The Summoned Dragon

Cycle of Dragons #4

by Dan Michaelson, D.K. Holmberg

Separated from the cycle of dragons, Ashan must find himself in a dangerous land.

The kingdom has warred with the Vard long enough. Having gone with the Servant of the Vard, Ashan hopes to end that violence. First, he must find himself—even if it means coming to understand the strange Vard magic.

When he finds an ancient and dangerous threat unlike anything he’s ever encountered that once spread throughout the Vard lands, he begins to understand his enemy. As Ashan discovers the threat might still be active, he learns the truth behind the Vard actions and their hatred of dragons.

He came to the Vard to understand them, but what can he do if the threat has already spread to his people?

An action packed fantasy adventure that continues the saga of The Cycle of Dragons.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Ebooks, Audiobook

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2021

Reviews

[XR]

It's just dragging on... saying the same thing over and over without anything ever actually happening.

[Courtney Gray]

Who is rating this book so high? I’ve read recipes with more characters. So boring…so focused on one character. Poor editing. Spoiler alert…it does not get better.

[Judith Poholka]

This series needs a much better editor! It is incredibly repetitive, the characters are very undeveloped and the plot plods along never seeming to advance from book to book. I’ve kept reading hoping things would improve as these two writers gained a little experience but it really seems to be getting worse, not better, as if they’re not willing to give the reader any information. It does not progress the story in any meaningful way as the characters never “learn” enough and backtrack their steps over and over. BORING!

[Orlando Esquinaldo]

Never a disappointment

I just seems to get enough of this author. Great reading keeps me up late reading. Don't want to put down this book. I've awakened when my phone hitd the floor. 😏 I would highly recommend this book to any SYFY fans.

[Seeker]

Slow start with a fast paced closing.

By now you probably know the characters and the plot. I went back to the previous book to get a grasp on the first part of this one. Overall excellent. I look forward to the next one.

[Arline L.]

Boring

It just seemed like the question of “What if …” was being said over and over. I thought it poorly written.

[Brenda]

Where to begin? There is too much of Ashan repetitively debating the same issues over and over in his own head. Read chapters 1, 5-12, 17-18 and 21 to end. The rest is not necessary and even annoying. Books 1and 2 had a decent story arc, but all of the first four books have had too much deliberating nonsense, and when Ashan has actually found something important he fails to mention it. For example the things he spots along the border of the Southern reach in book 3, he fails to mention both the king, and to Manuel. I was beginning to think Ashan was just dumb. And the cycle-we get it! We understand, move on! Please - show us! Don't tell us! And don't be repetitive.

I will finish this series as I've invested too much time but it would be greatly improved with less internal debate and more action. Combining books would be an improvement as well. In fact, I think the first four books could easily be edited into one. Perhaps even the whole series, but I haven’t finished it yet.

I will say that it is a new type of dragon story. Bonds work differently than in other dragon fiction and dragons don't speak in words. It is a new and refreshing take on dragon fantasy, it just needs better editing.

[Angela]

3.5 - 4 Stars

The Summoned Dragon is the fourth book in The Cycle of Dragons series by Dan Michaelson & D.K. Holmberg. It is an engaging blend of epic fantasy, coming-of-age adventure, and high-stakes magic. We enter a world where dragons are not just mythical beasts but deeply woven into the fate of kingdoms and the growth of the MC.
From the first book, we are drawn into Ashan’s journey from an inexperienced student to someone with immense potential. The author balances action-packed battles with quieter moments of introspection.
The pacing is brisk, with each installment building on the last, raising both the emotional and political stakes.
Here, the magic system really shone – where the connection between dragon mages and their dragons felt both mystical and yet still grounded, which made the stakes of each magical encounter more believable. The dragons themselves are more than just weapons of war - they have personalities, histories, and a sense of mystery that kept me turning pages.
An enjoyable binge-read.
Happy Reading…

[Veni]

After finishing book 4 of the series i find my self struggling to remember any noteworthy moments. Other sagas would be completed in the same number of books but in this case the plot/story is still advancing with an almost painful pace, with little development of the characters.

As other reviewers said, there are several moments where the same events are repeatedly mentioned, almost as if the writer or writers are more preoccupied to not let us forget those events (which you won’t after the second or third time that you read about them) than giving the plot a more satisfactory pace and development in general.

I am probably going to read the next book considering that it will be out in almost 2 weeks but if the 5th book continues in the same way i would be hard pressed to justify continuing with the series.

[Roger]

I enjoyed the first couple of books in this series but starting with the 3rd book it all become so repetitive. This book, in particular, was a slog to get through. Ashan has the same conversations, makes the same mistakes, continually fails to have any critical thoughts or self realization over and over. It's painful and frustrating to read. The new novice is exceptionally annoying and provides nothing except another token mystical female to tag along with our bumbling "hero." I don't think I've ever not finished a series but will definitely be taking a break before forcing myself into the drudgery to complete this one. In all honestly, it will only be to make sure The Green Dragon comes out alright because, at this point, it's the only character in the books I'm invested in.

[Sharon Shepard]

Poor editing throughout this series…

I have come back to this book to post a review because I I am so sorely disappointed in book number 5. While it has been difficult to follow the first three or four books in this series because of untold editing problems, book number five is so full of them that it is a complete distraction. Wrong words, wrong pronouns, repeated sequences and worst of all the little green dragon that has been, the second main character in this series is now being referred to as a male. All pronouns refer to the little green dragon as “he”… This author needs to find a different editor and or proofreader if this is the best that can be done.

[Doctor DJ]

The Summoned Dragon gets 3 stars from me. The book was a decent fantasy read that kept the story moving and expanded the world in interesting ways. I continued to enjoy the Vard-related elements, which remain one of the stronger aspects of the series. However, some of Ashan's interactions with the servant and the Vard girl felt a bit awkward and did not always flow naturally. The adventure itself was engaging, and there were enough developments to keep me interested throughout. While the characters had some good moments, I would have liked a little more depth in certain relationships. Overall, it was an enjoyable installment, even if it wasn't my favorite so far.

[Emma]

Good story, but feeling more repetitive

Again good story with him traveling to the different lands and learning more and trying to help his people. But I just feel like things are more repetitive in this book. A lot of spelling error starting to have as well. And they can be distracting from reading the story at times, like switching between she and he pronouns at times and not knowing who is being referred to in the story and making it hard to follow along.

[Thomas Guaraldi]

Great story!

Not as much action, but plenty of drama, world and character building, and growth of the MC. The soul searching and emotional, and personality growth is deep and true. ANY person in a similar situation would have similar thoughts. I am moved and impressed with the writers. It is not just filled with swords and magic battles. You actually see and feel a young man grow and learn how to overcome
I am looking forward to the next book in series's

[Coral Guise-Smith]

I enjoyed this book but got bored with the constant re run of events, places, what he done, the murtar which is still unclear as to what it is, feeling or not feeling his Dragon etc. I just wanted it to be faster and more action packed. I hope the next book will have more interesting content.

[Kevin Barr]

Not a quick read

I give it 3 stars because the story drags and slows down so much it's a grind to keep going.

Then there are parts where the story has a decent pacing and I find myself eagerly consuming the rest of the story.

[Tim D Buller]

Annoying cycle of refusing the obvious throughout this whole book.

Had to skim most of this book because of all the repetitive themes involving doubt and acceptance of the obvious.

[Susan J]

A good start but Bk 4 is BORING and irritating.

A good start but bk 4 fell off the cliff. I could skip dozens of pages at a time throughout the book and missed nothing. I’ll try bk 5 but if this continues, I’m done.

[Peter Meekma]

Lack of plot

I skipped several chapters. Half the book talks about aletha
With no plot expansion. Needed a strong editor. Least favorite in series.

[Ray Knighton]

Very Very good

A great story that you will not want to stop reading! The dragons and the people, the riders I never stopped
reading.

[Raven OM Tyner]

Decent read

The writing is decent. The story is decent. It's not terrifically engaging. A good read for slow rainy days cold days. It's a bit slow & repetitive though.

[Duane Williams]

So very repetitive!

This book could be half the length. Absolutely the most repetitive book I have ever read. This author constantly repeats himself.

[Ayano]

Worst book in this series.

[Tracy]

Ugh!

It was one of the few books I gave up reading and didn't finish. It just kept repeating the same jargon over and over again. Sorry, I did like the preceding books, though.

[Richard Chandler]

weird

As I read I get confused. Is this what the writer wants. I don’t know ? I will not finish

[George Polansky]

A good read.

[Stephanie Knapp]

Not good

On and on and about transformation. I felt like I was reading a book for a second grader. The main character acted lite he was eight