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Dragon Day
From the producers of the Maze Runner trilogy comes this fictional oral history of the appearance of dragons on earth, starring Hayley Atwell (Mission Impossible), Michael Chiklis (Fantastic Four, The Shield), Aldis Hodge (Justice League), Greta Lee (Russian Doll, Past Lives), Jimmi Simpson (Dark Matter, Westworld), and a full cast. A riveting listen perfect for fans of World War Z and Sleeping Giants.
Compiled by intrepid journalist Neve Pride, this archive of recordings spans the months after dragons emerged on earth, chronicling the communities that sprang up amid the destruction, the scientists, military leaders, and experts searching for a defense, and those steadfastly seeking the missing. Neve and her young daughter Bex travel among the wreckage speaking to those left behind and surviving, against all odds. Neve records everything for history, and in the hopes of locating a clue as to where the dragons came from and how one might stop them. When the defense strategy hits on a breakthrough at the same time Neve receives a lead regarding her missing son, she finds herself torn between what is personal to her and what is necessary for mankind’s hope.
Full cast of narrators Richard Tatum, Chioke I’Anson, Gail Shalan, Rez Kempton, Judy Gold, Piper Goodeve, Gregory Connors.
Available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.
Compiled by intrepid journalist Neve Pride, this archive of recordings spans the months after dragons emerged on earth, chronicling the communities that sprang up amid the destruction, the scientists, military leaders, and experts searching for a defense, and those steadfastly seeking the missing. Neve and her young daughter Bex travel among the wreckage speaking to those left behind and surviving, against all odds. Neve records everything for history, and in the hopes of locating a clue as to where the dragons came from and how one might stop them. When the defense strategy hits on a breakthrough at the same time Neve receives a lead regarding her missing son, she finds herself torn between what is personal to her and what is necessary for mankind’s hope.
Full cast of narrators Richard Tatum, Chioke I’Anson, Gail Shalan, Rez Kempton, Judy Gold, Piper Goodeve, Gregory Connors.
Available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.
7 pages, Audible Audio
Published March 27, 2025
100 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 333 reviews
March 28, 2025
It’s like World War Z meets Reign of Fire, meeting How to train your dragon. The audible cast was amazing and did a fantastic job!
April 6, 2025
Dragon Day was an amazing reading experience! I loved the concept and the structural approach to the story. The interview archive format may not work for everyone else, but it made the story that much greater than a multi-pov narrative would.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a suspenseful recounting of what it might look like if dragons crawled the depths of the Earth and reigned terror on us. Dragon Day isn't just about dragons, though. It's about hope, how we survive, and the cost of being those who survived.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a suspenseful recounting of what it might look like if dragons crawled the depths of the Earth and reigned terror on us. Dragon Day isn't just about dragons, though. It's about hope, how we survive, and the cost of being those who survived.
April 1, 2025
Im a sucker for dramatized audiobooks
April 14, 2025
A more modern Reign of Fire/World War Z, with a bit of How To Train Your Dragon thrown in at the second half.
It’s an interestingly told story, just through a collection of recordings, in the days, weeks, and months following “D-Day” when dragons suddenly appeared and laid waste to the world in a terrifying apocalypse.
There are a great many characters who appear, some of whom have recurring roles, and our protagonist is the journalist, Neve Pride, who wasn’t a particularly likeable character based on her behaviour with her children and husband. However, she is tenacious in obtaining as many stories as possible and cataloguing the information she can - first as a sort of history, and second as a way to look for a way to stop the dragons.
Many stories are harrowing and dark, but there is often hope.
Overall it was a short read, with some interesting sections, but my enjoyment never raised much past “pretty interested because dragons” although it was nice to see some easter egg nods to dragon glass and fantasy books - although these might be a bit too meta for some.
With a full cast of narrators, the audiobook production is fantastic, and made the world feel alive and rich!
It’s an interestingly told story, just through a collection of recordings, in the days, weeks, and months following “D-Day” when dragons suddenly appeared and laid waste to the world in a terrifying apocalypse.
There are a great many characters who appear, some of whom have recurring roles, and our protagonist is the journalist, Neve Pride, who wasn’t a particularly likeable character based on her behaviour with her children and husband. However, she is tenacious in obtaining as many stories as possible and cataloguing the information she can - first as a sort of history, and second as a way to look for a way to stop the dragons.
Many stories are harrowing and dark, but there is often hope.
Overall it was a short read, with some interesting sections, but my enjoyment never raised much past “pretty interested because dragons” although it was nice to see some easter egg nods to dragon glass and fantasy books - although these might be a bit too meta for some.
With a full cast of narrators, the audiobook production is fantastic, and made the world feel alive and rich!
April 1, 2025
I listened to this on a complete whim when it popped up as Audible’s exclusive original title of the month. I don’t know anything about the author at all, but there was a dragon fighting helicopters on the cover so I hoped it might at least be exciting and cool. Well, it was exciting at least, though I wouldn’t personally call the terrible events that happened throughout “cool.” (I mean ”terrible” in that they featured much death and destruction and horrible things happening, not in that they weren’t written well. The writing was strong throughout.)
