3 out of 4 stars
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Becoming the dragon by Alex Sapegin is the first instalment of The Dragon Inside series. This novel is about the experiences of a young boy called Andy. Andy lives with his family in Russia. This interesting narrative has enough elements of suspense, fantasy and science fiction to keep you invested.
Andy, the main character of this novel, is a victim of circumstances beyond his control. First, he was struck by lightning the day his teacher took their class out on a field trip into the woods. Ever since that experience, Andy's presence makes electronic devices, such as computers and television sets experience disruptions whenever he gets near them. Second, on a fateful day, while Andy was on the process of delivering some important papers to his father, who is a scientist, dabbles into a test area and was teleported into the medieval world of Illanta. Illanta is a world where magic works. It has various types of fantasy creatures, such as Orcs and Elves. At Illanta, Andy was sent into slavery because the inhabitants of Illanta recognised him as a mage. His problem increases when he tries to escape from captivity and take revenge for the ill-treatment he received. But, Andy got killed just when he was on the verge of freedom. He died and resurrected as a dragon.
Becoming the Dragon is a captivating narrative. It has a clever plot and diverse characters with distinct personalities. The fantasy creatures that were featured in this story all seem real and congruent: they laugh, they sulk and get angry in response to situations and events. I enjoyed the science fiction, mystical world and fantasy aspects of this novel. The main characters are rounded and developed. Their conversions and motivations are believable and give the reader good reasons to stay invested in the story. This book compares well with similar books. I found no grammatical, spelling or punctuation mistakes in this book.
This narrative has elements that have nothing to do with it. For example, some characters were forgotten after their introduction without making a meaningful impact on the story. This narrative also has pacing issues. The story moved slowly at the beginning and does not have enough information on some of its notable events. I hope the author improves on this first instalment by fixing the issues that have been observed.
I rate Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin, 3 Out of 4 stars. This series has great potential. The story is captivating and well organised. I would recommend this book to adult and young- adult readers who enjoy science fiction novels.
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Becoming the Dragon
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