His memories only go as far back to his days slaying starved beasts and mad men in a dark pit, but soon after he’s sold to a criminal syndicate, Mercer gains a chance to avenge the life he lost. Along with a vampire and a princess, helping the young rogue take advantage of the opportunity is an enchanted longsword he finds deep within a mountain, whose power links to that of an ancient dragon. If Mercer hopes to achieve retribution against his formidable foes, the corrupted boy must become the kind of warrior not seen in centuries—a dragon knight.
4,5 stars - English Ebook - 🌷🌷🌷 **** I wanted to ask more questions about the self proclaimed dragon’s past, but I was forced to care about solving my more immediate problems first. “What do I call you?” “ Humans call me Aranath. My real name would be unprounouncable in you tongue.” *****🦋🦋🦋 A boy is currupted. Sold and escapes into mountains where he stumbles on the ruïne city of the dragon knights: Nimbria. This story tells the tail of this boy and his adventures. Will he survive to live another day and what of his bound with a dragon? Well woven tail with lots of surprices for me. It reads lightly. High fantasy for the onces how like this kind of story. *****🌷🌷🌷
4,5 stars - English Ebook Quote: I wanted to ask more questions about the self proclaimed dragons past, but I was forced to care about solving my more immediate problemen frist. "What do I call you?" "Humans call my Aranath. My real name would be unpronouncable in your tongue.
A boy is currupted, sold and escapes into the mountains where he stumbles on the ruïne city of the dragon knights: Nimbria. This story tells the tail of the boy and his adventure. Will he survive and live another day? And how can he be bound to a dragon? This is a well woven tail with lots of surprices while reading. High fantasy must read for me.
I’ll at least read the second tale. Moves along well. Author should’ve reviewed his high school English though. Look forward to meeting the dragon. (ASC)
This is a book about a classic fantasy character: the man (or woman) who has been crafted into a weapon, and now goes on a journey for vengeance whilst accidentally rediscovering their humanity. However, despite being familiar, it is definitely still unique with some great detailing. There are perhaps a few technical issues with the book, but this is well worth a look.
The Lone Dragon Knight is something of a familiar concept. Here we have an individual with remarkable powers (he can certainly throw a weapon around) but no obvious understanding of how or why. So he rebels against the shackles of his containment and goes searching. In doing so, our protagonist ends up inadvertently helping some folk along the way, whilst also discovering some of his humanity. It’s certainly a familiar concept, but not necessarily in a bad way. It’s a good concept.
So, what makes this stand out? Well, a few things caught me about the book. First off is the ending. For a book like this, we might expect a big extravagant bonanza of a climax, but the close in this is subtle and almost low key. It had a very different feel to it, and I liked it.
The use of magic was quite unique too. In this book, the magic manifests itself through dragon stones and a magical sword (there’s more to it than that, but I won’t elaborate here). And the approach to using this sword and the dragon-stones is, simply put, quite unique. The existence of the dragons themselves is also rather different, though I suspect it will became more obvious as the series builds. This fantasy world is well thought out, distinct, and certainly interesting.
We also manage to cram a lot of fantasy elements into one book, and that can only be a good thing, right? There are vampires, magic swords, dragons, an epic journey, and even a hidden princess. A lot of boxes ticked right there, so we can’t go too wrong.
But was there anything that wasn’t quite so good? Maybe a few things, and the biggest of them is perhaps the story arc itself. The book has a very definite end scene (which is a good scene as per the above), but it very much feels like an interim milestone (i.e. not an ending at all). Yes this is part of a series, but each book must individually satisfy, and I’m not sure this quite hit the mark. We didn’t quite get to a safe place in our story journey, and that is a little frustrating as a reader (though I have no doubt we’ll read on regardless!)
The second thing that was a little off is related to some of the language used. It felt over-engineered in places, and almost awkward with it. Over-sophisticated perhaps, when it should have been raw and hard. I think this improved as the book moved on, but it was quite noticeable in places.
And finally, there are lots of editorial errors in here. Even I spotted them, so they must be quite basic! I’m willing to let these fly in most cases (especially if they don’t trip you up), but here they were just a little too prominent. It could do with a thorough edit, which would just give us a smoother read and a much improved read for it.
So overall we have a familiar fantasy concept with some interesting and differentiating components. There are a few issues to contend with, but this is definitely worth a look.
Mercer has no memory of his past, and his present is a life lived on someone else's terms: first as an experimental subject, then sold as a criminal enforcer. When he frees himself, he finds a blade that connects him to a dragon from another world and grants him some of that dragon's powers. Now that he has the means, he aims to get revenge on those who stole everything from him.
