lacrimosa, and their daughter, Agnus Dei are the only dragons still alive.
Another dragon, Kyrie Eleison, turns up and joins them. He develops something of a crush on Agnus Dei.
The Requiem dragons call themselves the Vir Requis. They can shift between human and dragon forms. Dies Irae calls them weredragons and has convinced the humans that they are evil because of this.
There is another type of dragons. Called the true dragons, they are of the Chinese type, with no wings. They have no human forms. They fly by twisting and curling their long snake-like forms through the air. Agnus Dei is convinced that if they can find the true dragons, maybe they will agree to help the remnant of the Requiem dragons against Dies Irae and his people.
Tears of Requiem – This second book is about the battle with the nightshades. The nightshades are creatures of shadow and pure evil. They are some of the most dangerous evil creatures. Gloriae, who believes herself to be Dies Irae’s daughter, but who is really Benedictus and Lacrimosa’s daughter and Agnus Dei’s twin sister, released them after the dragons defeated Dies Irae, thinking she was helping her father and his people.
The previous battle between the Vir Requis and Dies Irae’s people of Osanna has left many griffins, Osannans, and true dragons dead. The griffins, released by King Benedictus after he retrieved the griffin amulet from Dies Irae, have flown off to wherever they originally came from, and the same is true of the true dragons. So, the four Vir Requis, still suffering from severe wounds but all still alive so far, are left to battle the nightshades alone.
Gloriae eventually realizes that she has done a really bad thing and runs away from home. In this book too, Gloriae discovers that she is a Vir Requis herself, and she and Agnus Dei begin to work toward an understanding that allows Gloriae to fight with the Vir Requis rather than against them.
Finally, Lacrimosa gets the idea to ask the griffins for help. Because she and Benedictus are nice to them they agree to try to help out. But by the end of this book, the people of Osanna, the griffins, and the battered Vir Requis themselves have taken so much damage that you don’t see how any of them keep fighting.
Light of Requiem – In the last battle, the city of Confutatis was almost completely destroyed, along with most of the people. They should be defeated. But Noooo… Dies Irae’s hate will not let him rest. Since there are almost no people left alive, he finds some magic with which to create an army out of the dead. He calls them ‘mimics,’ but really they are zombies (although they never say so) created from the sewn-together body parts of all the people, animals, etc. that have died.
To counter this, Lacrimosa, Kyrie, Gloriae, and Agnus Dei (Benedictus died at the end of the last battle) find the source of his animations and use it to animate the statues of Requiem to come to their defense. It takes more than just their help though to finally defeat Dies Irae, who has made a zombie of himself and refuses to die.
Blood of Requiem – In this first book, the main battle with Osanna is in the past – a dozen or so years ago. It appears that Benedictus, king of Requiem, his wife, Lacrimosa, and their daughter, Agnus Dei are the only dragons still alive.
Another dragon, Kyrie Eleison, turns up and joins them. He develops something of a crush on Agnus Dei.
The Requiem dragons call themselves the Vir Requis. They can shift between human and dragon forms. Dies Irae calls them weredragons and has convinced the humans that they are evil because of this.
There is another type of dragons. Called the true dragons, they are of the Chinese type, with no wings. They have no human forms. They fly by twisting and curling their long snake-like forms through the air. Agnus Dei is convinced that if they can find the true dragons, maybe they will agree to help the remnant of the Requiem dragons against Dies Irae and his people.
Tears of Requiem – This second book is about the battle with the nightshades. The nightshades are creatures of shadow and pure evil. They are some of the most dangerous evil creatures. Gloriae, who believes herself to be Dies Irae’s daughter, but who is really Benedictus and Lacrimosa’s daughter and Agnus Dei’s twin sister, released them after the dragons defeated Dies Irae, thinking she was helping her father and his people.
The previous battle between the Vir Requis and Dies Irae’s people of Osanna has left many griffins, Osannans, and true dragons dead. The griffins, released by King Benedictus after he retrieved the griffin amulet from Dies Irae, have flown off to wherever they originally came from, and the same is true of the true dragons. So, the four Vir Requis, still suffering from severe wounds but all still alive so far, are left to battle the nightshades alone.
Gloriae eventually realizes that she has done a really bad thing and runs away from home. In this book too, Gloriae discovers that she is a Vir Requis herself, and she and Agnus Dei begin to work toward an understanding that allows Gloriae to fight with the Vir Requis rather than against them.
Finally, Lacrimosa gets the idea to ask the griffins for help. Because she and Benedictus are nice to them they agree to try to help out. But by the end of this book, the people of Osanna, the griffins, and the battered Vir Requis themselves have taken so much damage that you don’t see how any of them keep fighting.
Light of Requiem – In the last battle, the city of Confutatis was almost completely destroyed, along with most of the people. They should be defeated. But Noooo… Dies Irae’s hate will not let him rest. Since there are almost no people left alive, he finds some magic with which to create an army out of the dead. He calls them ‘mimics,’ but really they are zombies (although they never say so) created from the sewn-together body parts of all the people, animals, etc. that have died.
To counter this, Lacrimosa, Kyrie, Gloriae, and Agnus Dei (Benedictus died at the end of the last battle) find the source of his animations and use it to animate the statues of Requiem to come to their defense. It takes more than just their help though to finally defeat Dies Irae, who has made a zombie of himself and refuses to die.
August 21, 2018
In Song of the Dragon elves rule the world. The Rhonas Empire are a petty, shallow race who have defeated all of the other races and now kill off their enemies for the sake of getting trinkets and trophies. They enslave and subjugate others through the use of magical devotions, which make their slaves forget all of the horrific things that the elves do to them. Drakis, a human, is the hero of this story. He manages to break free from the elves along with a band that includes a chimera, manticores, a dwarf, and human females. This odd cast of characters are on the run, being hunted by elves. Meanwhile, those in his party and others in the world believe that Drakis is the human that according to legend is supposed to lead their uprising against the elf oppressors.
The novel got off to a slow start. About a third of the way through, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this novel, but as it progressed, I liked it more and more. It was a bit of a slow build, mostly because at the beginning, the narrator in the form of Drakis, who was mostly the viewpoint character, was unreliable because his character had his memories erased. It was only after regaining his memories did the momentum of the story build. I liked the progression of the novel. I also liked the elven character Soen, who was hunting down Drakis’s group. The ending of the novel was satisfying, and I look forward to reading the other books in this trilogy.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
The novel got off to a slow start. About a third of the way through, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this novel, but as it progressed, I liked it more and more. It was a bit of a slow build, mostly because at the beginning, the narrator in the form of Drakis, who was mostly the viewpoint character, was unreliable because his character had his memories erased. It was only after regaining his memories did the momentum of the story build. I liked the progression of the novel. I also liked the elven character Soen, who was hunting down Drakis’s group. The ending of the novel was satisfying, and I look forward to reading the other books in this trilogy.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
January 28, 2019
Very fast pace that people moved about made it unnerving for me to read. Also, the first two books there was a lot of impatience in the younger characters that I just wanted to have someone smack some sense in the people instead of being so impulsive and bloodthirsty. However, the world itself was something I really admired, and the different races of characters from people to mythical beasts (griffins and dragons). Other than impulsiveness, the story itself was okay to me. The pace of the book is really fast, so one may be able to pick up the trilogy as I did, and read through it fairly quickly and get a good sense of the world that Arenson developed. For me, I wish it was slowed down a bit. In my mind it felt like watching a TV series, which could be a good thing for a mini-series. I think it would play out pretty well, something like The Legend of the Seeker show.
April 16, 2024
The trilogy was pretty good for most of the way. I liked some of the characters, and some of the events occurred. All the different sorts of creatures that appeared definitely sparked up my imagination, it was wonderful, but gross where the Mimics and the Poisoned were involved.
I do have a few issues though, like there was definitely a lot of repetition of some things in the book that didn't need to be repeated. There was also constant mention of rape within the story, it made uncomfortable reading the word 10+ times every 100 pages, the author definitely should've at least included a trigger warning or something like that. My last little dislike about the book was Irae's POV in general, it was very unnerving and freaky. I already didn't like Irae a lot in the first place and his POV just made it 10x worse.
Overall still a pretty good book if you get past all of the back aspects.
I do have a few issues though, like there was definitely a lot of repetition of some things in the book that didn't need to be repeated. There was also constant mention of rape within the story, it made uncomfortable reading the word 10+ times every 100 pages, the author definitely should've at least included a trigger warning or something like that. My last little dislike about the book was Irae's POV in general, it was very unnerving and freaky. I already didn't like Irae a lot in the first place and his POV just made it 10x worse.
Overall still a pretty good book if you get past all of the back aspects.
July 11, 2017
I liked the beginning of the first book but it all soon settled in a quite boring cycle where they meet new enemies, fight or flee, but without the story really evolving, and simultaneously the chapter titles keep cycling through the main character names.
The story would have been better if it had been shorter, focusing on one main line of development, and by letting the characters evolve, which they don't. The reason for cycling the chapter titles using the names of the main characters is beyond me because the story is always told from a third party observer view, not by using the title character as the "I" in that chapter.
So all in all, my initial interest soon faded and I found myself quickly going through the last half of the trilogy just to see how it ended.
The story would have been better if it had been shorter, focusing on one main line of development, and by letting the characters evolve, which they don't. The reason for cycling the chapter titles using the names of the main characters is beyond me because the story is always told from a third party observer view, not by using the title character as the "I" in that chapter.
So all in all, my initial interest soon faded and I found myself quickly going through the last half of the trilogy just to see how it ended.
December 29, 2017
This was the first time I had read anything by Daniel Arenson. I picked up the trilogy when it was part of a special offer for the Kindle. I enjoyed the first two books a lot more than the third. Overall it was a good story with a few different twists on a well traveled fantasy theme (dragons, giants, griffins and villain building an army of mimics). The villain is particularly nasty and in book three he really becomes quite disgusting. as do his creations.
