Synopsis
Just when Viktor thinks the Great War is over, the knuckleheads from his unit stumble into an ambush. With his friends dying all around him, Viktor taps his secret weapon: the magic of the Dragon Well. But the flood of draconic power triggers a Tumor; a patch of dragon scales. Worse, it’s growing faster than the rash his cousin got after he met that nice girl from the carnival.
Viktor’s quest for a cure lands him in a remote asylum, where he uncovers a secret society of dragon supremacists: the Thule Society. But, not only are these dragon wannabe thugs experimenting on the patients, they’ve just discovered the location of a dangerous relic.
Buried in the trap-riddled tomb of the fabled Tyrant, the artifact is the key to a sinister plot in the distant city of Dannbridge. Now, Viktor will have to trek across the continent, rallying a band of merry misfits on his journey. Alongside a feisty book witch, a spoiled nobleman, and a zany alchemist, he’ll face assassins, shipwrecks, and the Dragon Well channelers of the sinister Thule Society as they follow the clues to a treasure of unimaginable power.
Can Viktor and his lovable crew of oddballs beat these dragon fanatics to the Tyrant’s Tomb? Or will those goose-stepping jerks discover the relic first and unleash their secret plans on the unsuspecting citizens of The City in the Dragon’s Eye?
Review
CITY IN THE DRAGON’S EYE by Jordan Loyal Short is the first volume of the Dragon Reich books, a series about the fall of a steampunk Weimar Republic-esque society to a bunch of dragon-worshiping cultists. If that sounds depressing, it’s really not as the author has a Pulpy adventurous style that works well for making the reader think that our heroes might be able to make things have a happier ending than in reality. If you’re familiar with the Full Metal Alchemist manga or anime then you might have a sense of the setting even if it’s much a lower (but not absent) magic level.
The premise is the Great War is finally ending with Viktor grateful that he’s managed to survive. Unfortunately, just as he’s about to go home, he ends up having to use his talent at harnessing Dragon Well magic to survive. This comes with the consequence of giving him scales that will eventually spread across his body like a tumor. Now a pariah in his home society, he seeks out a cure that ultimately leads him to an asylum full of dragon cultists.
There’s also Izola, who is a young woman working under her ex-husband at the local university. Unfortunately, the latter has just achieved tenure and finds his ex being promoted to be a problem. Smashing her career prospects with a kangaroo review of her findings, Izola searches for another way to distinguish herself: the Tyrant’s tomb. Izola’s path crosses with Viktor in a way that goes in unexpected directions.
Our third protagonist is a young fop named Devin who has lived his entire life dependent on his father’s position. Unfortunately, this has left him with an exaggerated sense of self-importance that gets him into incredible trouble when he attempts to fix a fight for some quick cash, only to run afoul of a local crime lord. Lacking any real resources, he ends up not so much over his head but deep underground.
Jordan Loyal Short manages to create a steampunk setting that combines magic with a more modern setting in a way that avoids most of the “cutesy” elements that turn me off the genre. While it involves dragons, magics, and dungeon-like tombs, it’s a fairly serious story about a democracy falling apart around our heroes. The parallels are pretty obvious but as one of my favorite authors said: subtlety is for cowards.
The story is fun but intelligently written, enjoyable for either casual reading or a deeper run. I was a big fan of the author’s previous The Skald’s Black Verse but this is a much lighter storyline. I strongly recommend people give it a try.
Leave a Reply