This was decent, but it fell a little too flat for me. The action is brisk. Even when the plot winds through some side missions, Mercer is still active, learning, growing. And the magic system is interesting, although it does feel a bit one-sided for now (nobody ever said what the dragon gets out of all this, although there is the sense that he's biding his time for some major wreckage to come).
Where I kept getting knocked out of the story was with the characters. Mercer isn't very introspective when he's under mind-control spells. That's fine. He doesn't have to be very introspective out of them, either, but I never really got why he wanted revenge so badly. He doesn't seem like the cold and calculating type, and he's not blazing with anger. It's just kind of there as though it's too obvious to have to show at all. With no past, he could just as easily have said "There's no way I'm getting caught up in THAT again," and gone somewhere remote to start over. There's not much self-discovery, and he doesn't feel like he's remaking himself either, so with few exceptions I never felt like he had much of a personality.
Then there's the female mercenary. Despite being a professional, despite knowing absolutely nothing about him outside his work on this one case, despite the fact that he's got a fiend's tail bound to his arm (which ought to indicate something, since corruption doesn't appear to be a completely foreign concept), she offers to sleep with him as a way of topping off his pay, because she doesn't think he's being rewarded appropriately. I'm trying to figure out why this otherwise sensible woman wants to act like a whore. Especially since getting pregnant is likely to suspend her career.
I was somewhat impressed by Mercer refusing another character's offer to bed him, though again, I find it very strange that women are so eager to offer sex to someone like him when he's not charming or charismatic or going out of his way to encourage them.
Overall I might read the second book if I sign up for Kindle Unlimited, but this is more of a rental than a buy right now. I rate this book Neutral.
I'm not sure what I was more unimpressed with. The dry, boring writing, characters that are fairly despicable and yes, that includes the main character, the overly drawn out and even more dry descriptions or my least favorite, the language. A writer, any writer who feels the need to include the potty mouth language is NOT much of a writer to begin with. And a writer who uses as much of the potty mouth as this one, seriously, no SERIOUSLY needs to get rid of that rubber crutch and learn how to write like a real author. The irony is that this tale has potential that is sadly missed, it could have been epic. If I could tell the writer one thing, it would be this; For the love of the Muses, go take a descriptive writing class or two.
I didn't know at first how I felt about this book, but as I kept reading I grew to like it and it's characters. Hopefully the next book continues in the same manner and the new characters prove worthy of their addition to the story line
In this enchantingly written tale, we meet Mercer, who wants nothing more than to know where he comes from, but all he can remember is terror and pain. Kept in a dark hole and forced to fight for his life versus anything from a starved beast to mentally unstable prisoners, he wanted nothing more than to know who he was. He knows there is information out there. He just has to find it. Then, out of nowhere, he is sold off to a criminal syndicate, slated to become an assassin. Along the way, he sees his chance at freedom and seizes the opportunity to escape his horrible circumstances. While escaping, he comes across a mysterious sword that is linked to an ancient dragon. Now, facing fearsome foes with unnerving powers, Mercer must embrace the sword to become what hasn't been seen in centuries, a Dragon Knight! I instantly fell in love with the magic system in this book. It's incredibly unique and had me intrigued from the beginning. There may be a few technical issues with it, but overall, I found this to be very enjoyable. With snarky dragons, arcane magic, princesses in danger, ancient artifacts, an epic journey, underground fight clubs, revenge, and vampires, it hits all the right points to prime you for a majestic fantasy. I can't wait to read the rest!
So you know how there are those written stories that introduce a character you know nothing about as you are dumped right into the middle of his/her adventure from page one, and the story continues on where you never really know what the purpose is, but by the time you get to the end you are so captivated and in love with all aspects of the book that you set it down immediately wanting to jump back in? Well, this isn't one of those stories.
The Lone Dragon Knight throughout it's entirety just had me asking the question why. Why this character? Why did he do that? Why did he care? Why did that happen? There was this rather hazy idea that the plot was about revenge, but it felt so unimportant that I was asking myself why that was the plot.
What I'm trying to explain is that none of the story felt important. The main character didn't feel like a main character to me. Things happened.....but it all felt so idly unimportant. Just another boring aspect of another boring day. And it wasn't like I wasn't interested in it all. It just felt like the author wasn't.
To put it in simple terms: it all failed to pull me in.
I don't often write reviews (I'm a reader not a writer 😉) but I felt that this deserved a review,
I read other people's reviews on this and most are very harsh in my opinion, as I really enjoyed the story and the way its been written - how a room or area is described very easily but doesn't stop the flow of the story that you forget what was happening in that time, I love that and its a talent in writer's I've only seen in The Great Writers.
Yes maybe the character could have had a better reason to start his journey then revenge but I think it actually suits as what else did he have at that point in time .... Nothing! So he fell on the first thought he had, but over the journey his reasons changed and I felt he was getting wiser with his travels and I believe it was part due to the conversations he had with Aranath that we never witnessed. As for such a young man he has the wisdom of an older man, this I really enjoyed as it is a very rare trait.
Thank you very much D.C. Clemens I really enjoyed reading your work and I cant wait to read the rest I hope you go far with your writing.
Meet Mercer. A corrupted. What exactly that means is never truly explained but seems to have to do with having a fiend's tail grafted onto his body. While that process gives the corrupted more power than normal, the end result is always insanity. Mercer, however, finds an ancient sword connected to a dragon. The dragon is able to hold off the effects on the corruption. Mercer sets off on a quest of revenge. I really wanted to like this book. In all truth, I could not finish it. The writing is horrendous. I picture the author sitting at his desk with a thesaurus choosing words to describe his scenes... "hmmm... glowing, brightness, luminosity... yeah that's it!" I will leave this review with this message, AVOID THIS BOOK!
This book struggled with language and character. While it was a fun story and nice escapism for a holiday read, I found Mercer (and some of the others) to have split (inconsistent) personalities. The cursing was really out of context. You have this stoic, magic character who lives in a somewhat middle-ages type world and he swears like an American Millennial. Really? It distracted from the story. But - the author has a great imagination and tells a good yarn!
While there is probably a good story line buried in these pages, I found it difficult to look for because of the language choices. In some areas it was like nails on a chalkboard. Just as I had recovered from the last barrage of obscenities my eyes were hit with another blast of uncreative obscenities. The story felt jerky and disjointed for the most part. Not a book I would recommend.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and we'll be looking forward to the rest of them. The tortured soul Mercer, is a great character who is just trying to find out about his past and settle wrongs. The book could have used a little more detail around how Mercer was able to get out from under the Mind rune, and there are several typos. all-in-all is a great start to what will be a wonderful series.
I liked some of the ideas. The pace was a little uneven. Some bits left questions...like why did he take the sword in his stride? A little shock and more explanation of its origins would have seemed more in order. Also rhe willingness of characters to aid him lacked any depth. Decent read, will buy the next one for my kindle but dont know if I would pay the book price.
I loved the ending. No muss, no fuss. Fantastic. I'm now a confirmed fan. Refreshing and leaving me anxiously awaiting the next adventure. The characters are well developed, the story is flowing. At times I almost pee'd my pants. So engrossed, didn't want tho put the book down. Good job!
The sustained length of the action scenes makes up for the more descriptive parts of the story. The characters are physically vague which disappointed me but the over all atmosphere of something big about to show up worked for me. I would recommend this book to all readers of Conan stories. It really needs more English editing though.
Good book to read to set the stage for a good series of books. I started off with the second bookin the first.
Clarified everything. I recommend this series of books for avid readers of dragon books. I've enjoyed reading the first two books and have already bought the remaining two.
It was a bit difficult to get into in the beginning, but this is the 3rd series that is in first person that I've liked, so I would say the author did a great job- magic, swordfighting, monsters, gods, demons, it's got a bit of everything without feeling like too much to follow.
There were some small things I liked about the story but most of it was when he was interacting with other people. Unfortunately there was too much singular time.
Interesting characters that make the story readable and interesting. Maybe as the story is continued characters will continue to develop and emerge as being engaging if not all that believable .
I wish I could find an author who can complete a novel in one book. A dragon's voice in Mercers head doesn't make a Dragon Knight. I turned the page and was delivered to the review, where was the climax and conclusion. Look for book 2 or 3, whatever.
There were some parts that were clever, but there were also many distracting errors of grammar. The plot was not bad although I thought it was too far fetched in some ways. The sentence structure was often awkward.
I really enjoyed this book from the start. Great hook, and very interesting characters that are easy to get involved with. Can’t wait to see where it goes from here!
I hesitated when he described his thirst as a sultry mouth because the story line was entertaining but when he described his travels as serene as shit, I just gave up on the book. Sounds like a teenager with a thesaurus wrote this crap.
Eh. It was a promising story, but the language really needs work. It feels like the author was using a thesaurus without an understanding of the word and/or grammar. I feel like this could be improved with experience and a female reader - but until then, it's not my cup of tea.
While I liked the ending of this book, the beginning was kind of frustrating to me. After completing it I understand that it’s part of the story, but I completed the book only because I always complete a book I finish. It is well written, and I did enjoy the last half.
If you are a fan of the F word, then this book is for you. I personally found it vulgar. Overall story is ok but much of it didn't flow and was confusing. I love fantasy fiction, dragons, sword fighting but this was not the book for me.
I gave this book a four because of grammar and editing errors, but the plot is unique and intriguing. The fantasy world is well constructed and the characters are easily visualized from the descriptions. I liked the twist at the end.