4 out of 4 stars
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Dragonhunters is a science-fiction/fantasy novel from the creative mind of Garon Whited. This is not the first book for Mr. Whited as he has also written the Nightlord series among others. This novel is a fun, quick read with around 200 pages.
Five unique friends have come together to slay a dragon that is terrorizing towns. Sir Aramon is a Knight in the Order of Warrior for Namae (a god). Tindal is a priest of the Holy Light of Ashkelon. The two have different gods but a similar set of morals. There is also a wizard by the name of Y'vin who tends to grumble quite a bit. Then we have the two professional thieves, Gorgar and Fliss. Together the five think that they are strong enough to defeat this evil dragon. Unfortunately, they find that they are not quite as prepared as they would like to believe. All but Aramon end up dead.
End of story one would think, right? Wrong! A good Samaritan comes by to help Aramon heal from his wounds. This kind stranger then somehow manages to bring the four dead friends' spirits back to life. Are they ghosts? Are they more than that? No one is really sure, but Aramon is not certain that he should be consulting with them, as it is against his religion. Will Aramon overcome his religious struggles so that his friends can help him slay the dragon? Can the dragon even be slayed? I encourage you to read the book and find out!
This story was non-stop fun from beginning to end. The action starts almost immediately and continues right through the end. The pace is steady building to a climax before resolving into a satisfying ending. Along with the battle scenes and fighting, Mr. Whited intersperses enough humor to lighten the darker moments quite nicely. There is an equal amount of character development, humor, and action so that there is something for every reader.
One thing I enjoyed most about this story was the repartee between the friends. Even though the story is focused on the slaying of a dragon, there is a moral debate at play as well. This lends a depth to the novel that one doesn't expect but is very refreshing. Since Aramon and Tindal worship two different deities, there are many moments of discussion between the two. I really appreciate, though, that the two respect each other even with these differences.
I really found very little fault with the story. There were a few errors within the novel. They were so minimal, however, I can't even count off for them. The only thing that I would warn about is the gore in the book. As one might expect, slaying a dragon can get rather messy. I think Mr. Whited does a great job at explaining what is going on without being overly bloody. Those with a weak stomach, though, might not agree.
There is nothing for me to do but rate Dragonhunters 4 out of 4 stars. I loved every minute of this book. Those who have enjoyed other novels by Mr. Whited would greatly appreciate this book as well. However, those few (like me) who found that Nightlord was not quite their cup of tea would still enjoy this book. I found that there was much more character development and much less confusion than in the Nightlord series, yet it was still fun and exciting. Kudos to Mr. Whited on another job well done!
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Dragonhunters
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