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The Dragon Oracles #1
The Call of the Crown
Forced onto a path he does not wish to follow, a young man must put aside his dream of a quiet life and come to terms with his new-found destiny. If he fails, a shattered fantasy will be the least of his worries.
494 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2013
106 people are currently reading
656 people want to read
About the author
T.J. Garrett
15 books43 followersTony Garrett had always been interested in writing but never took the plunge. However, over the last few years, he has become quite the prolific writer. What makes Tony's story remarkable is this fact: Tony is legally blind, and--even with the assistance of digital displays--reading is a chore.
It had been 25 years since Tony had read anything as his range of sight leaves him visually incapable of reading physical books. In his words, when it comes to books, "there is no print large enough."
However, with the advances in modern display technology, and the malleability of digitally published works on Kindle and other apps, readers are given far more control over the appearance of stories. In Tony's case, switching the font to display as white on black, and increasing the character size until only a few words appear on each line allows him to read on a large screen or tablet.
"It takes a long time to read, but I don't mind," Tony explains. "It's changed my life. I love reading, now. And to think I never used to read much--back when I could see."
It wasn't long before reading the stories of others inspired Tony to want to write his own as he became amazed at how immersive writing could be.
"It's a much deeper subject than I expected," stating that it was primarily his experience reading The Lord of the Rings that inspired him to take up writing. "I read Lord of the Rings and was immediately captivated by how much better it was than the films, and I LOVE the movies."
KDP's community focus has helped Tony to take his writing more seriously. "Before I discovered self-publishing, I would have described myself as a hobby-writer. KDP and others have given me the ability to take it further."
Educated at the London College of Music, Tony is also a dedicated musician and composer, and when not writing, he likes nothing more than performing with his band.
It had been 25 years since Tony had read anything as his range of sight leaves him visually incapable of reading physical books. In his words, when it comes to books, "there is no print large enough."
However, with the advances in modern display technology, and the malleability of digitally published works on Kindle and other apps, readers are given far more control over the appearance of stories. In Tony's case, switching the font to display as white on black, and increasing the character size until only a few words appear on each line allows him to read on a large screen or tablet.
"It takes a long time to read, but I don't mind," Tony explains. "It's changed my life. I love reading, now. And to think I never used to read much--back when I could see."
It wasn't long before reading the stories of others inspired Tony to want to write his own as he became amazed at how immersive writing could be.
"It's a much deeper subject than I expected," stating that it was primarily his experience reading The Lord of the Rings that inspired him to take up writing. "I read Lord of the Rings and was immediately captivated by how much better it was than the films, and I LOVE the movies."
KDP's community focus has helped Tony to take his writing more seriously. "Before I discovered self-publishing, I would have described myself as a hobby-writer. KDP and others have given me the ability to take it further."
Educated at the London College of Music, Tony is also a dedicated musician and composer, and when not writing, he likes nothing more than performing with his band.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 6, 2013
I originally picked this story up not only because I have a major weakness for epic fantasy stories, but also because of the promise that it follows in the steps of/is influenced by Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, which is one of my all time favourite books.
And I did see evidence of that influence, especially early on. However the more the story progressed, the more I couldn't quite see the point behind the plot. There didn't seem to be enough driving them, enough interesting plot in the beginning.
While epic fantasy's often have a large cast of heroes, each of which have their own importance, I felt that no one in particular seemed to stand out all that much. The person I though was going to be the leading man, stopped cropping up in PoVs partway through and faded into the background, his father and Elspeth taking over. Often I forgot that Arfael and Olam were with them, until they were in danger and Olam gets them out of it without much trouble.
The description is exceptional and the author really has his world mapped and planned. It feels so real, though perhaps the naming of places is a little excessive in some paragraphs.
Will I continue on with the series? Hmm Yeah, I think so, but it's not highly anticipated.
And I did see evidence of that influence, especially early on. However the more the story progressed, the more I couldn't quite see the point behind the plot. There didn't seem to be enough driving them, enough interesting plot in the beginning.
While epic fantasy's often have a large cast of heroes, each of which have their own importance, I felt that no one in particular seemed to stand out all that much. The person I though was going to be the leading man, stopped cropping up in PoVs partway through and faded into the background, his father and Elspeth taking over. Often I forgot that Arfael and Olam were with them, until they were in danger and Olam gets them out of it without much trouble.
The description is exceptional and the author really has his world mapped and planned. It feels so real, though perhaps the naming of places is a little excessive in some paragraphs.
Will I continue on with the series? Hmm Yeah, I think so, but it's not highly anticipated.
December 27, 2018
Enjoyable
While I enjoyed this book, I found myself getting lost and having to re-read parts. I have previously read books by this author and love the writing style. Maybe I just need to do a re-read later on
While I enjoyed this book, I found myself getting lost and having to re-read parts. I have previously read books by this author and love the writing style. Maybe I just need to do a re-read later on
June 27, 2017
The plot, character development and scene drama are well done. Overall, I was engaged enough to read the book, but was annoyed through most of it.
