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wasauthor's review
5.0
I received an advance reader copy of Dragon Slayers’ Guild for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
For everything blurbs can do wrong—and everything they can do right—it's rare that four words from one can so succinctly tell the reader everything they need to know about the book’s tone, informing them about whether it’s up their alley. Dragon Slayers’ Guild’s blurb is one of these rarities. But “high fantasy goes slumming” does just that.
To be fair, the rest of Dragon Slayers’ Guild’s blurb sets the scene and lets readers know what they’re in for, but “high fantasy goes slumming” seals the deal in a way that is perfectly emblematic of the book. This is a high fantasy novel where the stakes aren’t as high as readers would usually expect from the genre. It's more akin to Discworld. If the author continues the book’s world for as long as Pratchett continued Discworld, I would be very happy.
The author has not only created a wonderful fantasy world, but he has populated it with a fun plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously, great characters, and prose that captures the spirit of the story. I had a great time reading this, and the book feels very much like the author had a great time writing it. From the book’s beginning to its end, it is unadulterated fun that hooks the reader and doesn’t let them go until they’ve finished the book.
While not particularly long for a high fantasy, it is long for one where the major focus is fun and shenanigans over gravitas. For anyone with a distaste for prologues and epilogues, this has two of each. I see them as good or as bad as the book allows them to be, and they work beautifully here, bookending the novel with looks at characters in the story’s periphery while setting up the world and providing a wonderful coda. While the story isn’t as sweeping as many a high fantasy, there's enough happening throughout it to warrant the book’s length. The pacing is on point, moving through the story quickly, while also developing its characters and providing plenty of worldbuilding.
This pacing is aided by fantastic prose, which casts an inviting tone. It is clean and always clear, making for a smooth reading. The book isn’t peppered with purple prose; instead, it takes the reader on a journey through which it tells them a 450 page plus in-joke. Written in a witty style that suits the story, it helps the overall joy that the book sparks. Not only does the writing convey the plot, and describe its characters and events, it paints the world in vivid detail while providing plenty of background information about the world, which serves to deepen the story further. While providing such detail can often hamper a story’s flow, it all transitions so beautifully that the book never loses momentum.
The world is as fantastic as it is fantastical. While very much taking place in a high fantasy setting, the world is unique. It doesn’t feel like it takes place in the middle ages, but instead in a world of its own. It may feature fantasy standards like elves and dragons, but it also takes a left turn with less featured races like gnomes, as well as others not mentioned in the blurb. But no matter the creature, whether it’s well-worn in high fantasy or not, the author puts a unique spin on them.
The characters feel and sound like they come from recent times. This adds to the book’s atmosphere thanks to their charm. The three main characters, Selene, an elf, Solomon Dustwalker, a human, and Abbey Norm’l all provide the book’s POV through clearly signposted chapters, and all could have easily served as the book’s sole POV character. The side characters add further vivacity to the world. The dialogue pops as the characters bounce off one another.
This may be the first book in a series, and if you’re dissuaded by books promising a series because you’re concerned about not getting a full story, it stands alone well enough that it makes for a thoroughly engaging standalone story. While there’s more story to tell, as beautifully teased within its pages, The Dragon Slayers’ Guild feels like a complete experience.
The Dragon Slayers’ Guild is a great fantasy tale made even greater by its sense of humour. Never taking itself too seriously, it's full of wonderful characters and brilliant worldbuilding.
My full review will be available on my website from 1 May 2023. To read it, and a host of other reviews, click here.
For everything blurbs can do wrong—and everything they can do right—it's rare that four words from one can so succinctly tell the reader everything they need to know about the book’s tone, informing them about whether it’s up their alley. Dragon Slayers’ Guild’s blurb is one of these rarities. But “high fantasy goes slumming” does just that.
To be fair, the rest of Dragon Slayers’ Guild’s blurb sets the scene and lets readers know what they’re in for, but “high fantasy goes slumming” seals the deal in a way that is perfectly emblematic of the book. This is a high fantasy novel where the stakes aren’t as high as readers would usually expect from the genre. It's more akin to Discworld. If the author continues the book’s world for as long as Pratchett continued Discworld, I would be very happy.
The author has not only created a wonderful fantasy world, but he has populated it with a fun plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously, great characters, and prose that captures the spirit of the story. I had a great time reading this, and the book feels very much like the author had a great time writing it. From the book’s beginning to its end, it is unadulterated fun that hooks the reader and doesn’t let them go until they’ve finished the book.
While not particularly long for a high fantasy, it is long for one where the major focus is fun and shenanigans over gravitas. For anyone with a distaste for prologues and epilogues, this has two of each. I see them as good or as bad as the book allows them to be, and they work beautifully here, bookending the novel with looks at characters in the story’s periphery while setting up the world and providing a wonderful coda. While the story isn’t as sweeping as many a high fantasy, there's enough happening throughout it to warrant the book’s length. The pacing is on point, moving through the story quickly, while also developing its characters and providing plenty of worldbuilding.
This pacing is aided by fantastic prose, which casts an inviting tone. It is clean and always clear, making for a smooth reading. The book isn’t peppered with purple prose; instead, it takes the reader on a journey through which it tells them a 450 page plus in-joke. Written in a witty style that suits the story, it helps the overall joy that the book sparks. Not only does the writing convey the plot, and describe its characters and events, it paints the world in vivid detail while providing plenty of background information about the world, which serves to deepen the story further. While providing such detail can often hamper a story’s flow, it all transitions so beautifully that the book never loses momentum.
The world is as fantastic as it is fantastical. While very much taking place in a high fantasy setting, the world is unique. It doesn’t feel like it takes place in the middle ages, but instead in a world of its own. It may feature fantasy standards like elves and dragons, but it also takes a left turn with less featured races like gnomes, as well as others not mentioned in the blurb. But no matter the creature, whether it’s well-worn in high fantasy or not, the author puts a unique spin on them.
The characters feel and sound like they come from recent times. This adds to the book’s atmosphere thanks to their charm. The three main characters, Selene, an elf, Solomon Dustwalker, a human, and Abbey Norm’l all provide the book’s POV through clearly signposted chapters, and all could have easily served as the book’s sole POV character. The side characters add further vivacity to the world. The dialogue pops as the characters bounce off one another.
This may be the first book in a series, and if you’re dissuaded by books promising a series because you’re concerned about not getting a full story, it stands alone well enough that it makes for a thoroughly engaging standalone story. While there’s more story to tell, as beautifully teased within its pages, The Dragon Slayers’ Guild feels like a complete experience.
The Dragon Slayers’ Guild is a great fantasy tale made even greater by its sense of humour. Never taking itself too seriously, it's full of wonderful characters and brilliant worldbuilding.
My full review will be available on my website from 1 May 2023. To read it, and a host of other reviews, click here.
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