Review by BioShock20 -- Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin

[BioShock20]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Becoming the Dragon" by Alex Sapegin.]
[rbc=4]id250749-125[/rbc]Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin, the first installment in a series called The Dragon Inside, follows the story of a teenager named Andy who goes through a series of drastic life changes. Before the events of the novel, Andy is struck by lightning on a class field trip. He survives the strike but is sentenced to never cross paths with computers because of the electrical charges he gives off causing computers to freeze and shut down. Even though Andy loves computer games, this forces him to find alternatives for entertainment, such as learning to cook and even taking up archery from a neighbor. He seemed to be doing well in his life until his sister gives him the task of taking documents to their father’s office.

Andy accidentally stumbles into the middle of a science experiment, and the results are “out of this world”. He is taken through a portal to the planet Ilanta, full of both magical creatures and other humans, and little did he know that his skills in archery would need to come in handy for his survival. While searching for a way home, Andy meets a number of characters (some human and others not-so-human) who either want to help him or kill him. He ultimately has to turn himself into a dragon in order to live, and it seems as though he was born to become one.

I honestly went into this book with low expectations, but I was completely blown away by what I read. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. With an incredible gift of storytelling, Sapegin was truly able to take the reader from Earth to Ilanta, where one could get swept away by elves, magicians, dragons, and much more. I found myself getting caught up in both the story and Andy’s transformation from a simple adolescent to a dragon. I can best describe him as being a student constantly learning to survive and thrive in a new world. To quote a line from the novel without spoiling anything, “He was only a boy, but he held his own like a man.”

What I enjoyed most about this book was the physical and emotional journey Andy went through to get to where he is at the very end. When I reflect on the choices he makes in order to stay alive, I wonder if I would have made those choices myself if I were in his shoes. He is a very well fleshed out character and I enjoyed the moments in the story that focused on events from his perspective. Even though Andy is the central character of the story, the author decides to tell the story from the point of view of many other characters including Andy. I was also unprepared for the surprise ending that Sapegin provided, and it leaves readers (including myself) wanting more.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. Becoming the Dragon is a novel that I highly recommend for anyone looking to read a true fantasy novel about dragons and magic. This is the first in a series of novels also written by Sapegin so if this story is not enough one could always pick up its sequels, which I’m currently itching to do.

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Becoming the Dragon
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