The Dragon's Egg

By: David A. Wells

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Seventy-five years ago, the dragons fell from the sky. We thought they were just meteorites - six terrifying explosions rang the world like a bell. When the dust settled, we went on with our lives as though nothing had happened.

More than a decade later, five of the eggs hatched. The dragons that emerged were small and weak. They kept to the shadows, working in secret to persuade people to do their bidding, offering magic as payment and reward. Years passed...and still we didn't notice the evil growing in our midst.

The war began suddenly. Survivors called it the "apocalypse" - nine billion people killed in an afternoon. Then the dragons revealed themselves, burning huge swaths of what remained, taunting and mocking and murdering the survivors.

Four leaders arose: the Wizard, the Dragon Rider, the Monk, and the Dragon Slayer. Allied with the rebel dragon, they waged war for years until they, too, were defeated, scattered, or killed.

When the war ended, only one dragon remained...but that single dragon was enough to plunge the world into tyranny.

©2015 David A. Wells (P)2016 Podium Publishing

A brilliant beginning!

I listened to Mr. Wells's Sovereign of the Seven Isles series and really enjoyed the books. He's brought his ability to tell a great story to a whole new level with this book however. He creates a mesmerizing post-apocalyptic world combining sci-fi and fantasy in a brilliant and original way and pulled off one of the most enjoyable books I've read or listened to in a few years. I have the second book downloaded and eagerly await starting it. I would recommend this book to any fan of the sci-fi or fantasy genres and I believe it's a great book for anyone who enjoys a good story to grab up even if you typically don't follow these genres. Give it a try, I guarantee you won't regret it!

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Acting out of character

PG 13: No sex, some cussing, lots of blood and gore. Told in 3rd person, set in modern world /USA in a post-apocalyptic setting, about 65 years after dragons hatched and denotated man-made bombs all over the world. Tyrant dragon and his priests and dragon guards rule the world through dark blood magic, having outlawed technology, electricity, etc. Characters span gender and age, with the young hero Benjamin 16 years old and his wise grandfather Cyril about 80.

Why two stars? Characterization is weak. The characters feel like cardboard. Imogen, an adult woman, cries all the time. No reason is ever given for the horrible way Franklin treats Benjamin, even though twins usually share a bond. Frank is repeatedly stupid (like leaving camp without a weapon) but he’s also depicted as shrewd and calculating.

But the worst characterization breach? No reason is given for wise old Cyril to summon a demon in the presence of two untrustworthy people (Nash and Frank), despite his own dire warnings about what could happen if anyone draws the demon’s attention. So why didn’t he have them bound and gagged before the summoning? Why not use the tranquilizer gun to put them to sleep? Apparently, Cyril is not wise. He’s quite stupid. Careless. Thick as a brick. Despite all the chapters extolling his wisdom. Character breached badly to drive the plot. Grrr.

Derek Perkins is an excellent narrator, but this story doesn’t allow him to shine. He deserves clever dialogue and interesting characters.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Wyer Rider

Great book worth the cost will read all three. Just about anyone could enjoy the story line.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I tried so hard to enjoy this book

I wanted to like this book. I really did. The world building was awesome and I was really interested in the lore behind the world he was creating. Yet, I couldn't finish the book.

The audio performance was good, but there was a serious lack of imagery and if there were some descriptions, they were pretty vague. This led me to be taken out of the story many times, as I had to try and figure out what each character looked like by the voice the narrator had given them, on top of their vague descriptions.

Not only was the imagery not really there, but his over use of "[name] said" made the book feel lazily written and not as expanded upon as it could have been.

Honestly, if the imagery and better descriptions were there, I probably would have finished and enjoyed this book, as the world is a very interesting one. That being said, when you can barely visualize the characters nor the environments, it leads to a very confused reader and a rather lackluster book, no matter how good the story is.

12 of 16 people found this review helpful

definitely recommend this story

love the character build up and emotion the narrator brings to the table. can't wait to keep following the next books

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

i couldn't finish it

i'm sad that i couldn't even finish it. it was just too transparent and its characters too one dimensional.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ever gonna start?

