The First Dragonslayer

by J. Daniel Layfield

Can a Dragonslayer's memories help a Rider prevent another Dragon War? Enemies from beyond the Gateway have found allies on this side with their own grudge against Pavlora. If he hopes to stop them, Logan will first have to decipher his dreams of the past.

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2017

About the author

Daniel was born and raised in Alabama, and, due to his inability to tolerate cold weather, refuses to live any further north than Birmingham. The earliest memory he has of wanting to be a writer is when he wrote a one page story for an English assignment in third grade. The teacher wrote some encouraging remark on the page, and the idea he could someday be a writer was born. Sorry, he doesn't remember her name, so there's no chance any of you can go back in time and stop her.

Reviews

[Christina McMullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed Spell Fade, so this sequel was a welcome surprise. Like the first, we have an epic journey without all of the things I don't like about epic journeys. There is snappy dialogue, fantastic character interaction, a mysterious dragon queen, and action in just about every scene. Plus, as I mentioned in a blog post about this book: there are dads being total dad's while dealing with their teenaged children, the children's hormones, and the fact that they are dads, not heroes. Or are they?
You'll just have to read and figure it out for yourself.

[Shannon Reber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an amazing story! It was exciting, gripping, heart-warming, heart-breaking, and also just downright fabulous. I enjoyed every minute of it! If you like epic fantasy, this is the book for you!

[Melissa Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I liked the first book so much. There were too many POV'S for my liking and the first half of the book was not as good as the last portion. Not enough Magic and the children wavered between competent adults and whiny youngsters. Not bad, just not on par with the previous Spell Fade.

[Missy Sheldrake · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that feeling you get when you're finally able to meet up with some friends you haven't seen in AGES, and they're even more amazing to be around than you remembered? That's how I felt when I read this book. Our old favorites from Spell Fade are back in this adventurous sequel, along with some new faces who are just as compelling and fun to read as those in the previous book.

Layfield is a master of punchy dialogue. His quips between Logan and Dartan, and Logan and his daughter had me laughing throughout the book. I loved the addition of Saram, the teenage girl who is hilariously more interested in her magic-wielding princely crush than her innate ability to effortlessly ride dragons---and talk to them! I loved Markus, the prince, too. His awkward personality and obliviousness to his own power really gave the book a lot of flavor. He quickly became my favorite once the adventure got underway.

Markus and Saram were just the undertone to the main plot, which was woven so well between Logan, George, and the mysterious woman in green. I'm not one to rehash an entire plot in a review, but I will say if you enjoyed Spell Fade as much as I did, then you're sure to enjoy The First Dragonslayer even more. It was such a treat from start to finish. I highly recommend it as a must-read for anyone who loves a rich, compelling fantasy tale. Also, dragons. I mean...DRAGONS, people! Read it!