Gallow: Dragon's Reach

Gallow

by Nathan Hawke

The fort of Witches' Reach, where the Aulians buried the Eyes of Time, lies firmly under Marroc control - but the Aulians built a second fort on the other side of the river overlooking Issetbridge. The fort is a ruin, having collapsed decades ago but that doesn't mean there aren't secrets buried underneath it. With Gallow already away and Arda and several of Valaric's men about to sneak into Issetbridge to steal a forge, it falls to Achista to accompany Oribas on his expedition to pry into this lost ruin. In hostile territory, hiding from the forkbeards, Oribas and Achista find themselves embroiled in a Marroc uprising against the Lhosir of Issetbridge before Oribas finds a way into the half-collapsed chambers beneath the ruin of Dragon's Reach. Inside he hopes to find Aulian secrets; what he actually finds is something much more dangerous. . .

55 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2015

About the author

Nathan Hawke is the pseudonym of fantasy author Stephen Deas.

Reviews

[Steven Poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of the three post-Gallow short stories, and the most ambitious too. Hawke shifts focus again to Oribas and Achista as they explore the ruined Dragon's Reach fortress, bringing literal depth to the ancient Aulian history, with added sorcery, reanimated corpses, and dire threats of more to come. It rejuvenates the source material, taking the story into new and darker directions, and leaves this reader for one demanding more.

But there is no more.

Yet.

Oi, Gollancz - if you commission it, I will buy it. Ta.

[Shane Kiely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most compelling of the Gallow novellas so far, expands on threads left hanging from the original trilogy while alluding to and being informed by material from the previous novellas (good thing I read these in the right order). Most obviously high fantasy yet with a plot focused on demons and wizards while also incorporating a war narrative. I can see the elements set in motion here expanded into a full length (or series of) novel(s).