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Dragonfire
This is a short story. Dragonfire is the name of the game, a new, totally immersive computer game set in a fantasy world. Figurative dragons lurk in hidden places, the stakes are high, and losing the game means losing your life - or does it? This is a short story.
11 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2014
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
David Rose
7 books53 followersIf you need to email me: davidr (at?sign) weblink1 one.dot co and.anotherdot za.
Please do not offer me a free book in exchange for a review. Amazon no longer allows this, except (I believe) for ARCs. Feel free to ask me for a review. If I like the look of your book I will buy it and then review.
I began writing before I was 18, and have never stopped.
I have been a soldier, a merchant seaman, an agricultural development worker, a cubicle rat, and a preacher; and I have travelled throughout Southern Africa, and also to Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.
I married Chantelle in 1991 and cannot imagine being with anyone else.
I was partially disabled in a flying accident in 2002.
You can find an interview with more about me here.
Feel free to contact me. They say I'm mostly harmless.
Please do not offer me a free book in exchange for a review. Amazon no longer allows this, except (I believe) for ARCs. Feel free to ask me for a review. If I like the look of your book I will buy it and then review.
I began writing before I was 18, and have never stopped.
I have been a soldier, a merchant seaman, an agricultural development worker, a cubicle rat, and a preacher; and I have travelled throughout Southern Africa, and also to Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.
I married Chantelle in 1991 and cannot imagine being with anyone else.
I was partially disabled in a flying accident in 2002.
You can find an interview with more about me here.
Feel free to contact me. They say I'm mostly harmless.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 23, 2018
Too good to be that fast!
This is a very fast read, and well worth your time. I'm not much of a "gamer," but this is a great gamer story that will take you into an alternate gaming world and catch you by surprise at the end. My primary criticism is that the book is far too short for the story . . . meaning that this story should be at least a novella of 50 more pages, and it could easily be a made into a novel. It's not only the story idea that lends itself to a longer story, but the characters. Catlin and Florian make for a great pair of characters, both hinting at depth that could benefit from further development. The plotting is excellent, descriptions appropriately written without distracting from the flow of the story, and the dialog is well done. In all, a very solid story . . . just too blamed short!
Mr. Rose.... please consider building this story into something longer. It deserves it; it has earned it!
Do I recommend this to readers? Absolutely. Pick it up when you have a half hour available for a fun escape!
This is a very fast read, and well worth your time. I'm not much of a "gamer," but this is a great gamer story that will take you into an alternate gaming world and catch you by surprise at the end. My primary criticism is that the book is far too short for the story . . . meaning that this story should be at least a novella of 50 more pages, and it could easily be a made into a novel. It's not only the story idea that lends itself to a longer story, but the characters. Catlin and Florian make for a great pair of characters, both hinting at depth that could benefit from further development. The plotting is excellent, descriptions appropriately written without distracting from the flow of the story, and the dialog is well done. In all, a very solid story . . . just too blamed short!
Mr. Rose.... please consider building this story into something longer. It deserves it; it has earned it!
Do I recommend this to readers? Absolutely. Pick it up when you have a half hour available for a fun escape!
July 3, 2017
Wow. That pretty much sums up my response to David Rose’s short story. I’m not a gamer, but I have friends and relatives who are. And his characters’ obsession with gaming in “Dragonfire” is totally believable. The twist ending took me by surprise. Kudos!
May 17, 2014
Though this story is very short, it hooked me fast and held my attention. The main characters, Catlin and Florian are players of the game Dragonfire. It is not your average game, though. Players are immersed in this fantasy world which can have consequences in the real world as well.
Catlin's character spoke strongly to me. Not that I would go to the lengths she does, but I do understand that urge to retreat into a fantasy game world. To me, it's an escape and a fun pastime, to Catlin, it's an obsession. I've never quite been in her shoes, but I know people who have had trouble coping with real life after becoming too attached to MMO's. Her character came across as true to life.
The descriptions and writing in this story are top notch. I felt fully immersed in the story, and I got a good look at the characters despite the short length. I was completely surprised at the ending, as I was expecting something different. I won't spoil it, but I will say it is a nice, unexpected twist.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Catlin's character spoke strongly to me. Not that I would go to the lengths she does, but I do understand that urge to retreat into a fantasy game world. To me, it's an escape and a fun pastime, to Catlin, it's an obsession. I've never quite been in her shoes, but I know people who have had trouble coping with real life after becoming too attached to MMO's. Her character came across as true to life.
The descriptions and writing in this story are top notch. I felt fully immersed in the story, and I got a good look at the characters despite the short length. I was completely surprised at the ending, as I was expecting something different. I won't spoil it, but I will say it is a nice, unexpected twist.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
May 17, 2014
This short story is a quick paced action book based around the Hartman siblings, who's company run the online game Dragonfire. This is a game where you transpose your human self inside the game, but while there are safety measures in place to protect you, things can go wrong.
It is an intriguing read as the author meshes in the idea of the game, the differing characters of the "real" world with the computer world and in my opinion, would work well if he ever decided to turn it into a full length novel.
I received a review copy for an honest and non-reciprocal review.
It is an intriguing read as the author meshes in the idea of the game, the differing characters of the "real" world with the computer world and in my opinion, would work well if he ever decided to turn it into a full length novel.
I received a review copy for an honest and non-reciprocal review.
August 10, 2016
This is a clever short story with a beauty of a twist. At just shy of 3000 words, David Rose has managed to pack in a lot of material. A good read, especially if you're a gamer. Actually it's still a good read even if you aren't.
November 9, 2014
You know what you want to say with every good short story? "Oh, I wish it were longer." I'm not going to do that, or did I just do that?
First, about the story, Caitlin and Florian are brother and sister. Their dad--owner of a huge computing (software?) corporation named Megaware--has just died and the shares have plummeted. They stabilize after the succession plans are announced. Caitlin is the responsible, straight-laced, older sister. She is poised to take the reins. Florian is a womanizing, drug and alcohol addicted, playboy of sorts. The latest release from Megaware, called Dragonfire, is some type of role playing online game that has real life consequences for those playing. Without ruining anything, Caitlin goes into the game, it has real life consequences, there's a twist, the end.
Let's get the bitching out of the way and I'll talk about what I didn't like. Honestly, anything I complain about will be nit-picking. I didn't find any deal breakeing blunders with this story. It certainly wasn't boring. A quick bit of research into the author reveals he's from South Africa. This is in no way detrimental to the story or writing in general. I say this because the setting of the story (the real world anyway) is in Chicago. Once you begin reading you'll see that it's almost all written in a foreign (to Americans) English dialect. This isn't a slight against other English speaking countries or their authors, and I'm sure there are plenty of foreigners in Chicago who run mega corporations or rank high in the organization. But, I found myself thinking, 'Why not just have it set in Johannesburg, London, or Sydney?" One of the countries that use an 's' instead of a 'z' in their writing, and uses the dialect. This was a very minor distraction, but it was one nonetheless. It wasn't far fetched or anything, it just seemed a bit unlikely and could have been avoided easily. Might not bother some people, some people might not even blink at it, but it caught my attention.