This story was made specifically to be produced in audio and the production quality is excellent. Each individual character is performed by a different professional voice actor. There's also spatial audio that makes things sound closer or farther away, and sound effects like gunfire and birds chirping, so this is meant to be an experience as well as a story.
The positives:
The story itself is gripping insofar as you're imagining a terrifying world where dragons giant and small have come out of seemingly nowhere and attacked humanity in an event called “D-Day” (short for Dragon Day) and you're learning how humanity managed to survive any of it. It also adds a layer of intrigue that the story is framed as a series of interviews by a female reporter who may or may not be supposed to be asking questions about the event.
I became invested in the reporter, Neve Pride, immediately. It was clear that finding the truth and helping to save people and her family was very important to her. I also liked that she brought her young daughter along with her. In a world where dragons could attack anywhere at any minute, safety is an illusion. She understood that the only “safe” place was being together, fighting for and protecting each other, and those are values I like to see in any story.
The audiobook was broken into eight “sections.” I thought Section I set the stage well, helping me understand what had happened and what the stakes were.
Section II, with everyone describing the day the dragons came, was interesting at first to the extent of learning how such a large-scale dragon attack started, but it went on a little long for me and made me wonder what the point of the story was going to be. I don’t do hopeless stories where literally everyone dies, so you better let me start seeing humanity fight back after awhile or I’m out. Maybe the first 5 chapters were interesting enough to see the “D-Day” situation from a variety of perspectives, but then when it circled around to the same people a second time I was just like, okay, I got the point, much death, much blood, fear, crying, terror, can we move on to fighting the dragons now?
Section IV and onward was more interesting to me as we start to get some hints of the true origins of the dragons, learn not all the dragons are evil, and see people start making plans to fight back against the bad dragons. The hopeful and positive ending is what made me bump this to two stars. Anything else and I would have one-starred it because, like I said, I don’t do hopeless stories and there were other things in this I didn’t care for, either.
To address the things I didn’t care for, I personally don’t like listening to or reading extreme amounts of profanity, and this had that. Words and their meanings are important to me. While I can tolerate some profanity, I don’t like reading or hearing profanity thrown around casually or thoughtlessly, and certainly not as frequently as it was here. It was only the intrigue of the story itself that made me keep listening despite this.
I’m also typically a reader who can be sensitive to extremely violent description. Marvel-movie-style action violence is one thing, but when you start “zooming in” on blood, guts, and gore, that’s not what this gal with a vivid imagination, semi-photographic memory, and tendency toward anxiety reactions would prefer to have floating around in my head. This book came close to crossing the line of being too descriptive about the violence for me and may have been too much in written format where I’m a slower reader and would have had to spend more time with it. In audio, where I could speed up through the violent parts, I was okay. I’m honestly not sure exactly why it didn’t cross the line far enough to make me quit, because there were some very violent moments here. My only guess is that, because the whole thing is A) so wildly fantastical it didn’t cause that anxiety trigger in my brain like more realistic violence, and B) it’s written in interview format, which makes you feel one step removed, kind of like a news report. It also lets you know ahead of time that if this person is telling you the tale, they obviously survived the situation. So, I didn’t have to worry about any descriptions of death from the perspective of a dying person, which is a particular anxiety trigger for me, and I prefer not to read books with such descriptions in them.
There were also some potential hints at political commentary that I didn’t care for either (please don’t put politics in my fantasy…), but at least there was only one specific incident and then the story moved on. I also did not at all care for only one specific religion being specifically named in the entire story and then the only member of it who is portrayed was a stark-raving lunatic. No thank you.
My final critique is that we never truly learn where the dragons came from, or why 1 in every 6 eggs is evil (or why the good dragons that are born are in the majority, and yet it’s only the sadistically evil ones that attacked the world in great numbers.) I guess the author meant to leave some of that up to the imagination, and that’s fine, but I also kind of wanted to know why, or at least where they truly came from.
I obviously didn’t hate this story or I wouldn’t have finished it, but there were things about it that weren’t my personal cup of tea, which is why I’m going with two stars for “it was okay.” Others have and will like this story more than I did. I at least appreciate that it was well written, well performed, and the story was intriguing enough to keep me going until the end even if it was significantly more intense than what I normally read.
Content Advisory:
Because I’m posting this on a book with fewer reviews where it’s more likely to get seen by people who don’t follow me, I just want to clarify that the main review is my personal opinion. This content advisory is intended to be objective information for people who want or need to know about it ahead of time due to personal sensitivities. I am not criticizing or praising the things that I list there, I'm simply making note (in the most neutral way I know how) of aspects of the story that many people like to know about before picking up a book, whether for themselves or someone else, so that they can choose books to read that they will enjoy. There may be spoilers ahead by necessity. Please use this information however you personally see fit, or skip it entirely if you don't care. Overall, I simply intend it to be helpful.
This is firmly adult fiction and not intended for younger readers. I felt the need to clarify this simply because the book blurb references “The Maze Runner” which is a YA series, and some reviewers have made comparisons to “How to Train Your Dragon,” which is also meant for younger readers. While the HtTYD comparisons are understandable, please just be aware that this story is NOT meant for kids that age.
Language:
There is strong language throughout. How much is in each chapter depends on which character is being interviewed. All of the chapters interviewing Glenn Epps feature him using the s-word and/or f-bomb at least once or twice literally almost every sentence. Most of the other chapters only have two-to four swears each, except for the interviews with children, which have no profanity.
P***, a**, and b***h are all used upwards of 3-5 times each
S*** is used upwards of 30-40+ times
F*** is used upwards of 50-60+times, with the Glenn Epps chapters being the most egregious.
A crude term is used once for female breasts.
There are a couple of crude references to male genitals.
Violence/Scariness:
Obviously, the idea of giant dragons attacking in modern day is meant to be terrifying, and it can be very, very violent. The following section is not exhaustive, but should at least give a taste of the kind of violence readers will encounter here.
A character describes finding human bones in a dragon nest. The bones are described (no gore, just bare bones) as well as the smell of the nest.
One early chapter features description of cops shooting at a dragon (no damage) and there are sound effects of gunfire. The dragon crushes people (mention of the sound), and the dragon's tail slices people (a little description, but very statement of fact with no gory embellishments since the character is talking to a child.) The sharpness of dragon scales is referenced elsewhere as well.
After the first Glenn Epps chapter, the descriptions start to get more bloody. Example, Glenn describes walking into a room to discover his girlfriend got ripped in half by a dragon. His description is pretty graphic, with blood.
Someone talks about a dragon eating a tiger. The dragon is described more than the violence of eating the tiger, but it does mention terrified tiger sounds and the sounds of bones. Also mention of the dragon not hunting like an animal and almost sadistically drawing things out like it enjoyed the tiger's terror.
One chapter features a child talking about witnessing dragons snatch two of her classmates away. Description of the dragons but no violent description. In a second chapter from this character, though, she describes blood on the ground and finding dismembered limb. The descriptions of attacks, death, terror, and general chaos continue throughout Section II. (Note: The Glenn Epps chapters tend to describe the violence the most graphically.)
The descriptions of death becomes a little less frequent from section III on as the story moves on from the arrival of the dragons to focus on figuring out where they came from and how to deal with them, but it doesn’t stop entirely. There’s mention of buildings collapsing, thus killing everyone inside (no descriptions of the deaths), we hear about mass chaos in cities where one or two giant dragons attacked, and it can be assumed there were mass casualties. Someone mentions body parts strewn across a bridge.
SPOILER: As stated later in this review, it’s discovered (in Section VII) that 1 out of every 6 dragon eggs contains a cruel dragon who will inevitably kill the first person it sees (and there’s no way to tell which of the 6 eggs it is), so we hear mention of people fearing they have the evil egg and there’s mention of a couple of individuals being incinerated by an evil hatchling. The description here is fleeting and not graphic, though.
One woman talks about having to train her (good) dragon to fight the evil ones and having to prove to a general its ability to fight by ordering it to kill a horse. The description of this isn’t detailed, but there is mention of splatter.
A woman talks about one of the first battles between the dragon riders and evil dragons and describes seeing a friend bitten in half.
Someone describes some dragons getting shot and seeing blood. She also sees someone fall from a dragon, presumably dead before hitting the ground. (No description.) There are further fairly graphic mentions of dragon blood (lots of dragon blood) in the big final battle toward the end of the book, but it at least very statement of fact and isn’t lingered on for an excessive amount of time.
Sexual/Romance:
There are no sex scenes in this book, only brief, passing references to sex and sensuality.
Passing mention of university students “shagging”.
Passing mention that two women used to “fool around.”
Passing mention of a woman getting “knocked up”.
Someone references “wrinkled sheets and strewn undergarments,” but nothing more.
Mention of one kid (middle school age) knowing a couple of other kids in her class were “boyfriend/girlfriend” and would sneak off to make out. No description.
A bird scientist makes crude (but not graphic) reference to animal mating, and he uses the f-word.
Spiritual/Magic:
Someone refers to the dragons as seeming like “gods”.
SPOILER:
Section IV has a big reveal that the (unnamed) president of the United States is “religious” having a “Bible bulge” in his pants pocket at every campaign stop but is secretly some kind of extremist lunatic who believed he was supposed to do things to intentionally attempt to bring about the apocalypse, therefore “triggering” the second coming of Christ. The main character in this chapter (Rufus Mann) claims this belief is why all the “far-right Christians” are so pro-Israel, and he goes on to lay out all the things he thinks the president did while in office that were directly tied to this belief that he was intentionally setting up the conditions to bring about the end of human history.
The character claims the president was initially delighted that the dragons came, thinking them part of “the plan” at least until they started to do things they weren't “supposed” to do and were evil, not good. Mann then says that the president realized his terrible mistake and shot his whole family and himself (no description.) The government then did a coverup job to make it look like the dragons killed them.
It should, perhaps, be noted that we don’t get this much detail about any other world leader in this story, nor is any other religion mentioned by name, much less portrayed in this manner.
