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Thunder's War #1
Son of Thunder
Berun Toirnach is a prince, a priest, and a mage. With the power of Lightning he fights to protect what is important to him.
When Berun’s friends and family are put in danger the young prince must rely on his power and his allies, old and new, to save them. With him is his father's most trusted bodyguard, a disgraced assassin known for his skill and ruthless precision. A young God Mage and her companions, linked together with powerful magic. And a coward with a power he's afraid to use. All of them will be needed to save those threatened.
But time is against them and their enemies have secrets of their own.
When Berun’s friends and family are put in danger the young prince must rely on his power and his allies, old and new, to save them. With him is his father's most trusted bodyguard, a disgraced assassin known for his skill and ruthless precision. A young God Mage and her companions, linked together with powerful magic. And a coward with a power he's afraid to use. All of them will be needed to save those threatened.
But time is against them and their enemies have secrets of their own.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 18, 2016
24 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 25, 2017
Plot:
It took a while to get to the plot, by about 30% in it was still mostly world building, character building and set up to get to the main part of the story.
So, the book starts out talking about the emperor and his wives, and his heir, and this ceremony involving a dragon so I had this medieval world pictured in my mind, but no. There are cars, trains, and a lot of modern tech that makes it read more like urban fantasy, except it’s so unlike our own world I really hesitate to call it that.
A bunch of older teenagers and young adults in their early 20’s go on a vacation together to the beach. They are all rather important people, there are two princes, some other royalty and their friends, so they are accompanied by a chaperone (who’s the oldest princess) and a body guard who’s usually the personal body guard to the emperor himself.
They are the beach having a good time when one of the princes, Rei, decides to enter himself into a fighting match they happened onto. They end up attracting the attention of people you really don’t want looking your way – big time mobsters and organized crime bosses who are there gambling/collecting money.
They end up getting on these peoples bad sides, and that’s where the story really starts getting going. I can’t get into too much more what happens after this, but I think people who like crime shows, crime novels and that sort of thing would really be into this book. There’s drug deals, bought cops, murder and more.
Characters:
There were so many characters, omg, but I’ll focus on the ones I think got the most page time.
Berun – one of the two prince brothers, he’s not the heir so he’s gone on to be a priest. Berun has been blessed with powers and is able to wield lightning and has a special bond with dragons
Rei – the other prince, a fighter, loves the ladies, heir to the throne
Dan – a history geek who loves museums, really interesting flash backs, works in a glass factory to pay for the academy
Rowe – body guard to the princes, my favorite POV
Yol – rat bastard, one of the organized crime members, fed some dude to sharks by holding him over the side of a boat as sharks ate his legs
Gwall – Yols side kick, brutal fighter type
Renzo – he doesn’t get much page time, but Renzo the dragon is an awesome POV.
World Building:
There’s a very well built magic system in this world, and it was sort of a tattoo magic, different tattoos called Knots are symbols for different sorts of powers/magic.
Wind Knot increases your hearing and you can hear enemies from a distance
Water Knot increases your flexibility and balance
Stone Knot lets you see using sound
There are others, and there’s a subplot going on about people found with unrecognized Knot symbols possibly symbolizing a new kind of magic.
People can form groups called Cells, and bind themselves to each other allowing for powers to be shared within a group. Each member is assigned a tile/role that’s aligned with a body part, The Mouth, The Eye, The Ear etc.
Dragons in this world can be farmed for energy which is a concept I haven’t seen before, and there is a substantial amount of world building around this where it makes sense, it’s explored how this would work logistically, how they would be tamed, how the energy is harvested, how to keep a stable population on the farms – all of that was addressed.
There’s a lot of lore about the Gods as well, and how different Gods had children which formed new Gods, and how they are all tied to the Elements.
There’s old lore about Esserwards which are legendary warriors told to be able to wipe out entire armies and battlefields by themselves, and that they used Esserblades. It’s fabled that if you touch an Esserblades hilt and the blade finds you worthy, you become an Esserward. You learn a lot about this through Dans perspective since he’s a big history nerd.
There’s just so much world building going on it’s not possible to try and condense it all, this is really where the book shined for me.
Pacing/Prose:
The prose was simple and straight forward, and the pacing was pretty good once you got past the first 30%. It’s not that I would say the first 30% was slow or boring, it was setting up the world for you and introducing a pretty big cast of characters. It’s just that the meat of the plot didn’t really show up until about a third of the way through. All of that world building and character development happened in 339 pages so it was pretty condensed, there wasn’t anything I felt was dragging or felt needed to be cut. And although there was a lot to take in, it wasn’t too overwhelming, a lot of this was drip fed and there were things you don’t figure out until near the end.
Audience:
People who like a twist on urban fantasy
People who like lots of magic and magic systems
People who like lots of POV’s
People who like dragons
People who like lots of world building
People who like crime novels
It took a while to get to the plot, by about 30% in it was still mostly world building, character building and set up to get to the main part of the story.
So, the book starts out talking about the emperor and his wives, and his heir, and this ceremony involving a dragon so I had this medieval world pictured in my mind, but no. There are cars, trains, and a lot of modern tech that makes it read more like urban fantasy, except it’s so unlike our own world I really hesitate to call it that.
A bunch of older teenagers and young adults in their early 20’s go on a vacation together to the beach. They are all rather important people, there are two princes, some other royalty and their friends, so they are accompanied by a chaperone (who’s the oldest princess) and a body guard who’s usually the personal body guard to the emperor himself.
They are the beach having a good time when one of the princes, Rei, decides to enter himself into a fighting match they happened onto. They end up attracting the attention of people you really don’t want looking your way – big time mobsters and organized crime bosses who are there gambling/collecting money.
They end up getting on these peoples bad sides, and that’s where the story really starts getting going. I can’t get into too much more what happens after this, but I think people who like crime shows, crime novels and that sort of thing would really be into this book. There’s drug deals, bought cops, murder and more.
Characters:
There were so many characters, omg, but I’ll focus on the ones I think got the most page time.
Berun – one of the two prince brothers, he’s not the heir so he’s gone on to be a priest. Berun has been blessed with powers and is able to wield lightning and has a special bond with dragons
Rei – the other prince, a fighter, loves the ladies, heir to the throne
Dan – a history geek who loves museums, really interesting flash backs, works in a glass factory to pay for the academy
Rowe – body guard to the princes, my favorite POV
Yol – rat bastard, one of the organized crime members, fed some dude to sharks by holding him over the side of a boat as sharks ate his legs
Gwall – Yols side kick, brutal fighter type
Renzo – he doesn’t get much page time, but Renzo the dragon is an awesome POV.
World Building:
There’s a very well built magic system in this world, and it was sort of a tattoo magic, different tattoos called Knots are symbols for different sorts of powers/magic.
Wind Knot increases your hearing and you can hear enemies from a distance
Water Knot increases your flexibility and balance
Stone Knot lets you see using sound
There are others, and there’s a subplot going on about people found with unrecognized Knot symbols possibly symbolizing a new kind of magic.
People can form groups called Cells, and bind themselves to each other allowing for powers to be shared within a group. Each member is assigned a tile/role that’s aligned with a body part, The Mouth, The Eye, The Ear etc.
Dragons in this world can be farmed for energy which is a concept I haven’t seen before, and there is a substantial amount of world building around this where it makes sense, it’s explored how this would work logistically, how they would be tamed, how the energy is harvested, how to keep a stable population on the farms – all of that was addressed.
There’s a lot of lore about the Gods as well, and how different Gods had children which formed new Gods, and how they are all tied to the Elements.
There’s old lore about Esserwards which are legendary warriors told to be able to wipe out entire armies and battlefields by themselves, and that they used Esserblades. It’s fabled that if you touch an Esserblades hilt and the blade finds you worthy, you become an Esserward. You learn a lot about this through Dans perspective since he’s a big history nerd.
There’s just so much world building going on it’s not possible to try and condense it all, this is really where the book shined for me.
Pacing/Prose:
The prose was simple and straight forward, and the pacing was pretty good once you got past the first 30%. It’s not that I would say the first 30% was slow or boring, it was setting up the world for you and introducing a pretty big cast of characters. It’s just that the meat of the plot didn’t really show up until about a third of the way through. All of that world building and character development happened in 339 pages so it was pretty condensed, there wasn’t anything I felt was dragging or felt needed to be cut. And although there was a lot to take in, it wasn’t too overwhelming, a lot of this was drip fed and there were things you don’t figure out until near the end.
Audience:
People who like a twist on urban fantasy
People who like lots of magic and magic systems
People who like lots of POV’s
People who like dragons
People who like lots of world building
People who like crime novels
December 21, 2018
4.5/5
SON OF THUNDER is an interesting novel that straddles the genre of fantasy and urban environments. The best way to describe it is taking place in the "modern" period of a typical fantasy setting. There's magic, dragons, sorcery, cars, tourist traps, guns, and Emperors. It very much reminds me of the Final Fantasy series post-VII where the supernatural is seamlessly blended in with the mundane to make both more fantastical.
The premise is Berun Toirnach is the eldest son of the Emperor. It's a modern society but he still has to follow the traditions of his people, which include taming a wild dragon. During this encounter, he discovers he has the power to wield electricity and control lightning. This immediately gets him dumped in the priesthood and a career path which is not very suited for his temperament.
Berun ends up getting a brief break from his responsibilities by being allowed to take his friends to the beachside city of Hurthow. There, a bunch of rich but naive tourists are soon set upon by a supernatural gang of criminals who intend to ransom them back to their rich families. Unfortunately, for the gangsters, they may have bitten off more than they can chew with a budding dragonmaster as well as Thunder Mage.
This book reminds me a great deal of THE LEGEND OF KORRA, which is a high compliment indeed. I like the fact it's a somewhat "modern" story about a kidnapping in a tourist trap and the villains are gangsters set up against a sorcerer with his dragon. The juxtaposition of the fantastic with the mundane works well with the story.
The story is a bit of a slow burn with the characters mostly spending their time gossiping about girls (apparently despite being a Prince, he's very inexperienced with women as are his friends) and trying to figure out what sort of mischief to get into in Hurthow. However, once events got going, I really started to enjoy this story. I think it's good for an afternoon read and people should definitely check this out if they liked mix/matches.
SON OF THUNDER is an interesting novel that straddles the genre of fantasy and urban environments. The best way to describe it is taking place in the "modern" period of a typical fantasy setting. There's magic, dragons, sorcery, cars, tourist traps, guns, and Emperors. It very much reminds me of the Final Fantasy series post-VII where the supernatural is seamlessly blended in with the mundane to make both more fantastical.
The premise is Berun Toirnach is the eldest son of the Emperor. It's a modern society but he still has to follow the traditions of his people, which include taming a wild dragon. During this encounter, he discovers he has the power to wield electricity and control lightning. This immediately gets him dumped in the priesthood and a career path which is not very suited for his temperament.
Berun ends up getting a brief break from his responsibilities by being allowed to take his friends to the beachside city of Hurthow. There, a bunch of rich but naive tourists are soon set upon by a supernatural gang of criminals who intend to ransom them back to their rich families. Unfortunately, for the gangsters, they may have bitten off more than they can chew with a budding dragonmaster as well as Thunder Mage.
This book reminds me a great deal of THE LEGEND OF KORRA, which is a high compliment indeed. I like the fact it's a somewhat "modern" story about a kidnapping in a tourist trap and the villains are gangsters set up against a sorcerer with his dragon. The juxtaposition of the fantastic with the mundane works well with the story.
The story is a bit of a slow burn with the characters mostly spending their time gossiping about girls (apparently despite being a Prince, he's very inexperienced with women as are his friends) and trying to figure out what sort of mischief to get into in Hurthow. However, once events got going, I really started to enjoy this story. I think it's good for an afternoon read and people should definitely check this out if they liked mix/matches.
May 14, 2017
Berun is the eldest son of the ruler of Sohlgain. According to time-honored tradition, young men must chain a dragon to claim their charge and enter adulthood. But when Berun chains a wild dragon he gains powers beyond his imagination. Too young to fully grasp the responsibility of his gifts and his position as Thunder Mage, Berun uses his abilities selfishly, venting the restlessness building within him. What he doesn't know is that he is being secretly watched and protected by his father's loyal bodyguard.
Berun and his friends have a lot of growing up to do. Their childhood comes to an abrupt end on one last adventure to a seaside resort, where powerful criminals take an interest in him. When his brother and friends are violently kidnapped, Berun takes matters into his own hands, unleashing his power. Will his transformation be worth the cost? Meanwhile, opposing cells of highly trained assassins enter the fray, each with motives that could change the world forever.
And what will happen to the tamed dragons, confined to cages across Sohgain? A Thunder Mage has risen. And a long-forgotten wildness runs in their blood again...
I found Son of Thunder frustrating - in the best way. There were so many ideas that caught my imagination right from the start - electric dragons, a unique magic system, corrupted assassin cults and a shy colossus - but Jakins deliberately gives the reader only a glimpse in each battle or pursuit. I found myself paging through this book eager to find out more about how these devices worked. Berun never really grasps how strong he is, and there is a real sense that a much bigger destiny is waiting for him. I look forward to the next book in the series where the stakes will no doubt be raised and I can find out the answers to some of these questions...
Not to mention the dragons!
Berun and his friends have a lot of growing up to do. Their childhood comes to an abrupt end on one last adventure to a seaside resort, where powerful criminals take an interest in him. When his brother and friends are violently kidnapped, Berun takes matters into his own hands, unleashing his power. Will his transformation be worth the cost? Meanwhile, opposing cells of highly trained assassins enter the fray, each with motives that could change the world forever.
And what will happen to the tamed dragons, confined to cages across Sohgain? A Thunder Mage has risen. And a long-forgotten wildness runs in their blood again...
I found Son of Thunder frustrating - in the best way. There were so many ideas that caught my imagination right from the start - electric dragons, a unique magic system, corrupted assassin cults and a shy colossus - but Jakins deliberately gives the reader only a glimpse in each battle or pursuit. I found myself paging through this book eager to find out more about how these devices worked. Berun never really grasps how strong he is, and there is a real sense that a much bigger destiny is waiting for him. I look forward to the next book in the series where the stakes will no doubt be raised and I can find out the answers to some of these questions...
Not to mention the dragons!
February 18, 2017
The main character is Berun Toirnach, the eldest son of the nation’s ruler. He is an interesting character who is too young to know what it means to be a Thunder Mage or what his destiny will be. The story plot was good and pulling so my time spent on the book was not wasted.
It will be interesting to see with what kind of story plot Author "James Jakins" will give us in the next book.
It will be interesting to see with what kind of story plot Author "James Jakins" will give us in the next book.
December 13, 2017
Loved it!
Looking forward to book two. Characters develop and grow story line linear and develops with our many side trips. Leads to wanting the next installment.
Looking forward to book two. Characters develop and grow story line linear and develops with our many side trips. Leads to wanting the next installment.
May 11, 2021
The book was very good . A new type of urban fantasy but I wish he updated the series at least after 4 years
December 19, 2018
Wow! What a spectacular read. Without a doubt one of my favorite fantasy series debuts of all time.
Son of Thunder is: mesmerizing architecture, dragons, brilliant cinematic battle scenes, spring break, the sun also rises, The Godfather, Batman , Mistborn, The Karate Kid, and The Terminator all rolled in to one incredibly well written novel that is constantly fun, and always engaging ,and while clearly influenced by a great deal of film and literary content, the blend of Jakins' story feels fresh and unique as opposed to derivative.
Jakins tackles a large cast and manages to give each character, even those in minor roles their chance to shine. His use of foreshadowing to raise the stakes for future novels in the series creates a feeling of urgency that will leave you demanding book 2.
I'd recommend this book to anyone that loves Fantasy, Mob novels, coming of age stories, and great storytelling in general.
Son of Thunder is: mesmerizing architecture, dragons, brilliant cinematic battle scenes, spring break, the sun also rises, The Godfather, Batman , Mistborn, The Karate Kid, and The Terminator all rolled in to one incredibly well written novel that is constantly fun, and always engaging ,and while clearly influenced by a great deal of film and literary content, the blend of Jakins' story feels fresh and unique as opposed to derivative.
Jakins tackles a large cast and manages to give each character, even those in minor roles their chance to shine. His use of foreshadowing to raise the stakes for future novels in the series creates a feeling of urgency that will leave you demanding book 2.
I'd recommend this book to anyone that loves Fantasy, Mob novels, coming of age stories, and great storytelling in general.
August 10, 2023
Very good one sitting read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes magic and progression type of books with lots of action.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes magic and progression type of books with lots of action.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews