4 out of 4 stars
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Ever since Andy was struck by lightning as a child, he has experienced strange reactions to any technology. Thrust into a world without video games or the internet, he took to reading mass amounts of books to fill his time, in addition to bonding with the nutty local archer over ancient history. He never imagined his pastimes would amount to much, but a second freak accident at his father’s lab lands him in another realm full of monsters and magic- and a single dragon. Andy has to scrape the bottom of his emotional and physical reserves to survive, leading to a transformation beyond his wildest imagination. In Becoming the Dragon, Andy makes friends and enemies in all forms, all while searching for the tie between his new universe and Earth.
Alex Sapegin’s short novel is surprisingly easy to fly through. Despite the necessity of worldbuilding in the fantasy genre, he weaves the intricacies of the realm into the rest of the story. Rarely will the reader run into a block of text full of boring and long-winded explanation, which is the downfall of many breakout fantasy authors. The writing style in this novel is a nod to The Lord of The Rings, however, but it’s not annoying in the slightest. Nothing has been copied and lifted straight out of Tolkien’s classics, and I think the handful of references were done with taste.
Even after translation, the colorful language remains intriguing. A large part of what kept me interested in the story was the way in which things were described. The true beauty of Sapegin’s realm is not lost on the reader, but neither is the cruelty that exists within it, making the story believable and exciting at the same time. Also done well was the characterization of each race, as none were entirely good or bad. My only complaint would be that the story seemed far too short; as soon as I got to familiar with the setting, the story ended, leaving me wanting more.
None of the characters felt like they were plot fillers, and even background characters had individual motives to differentiate them from the rest of the busy setting. I can still remember distinctly a solid share of their names and traits, which is more than I can say about other fantasy books I’ve read. Sapegin doesn’t reveal everything about a character all at once, which is important because it creates curiosity in readers, and, depending on the individual in question, tension as well. I am looking forward to reading more from this author simply because of the way he sews elements together.
Overall, I would rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars . Out of all of the manuscripts I’ve received, this is among the best, and I think this book will go over well in the general English-speaking market. I will definitely be reading the next installment in this series, and I would encourage those who seldom read fantasy to pick of a copy of Becoming the Dragon for its pace and potential. In my opinion, it is 100% ready to hit the shelves.
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Becoming the Dragon
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