The world development is disappointing. I never knew where the scenes took place relative to the whole. The names are most annoying. They aren't pronounceable or memorable. They appear everywhere slowing the pace and too often their reference has nothing to do with the story again slowing the pace.
I can't really recommend it.
The world development is disappointing. I never knew where the scenes took place relative to the whole. The names are most annoying. They aren't pronounceable or memorable. They appear everywhere slowing the pace and too often their reference has nothing to do with the story again slowing the pace.
I can't really recommend it.
April 10, 2018
I'm a huge Tolkien fan and this book has kept me riveted following along. About the time I think I have the characters figured out, something changes to give me an additional facet making me rethink things. If you're a fan of all things mystical come follow the journey with Gialyn as he tries to prove himself to his father and those around him, but keep an eye on Brea as she is come into her destiny with the family of dragons she has grown to love. Thank you so much for this delightful tale.
November 8, 2021
Your standard fantasy novel. Filled will all sort of strange places, magic, a bunch of random people on a quest, and dragons (of course). It is a very detailed story; Garrett worked hard to ensure the characters and scenery were well developed. However, the plot is lacking. You don't get into the meat of the story until halfway through and I'm holding out hope that this will be resolved in book 2.
April 12, 2024
Great read, on into the tunnels
December 14, 2014
The first installment in The Dragon Oracles, The Call of the Crown, is a book of epic size, literally, it is quite a long book. The prose in it is similar to that of J.R.R. Tolkein. It’s flowery, and it’s clear that T.J. Garret can weave an amazing tale about a group of people that begin as strangers and grow into acquaintances and finally become friends by the end of it, sharing the struggles and endeavors that the group encounters through their travel.
In terms of setting, it is clearly evident that T.J. Garret has a good grasp on his world for we go from mountain caves, to towns, to bogs and marshes, to woods and all of it seems real. I feel as though I am walking on the ground of the forest with the characters as they continue their journey.
In terms of character, T.J. Garret has a good grasp on his characters. Sometimes they fall out of character and the dialogue is sometimes a bit choppy and unnatural but it doesn’t distract all that much and for as long as this novel is, it is rather inconsequential. There are a variety of characters from a giant, to a Gandalf the Grey like character named Olam, and a group of villagers all with their specific traits. Although I am not necessarily a huge fan of switching POV’s in the middle of a chapter, he does it pretty well and keeps his switches to what is absolutely necessary. Also, I have to confess, that sometimes it seems overwhelming when characters are brought into the setting when not needed. There are a few times when people didn’t need to have POVs or like George Martin, names are introduced with no inherent relevance or significance. Too many names can create some problems for the reader, but it should be nothing that scares you off.
Through all of these good things, there is one problem I found kind of significant with the book, the plot. It seems as though there is a lot of build-up in this book, but not much else. I would kind of equate it, let’s say, to the first Lord of the Rings movie (the fellowship) or even the first Hobbit movie (unexpected journey). I say that because this book is more character driven then plot driven, we are getting used to the characters that are going to be pivotal and paramount to the rest of the trilogy (I believe?) but there isn’t really much gripping action that happens. The climax is kind of hard to decipher. With that being said, I do think, like the previous examples I mentioned, that the second and third book are just going to be jam packed full of action because we have the character development out of the way, although that is merely speculation since I have not read either of them yet. Also, another troubling thing I just noticed in terms of plot is that this book is called The Call of the Crown, however, I don’t find this title to be that suitable. There is no crown really mentioned in it, and I’m not sure what “the call” is referring to. With a title like that it makes me feel as though a king is retiring and perhaps there is a rush to obtain the crown, however, I don’t believe that is the main intent of the story. But, again, I am not the author so take it as you may.
With all that being said, it is still a 4/5 stars. The prose, setting and characters make this more of a character-driven novel which is not a bad thing because, let’s be real, how many different plots can there be, and also, with a book such as this, I’d rather be sure I enjoy the characters I’ll be traveling with through the other books instead of focusing on the plot.
P.S. Oh, also, the ending is, well, let’s just say the ending is one to die for. This guy sure know how to end a novel.
In terms of setting, it is clearly evident that T.J. Garret has a good grasp on his world for we go from mountain caves, to towns, to bogs and marshes, to woods and all of it seems real. I feel as though I am walking on the ground of the forest with the characters as they continue their journey.
In terms of character, T.J. Garret has a good grasp on his characters. Sometimes they fall out of character and the dialogue is sometimes a bit choppy and unnatural but it doesn’t distract all that much and for as long as this novel is, it is rather inconsequential. There are a variety of characters from a giant, to a Gandalf the Grey like character named Olam, and a group of villagers all with their specific traits. Although I am not necessarily a huge fan of switching POV’s in the middle of a chapter, he does it pretty well and keeps his switches to what is absolutely necessary. Also, I have to confess, that sometimes it seems overwhelming when characters are brought into the setting when not needed. There are a few times when people didn’t need to have POVs or like George Martin, names are introduced with no inherent relevance or significance. Too many names can create some problems for the reader, but it should be nothing that scares you off.
