Servant of the Crown

The Dragonslayer, Book 3

By: Duncan M. Hamilton

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

The exciting conclusion to the Dragonslayer trilogy

Long laid plans finally bear fruit, but will it prove as sweet as hoped for? With the king on his deathbed, the power Amaury has sought for so long is finally in his grasp.

As opposition gathers from unexpected places, dragonkind fights for survival, and a long-awaited reckoning grows close.

Soléne masters her magic, but questions the demands the world will make of her. Unable to say no when the call of duty comes, Gill realizes that the life he had given up on has not given up on him.

Once a servant of the crown, ever a servant of the crown....

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

The Dragonslayer trilogy:

1. Dragonslayer
2. Knight of the Silver Circle
3. Servant of the Crown

©2020 Duncan M. Hamilton (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Love the story and Narration!

Duncan M. Hamilton tells a great story!! Very fun to read but complex enough to keep the mystery. I really enjoy all the series.

Dragons! You’re Really Going to Like This.

I go out of my way to listen to every story about dragons. Let me tell you, Dragonslayer is so cool. Give this a listen.

Yes. Couldn't stop listening AND re-listening

great series through and through. The author and narrator are a perfect team throughout this series.

Engaging, Not Quite Riveting

I stopped listening to all other titles to to finish this non-stop in under one day, so is not as though Duncan M. Hamilton has dropped the ball on this one. It's good, but not his greatest.

It had the usual plot twists and turns, and good action, but none of it felt quite as exciting as the first two novels in this stores or, to compare it with another closer, the end of the Wolf of the North trilogy. The twists weren't quite as unexpected, the character development more minimal, and the ending confrontation certainly less dramatic.

At the same time, as always the writing and world building are great and there's some clear setup for following titles which I will eagerly await.

Oh, and if you haven't figured out yet that Simon Vance is awesome, go listen to his rendition of the complete Sherlock Holmes - not a single repeat voice with new characters.

The exciting conclusion to a great adventure!

Gil and Solene master their individual skills and finish their exciting adventure! Great portrayal of dragonkind, as the richly developed characters take you on a fantastic journey.

Rushed

Servant of the Crown is entertaining, but, as I've said of Hamilton's other books, flawed - and for all the same reasons. Again, the story is rushed with dramatic changes to the overall narrative occurring in mere pages. The events of a lifetime are squeezed into a month or so - this entire trilogy occurs over the period of a few weeks. Solene, a baker's assistant who become the most powerful mage in millennia, is the most egregious example. Plot devices are simplistic and almost laughable - the reader will react with a shake of the head when the main protagonists confront each other early in the book, when the hero inexplicably fails to kill the villain, only to have same confrontation in the final chapters, when the villain finally dies. The narrative between is largely filler. A new threat is clumsily introduced late in the trilogy, presumably setting up Hamilton's next book / series of books. The result is a modern day dime novel. I'm not likely to read another book by this author without a heavy discount.

Vance was fine, although the voices for each character were not as consistent as his usual performance.

What was he thinking??

I feel like the final book is a scatterbrained attempt to pull the whole story together, while preparing for the next series?
While there where parts I enjoyed, I felt frustrated most of the time.
Characters seemed disjointed and random at times. The story wasn’t always consistent from book 1 and 2 like the author forgot parts of his own book.
I felt disappointed by the author and the people he killed didn’t lead to the furtherance of the story.

An interesting and fanciful tale of Dragons, magic

This series of novels where filled with excitement, intrigue, and simple fun.
there were times throughout the series I thought the author was inspired. Then right when I was enchanted by the excitement it was as though the words became almost juvenile in their way.
all in all it was fun. I enjoyed every book and chuckled at the ups and downs in the energy of the flow.
Settle in for some simple exciting fun. It was candy for my mind and an excellent reading by the narrator.

Loved it

Compelling story, fantastic characters, and the incredible narration you've come to expect with Simon Vance. This series by Duncan M.H. is my favorite to date. Very well done! Also, great set up for the next series. Can't wait to see what comes next!

Good fun and an easy listen!

While this trilogy is set in the classic high fantasy world of knights, kings, magic, and dragons, I often found myself pleasantly surprised by how these common elements were executed. There are still plenty of tropes and predictable moments, but the story is fairly fresh given the world and Simon Vance does a great job with narration.

If you’re looking for lots of blood and grit this won’t be for you—the writing is generally more easygoing on the soul (though not utterly devoid of tension). Good fantasy comfort food that I’ll definitely revisit annually when I’m on financial breaks from the monthly credits!

Very enjoyable

I’ve really enjoyed this trilogy, as I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve listened to, by Duncan M. Hamilton. I hoped that this final instalment would have been longer & I certainly hope that we will see the main characters again, in subsequent audiobooks.

Rushed ending

An enjoyable series overall so disappointing to see a rushed last book. All story lines felt half baked and as if the author just wanted the book to be done with.

magic at its best

fantastic , a definite listen for anyone.Worth a second listen.I certainly will be listening again

Brilliant story and narration ...

have now read complete set of stories, will probably start again just so I can experience the brilliant characterisation and dialogue again. superb on all counts..

Perfect ending

I've listened to all 3 books back to back and enjoyed everything about this trilogy. perfectly written with excellent narration from Simon Vance as always. Looking forward to more books from Duncan M. Hamilton

An excellent finish to the trilogy!

Great trilogy, interesting and engaging from start to finish. Hoping for more from Mr. Hamilton soon!