Now, if you read the description, and are still surprised that this is in fact a 'short story', it would probably behoove you to wear a helmet in public and not operate heavy machinery. That being said, I felt like there was way too much world building and character introduction for this length. It's one of the great and also irritating things about a short story. You find yourself wishing you'd taken your time when reading it. This one packed so much information into such a tight word count, that I think it really needed to be longer. It's like finally bedding the head cheerleader at a high school party, playing 'just the tip' for 10 minutes, and then passing out from the four Zimas with Jolly Ranchers you chugged 30 minutes prior to your good fortune coming to fruition. That being said, the story was packed very well into the few pages. I still wanted to know more about the characters. The only one you really get to know is Caitlin. Her character is developed very well. I'm not a huge gamer, but I've known people obsessed with online gaming, and the characterization of her was nailed by the author. I still wanted to know more about Florian, and this mysterious floozy named Meg. I also wanted to know more about all of the characters in the online world. Who were they? Who was behind them, sitting on a bean bag chair, drinking gallon sized slurpees and shoveling Cheetos into their mouths? I wanted to go through the online world more and hear more about the corporation and how things shaped up during the transition. I wanted the personal assistant to have some clandestine agenda, or be more interesting.
The last item on the bitching agenda is that many of the names and euphemisms were a bit corny in the virtual world. I don't know if this was serious or meant to be comical. Like I said, I'm not a gamer, so this may be the norm. For instance, ol' Grayblade pisses in a chamber pot, and there is a thief named Dipper Lightfoot. I mean c'mon, that's pretty funny. But I don't know if it was meant to be comical. I'm afraid if I were in a book club discussing the story with hardcore online gamers, I might just receive some derisive looks or be called a name in some gamer's language, or just referred to as a muggle in general.
For the things I loved about the story? Almost everything. Mr. Rose certainly can tell a story. The writing was superb, especially for an indie. I hate having to say that, but there is some real indie garbage out there. This was polished and easy to read. It was fast paced, which I enjoyed. I'm not real big on huge lengths of prose describing the smallest objects and irrelevant things. In a short story there is no time for that, so maybe it was forced on the author, but I have a feeling his other writing is probably well balanced. The dialogue was good. Like I said before, you'll recognize that it's not American English, but it's not like trying to understand Brad Pitt in Snatch. The concept certainly isn't original, but it's done very well. Florian was the archetypal millionaire playboy, a character who's been done a billion times, but I still found myself liking him for some reason. I think there is an 'x factor' with some writers, where their writing is just likeable. Mr. Rose is one of those. The world building was very good for a work of this length. I imagined myself sword fighting with ol' Grayblade at the chamber pot, after a few keg stands of light ale, talking about wenches and our latest conquests with the town harlots. The twist at the end was not predictable, but it didn't kick me in the nuts either. It was kind of in the back of my mind, but wasn't obvious by any means.
Bottom line, I think if you enjoy this genre of story, it would probably be worth paying $.99 for. It was available for free on Amazon when I downloaded it and that was well worth it. It's probably about a 15-20 minute read. I truly wish it were longer, at least a novella, if not a novel or even a series. This would make a fantastic lead into a full series or omnibus of sorts. I would purchase the next. I certainly hope Mr. Rose fleshes this one out into a larger work. He certainly has the writing chops for it. I'd be glad to read and review other works by him, that fit the genre anyway. Overall, a 4.5 out of 5.
First, about the story, Caitlin and Florian are brother and sister. Their dad--owner of a huge computing (software?) corporation named Megaware--has just died and the shares have plummeted. They stabilize after the succession plans are announced. Caitlin is the responsible, straight-laced, older sister. She is poised to take the reins. Florian is a womanizing, drug and alcohol addicted, playboy of sorts. The latest release from Megaware, called Dragonfire, is some type of role playing online game that has real life consequences for those playing. Without ruining anything, Caitlin goes into the game, it has real life consequences, there's a twist, the end.
Let's get the bitching out of the way and I'll talk about what I didn't like. Honestly, anything I complain about will be nit-picking. I didn't find any deal breakeing blunders with this story. It certainly wasn't boring. A quick bit of research into the author reveals he's from South Africa. This is in no way detrimental to the story or writing in general. I say this because the setting of the story (the real world anyway) is in Chicago. Once you begin reading you'll see that it's almost all written in a foreign (to Americans) English dialect. This isn't a slight against other English speaking countries or their authors, and I'm sure there are plenty of foreigners in Chicago who run mega corporations or rank high in the organization. But, I found myself thinking, 'Why not just have it set in Johannesburg, London, or Sydney?" One of the countries that use an 's' instead of a 'z' in their writing, and uses the dialect. This was a very minor distraction, but it was one nonetheless. It wasn't far fetched or anything, it just seemed a bit unlikely and could have been avoided easily. Might not bother some people, some people might not even blink at it, but it caught my attention.
Now, if you read the description, and are still surprised that this is in fact a 'short story', it would probably behoove you to wear a helmet in public and not operate heavy machinery. That being said, I felt like there was way too much world building and character introduction for this length. It's one of the great and also irritating things about a short story. You find yourself wishing you'd taken your time when reading it. This one packed so much information into such a tight word count, that I think it really needed to be longer. It's like finally bedding the head cheerleader at a high school party, playing 'just the tip' for 10 minutes, and then passing out from the four Zimas with Jolly Ranchers you chugged 30 minutes prior to your good fortune coming to fruition. That being said, the story was packed very well into the few pages. I still wanted to know more about the characters. The only one you really get to know is Caitlin. Her character is developed very well. I'm not a huge gamer, but I've known people obsessed with online gaming, and the characterization of her was nailed by the author. I still wanted to know more about Florian, and this mysterious floozy named Meg. I also wanted to know more about all of the characters in the online world. Who were they? Who was behind them, sitting on a bean bag chair, drinking gallon sized slurpees and shoveling Cheetos into their mouths? I wanted to go through the online world more and hear more about the corporation and how things shaped up during the transition. I wanted the personal assistant to have some clandestine agenda, or be more interesting.
The last item on the bitching agenda is that many of the names and euphemisms were a bit corny in the virtual world. I don't know if this was serious or meant to be comical. Like I said, I'm not a gamer, so this may be the norm. For instance, ol' Grayblade pisses in a chamber pot, and there is a thief named Dipper Lightfoot. I mean c'mon, that's pretty funny. But I don't know if it was meant to be comical. I'm afraid if I were in a book club discussing the story with hardcore online gamers, I might just receive some derisive looks or be called a name in some gamer's language, or just referred to as a muggle in general.
For the things I loved about the story? Almost everything. Mr. Rose certainly can tell a story. The writing was superb, especially for an indie. I hate having to say that, but there is some real indie garbage out there. This was polished and easy to read. It was fast paced, which I enjoyed. I'm not real big on huge lengths of prose describing the smallest objects and irrelevant things. In a short story there is no time for that, so maybe it was forced on the author, but I have a feeling his other writing is probably well balanced. The dialogue was good. Like I said before, you'll recognize that it's not American English, but it's not like trying to understand Brad Pitt in Snatch. The concept certainly isn't original, but it's done very well. Florian was the archetypal millionaire playboy, a character who's been done a billion times, but I still found myself liking him for some reason. I think there is an 'x factor' with some writers, where their writing is just likeable. Mr. Rose is one of those. The world building was very good for a work of this length. I imagined myself sword fighting with ol' Grayblade at the chamber pot, after a few keg stands of light ale, talking about wenches and our latest conquests with the town harlots. The twist at the end was not predictable, but it didn't kick me in the nuts either. It was kind of in the back of my mind, but wasn't obvious by any means.
Bottom line, I think if you enjoy this genre of story, it would probably be worth paying $.99 for. It was available for free on Amazon when I downloaded it and that was well worth it. It's probably about a 15-20 minute read. I truly wish it were longer, at least a novella, if not a novel or even a series. This would make a fantastic lead into a full series or omnibus of sorts. I would purchase the next. I certainly hope Mr. Rose fleshes this one out into a larger work. He certainly has the writing chops for it. I'd be glad to read and review other works by him, that fit the genre anyway. Overall, a 4.5 out of 5.
February 20, 2015
This story takes the term “sibling rivalry” to a whole new level!