Would you try another book from David A. Wells and/or Derek Perkins?

Possibly

Would you ever listen to anything by David A. Wells again?

Possibly

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

no comment.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

dissapointment perhaps?

Any additional comments?

The entire book it just felt like you were waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did, no i did not listen to the entire book but still 8 hours and nothing at all really happened. I wouldn't recommend this book at all unless you are totally out of other things to read completely.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Abupt end.

What made the experience of listening to The Dragon's Egg the most enjoyable?

Derek Perkins of course.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

To be honest, it felt cut short...like the story was just beginning and then TA-DA it's over (until the next book) but not in a cliffhanger sort of way..in a "I had to get a book out by my deadline and this is what you got" kind of way.
It's interesting, but frustrating...and believe me I'm into a lot of unfinished series right now and I just don't feel the sense of closure at all that you even get from reading one book.

Which character – as performed by Derek Perkins – was your favorite?

Homer. My feet hurt.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

...this is a silly question.

Any additional comments?

It's a good start to a series, but it does end abruptly. You do care for the characters and it's a little bit of a Mary Sue..or..Gary Stu? the guy version? It's a very interesting post-apocalyptic setting which is the most intriguing to me that I think I'll seek out other books of that genre, but for all the build up there was no climax or anything, just a ''oh this happened and now the book is over."
Maybe wait until 3 books are out before you start with this series simply for the fact that the story is a bit forgettable at this point. The 2nd book is due out this November so that's a good thing, but honestly this book doesn't hold up to others as far as writing goes...still a fun listen.

Derek Perkins is a gem as always.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Must Read

Derek Perkins is wonderful. Kudos to David Wells for wonderful story writing. Great character development and imagination. I listened non stop for 3 days couldn't put it down!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I truly can't wait for the next book.

this book was amazing! I'm the next one. hopefully it won't be too long. Great storyline I wonder if this will be put into a movie?

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

fantastic book

really enjoyable, a fantastic set of characters and a plot that will leave you wanting the next in the series

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

good book and a brilliant listen

since listening to audible books ive only come across three authors and three narrators and david a wells has writen some good stories and the narrator derek perkins is brilliant at bringing these characters alive with each own voice.
and when i listen to him i find myself lost in that world.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

unbelievably engrossing

this was my first audio book, I was half way through reading another book when I came across this and for the last 12 hours I have pretty much non stopped listening to this story is would recommend it to anyone!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

WARNING ADDICTIVE READING

This book is best read when you are not expecting to do anything else. Brilliant and very entertaining.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Totally unexpected!!

When I started listening I was unsure if I would make it past chapter 2, it wasn't quite what I had expected.

Before I finished chapter 2 I was hooked, a well written and well narrated book, and I am now going to listen to book 2.

A Dark Dystopian Fantasy

A brilliantly dark, thought provoking fantasy. I really enjoyed the concepts of magic and reality. It takes a little while to warm up, but oh boy, once the action starts it does not stop. Excellent story telling!

Disappointing and slow moving

I have read a number of other books by Wells and this has some interesting bits but is a poor and slow story. The plot is simplistic and predictable.

One character can ruin a book

Would you try another book written by David A. Wells or narrated by Derek Perkins?

I think I would as I loved the idea of the story but definitely not another one in this trilogy

Any additional comments?

If this book did not have this one character in it I would have loved it but to me the constant hate and annoyance you are meant to feel for him takes away from the story. I often found that how people acted towards him didn't make sense to me either and so it would take me out of the story.

A touch of fantasy in a post apocalyptic setting

I liked the book. It's a bit slow at the beginning but it picks up well after a few chapters and turns into a really good listen. The narration is also good and it manages to keep you connected and to make you feel empathy towards the characters. Moving onto the second book (this is my third pass through) but really can't wait for the third one to see how things unfold.

not a complete book

even as part of a saga, this is not a complete book: no catharsis or resolution or minor victory. It just ends. Shame because it wasn't a bad story. Feels like half a proper book has been rushed out to make a bit of cash.