The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

The Rage of Dragons is the best fantasy debut of the year. Rage tells the story of Tau, a lower caste member whose father drills him in sword instruction day after day. Tau is an indifferent student who doesn't really see a future in the army that his father wants for him. Tau’s father wants a better life for his son than what awaits him if he fails to test sufficiently skilled to join the Army. Tau instead dreams of a simpler life with marriage and family and modest position. All that changes for Tau when those closest to him are brutally murdered. Tau sets himself on a course to become the greatest swordsman who ever lived for one simple purpose: revenge. Tau identifies three people responsible for the deaths of those he cares about. His only goal, one that consumes his every waking moment, is to become a skilled enough swordsman to kill them all.

Evan Winter has taken a simple concept, the revenge quest, and turned it into so much more. Tau’s quest is set against the backdrop of the Omehi people who consider themselves the Chosen Ones. They have been chased out of their homeland and across an ocean to find life in a new land. The land that they selected however was occupied. The Omehi fought a brutal battle against the indigenous people to carve out a new land for themselves. The natives, the hedeni, won't go quietly. This has resulted in a war that's lasted for hundreds of years with no end in sight. The Omehi’s fierce combat training, magical ability, and their ability to call dragons to their aid are the only things keeping the superior numbers of the hedeni in check.

Tau takes advantage of the intense training that is available to both Nobles and lower cast members in service of this war to mold himself into a weapon capable of enacting his revenge. The Rage of Dragons has the best training and battle scenes that I've read outside of Battle School in Ender's Game. The story crackles with emotion and the pace is relentless.

The action throughout the book sizzles. Winter sets a breakneck pace from the opening pages to the very last line. The strong emotions at play heighten the action and will at times leave you literally breathless. Along with Tau, Winter has created a strong cast of characters whose backgrounds and motivations fuel the story as they are slowly unspooled throughout the course of the novel.

I can't remember the last time a fantasy debut had me this excited. The Rage of Dragons is the kind of book that creates fans of not only this book but the entire genre. This is certain to make my list of best books of the year and I couldn't be more excited to see where Evan Winters takes this series next.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

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