Most of the action takes place inside a medieval multi-player virtual reality world, where a particularly ambitious and ruthless gamer has gained the upper hand, having learned how to snuff the MMORPG’s players out in such a way as to risk ending their real-world lives. Things aren’t quite so simple, however, since in the gaming world one never knows who hides behind an avatar.
The concept of a fully immersive virtual reality is the holy grail of the video game world; nowadays there are even rigs that allow gamers to walk, jump and fight within a virtual environment. Dragonfire is a different beast, however. What are the possibilities when a person’s own mind can be run like a subprogram in the system? What about the possibility of viruses? What effects will in-game spells have on the psyche? Will the game’s safety filters be enough to prevent gamers from hacking the system?
This is an interesting little story which, although quite compact, speculates upon a very possible future. The characterization is sharp, the description crisp and the ending is as twisted as a cat’s tail after a close encounter with a rocking chair. Just the way I like it (although the cat might beg to differ).
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial and non-reciprocal review.
Most of the action takes place inside a medieval multi-player virtual reality world, where a particularly ambitious and ruthless gamer has gained the upper hand, having learned how to snuff the MMORPG’s players out in such a way as to risk ending their real-world lives. Things aren’t quite so simple, however, since in the gaming world one never knows who hides behind an avatar.
The concept of a fully immersive virtual reality is the holy grail of the video game world; nowadays there are even rigs that allow gamers to walk, jump and fight within a virtual environment. Dragonfire is a different beast, however. What are the possibilities when a person’s own mind can be run like a subprogram in the system? What about the possibility of viruses? What effects will in-game spells have on the psyche? Will the game’s safety filters be enough to prevent gamers from hacking the system?
This is an interesting little story which, although quite compact, speculates upon a very possible future. The characterization is sharp, the description crisp and the ending is as twisted as a cat’s tail after a close encounter with a rocking chair. Just the way I like it (although the cat might beg to differ).
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial and non-reciprocal review.
June 11, 2014
This very short story really packs a punch and it is a credit to the author that he says so much in just a few pages.
Caitlin's family have developed a computer game that enables the players to immerse themselves in the game - literally. It is fast paced and exciting and Caitlin, the new boss since the sudden death of her father, is obsessed. But things are not right in the real world and there is as much double-dealing going on there as in the Dragonfire fantasy realm.
This story hurtles along, a great little diversion. The idea would make a wonderful full -length book.
* Please note, I received a free copy of this story in return for an honest, non-reciprocal review *
Caitlin's family have developed a computer game that enables the players to immerse themselves in the game - literally. It is fast paced and exciting and Caitlin, the new boss since the sudden death of her father, is obsessed. But things are not right in the real world and there is as much double-dealing going on there as in the Dragonfire fantasy realm.
This story hurtles along, a great little diversion. The idea would make a wonderful full -length book.
* Please note, I received a free copy of this story in return for an honest, non-reciprocal review *
May 27, 2014
Now this was an unexpected wallop of fun packed into a short space. An excellent short story in which David Rose manages to throw several surprises at the reader in rapid succession. The characterization is also spot-on. An enjoyable take on the world of online/massively multiplayer gaming and a wicked twist right near the end. Enjoy!
July 4, 2014
In this short story a fully immersive computer game is used alter the course of events in the real world.
I thought the idea for this short story was good, but the writing could have been tighter and the characters / split between the real and computer worlds could have been clearer / more developed.
I thought the idea for this short story was good, but the writing could have been tighter and the characters / split between the real and computer worlds could have been clearer / more developed.
Read
February 8, 2018This is one mean little short story. It is set in contemporary USA and is a mixed genre work: speculative SF thriller spiced with a little fantasy. There are some seriously kinky ideas in the virtual reality tale, and I think that Dragonfire bites. Read it and see for yourself!
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October 23, 2017Alternate cover edition added
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews