Brief

A dragon whisperer and his wife want out of the dragon trading business, but when tragedy and political secrets ruin their plans, the dragon whisperer finds himself in the middle of an impending war.

What We Liked

This is a vast and ambitious book, with confident writing, a fast pace, and an incredibly gripping premise. For fans of the fantasy genre, this project truly offers a little bit of everything. There is love, action, betrayal, fighting, and a unique take on dragons.

Film: The first book in this series already feels like a feature film in many ways. There is a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Strong characters and nice world building would make this adaptation the perfect opportunity for a first film in a franchise.

TV: There is so much happening in this story that it would have more than enough content and storylines for a vivid and exciting television show. The world building is quite strong. So many characters, storylines, and ways of life are introduced. The possibilities for each season of TV really would be limitless.

Key points:
1. Great premise.
2. Fast pace.
3. Interesting character dynamics.
4. Confident writing style.
5. Unique perspective on the fantasy genre.

Synopsis

We meet Erandus, a dragon whisperer, and his father Cavan as they work in the dragon field on a farm in Yavecan, draining the blood from a dead dragon. Erandus and his family are slaves for a cruel man named Grali. Erandus’ parents have worked for years in order for Erandus to go free, but now that the time has come, they aren’t sure he’ll be allowed to. Hannah, Erandus’ mother, tells him that their land is on the verge of war. If Yavecan’s ally, Amalia, fights, then they will have to as well.

Suddenly, a griffin attacks the town. Erandus and his father face it to save Hanna. They’re nearly killed, but bowmen shoot the griffin and save their lives. The griffin is an indication that Yavecan is indeed breaking.

Four weeks later, Erandus and his wife, Nadatarania, are headed to the coast to meet a ship and engage in dragon trading. With this deal, they’ll have enough money to move to Amalia. The ship doesn’t show up though, and Nadatarania grows anxious waiting hours for it. Just as they’re leaving, a ship arrives. It’s not clear if it’s the one they’re waiting for though, so Erandus and Nadatarania hide in order to make sure they’re safe. This area is dangerous for dragon traders, after all.

Erandus and Nadatarania realize the ship does belong to the Hans, who they were supposed to meet, but Grali’s arrangements must’ve fallen through, because the Hans try to kill them. Erandus and Nadatarania kill their enemies and flee.

They get back safely to the city, but they lose the dragons and a lot of Grali’s money on the way. Erandus and Nadatarania agree it is too dangerous to tell Grali they lost his dragons, as he once cut off Nadatarania's father’s arm when a similar incident happened. Grali finds out the truth though, and he tells Erandus if he doesn’t go back to the shore and retrieve the dragons, he will harm Erandus’ father, who is already injured from a dragon incident.

Erandus visits his father and sees that he needs the help of a Healing Spellbinder to survive. Nadatarania tells him she has a cousin, Telow, who can help. Erandus and Nadatarania buy and steal two weapons, leave to get the dragons, and plan to travel to find Telow afterwards. They just hope Cavan can survive until their return.

When they arrive back on the shore, Erandus and Nadararania see that more ships have arrived, and some of them belong to Nirukan soldiers. It appears that two legions have teamed up to attack, and the pair has stumbled onto the invasion. Erandus tries to tell the dragons to leave the ships and attack the soldiers, but the fleet has a master dragon trainer (a Maestro) on board, so he is unsuccessful.

Erandus and Nadatarania are spotted and must fight off hordes of soldiers. Erandus uses the sword Nadatarania stole and realizes it is unbelievably powerful. A soldier grabs Nadatarania and kills her in front of Erandus. He wants to die too and join her, but the Maestro instructs the Hans men to take him as a prisoner instead.

Erandus wakes in a cell and is tortured. The Maestro wants him to spellbind, as he believes all Yavi can do, but Erandus says he can’t do it. When he’s left alone, a mysterious figure comes to Erandus and then disappears again.

Unexpectedly, Yatah, the blacksmith that Erandus and Nadatarania stole the balem blade from, enters Erandus’ cell. Yatah reveals that she is working with the Maestro and his men, and she’s arrived to help Erandus master spellbinding.

When the Maestro and the guard return though, they don’t know anything about Yatah. The guard cuts off Erandus’ arm and he passes out from the pain. When he wakes, his arm has been bandaged. The Maestro, Chaklee, still believes Erandus is a spellbinder, and he might be right, because Nadatarania materializes in front of Erandus. She tells him that she is the one who took Yatah’s form.

With only days left to learn to spellbind, Nadatarania helps Erandus successfully tap into his powers and do it. He is a healing spellbinder. Erandus is able to heal his own arm. He also discovers that he is a unique kind of spellbinder. His emotions fuel his powers.

Chaklee and Erandus strike a deal. Chaklee will free Erandus’ parents if he goes to Luest and assassinates the Chief Priest Nbuto Ghana. The deal falls through though when Chaklee suspects Erandus of being untrustworthy and attacks him. During the fight, Erandus spellbinds and burns the ship. He escapes into the water.

Once free, Erandus immediately goes to heal his father, but he learns he died two days prior. Erandus sneaks onto Grali’s land to save his mother. While there, she tells him that his father was secretly able to spellbind too. Then Erandus goes to the Chief Priest to warn him of the Hans impending attack, but Grali is able to convince the priest that Erandus can’t be trusted and he must fight his way to freedom.

Erandus visits Yatah, believing she is one of the few people he can trust. After they talk, Erandus believes he still has information that the chief priest needs. He returns to the palace, but the captain of the guard doesn’t believe that there is a second invasion coming. Erandus is nearly killed, but Nadatarania saves his life. Erandus learns that the more Nadatarania does for him though, the farther away from him she is pushed. The two escape the palace and Erandus focuses on saving his mother.

Erandus spots his mother alive, but cannot rescue her yet. He decides to fight the Hans with the Yavecans. After an intense battle, Erandus kills Chaklee. He doesn’t feel better though, because it doesn’t bring the woman he loves back to life. Erandus tries to rescue his mother, but the life on Grali’s farm is all she knows. She insists on going back to it.

After the battle, Erandus has little choice but to become an advisor to the priest. Yatah reappears to Erandus and reminds him of his wife. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

About The Author

William Stadler has written over 15 books and 6 different series. His work reflects his personality, which can be thoughtful and serious, yet also reflects flashes of comedy.