SPOILER ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE DRAGONS:
This story was made specifically to be produced in audio and the production quality is excellent. Each individual character is performed by a different professional voice actor. There's also spatial audio that makes things sound closer or farther away, and sound effects like gunfire and birds chirping, so this is meant to be an experience as well as a story.
The positives:
The story itself is gripping insofar as you're imagining a terrifying world where dragons giant and small have come out of seemingly nowhere and attacked humanity in an event called “D-Day” (short for Dragon Day) and you're learning how humanity managed to survive any of it. It also adds a layer of intrigue that the story is framed as a series of interviews by a female reporter who may or may not be supposed to be asking questions about the event.
I became invested in the reporter, Neve Pride, immediately. It was clear that finding the truth and helping to save people and her family was very important to her. I also liked that she brought her young daughter along with her. In a world where dragons could attack anywhere at any minute, safety is an illusion. She understood that the only “safe” place was being together, fighting for and protecting each other, and those are values I like to see in any story.
The audiobook was broken into eight “sections.” I thought Section I set the stage well, helping me understand what had happened and what the stakes were.
Section II, with everyone describing the day the dragons came, was interesting at first to the extent of learning how such a large-scale dragon attack started, but it went on a little long for me and made me wonder what the point of the story was going to be. I don’t do hopeless stories where literally everyone dies, so you better let me start seeing humanity fight back after awhile or I’m out. Maybe the first 5 chapters were interesting enough to see the “D-Day” situation from a variety of perspectives, but then when it circled around to the same people a second time I was just like, okay, I got the point, much death, much blood, fear, crying, terror, can we move on to fighting the dragons now?
Section IV and onward was more interesting to me as we start to get some hints of the true origins of the dragons, learn not all the dragons are evil, and see people start making plans to fight back against the bad dragons. The hopeful and positive ending is what made me bump this to two stars. Anything else and I would have one-starred it because, like I said, I don’t do hopeless stories and there were other things in this I didn’t care for, either.
To address the things I didn’t care for, I personally don’t like listening to or reading extreme amounts of profanity, and this had that. Words and their meanings are important to me. While I can tolerate some profanity, I don’t like reading or hearing profanity thrown around casually or thoughtlessly, and certainly not as frequently as it was here. It was only the intrigue of the story itself that made me keep listening despite this.
I’m also typically a reader who can be sensitive to extremely violent description. Marvel-movie-style action violence is one thing, but when you start “zooming in” on blood, guts, and gore, that’s not what this gal with a vivid imagination, semi-photographic memory, and tendency toward anxiety reactions would prefer to have floating around in my head. This book came close to crossing the line of being too descriptive about the violence for me and may have been too much in written format where I’m a slower reader and would have had to spend more time with it. In audio, where I could speed up through the violent parts, I was okay. I’m honestly not sure exactly why it didn’t cross the line far enough to make me quit, because there were some very violent moments here. My only guess is that, because the whole thing is A) so wildly fantastical it didn’t cause that anxiety trigger in my brain like more realistic violence, and B) it’s written in interview format, which makes you feel one step removed, kind of like a news report. It also lets you know ahead of time that if this person is telling you the tale, they obviously survived the situation. So, I didn’t have to worry about any descriptions of death from the perspective of a dying person, which is a particular anxiety trigger for me, and I prefer not to read books with such descriptions in them.
There were also some potential hints at political commentary that I didn’t care for either (please don’t put politics in my fantasy…), but at least there was only one specific incident and then the story moved on. I also did not at all care for only one specific religion being specifically named in the entire story and then the only member of it who is portrayed was a stark-raving lunatic. No thank you.
My final critique is that we never truly learn where the dragons came from, or why 1 in every 6 eggs is evil (or why the good dragons that are born are in the majority, and yet it’s only the sadistically evil ones that attacked the world in great numbers.) I guess the author meant to leave some of that up to the imagination, and that’s fine, but I also kind of wanted to know why, or at least where they truly came from.
I obviously didn’t hate this story or I wouldn’t have finished it, but there were things about it that weren’t my personal cup of tea, which is why I’m going with two stars for “it was okay.” Others have and will like this story more than I did. I at least appreciate that it was well written, well performed, and the story was intriguing enough to keep me going until the end even if it was significantly more intense than what I normally read.
Content Advisory:
Because I’m posting this on a book with fewer reviews where it’s more likely to get seen by people who don’t follow me, I just want to clarify that the main review is my personal opinion. This content advisory is intended to be objective information for people who want or need to know about it ahead of time due to personal sensitivities. I am not criticizing or praising the things that I list there, I'm simply making note (in the most neutral way I know how) of aspects of the story that many people like to know about before picking up a book, whether for themselves or someone else, so that they can choose books to read that they will enjoy. There may be spoilers ahead by necessity. Please use this information however you personally see fit, or skip it entirely if you don't care. Overall, I simply intend it to be helpful.
This is firmly adult fiction and not intended for younger readers. I felt the need to clarify this simply because the book blurb references “The Maze Runner” which is a YA series, and some reviewers have made comparisons to “How to Train Your Dragon,” which is also meant for younger readers. While the HtTYD comparisons are understandable, please just be aware that this story is NOT meant for kids that age.
Language:
There is strong language throughout. How much is in each chapter depends on which character is being interviewed. All of the chapters interviewing Glenn Epps feature him using the s-word and/or f-bomb at least once or twice literally almost every sentence. Most of the other chapters only have two-to four swears each, except for the interviews with children, which have no profanity.
P***, a**, and b***h are all used upwards of 3-5 times each
S*** is used upwards of 30-40+ times
F*** is used upwards of 50-60+times, with the Glenn Epps chapters being the most egregious.
A crude term is used once for female breasts.
There are a couple of crude references to male genitals.
Violence/Scariness:
Obviously, the idea of giant dragons attacking in modern day is meant to be terrifying, and it can be very, very violent. The following section is not exhaustive, but should at least give a taste of the kind of violence readers will encounter here.
A character describes finding human bones in a dragon nest. The bones are described (no gore, just bare bones) as well as the smell of the nest.
One early chapter features description of cops shooting at a dragon (no damage) and there are sound effects of gunfire. The dragon crushes people (mention of the sound), and the dragon's tail slices people (a little description, but very statement of fact with no gory embellishments since the character is talking to a child.) The sharpness of dragon scales is referenced elsewhere as well.
After the first Glenn Epps chapter, the descriptions start to get more bloody. Example, Glenn describes walking into a room to discover his girlfriend got ripped in half by a dragon. His description is pretty graphic, with blood.
Someone talks about a dragon eating a tiger. The dragon is described more than the violence of eating the tiger, but it does mention terrified tiger sounds and the sounds of bones. Also mention of the dragon not hunting like an animal and almost sadistically drawing things out like it enjoyed the tiger's terror.
One chapter features a child talking about witnessing dragons snatch two of her classmates away. Description of the dragons but no violent description. In a second chapter from this character, though, she describes blood on the ground and finding dismembered limb. The descriptions of attacks, death, terror, and general chaos continue throughout Section II. (Note: The Glenn Epps chapters tend to describe the violence the most graphically.)
The descriptions of death becomes a little less frequent from section III on as the story moves on from the arrival of the dragons to focus on figuring out where they came from and how to deal with them, but it doesn’t stop entirely. There’s mention of buildings collapsing, thus killing everyone inside (no descriptions of the deaths), we hear about mass chaos in cities where one or two giant dragons attacked, and it can be assumed there were mass casualties. Someone mentions body parts strewn across a bridge.
SPOILER: As stated later in this review, it’s discovered (in Section VII) that 1 out of every 6 dragon eggs contains a cruel dragon who will inevitably kill the first person it sees (and there’s no way to tell which of the 6 eggs it is), so we hear mention of people fearing they have the evil egg and there’s mention of a couple of individuals being incinerated by an evil hatchling. The description here is fleeting and not graphic, though.
One woman talks about having to train her (good) dragon to fight the evil ones and having to prove to a general its ability to fight by ordering it to kill a horse. The description of this isn’t detailed, but there is mention of splatter.
A woman talks about one of the first battles between the dragon riders and evil dragons and describes seeing a friend bitten in half.
Someone describes some dragons getting shot and seeing blood. She also sees someone fall from a dragon, presumably dead before hitting the ground. (No description.) There are further fairly graphic mentions of dragon blood (lots of dragon blood) in the big final battle toward the end of the book, but it at least very statement of fact and isn’t lingered on for an excessive amount of time.
Sexual/Romance:
There are no sex scenes in this book, only brief, passing references to sex and sensuality.
Passing mention of university students “shagging”.
Passing mention that two women used to “fool around.”
Passing mention of a woman getting “knocked up”.
Someone references “wrinkled sheets and strewn undergarments,” but nothing more.
Mention of one kid (middle school age) knowing a couple of other kids in her class were “boyfriend/girlfriend” and would sneak off to make out. No description.
A bird scientist makes crude (but not graphic) reference to animal mating, and he uses the f-word.
Spiritual/Magic:
Someone refers to the dragons as seeming like “gods”.
SPOILER:
Section IV has a big reveal that the (unnamed) president of the United States is “religious” having a “Bible bulge” in his pants pocket at every campaign stop but is secretly some kind of extremist lunatic who believed he was supposed to do things to intentionally attempt to bring about the apocalypse, therefore “triggering” the second coming of Christ. The main character in this chapter (Rufus Mann) claims this belief is why all the “far-right Christians” are so pro-Israel, and he goes on to lay out all the things he thinks the president did while in office that were directly tied to this belief that he was intentionally setting up the conditions to bring about the end of human history.
The character claims the president was initially delighted that the dragons came, thinking them part of “the plan” at least until they started to do things they weren't “supposed” to do and were evil, not good. Mann then says that the president realized his terrible mistake and shot his whole family and himself (no description.) The government then did a coverup job to make it look like the dragons killed them.
It should, perhaps, be noted that we don’t get this much detail about any other world leader in this story, nor is any other religion mentioned by name, much less portrayed in this manner.
SPOILER ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE DRAGONS:
April 8, 2025
Wow, this audio drama was intense! The scope and scale of this story is truly captivating. It had me on edge with every new story. Haley Atwell was the perfect protagonist of this book. She never gave up hope and was truly inspiring for the whole world and the global tragedy of loss. Give this book a listen, especially if you like dragons in a modern setting.
April 27, 2025
I have wanted to be Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons, since reading / watching Game of Thrones!
So, you now know I love dragons.
Therefore, you might reasonably think that I would love this audiobook, right?
I did not. The dragons are mean. My dragons would not be mean.
So, you now know I love dragons.
Therefore, you might reasonably think that I would love this audiobook, right?
I did not. The dragons are mean. My dragons would not be mean.
September 11, 2025
Very quick audiobook listen, and I enjoyed it. The full cast production was good with the music and sound effects included. What a scary idea, with dragons popping up in modern day society.
March 31, 2025
Honestly one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to. A fantastic listen!
July 27, 2025
DNF
Started strong. Gradually incorporated gratuitous inclusions throughout the story. Kept making me just roll my eyes and ruined my experience with it. Time to move on to something else
Started strong. Gradually incorporated gratuitous inclusions throughout the story. Kept making me just roll my eyes and ruined my experience with it. Time to move on to something else
April 2, 2025
2025/04/02 Notes:
Currently on Audible+
Audio ~ 3.5 Stars
- Inconsistent Audio Production, Mix
- Cast of Narrators (Mixed of Amazing to Mediocre)
Story ~ 3 Stars
- Interview, Report Style Short Story Format
- Fun Theme: Dragons
- Characters: Mix of Flat to Well Developed (Strongly Influenced by Narrator)
Fun popcorn read, but more interesting due to the potential that could come from what was told vs what was actually given by the novella. I didn't like the big changes in production quality and vast differences of voice acting between narrators. It may be okay for some, but I found the mix of productions and narrator skills to be a distraction. Based on the story told, it was like a modern spin of Dragons of Pern.
Upside: Fond memories of reading Pern books as a kid, and maybe now I'll make time to re-read them.
Currently on Audible+
Audio ~ 3.5 Stars
- Inconsistent Audio Production, Mix
- Cast of Narrators (Mixed of Amazing to Mediocre)
Story ~ 3 Stars
- Interview, Report Style Short Story Format
- Fun Theme: Dragons
- Characters: Mix of Flat to Well Developed (Strongly Influenced by Narrator)
Fun popcorn read, but more interesting due to the potential that could come from what was told vs what was actually given by the novella. I didn't like the big changes in production quality and vast differences of voice acting between narrators. It may be okay for some, but I found the mix of productions and narrator skills to be a distraction. Based on the story told, it was like a modern spin of Dragons of Pern.
Upside: Fond memories of reading Pern books as a kid, and maybe now I'll make time to re-read them.
June 8, 2025
I was hopeful, but as per the norm with many newly published books these days I was let down.
Perhaps I keep standards that just are difficult to meet but I found myself struggling to stay engaged by part 3.
Found myself skipping repetitive rabbit hole stories. not only that but also was certain that if it was not a multi cast audible book it would have been difficult to distinguish voice- they all were a similar level of crude and had mostly mirrored reactions or thought.
So there was a lack of individual voice in my opinion.
Plus. the story was incomplete, just leaving questions i felt the author couldn't . It was a conglomerate of accounts of when dragons came over, and only all these mean ones and most the action and actual story is at the tail end (dragon tail perhaps? sorry coildnt help the bad pun) of the story.
I felt much of the backtories were an attempt at being 'edgy' and 'dark' but just became repetitive gore. If you wanted to explore the effects of trauma and ptsd reactions, human response to events, and Character development after major life changes. . . .don't read this. and dont read it for the why of the dragons or how.
I dont mind unanswered questions in stories- life is full of unanswered questions. but i appreciate the ambiguity paired with an actual full fledge plot. Something with meaning and reason.
this story.
dragons came.
people died.
the survivors tell their stories of how they saw such violence and everyone with power did nothing to it because of course there is no mass casualty plan to take into action aside from atomic bombs when disaster strikes right? or thats the only thought when dragons appear.
and later we find out 1 out of every 6 eggs hatched are bad dragons. was this an analogy of we only see the bad eggs in society when they truly are so few in number?
I am glad that people liked it. I wish I could join that bandwagon. at best- the voice actors were all good.
Perhaps I keep standards that just are difficult to meet but I found myself struggling to stay engaged by part 3.
Found myself skipping repetitive rabbit hole stories. not only that but also was certain that if it was not a multi cast audible book it would have been difficult to distinguish voice- they all were a similar level of crude and had mostly mirrored reactions or thought.
So there was a lack of individual voice in my opinion.
Plus. the story was incomplete, just leaving questions i felt the author couldn't . It was a conglomerate of accounts of when dragons came over, and only all these mean ones and most the action and actual story is at the tail end (dragon tail perhaps? sorry coildnt help the bad pun) of the story.
I felt much of the backtories were an attempt at being 'edgy' and 'dark' but just became repetitive gore. If you wanted to explore the effects of trauma and ptsd reactions, human response to events, and Character development after major life changes. . . .don't read this. and dont read it for the why of the dragons or how.
I dont mind unanswered questions in stories- life is full of unanswered questions. but i appreciate the ambiguity paired with an actual full fledge plot. Something with meaning and reason.
this story.
dragons came.
people died.
the survivors tell their stories of how they saw such violence and everyone with power did nothing to it because of course there is no mass casualty plan to take into action aside from atomic bombs when disaster strikes right? or thats the only thought when dragons appear.
and later we find out 1 out of every 6 eggs hatched are bad dragons. was this an analogy of we only see the bad eggs in society when they truly are so few in number?
I am glad that people liked it. I wish I could join that bandwagon. at best- the voice actors were all good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2025
Admittedly, I only read half of this book but I think a 1 star is still justified because, at halfway through, there still is no forward action and the plot is merely an explanation of what’s has already happened. It feels wandering and, frankly, pointless. Up to this point, it’s people who survived telling their story about dragons destroying the earth. It’s all in past-tense which means there’s no stakes because we know who has survived and, as far as I can tell, civilization is destroyed and all hope is lost. If I had some sort of attachment to the characters maybe that would make me care, but the storytelling jumps through so many random characters there isn’t a single one we’re emotionally connected to.
I have no idea where the story is going and I’m bored.
I have no idea where the story is going and I’m bored.
April 19, 2025
Was interesting stories. Music not there much but when it was, impressive. All the narration cast did a great job. A few boring stories but overall enjoyable.
April 13, 2025
Genre
Modern Fantasy, Apocalyptic, Audio Drama
Summary
In a modern world suddenly taken over by dragons — not metaphorical ones, but massive, unkillable, terrifying beasts — humanity scrambles to survive. Governments collapse, societies fracture, and one woman, a journalist, documents her family’s journey through voice notes as they try to uncover the origin of the dragons and maybe find a way to stop them.
What I Liked
The format was the real standout here. Told entirely through voice recordings, it felt intimate and immersive — like you were listening in on a real person’s diary. I loved the voice acting and the realism in the recordings. The origin of the dragons was a really cool twist, and the suddenness of death made it feel gritty and unpredictable. It wasn’t clean or heroic — it was chaotic and scary.
What I Didn’t Like
Some plot points felt a bit... silly. Like the idea that she becomes a leader in the field of dragons just because she’s read fantasy books? Wouldn’t they go to a vet or a scientist instead? Also, a few storylines felt pointless, and the time/date stamps didn’t add much.
I struggled to connect with the main character. I know she was going through a lot but it felt like she barely cared about her ex (she only cared about her son even though her daughter kept asking about her dad)? Her emotional depth was just... off. The ending also felt way too fast. Like, suddenly in the last chapter: “Oh, the world’s fine now!” Really? After all that buildup and the world is fucked?
Overall Impression & Rating
Really creative concept, and I loved the delivery through voice recordings. But the story itself didn’t hit. It had so much potential that just wasn’t fully used.
Rating: 1.8 stars
Modern Fantasy, Apocalyptic, Audio Drama
Summary
In a modern world suddenly taken over by dragons — not metaphorical ones, but massive, unkillable, terrifying beasts — humanity scrambles to survive. Governments collapse, societies fracture, and one woman, a journalist, documents her family’s journey through voice notes as they try to uncover the origin of the dragons and maybe find a way to stop them.
What I Liked
The format was the real standout here. Told entirely through voice recordings, it felt intimate and immersive — like you were listening in on a real person’s diary. I loved the voice acting and the realism in the recordings. The origin of the dragons was a really cool twist, and the suddenness of death made it feel gritty and unpredictable. It wasn’t clean or heroic — it was chaotic and scary.
What I Didn’t Like
Some plot points felt a bit... silly. Like the idea that she becomes a leader in the field of dragons just because she’s read fantasy books? Wouldn’t they go to a vet or a scientist instead? Also, a few storylines felt pointless, and the time/date stamps didn’t add much.
I struggled to connect with the main character. I know she was going through a lot but it felt like she barely cared about her ex (she only cared about her son even though her daughter kept asking about her dad)? Her emotional depth was just... off. The ending also felt way too fast. Like, suddenly in the last chapter: “Oh, the world’s fine now!” Really? After all that buildup and the world is fucked?
Overall Impression & Rating
Really creative concept, and I loved the delivery through voice recordings. But the story itself didn’t hit. It had so much potential that just wasn’t fully used.
Rating: 1.8 stars
January 1, 2026
Came for the dragons, stayed for Hayley Atwell.
Hayley Atwell’s narration is easily the highlight of this Audible Original — she brings real charm and energy to the material and kept me listening even when the story itself didn’t fully grab me.
The plot had a few bits and pieces that piqued my interest, but overall it never quite came together for me. It wasn’t bad by any means, just… fine. If you’re here mainly for great voice acting, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you’re looking for a truly gripping dragon story, this one might feel a little underwhelming.
Hayley Atwell’s narration is easily the highlight of this Audible Original — she brings real charm and energy to the material and kept me listening even when the story itself didn’t fully grab me.
The plot had a few bits and pieces that piqued my interest, but overall it never quite came together for me. It wasn’t bad by any means, just… fine. If you’re here mainly for great voice acting, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you’re looking for a truly gripping dragon story, this one might feel a little underwhelming.
May 31, 2025
I generally love any story about dragons, but this just didn't work for me. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, so I'll just say I needed more of an explanation fir why/how dragons appear on Earth. Why there are so many different kinds of dragons. Why they are acting the way they do. Just because this is fantasy doesn't mean the plot can have huge holes and be nonsensical.
Also, I wasn't thrilled about the way the story was told--through interviews. It made everything one step removed from the action, less exciting.
And the performances were just ok. Normally I enjoy these full cast Audible productions, but this one fell short.
Also, I wasn't thrilled about the way the story was told--through interviews. It made everything one step removed from the action, less exciting.
And the performances were just ok. Normally I enjoy these full cast Audible productions, but this one fell short.
May 4, 2025
This was a really interesting story! I liked that it was told from so many different peoples perspectives but mainly followed Neve and her daughter. This definitely scratched my dragon rider itch from Fourth Wing!!
September 30, 2025
This is basically a 90s disaster movie in audiobook form, think Independence Day but the aliens are dragons. Loved it, want to see a film version!
June 20, 2025
This is a cool take on dragons emerging in the modern world from a reporters perspective. Fun listen.
April 7, 2025
Intense, dark, gloomy and so descriptive. Some of the images haunted me the next day. This is next great HBO series! Think World War Z meets Station 11. Slightest bit of fantasy, a magical realism dose.
April 4, 2025
Please can we get this made into a TV show?!?!?!?
August 20, 2025
The first 2/3 of this book are listening to the same trauma story over and over again. Yes, different perspectives, different places, different locations - same event (dragons destroy, kill; those in power do nothing). After listening to the same traumatic story twice we could’ve moved on and that portion of the plot was established. I would’ve enjoyed working from perspectives of trauma stories and seeing their character development rather than having one event define them. I liked the “String of Pearls” analogy with the good v. bad dragons. I wish we were given more backstory on the original good dragon community and dragons themselves. I love when dragon shows and books show you the relationships between dragon and “owner”, I wish this book had done the same. The ending was rushed, no way a flock of baby dragons could take on and defeat older dragons.
Still not a dramatized audiobook girlie. I like the interview style perspective in this one but I didn’t need to rehash whatever I just listened to (which was likely sound effects) - again, just tell me and let my imagination do a better job.
Still not a dramatized audiobook girlie. I like the interview style perspective in this one but I didn’t need to rehash whatever I just listened to (which was likely sound effects) - again, just tell me and let my imagination do a better job.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2025
Jeremy Clarkson voice: "They say if you blow up a helicopter in your movie, you're almost guaranteed box-office gold. So naturally, I thought the same logic applied to books about dragons. I mean, fire-breathing lizards? What could go wrong?
Apparently... everything. This book didn't breathe fire; it wheezed out lukewarm smoke and then promptly tripped over its own tail. I came for the epic battles and dragon drama. Instead, I got something that felt like it was written during a commercial break. Entertaining? Sure-if you enjoy being baffled. Success guaranteed? Nope. Back to helicopter explosions, I think."
Apparently... everything. This book didn't breathe fire; it wheezed out lukewarm smoke and then promptly tripped over its own tail. I came for the epic battles and dragon drama. Instead, I got something that felt like it was written during a commercial break. Entertaining? Sure-if you enjoy being baffled. Success guaranteed? Nope. Back to helicopter explosions, I think."
April 10, 2025
Abysmal
May 21, 2025
I loved the premise of the book, i really was hopeful but i couldn’t get invested with any character, was bouncing around and i with just interviews of what happened previously i was like, meh.
April 14, 2025
This is the way the world ends—not with a bang, but wings and fire. Mix Reign of Fire with the novel of World War Z and you have Dragon Day. It’s a collection of interviews during the apocalypse. Proehl is at his best when writing the voices of men, but really struggles with the chapters where kids are being interviewed. Kids don’t talk like that. Thankfully, the cast elevate the content, largely making up for the shortfalls in writing with their performances. It’s an entertaining snack, and notably one of the few books ever written where dragons are meant to be scary, not just fearsome.
July 17, 2025
This what honestly so much better than I anticipated. I picked it just randomly to listen to at work and was honestly blown away by the cast and the plot. It was incredible. Very much a documentary based story with interviews and characters all while a dragon apocalypse is taking place. AMAZING. I would recommend to give it a listen to anyone who has audible!!!
April 3, 2025
This was a 3.5 star read.
Starts off with a bang, then it gets boring listening to the same event with different perspectives, then picks up a little, then the end is bittersweet.
Starts off with a bang, then it gets boring listening to the same event with different perspectives, then picks up a little, then the end is bittersweet.
April 14, 2025
An ok way to pass the hours on a family road trip. Definitely more cursing than we probably should have exposed our nine year old to, but they enjoyed the action.
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