Dragonseed

A Novel of Dragon Age

By: James Maxey

Narrated by: Eric Joseph Chancy

Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The sequel to the hugely successful Bitterwood. A unique setting, a blend of Anne McCafrey and Gene Wolfe. A rich fantasy to appeal directly to all fans of dragon books, including Pern and Dragonlance.

After the death of King Albekizan, Shandrazel and his allies struggle to keep the kingdom intact as the radical human prophet Ragnar gathers forces to launch a full-scale rebellion against the dragons. When all-out war erupts, legendary dragon hunter Bitterwood must face his own personal demons and choose where his loyalty really lies.

©2009 James Maxey (P)2019 James Maxey

Enjoyed It!

It took me a while to get into this book because I hadn't listened to the previous books. That being said, the story sparked my interest and it was enjoyable with plenty of unique characters. I am going to backpedal and listen to the previous books soon to get the big picture.

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Thrilling Sci Fi Fantasy Trilogy Conclusion

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
James Maxey brings the Bitterwood trilogy to a smashing conclusion. This novel follows the events of Dragonforge and I would recommend reading that before jumping into Dragonseed.
There are three larger arcs in this novel and each is a slightly different genre:
The Siege of Dragonforge as the dragons try to re-take the city is a low fantasy novel that brilliantly tackles both sides of “Now what?” after a successful coup.
The mysteries of the dragonseed and the miraculous healings that follow give more of a high fantasy flavor.
The third larger quest to restore Jandra’s powers as well as the fallout from the changes that were made to her and Zeke in the previous volume delve firmly into science fiction territory.
The characters we have grown to know and (in some cases) love are back (including a few we thought were dead) and as they wander in and out of each of these larger plots creating a continuity between the different tones. In a less skilled author’s hands this could have gotten unwieldy. Everything comes crashing together in a series of plot twists and climaxes. Characters continue to evolve and develop in unexpected ways that still feel like natural extensions of what they’ve been through. A few new characters are introduced and we come to care for them.
Maxey’s signature blend of humor, action, pathos, characters indulging in philosophical discussions and the unpredictable plots turns are in full force.
The narrator does an excellent job giving voice not just to different characters but multiple species of dragons and making them all sound distinct and recognizable. There were a few times in the recording that you could tell that a line had been re-recorded and spliced in but not to the detriment of listening enjoyment.
This is the conclusion to a trilogy and leaves everything tied up in a satisfying way however Maxey is currently working on a sequel series. It is a great time to enjoy this trilogy to get up to speed before Dragongate comes out.

Interesting

I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review. I loved the end of the story. I did not listen to the first two books but this one was well-written and the ending made me smile. I loved the battle scenes and how the golden dragon made the rule that helped to make things right. So even though I only listen to the end book I was well pleased with how it ended. The narrator was good and made each character come to life.

Hmm, interesting

I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting. I think I missed out due to not having read the first two, but I have them so I can check them out next. The world is interesting and reminds me of the Shannara Chronicles to a degree, but it’s still original. The characters took some time for me to resonate with them, but then it was good. Not disappointed and looking forward to more!

Blasphet the Fake

I pushed through the terrible narrator again on this book. Eric you did a little better job on this read even thought you still mispronounced Vens name throughout the whole book, again! But the excitement and intensity were such that I was completely wrapped up in the story. Blasphet, not really reformed at all and gunpowder has been the turning tide in more than one war and this one is no different, even against dragons. Hex's idea of a world ruled by chaos so that no mighty kings exist anymore is a grand theory but there must be someone in charge. Maybe not a King, but some leaders of a sort. Humans must have a guide because not all humans are decision makers and decision on things will always need to be made. Over all this was a really good series made up of some engaging characters and intense events that kept me wondering, listening and now has left me wanting more. Thanks James for another great series!

worst reader EVER

the narrator was so unbelievably awful it literally ruined my favorite book for me. he tried to do different voices for each character and failed miserably. each voice sounded terrible, he should have just read it normally. ugh

Still Slooowww, Review similar to Bk2

Narrator: ouch. Echoey audio and the differences between characters and their accents is not the best. Makes for a less enjoyable experience. Good pacing and tone though. The women all speak with lisps which is super irritating and the dragons all sound like they’ve got cotton mouth.

Parents: not for under 18 - R rated
Language: very strong (R; Fbombs present)
Violence: R rated gore
Sexual content: lots nudity, descriptive adult content, 18+

Overall a rather bland story and not a series I would recommend. The mature content makes this a strongly inappropriate read for those under 18 even though some of that content is laughable enough your eyes might roll out of your skull.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.