Dragonhold's secrets come at a steep price.No one knew just how many mysteries the ancient mountain keep held. None could have guessed what they would find so far underground, locked away from the world. Many would wish they had never found it. For others, long awaited retribution is at hand.Dragonhold is Book Eight of the Godsland SeriesThe World of Godsland Epic Fantasy Series includes the following fairy tales & folklore The Dawning of Power trilogy Call of the Herald Inherited Danger Dragon OreThe Balance of Power trilogy Regent Feral RegalThe Artifacts of Power trilogy The Fifth Magic Dragonhold The Seventh MagicDragons of Dawn prequel trilogy Ascension Onin Dragon AirwaysKnown for his terrible dragon jokes on social media, Brian Rathbone brought some of that same brand of humor to an otherwise serious fantasy adventure with magic, gods & goddesses, and intrigue. Rathbone's experience as a professional horse trainer also comes into play as he explores relationships with creatures with whom you can't fully communicate and whose desires only sometimes align with their companions. A love of reading the best epic fantasy books as a young man inspired Brian to write the kinds of for boys and for girls that he liked reading in his young adult years. Getting older never dampened Rathbone's enthusiasm for a good epic fantasy adventure, and his books are widely enjoyed by readers young, old, and those somewhere in between.In the two other prequels to The World of Godsland Epic Fantasy Series, Brian Rathbone teamed up with writers Jack McCarthy and Morgen Rich to flesh out story lines that were not fully told in the main series. The collaboration between these writers resulted in three new entry points into Godsland ranging from dark fantasy to fantasy romance and contemporary steampunk adventure with dragons and other monsters.Ascension focuses on the story of Gwendolin and her journey from simple farm girl to the leader of a powerful order of monks and druids. Along her metaphysical journey, she learns a great deal about her world and herself--some magic must come from within.Onin explores the history of Onin of the Old Guard and and his dragon, Jehregard. In a world where dragons are bred for size, Onin finds himself standing in opposition to thousands of years of dogma and tradition, as he fights for the life of a dragon no one else would save. There is something different about this dragon--something special. Bearing a "watch eye", like that of a prized horse, Jehregard does everything he can to prove Onin both right and wrong.Dragon Airways explores a time when magic is a thing of the distant past and technology has come to dominance in its place. In a steampunk, dieselpunk, dragonpunk twist, Dragon Airways shows what happens when a group of misfits put their mind to something. The feral dragons and those who seek to dominate them, have other plans. Airplanes, airships, and battle balloons are no match for dragons and magic, and Emmet knows just how to solve the mystery of where to find them.These books are suitable for fans of epic fantasy, young adult epic fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal adventures. While the content appeals to older readers, its kept clean to make it accessible to younger readers as well.
A former horse trainer and computer programmer, Brian Rathbone used his old world knowledge and love of fantasy fiction to create The World of Godsland fantasy series, which begins with The Dawning of Power trilogy.
Brian Rathbone just keeps getting better and better. In Dragonhold he once again has woven an awesome story with incredibly realistic characters & plenty of surprises. I love the fact that most of his characters are flawed, damaged and ranging from dark to light depending on how well they are managing on a given day. It is refreshing to see characters in a fantasy novel not unlike many people I know in reality. Starting to read "The Seventh Magic" now; can't wait to see just how he wraps up the Artifacts of Power trilogy. Also hoping he is already working on book 10!!
Starting this book is like turning the page from the end of The Fifth Magic. There is no noticable break in the flow of the story, which could create some confusion as this book opens up. There are some unexpected consequences held over from the last book coming home to roost right in the first paragraph.
The alliances formed in the previous book begin to fragment in this one. The forced reliance just to survive in the deathtrap creates an underlying dark tone to this book, while unexpected discoveries cause enough trouble to set your teeth on edge.
More of the history of Godsland is introduced, and new ingenuity takes hold. Through it all, the "extras" in this cast wait with baited breath for someone to succeed in showing the way forward.
The sense of fair play begins to fade, and the consequences of everyone's decisions begin to come home to roost. For the older cast, this is a time of some growth, but mostly personal remorse. For the younger cast, they have most of their teen angst knocked out of them, and a time of learning how to acknowledge when they need help.
The cultures themselves are also in a period of growth and exploration. Though this is a fantasy series, elements of the steampunk genre are beginning to be seen (and felt) with believable results.
While this one is not quite as memorable as a couple of the other installments in the series, it was still a fun read, and I enjoyed it.
I have loved this series from the beginning, and it continues to captivate me.
Deep underground, ancient structures hold secrets that threaten the world. In the skies, power radiates from the comets. And on land, more people are accessing the power provided.
I really don't know how much to say without giving too much away about the actual story, but love, survival, and moral duty continue to drive the characters in their quest to escape and quell the evil that threatens their world. They continue to discover technologies from the ancients and come to a greater understanding of the magic that pours from Istra. Also, the dragons have retained their attitudes, and it's pretty entertaining.
If I had to say any one thing negative, it's that I have a hard time keeping the large cast of characters straight between books, and I spend the first couple of chapters trying to remember who some of the characters are and the actions they've taken. What I love about the large cast of characters though, is that it makes the story truly about the world of Godsland, not just Catrin or Sinjin, but also about "lesser" characters and the world itself.
The new technologies that begin to appear towards the end of the novel leave me anxious for The Seventh Magic.
I had to go back and glance through the previous book fifth magic because I couldn't remember much about it. To be honest I think I need to reread the previous series even because I read it too fast out of excitement. But this is a really fun read, nice to know what the main characters are up to. Waiting for the next book to come out! :)
I enjoyed this book as I have the rest of the series. It even began tying together many things I thought had been randomness in the story lines. However, this is the first book of the series where I began seeing really distracting grammar/editing errors - the kinds of things that tend to make people dismiss an author.