The Waking Fire

BY: Anthony Ryan
Location: FIC RYA
Genre: Fantasy, steampunk, sci fi!!!!
Series: The Draconis Memoria #1

STEAMPUNK EPIC FANTASY


Throughout the vast lands controlled by the Ironship Syndicate, nothing is more prized than the blood of drakes. Harvested from the veins of captive or hunted Reds, Green, Blues and Blacks, it can be distilled into elixirs that give fearsome powers to the rare men and women who have the ability harness them—known as the blood-blessed.

But not many know the truth: that the lines of drakes are weakening. If they fail, war with the neighboring Corvantine Empire will follow swiftly. The Syndicate's last hope resides in whispers of the existence of another breed of drake, far more powerful than the rest, and the few who have been chosen by fate to seek it.

Claydon Torcreek is a petty thief and an unregistered blood-blessed, who finds himself pressed into service by the protectorate and sent to wild, uncharted territories in search of a creature he believes is little more than legend. Lizanne Lethridge is a formidable spy and assassin, facing gravest danger on an espionage mission deep into the heart of enemy territory. And Corrick Hilemore is the second lieutenant of an ironship, whose pursuit of ruthless brigands leads him to a far greater threat at the edge of the world.

As lives and empires clash and intertwine, as the unknown and the known collide, all three must fight to turn the tide of a coming war, or drown in its wake.

 I saw that Django Wexler called it, “part Indiana Jones, part Pirates of the Caribbean, and part Mistborn." That was all I needed to know. I was hooked. I immediately put all my other reads on hold and plunged into The Waking Fire with more enthusiasm than I've been able to must for a book in months.

I am exceptionally pleased to say it was entirely worth it.

This was one of the most entertaining and exciting books I've read all year. There's a lot going on here, a lot of different styles and genres mashed together, but they all work. Epic fantasy? Got ya covered there with bad-ass dragons and blood-fueled magic. Historical fantasy? Yup, got ya covered there too, with a steampunk-driven sort of Victorian society. Spy thriller? A bit surprising, perhaps, but you've got spies and lies, as well as gadgets and guns. Pulp adventure? Consider yourself indulged, complete with lost continents, ruined civilizations, ancient treasures, and even jungle savages. Naval thriller? That too, falling somewhere between pirate skirmishes and WWII warfare, fueled by magic and threatened by dragon fire. Period drama? Yes, there's even a bit of that to be found here, complete with family squabbles, class warfare, and even a bit of social commentary. Bob Milne