Blood of Dragons

The Legacy of Dragons, Book 2

By: Jack Campbell

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Twenty years after the war that overthrew the Great Guilds, the Empire is vowing to avenge the massive defeat of the Imperial legions at Dorcastle. Aiding the Imperials are renegade Mechanics and Mages still loyal to the old Guilds or employed by the Empire.

But before they can launch an all-out war, the Imperials must eliminate a major threat: Kira, daughter of Master Mechanic Mari and Master of Mages Alain. Kidnapped and imprisoned, Kira has to escape and avoid recapture as the full might of the Empire is aimed at her. Her only hope lies in the skills she has mastered; her indomitable spirit; and the unfailing aid of Jason, her boyfriend from the distant world of Urth.

With the Imperial legions closing in and thousands of lives riding on her efforts, Kira has to use every weapon available to her, including special abilities she has kept secret until now - abilities that may prove to be as dangerous as the enemy forces. Mari and Alain must come to Kira's aid and work to create an alliance against the Empire.

If they fail, a deadlier new war will erupt, with every soldier carrying a rifle instead of a sword or crossbow - and the Peace of the Daughter will end in a bloodbath.

©2017 John G. Hemry (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Love this series! I relisten all the time!

The Empire's Crown Prince Maxim is determined to have Kira as his consort, by any means and in any condition. But if he cannot, he is also determined that no one else shall! Even another international war will not deter him. Kira continues to grow in confidence as well as in her mage skills. These come in handy as she and Jacin race to outrun the Imperial Legionaries bent on her capture or death. There is no room to breathe as they elude one trap, and even capture, after another. Exciting escapes and a nick-of-time rescue (gotta love General Flynn) make this another great Dematr tale.

Jacin remains the most interesting character with his humble, self-deprecating manner of using his arcane knowledge of VR gaming and ancient, seemingly useless Urth education.

There is more sex talk than needed-- Watch your hand! It was an accident! Do you want to do it? I want to do it, but not here on the rocks. Are we going to do it? On and on.

There are still some mysteries to be solved in the next, and final book in the series. :(
What is the depth of Kira's mage abilities, and can their development somehow be applied to the attempts to train new mages without the physical abuses of the past? What is that dangerous artifact? Is there more to the vision Alain had at the end of The Wrath of the Great Guilds in which he saw the map of Earth half apocalyptic burning half hopeful glowing, or is that fulfilled in Jacin? More than 10 years have passed on Earth since Jacin's ship set out for Dematr--has Earth perhaps developed an FTL drive and send another ship that will arrive soon? And the Western Continent, so tantalizingly mentioned in several books, what might they find there? Who will Mari's next child be? Sigh. How can this be wrapped up in one final volume? Can we live without the saga continuing?

A worthy sequel

McLeod Andrews is of course still an amazing narrator and does a fantastic job with this second installment of the Legacy Trilogy. I felt like it started a bit slow, but then we got back into the swing of the usual adventures we have come to expect in Dematr. I enjoyed this book and will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

grreat

great sequel. action packed the whole time. cant wait for the next book in the swries

Short but Sweet.

Great series so far, it manages to play out the whole "passing of the mantle" theme without being overly corny.

There are enough grim and dark stories where all the characters die and you're left saying "Well now what!?" This whole series from the beginning plays out like a 90s TV show where you know all the main characters have long contracts. Pure, satisfying "cheer for the good guys" steam punk & magic action.

Personal Prediction: The power of mages relies on their ability to sleep while conscious. To focus and dream while they are mostly awake. It explains some of how they manipulate the world Illusion. You saw it here first!

Another winner!!

I love this storyline the characters are relatable and fun, it is great to see a storyline in which the hero is female, strong and human. The story is well written and the use of imagery on point. It is neither totally cerebral or exhaustingly action packed, a good balance. I also like that is not full of foul language or sex. It just proves that a good story, one that doesn't leave you needing a shower, can be well written. Well done done Jack. And lest I forget, it doesn't matter how good the story is if it isn't narrated well it will die a rapid death. I predict a long life for this story!!!

Great

What did you like best about this story?

I love the characters and the blend of Fantasy and Sci Fi

Have you listened to any of MacLeod Andrews’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Great as always

Any additional comments?

The only negative thing i can say is that it was too short.... and this installment was a bit of a "middle book" in that there are obviously things that are going to happen that this book didn't have time to even come close to addressing.

BEST IN THE SERIES SO FAR!!!

This series is truely excellent, with serious, philosophical and humorous moments throughout! The characters are real they have scars, but the move on.

Intense

I'm not gonna lie but the last standby Kira and Jason at that rock brought me to tears when they were rescued and you can just feel the emotion.

I just keep getting dissappointed

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I want to say that people who haven't listened to the original Pillars or Reality series would enjoy it, but several reviews have made it clear that even those who have do, though I can not possibly understand why.

What could Jack Campbell have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

1) Quit writing the same blasted story over and over again. Every single book is about a guy and girl that don't get along but love each other on the run from a great danger and blow stuff up. I could go into more detail about the parallels because there are a LOT, but I don't feel like writing a whole book to describe them.2) Quit ignoring Alain. he is the best character, and him constantly being pushed to the side is very annoying.2) If you are going to write about Greek Mythology, actually know about it rather than the popularized versions that are mostly not the actual stories. The tale of Hades and Persephone is one of my favorite romances of all time, and I do NOT appreciate it being twisted into a kidnap and rape story to fit your narrative.

What about MacLeod Andrews’s performance did you like?

Good as always, no complaints.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not that I can think of.

Any additional comments?

I love the original Pillars of Reality books. It was at one time my favorite series. But Jack Campbell seems to just be telling the same story again without any significant changes. and reading this series has brought to my attention a lot of the problems with The Pillars of Reality, Not the least of which is how insufferable the female leads are, constantly talking down to their male love interests one minute, then proclaiming their undying love for them the next. That added to all of the other problems and It seems like his writing just keeps getting worse and worse. I don't think that I am going to buy any of Campbell's future books.

Love the series

I’ve enjoyed the 1st 2 books.

I would ask that the audio mix be reviewed as I find it necessary to increase the volume much higher than normal to hear the narration in the mix.

Thanks

the romance continues.

the interactions of the stupid couple are always funny and romantic and is the reason why this book is so good. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Swapped between irritated and OK

The storyline between the mother and the daughter became irritating as it's repeated so often. Not for me, even though I love this genre

A rare turkey, from an otherwise great author

I really enjoy everything Jack Campbell does. Not only the lost fleet and lost stars but also the pillars of reality. This book sits in the latter world and talks about the daughter of the main protagonists of the previous books. Unfortunately there is almost no effort at a new story but a rehash of the previous ones, way too much of "this is just like the time that mother..." yes it is. Anyone who want to know the story of this book so that the hopefully better book 3 will take us can skip all but the last couple of hours. Wait for General Flynn to turn up and the story actually starts.

another fantastic entry

brilliant continuation of this series and the expanding story of Jason and Kiras adventures

these two books have been glorious additions to my collection

good but not as previous books

good, but it's step down from previous books. Still enjoying listening. A bit disappointed but there is a next book coming, it's worth waiting for