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A review by mattdavenport
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
4.0
8.4/10 - Great
In a year that saw new books from fantasy stalwarts like Abercrombie and Weeks, "The Rage of Dragons" was my favorite fantasy release this year. An incredibly good debut book, this is one of the bloodiest, most action books I've ever read. Winter's ability to convey fighting from one-on-one combat to full-battle scale is remarkably good, and the regularity of fighting in the book doesn't bleed together or detract from individual enjoyment of each one. Tau's transformation throughout the novel is stark, but it never feels forced or unbelievable. While Tau isn't quite in the elite-scale of protagonists yet, he is certainly better than that of many excellent books I've read. His anger and pain feels so real, and your heart breaks with him as you simultaneously admire his work ethic and passion while shaking your head at his naivety and foolishness. Though not a lot of time was spent building the other characters, they felt alive, and you cared about them. Winters was able to get across a very complicated world, magic system, and social structure in an incredibly short time, and yet I feel I understand it all, and am ready to dive into the next. A definite 8/10 book right out the gate, with author-potential to reach 5-star tiers.
In a year that saw new books from fantasy stalwarts like Abercrombie and Weeks, "The Rage of Dragons" was my favorite fantasy release this year. An incredibly good debut book, this is one of the bloodiest, most action books I've ever read. Winter's ability to convey fighting from one-on-one combat to full-battle scale is remarkably good, and the regularity of fighting in the book doesn't bleed together or detract from individual enjoyment of each one. Tau's transformation throughout the novel is stark, but it never feels forced or unbelievable. While Tau isn't quite in the elite-scale of protagonists yet, he is certainly better than that of many excellent books I've read. His anger and pain feels so real, and your heart breaks with him as you simultaneously admire his work ethic and passion while shaking your head at his naivety and foolishness. Though not a lot of time was spent building the other characters, they felt alive, and you cared about them. Winters was able to get across a very complicated world, magic system, and social structure in an incredibly short time, and yet I feel I understand it all, and am ready to dive into the next. A definite 8/10 book right out the gate, with author-potential to reach 5-star tiers.