I will probably read the next trilogy as it too was a Kindle special offer but I am not that hooked.
I will probably read the next trilogy as it too was a Kindle special offer but I am not that hooked.
November 5, 2025
Song of Dragons
The idea at first sounded like a great idea for a series. Too often I found myself asking the character what, why? It got to the point that it seemed like all the evil things that had been unleashed had to have killed off everything in the world. There was all the running and hiding and only fighting back when forced to. Then it seemed like they would only win by luck. I was left frustrated by characters decisions and some of the way things played out. I will not be rereading this series.
The idea at first sounded like a great idea for a series. Too often I found myself asking the character what, why? It got to the point that it seemed like all the evil things that had been unleashed had to have killed off everything in the world. There was all the running and hiding and only fighting back when forced to. Then it seemed like they would only win by luck. I was left frustrated by characters decisions and some of the way things played out. I will not be rereading this series.
October 6, 2017
the monster in his head
one brother flies, the other does not. in his anger and jealousy, Dies Ires strikes out against all of the Vir Require, most especially his brother the king. and they die, wiped out. it is not written in the stars that the dragons leave the land., however. they fight of the remnants is epic.
one brother flies, the other does not. in his anger and jealousy, Dies Ires strikes out against all of the Vir Require, most especially his brother the king. and they die, wiped out. it is not written in the stars that the dragons leave the land., however. they fight of the remnants is epic.
November 6, 2021
Song of Dragons was an adventure I enjoyed.
I've read multiple books by Daniel Arenson and find his characters always come alive for me. I enjoyed the story and became drawn to the characters, the good as well as the wicked. I like that the stories are always entertaining across multiple genres.
I've read multiple books by Daniel Arenson and find his characters always come alive for me. I enjoyed the story and became drawn to the characters, the good as well as the wicked. I like that the stories are always entertaining across multiple genres.
Read
October 24, 2025Song of Dragons
Very little character development but tons of battles with increasingly strange, unrealistic opponents. One character doesn't get what he wants so he has a tantrum for years to destroy his brother and their race. Petty, vengeful, delusional tyrant much like we are seeing with the orange sinful charlatan in present times.
Very little character development but tons of battles with increasingly strange, unrealistic opponents. One character doesn't get what he wants so he has a tantrum for years to destroy his brother and their race. Petty, vengeful, delusional tyrant much like we are seeing with the orange sinful charlatan in present times.
June 8, 2021
Enjoyable read
I enjoyed the trilogy. The final book felt a little forced like he had about half a book's worth of actual content so used a lot of repeat scenes. All in all a good series, however.
I enjoyed the trilogy. The final book felt a little forced like he had about half a book's worth of actual content so used a lot of repeat scenes. All in all a good series, however.
November 24, 2024
Read with serious caution. Seriously.
Lots of r*pe, child abuse, graphic torture, and maggots. So. Many. Maggots.
The first book was kinda interesting, but it got worse as it went along. The 3rd book was barely readable.
Lots of r*pe, child abuse, graphic torture, and maggots. So. Many. Maggots.
The first book was kinda interesting, but it got worse as it went along. The 3rd book was barely readable.
March 27, 2025
Gruesome and debauchery
I tried to enjoy this book, but it was too full of thoughtless brutality. The descriptions of killings were way to gory. I couldn't finish the series because I found it too upsetting.
I tried to enjoy this book, but it was too full of thoughtless brutality. The descriptions of killings were way to gory. I couldn't finish the series because I found it too upsetting.
October 19, 2025
I read this series as a single/combo ebook. The premise, the world, and its people were wonderful ideas. I think where it fell flat was the execution. Got to the point of a lot of similar or repeating phrases, and the plot became very predictable. It was intriguing enough, I would try more by this author.
November 10, 2025
First book flowed nicely and was good with character development. Second and third book for me just fell apart. I almost didn't finish reading it from how the writing got so violent and strange with each new evil monster.
January 9, 2018
Interesting story, probably targeted to young adults. Good fairy tale to whisk you away from everyday, buT by the third book I’d had enough dragons and their enemies.
February 13, 2018
I really enjoyed these three books. i look forward to reading more in the series. I recommend highly to all who enjoy Dragon books.
Sharon Wadeson
Sharon Wadeson
June 23, 2018
Clever
Kept me wanting to read the next book! The evolution of the twins into maturity and the overwhelming upgrade of the "monsters" worked well together.
Kept me wanting to read the next book! The evolution of the twins into maturity and the overwhelming upgrade of the "monsters" worked well together.
January 16, 2019
Just finished this trilogy..... I’m hooked!
A story line of dragon shifters, culture & war.
If your a fantasy buff.... you’ll enjoy these.
A story line of dragon shifters, culture & war.
If your a fantasy buff.... you’ll enjoy these.
January 17, 2019
Diverse Universe. Three dimensional characters. Loved reading it.
November 28, 2019
Well written, concise & full of action! Well developed characters as well as a very good plot!
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