Through all of these good things, there is one problem I found kind of significant with the book, the plot. It seems as though there is a lot of build-up in this book, but not much else. I would kind of equate it, let’s say, to the first Lord of the Rings movie (the fellowship) or even the first Hobbit movie (unexpected journey). I say that because this book is more character driven then plot driven, we are getting used to the characters that are going to be pivotal and paramount to the rest of the trilogy (I believe?) but there isn’t really much gripping action that happens. The climax is kind of hard to decipher. With that being said, I do think, like the previous examples I mentioned, that the second and third book are just going to be jam packed full of action because we have the character development out of the way, although that is merely speculation since I have not read either of them yet. Also, another troubling thing I just noticed in terms of plot is that this book is called The Call of the Crown, however, I don’t find this title to be that suitable. There is no crown really mentioned in it, and I’m not sure what “the call” is referring to. With a title like that it makes me feel as though a king is retiring and perhaps there is a rush to obtain the crown, however, I don’t believe that is the main intent of the story. But, again, I am not the author so take it as you may.
With all that being said, it is still a 4/5 stars. The prose, setting and characters make this more of a character-driven novel which is not a bad thing because, let’s be real, how many different plots can there be, and also, with a book such as this, I’d rather be sure I enjoy the characters I’ll be traveling with through the other books instead of focusing on the plot.
P.S. Oh, also, the ending is, well, let’s just say the ending is one to die for. This guy sure know how to end a novel.
February 13, 2017
Just blown away with this EPIC story...
April 16, 2016
Excellent classic fantasy
I really liked this book. There's an overarching plot that will be finished sometime, I assume, but there's no hurry to get to the end, or even to fully describe the end game. If you want a complex book with sub plots that's more about the journey then about being in a hurry to get to the end this is for you.
I really liked this book. There's an overarching plot that will be finished sometime, I assume, but there's no hurry to get to the end, or even to fully describe the end game. If you want a complex book with sub plots that's more about the journey then about being in a hurry to get to the end this is for you.
February 25, 2016
Great New Fantasy Series
Love the way this book is written. It has every fantasy aspect you could ask for. Dragons and witches, knights and kings, and so much more. Can't wait to read the next book.
Love the way this book is written. It has every fantasy aspect you could ask for. Dragons and witches, knights and kings, and so much more. Can't wait to read the next book.
February 20, 2016
Awesome book
I was not sure I would like this series. I checked out this book on the Amazon prime for a month. I liked it so much I am going to purchase the omnibus so I can finish the other two books.
I was not sure I would like this series. I checked out this book on the Amazon prime for a month. I liked it so much I am going to purchase the omnibus so I can finish the other two books.
February 5, 2022
Loved it!
This book kept me reading late into the night. The characters and story are full of life and T.J. Garrett gave a story to get lost in. The only problem I have is the ending. It feels more like a TV show ending of the season than the ending of a book.
This book kept me reading late into the night. The characters and story are full of life and T.J. Garrett gave a story to get lost in. The only problem I have is the ending. It feels more like a TV show ending of the season than the ending of a book.
June 22, 2016
T. J. Garrett
Is an excellent story teller. His characters seem to come to life as they take up this journey. Each has his or her own doubts about their abilities and learn to trust each other along the way.
Is an excellent story teller. His characters seem to come to life as they take up this journey. Each has his or her own doubts about their abilities and learn to trust each other along the way.
July 17, 2016
Decent story. Seems like there are too many characters to really get a deep knowledge and like each one. The story is engaging enough though I think their bodies are one big bruise. Needs a bit more development. Probably will read the rest of the series
October 10, 2016
Interesting new Idea, Maybe too many characters, I like the normal people forced into abnormal situations, the shifting alliances and long time span of characters. Does not stay with a character quite long enough to be emotionally invested.
January 2, 2014
Well written.
February 12, 2016
Might have been higher if it wasn't for the line "He was an adventurer like you, until he took a spear to the ankle". There's a place for stupid memes, books like this are not that place.
February 17, 2016
Only the first
If this is just the start . I can't wIt for more. The stage is set for a truly epic fantasy
If this is just the start . I can't wIt for more. The stage is set for a truly epic fantasy
February 11, 2017
Unfortunately, around 30%, I realized I didn't care about the characters, their quest, or their survival. So, I stopped reading. Maybe I'll try again in a few months.
August 20, 2016
An excellent storyline, well-written, however the poor editing and proof reading is very disappointing.
October 24, 2016
I read the series The Dragon Oracles. Not a bad read but the edition I read could have done with a better proof reader.
October 7, 2016
A good read. Not overly complex, I enjoyed the characters. Now on to book 2.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews