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Draig
The world of Canard was nearly destroyed 500 years ago, when Dissonance entered the Song and the majisters disappeared. Now, the majisters have returned and they have a find the refrains of the Lorica and clear their name. High King Tenneth is now dead and there will soon be a succession tournament. And on top of everything else, Trystan cannot get Esseylte out of his mind. What's a bard to do?
Join Dane, Trystan and a fae named Sara as they work to save Canard and defeat the Conclave.
Join Dane, Trystan and a fae named Sara as they work to save Canard and defeat the Conclave.
- GenresFantasy
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 24, 2021
About the author
Anne C. Miles
4 books93 followersAnne C. Miles, award-winning author, was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois in 1971. She studied modern languages (Spanish, French, and German) at Kentucky Wesleyan College and Murray State University. In 2001 she founded a web design studio in her kitchen. She earned a degree in Visual Communications and married Rodney Miles in 2003. Anne was confirmed in the Anglican Church (ACNA, High Anglican) in 2016. She takes communion once a week. When Anne isn't working or writing, she plays violin badly and spoils her grandchildren.
Her book, Sorrowfish, was named Best Fantasy 2019 by Indies Today. One of the chapters of her second unpublished book was named as an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Contest, first quarter of 2020.
Her book, Sorrowfish, was named Best Fantasy 2019 by Indies Today. One of the chapters of her second unpublished book was named as an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Contest, first quarter of 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 8, 2022
Draig is the second book of the Call of the Lorica, a series written by Anne C. Miles. She continues to build her world and we enter into a phase where there is conflict between the forces of harmony (Majisters and their allies) and the forces of dissonance (the Conclave driven by the Eighth of the Cyntae—the dragon Doran). Several major victories are won by Dane and the Majisters, but will they be enough? Toward the end we see the battle lines for the next book take shape. In a truly terrifying scene, the dragon Doran, detaches himself from a tattoo on Modric’s arm, and tortures the Conclave leader to teach him the importance of success. Will the forces of good be destroyed as Modric fully expects? Who will be the next king? Is Sara (a person from our world who interacts with the world of the Majisters, primarily through Dane) facing a battle of her own in our world with her boss, Bastien?
It is difficult to write a sequel as compelling as the original story, yet Anne Miles has done a masterful job. Although much of the story line is set by the first book, there are many surprises and some animosities surface as the forces of evil masquerade as the good. Draig left me eager for more and I look forward to the third book. I recommend reading the stories in order.
My rating: four stars.
It is difficult to write a sequel as compelling as the original story, yet Anne Miles has done a masterful job. Although much of the story line is set by the first book, there are many surprises and some animosities surface as the forces of evil masquerade as the good. Draig left me eager for more and I look forward to the third book. I recommend reading the stories in order.
My rating: four stars.
January 24, 2022
On the surface, Draig sounds like a straightforward sword-and-sorcery story. But what makes Draig unique is its use of Welsh (I believe) fantasy and mythology, and the story is heavy in the use of creatures that most readers won’t be familiar with. To be honest, I felt like the story really needed a glossary to help me understand what everything (faes, cyntaes, chymaerae, matins, faisants, etc.) was, and then at the very end discovered there WAS a glossary/lexicon. But because it was at the end, and nothing at the beginning told me it was there, I couldn’t/didn’t use it. It was also my fault that this was the second book in the series, and I hadn’t read the first.
That was the biggest problem I had with the story. Now on to the good parts.
Anne Miles does a wonderful job of world building here. She not only creates a world (Canard) that stands on its own, but links it to our world in ways that I can’t share here, but were intriguing. Music plays a significant role in the story, and she weaves it into the story in a spiritual and magical way. She is also very good at description, and I found myself enjoying her storyweaving very much simply for the images she wove.
Summary: if you like fantasy, pick this one up, (maybe read the book one first), but I advise you to read the lexicon in the back first. It will help tremendously. Then immerse yourself in her world.
That was the biggest problem I had with the story. Now on to the good parts.
Anne Miles does a wonderful job of world building here. She not only creates a world (Canard) that stands on its own, but links it to our world in ways that I can’t share here, but were intriguing. Music plays a significant role in the story, and she weaves it into the story in a spiritual and magical way. She is also very good at description, and I found myself enjoying her storyweaving very much simply for the images she wove.
Summary: if you like fantasy, pick this one up, (maybe read the book one first), but I advise you to read the lexicon in the back first. It will help tremendously. Then immerse yourself in her world.
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January 27, 2022Miles's sequel to her first book, Sorrowfish, continues the quest of Dane, now a full "majister." Dane must travel across Canard, his magical home world, and collect all the scattered refrains of the Lorica, which relates to the magic of Canard, known as "the Song." He is joined by a host of friends (including Sara, who hails from the "real" world), and opposed by the Chantry, which in the wake of an ancient conflict, spread lies across Canard regarding the Song, the majisters, and other subjects of importance, setting themselves up as an authority and helping themselves to the associated power.
I'm writing this review as someone who also read Sorrowfish, and from the viewpoint of not just the events of Draig, but of the overall story thus far.
As far as a sequel goes, I consider Draig to be an improvement over Sorrowfish, though it's best to read the entire series through because of the amount of important details. Draig does a much better job of explaining itself to the reader than the previous book, peppering details as needed, whereas Sorrowfish was extremely vague and, while flowery, also a bit stingy on definitions, making the story very hard to get into and, at worst, seem as if it had no interest in whether or not the reader understood what was going on. Draig is much better at making sure you follow, and because of that, it's much easier to feel involved with the quest.
The story is a McGuffin quest, going from place to place and overcoming a challenge of sorts in order to be rewarded with a part of the McGuffin. I'm sorry if that word carries a negative vibe; the Lorica is important to the characters of the world, and acquiring the entire thing will ostensibly let the good guys win. I'm only using this term as a descriptor of what kind of story this is: go to place, solve puzzle, get part of the thing, rinse and repeat. It's fun, and allows the reader to see a lot of Miles's creative world quickly. The Draig are characters who are met along the way, and I was happy to see that more ground was covered in the story than just meeting them.
That said, I felt the beginning of the book was rather slow. Much time is spent recapping and dawdling near the start before the quest finally begins, though this can help readers struggling with the events of Sorrowfish find their footing before this new adventure begins.
Certain side characters who seemed interesting didn't stick around long, like Bronwyn, while others had side events thrown in that didn't seem to be a bigger part of the whole, like Trystan's brief crisis. Characters like Bell and Jax have interesting details about themselves, but fade into the background, while other stories seem as if they're being saved for the next book. I do hope that all of these things will be addressed in the future, as the characters are interesting; on that note, while the author possesses wonderful powers of description, I felt that a little less description of movement from place to place and a little more forward movement of the individual characters' challenges and stories would have made the book feel a bit more lively and rewarding.
There is one concern I wanted to bring up in this review that involves the story as a whole. This is supposed to be a Christian story, and I see it in the details of Canard...sort of. The Storm King, the god of Canard, is apparently an allegory of Christ, while the great serpent he battles is obviously supposed to be like Satan. In Canard, the Storm King has apparently vanished during his fight with the serpent, and there's much ado about whether or not he is dead or alive; Dane and friends assert he's alive, while the Chantry teaches that he's dead. There's no equal to the Bible to point to a testimony; the good guys just believe he's alive, and the Chantry teaches that he's dead because it benefits them. The Song is used like the Force in a way to determine if the user is true, and to point to truth; it kind of boils down to feelings instead of written word. There are details scattered about to help the picture, such as a great tree that might represent the cross, though it's a bit unclear, and I'm a bit unclear if the story points to Christ's sacrifice on the cross and resurrection at this time. I'm sure Miles will address this going forward with clarity.
However, there is one point in the story that caused me concern. Sara, Dane's friend from the real world, is a sculptor by trade, and does not appear to be a believer, which is fine. In one scene in Sorrowfish, Sara runs out the door early one Sunday morning to get to her studio while she has a fresh idea. Her roommate stops her and asks where she's off to, and Sara jokes that she's "found Jesus" and is off to church, before explaining what she's really up to. This is the only time Christ is mentioned in that book, and at the time I hoped that her adventures in Canard and the picture of the Storm King would be used as a lesson in her own life to eventually point her towards Christ. However, in Draig, Sara only talks about the Storm King, even to the extent of talking about him to her boyfriend in the real world. Jesus is never mentioned again.
My concern is that since Sara knows about Jesus, but seems to not take Him seriously, and instead takes the Storm King seriously, that the Storm King has ceased to be an allegory of Christ...and has instead become a substitute. Draig disappointed me in this regard, as two books is a long time to ask a Christian reader to wait to see God glorified, and Draig did not deliver. As of the writing of this review, I have decided to forego the star system; if Miles addresses this point of her story properly, it could be great. Sara realizing that what she's seeing and learning is pointing to her need for a Savior could be a fantastic story. However, as it stands, the only comment made regarding Christ Himself has been irreverent; it all hinges on what the author does next, as does my overall opinion of what I'm reading.
Draig is a fun book overall. The arc between the two books is interesting so far, the world is creative, the writing descriptive...I just hope the author sticks the landing where it counts, as a Christian story, which this is supposed to be.
I'm writing this review as someone who also read Sorrowfish, and from the viewpoint of not just the events of Draig, but of the overall story thus far.
As far as a sequel goes, I consider Draig to be an improvement over Sorrowfish, though it's best to read the entire series through because of the amount of important details. Draig does a much better job of explaining itself to the reader than the previous book, peppering details as needed, whereas Sorrowfish was extremely vague and, while flowery, also a bit stingy on definitions, making the story very hard to get into and, at worst, seem as if it had no interest in whether or not the reader understood what was going on. Draig is much better at making sure you follow, and because of that, it's much easier to feel involved with the quest.
The story is a McGuffin quest, going from place to place and overcoming a challenge of sorts in order to be rewarded with a part of the McGuffin. I'm sorry if that word carries a negative vibe; the Lorica is important to the characters of the world, and acquiring the entire thing will ostensibly let the good guys win. I'm only using this term as a descriptor of what kind of story this is: go to place, solve puzzle, get part of the thing, rinse and repeat. It's fun, and allows the reader to see a lot of Miles's creative world quickly. The Draig are characters who are met along the way, and I was happy to see that more ground was covered in the story than just meeting them.
That said, I felt the beginning of the book was rather slow. Much time is spent recapping and dawdling near the start before the quest finally begins, though this can help readers struggling with the events of Sorrowfish find their footing before this new adventure begins.
Certain side characters who seemed interesting didn't stick around long, like Bronwyn, while others had side events thrown in that didn't seem to be a bigger part of the whole, like Trystan's brief crisis. Characters like Bell and Jax have interesting details about themselves, but fade into the background, while other stories seem as if they're being saved for the next book. I do hope that all of these things will be addressed in the future, as the characters are interesting; on that note, while the author possesses wonderful powers of description, I felt that a little less description of movement from place to place and a little more forward movement of the individual characters' challenges and stories would have made the book feel a bit more lively and rewarding.
There is one concern I wanted to bring up in this review that involves the story as a whole. This is supposed to be a Christian story, and I see it in the details of Canard...sort of. The Storm King, the god of Canard, is apparently an allegory of Christ, while the great serpent he battles is obviously supposed to be like Satan. In Canard, the Storm King has apparently vanished during his fight with the serpent, and there's much ado about whether or not he is dead or alive; Dane and friends assert he's alive, while the Chantry teaches that he's dead. There's no equal to the Bible to point to a testimony; the good guys just believe he's alive, and the Chantry teaches that he's dead because it benefits them. The Song is used like the Force in a way to determine if the user is true, and to point to truth; it kind of boils down to feelings instead of written word. There are details scattered about to help the picture, such as a great tree that might represent the cross, though it's a bit unclear, and I'm a bit unclear if the story points to Christ's sacrifice on the cross and resurrection at this time. I'm sure Miles will address this going forward with clarity.
However, there is one point in the story that caused me concern. Sara, Dane's friend from the real world, is a sculptor by trade, and does not appear to be a believer, which is fine. In one scene in Sorrowfish, Sara runs out the door early one Sunday morning to get to her studio while she has a fresh idea. Her roommate stops her and asks where she's off to, and Sara jokes that she's "found Jesus" and is off to church, before explaining what she's really up to. This is the only time Christ is mentioned in that book, and at the time I hoped that her adventures in Canard and the picture of the Storm King would be used as a lesson in her own life to eventually point her towards Christ. However, in Draig, Sara only talks about the Storm King, even to the extent of talking about him to her boyfriend in the real world. Jesus is never mentioned again.
My concern is that since Sara knows about Jesus, but seems to not take Him seriously, and instead takes the Storm King seriously, that the Storm King has ceased to be an allegory of Christ...and has instead become a substitute. Draig disappointed me in this regard, as two books is a long time to ask a Christian reader to wait to see God glorified, and Draig did not deliver. As of the writing of this review, I have decided to forego the star system; if Miles addresses this point of her story properly, it could be great. Sara realizing that what she's seeing and learning is pointing to her need for a Savior could be a fantastic story. However, as it stands, the only comment made regarding Christ Himself has been irreverent; it all hinges on what the author does next, as does my overall opinion of what I'm reading.
Draig is a fun book overall. The arc between the two books is interesting so far, the world is creative, the writing descriptive...I just hope the author sticks the landing where it counts, as a Christian story, which this is supposed to be.
June 29, 2022
A great sequel to Sorrowfish
What a grand fantastical story in Draig: The Call of the Lorica 2 by Anne C. Miles. It's the second book in the Call of Lorica series, and a great sequel to Sorrowfish, which I read and enjoyed as well. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. Dane and Sarah are in separate worlds, but definitely have a connection. There are battles, and evil that linger over the worlds created by Miles. It's an interesting read, and how the battles are written, shows what can happen with hate and misunderstandings. Dane is now learning his powers, and go to Draig. It is a very well-written plot, and I enjoyed it. This author is a great storyteller. The story brings the reader on a superb journey. Who could ask for more when it's filled with magical/fantastical creatures and other interesting beings? It's literally out of this world! This read is more than just words on a page. Draig: The Call of the Lorica 2 is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.
What a grand fantastical story in Draig: The Call of the Lorica 2 by Anne C. Miles. It's the second book in the Call of Lorica series, and a great sequel to Sorrowfish, which I read and enjoyed as well. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. Dane and Sarah are in separate worlds, but definitely have a connection. There are battles, and evil that linger over the worlds created by Miles. It's an interesting read, and how the battles are written, shows what can happen with hate and misunderstandings. Dane is now learning his powers, and go to Draig. It is a very well-written plot, and I enjoyed it. This author is a great storyteller. The story brings the reader on a superb journey. Who could ask for more when it's filled with magical/fantastical creatures and other interesting beings? It's literally out of this world! This read is more than just words on a page. Draig: The Call of the Lorica 2 is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.
January 23, 2022
In Draig, book two of The Call of The Lorica, Anne Miles returns her readers to the world of Canard.
With the death of the high king, Modric and his Conclave have set plans in motion to tighten their control of Canard even more. But the return of the majisters, and the addition of the new majister, Dane, and his fasient, Sara, could put an end to Modric’s plans as well as his life.
All the characters from book one are back as well as a cast of newcomers. The action heats up quickly and the story moves forward with well-paced momentum. Miles’s worldbuilding is unique and rounded as are her characters.
You don’t want to miss the chance to join Dane, Trystan, Sara, and their heroic friends as they stand against Dissonance, the Conclave, and Modric’s plans.
I highly recommend Draig for anyone who likes clean fantasy, especially with a Christian bent. Ms. Miles’s blending of the two worlds, Canard and ours, through the connection of the Song is unique and thought provoking. However, to get the most out of Draig, you should read Sorrowfish first.
With the death of the high king, Modric and his Conclave have set plans in motion to tighten their control of Canard even more. But the return of the majisters, and the addition of the new majister, Dane, and his fasient, Sara, could put an end to Modric’s plans as well as his life.
All the characters from book one are back as well as a cast of newcomers. The action heats up quickly and the story moves forward with well-paced momentum. Miles’s worldbuilding is unique and rounded as are her characters.
You don’t want to miss the chance to join Dane, Trystan, Sara, and their heroic friends as they stand against Dissonance, the Conclave, and Modric’s plans.
I highly recommend Draig for anyone who likes clean fantasy, especially with a Christian bent. Ms. Miles’s blending of the two worlds, Canard and ours, through the connection of the Song is unique and thought provoking. However, to get the most out of Draig, you should read Sorrowfish first.
March 3, 2022
nice fantasy with elements of our world
This little light of mine… awesome.
Apparently I needed to review prior to jumping into this book. It made sense eventually. Well done!
This little light of mine… awesome.
Apparently I needed to review prior to jumping into this book. It made sense eventually. Well done!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews