Book Review: Dragon Master: Storm of Wings (Book 1), by Chris Bunch

'A Storm of Wings,' by Chris Bunch is the first book in the Dragon Master trilogy. It concerns the story of Hal Kailas, whose dream in life is to ride dragons. He walks away from his family, his village and his life to pursue this dream. Hal manages to ingratiate himself with a Dragon Master, and begins to learn the tools of the trade, so to speak. Unfortunately for Hal the land is thrown into a perilous war, and Hal is volunteered for the army.

'A Storm of Wings,' is a story of bloody, grimy battles with a little bit of dialogue in between. I don't mind blood thirsty battle scenes. In fact, I have been known to sit on the edge of my seat in anticipation during many such events. But I felt that this was all the story was about, and I couldn't quite enjoy it. In saying that I do know of many people who would absolutely love this book simply for the battles and the war, and I have recommended it to them already.

The prose in this story is a little odd. I found it difficult to read, to be honest, because it just wasn't what I was used to. I felt as if the author was trying not to use the word 'and' too often, and instead he had simply crossed out all of the 'ands' without rearranging the sentences. For example:

 "The dragon tried again for him, couldn't slow enough to reach into the cranny, screaming rage."


I know, I know. I've been whining a little in this review, but there were elements in this book that I actually really enjoyed. I enjoyed them so much, in fact, that I am half way through book 2: 'Knighthood of the Dragon'. For example, I absolutely loved the dragons in this story. They seemed to primal, so brutal, so real. And Bunch's description of the world from dragon back was so wonderful that I felt I was flying right alongside Hal. I also felt I had a good understanding of the world Bunch has created. He was clear and relatively concise without being confusing about the world structure. I really appreciate that in a fantasy fiction book. Bunch never just dumps you with a whole heap of information. He trickles it to you in swallowable doses. I can't help but admire the skill.

And so, in summary, I think you will enjoy this book if you enjoy fantasy fiction novels with brutal battles, dragons and smart arse heroes. The writing style can take a little bit of getting used to, and can slow down the reading process. However,  the language used is delightful and the description of place really shows of the author's talent. It's worth a read, but only if you like that sort of thing.