Synopsis
Things are very grim for Bershad and Ashlyn. Pinned in the Deepwood by monstrous alchemical creations and a relentless army of mercenaries, they are running out of options and allies. With every wound, Bershad gets closer to losing his humanity forever. And as the fight continues, the exile-turned-assassin-turned-hero isn’t even sure if being human is something he wants.
Review
A very special thank you to Brian Naslund, who wrote these wonderful books, and Black Crow marketing, who provided me with review copies that then garnered an undying love for the Dragons of Terra.
Fury of a Demon is the perfect conclusion. There, I said it. But what more do you want in a final book? There’re dragons; an enemy so warped in his own wicked image he seems undefeatable; a cannibal with a vengeance; Simeon and his wind, and a lot more. All of it wrapped in a fast-paced plot, full of answers, intrigue and as many twisted creations as Osyrus Ward can pump from Floodhaven Castle. I LOVED every word of this – not a single one misplaced. This book is John Wick and terminator’s love child on steroids, riding upon a dragon.
I’d usually summarise the plot here, but I don’t want to spoil any of the goodness within those pages for you; I have a few promises though: it is so awesome you won’t put it down; two, some of it will really hurt … I mean, come on, you read fantasy, so you know you’re not going to get through a final book without some tears, don’t you? It’ll be okay, I promise; the action-scenes are a choreographer’s dream, all flashy and stabbing and slashing in all the right, awesome sequences; explosions galore and a lot of unattached body parts; weird, strange and sometimes disgusting creations, and, finally, but probably the most important thing, dragons, dragons, dragons and more dragons.
Now, for Bershad. On a more serious note, this character is dear to me and not only by the small fact he’s been through more than some other fantasy characters could in three or four lifetimes, and that is in part down to Bershad’s particular makeup. Without spoiling anything, I’ve got a soft spot for Naslund’s power-scaling throughout the series. And this is a term I bring with me from the comic world, because all things must be correctly scaled in comics and manga, or Deus Ex Machina creeps its way in. Bershad goes from hunter to super-human. To a character capable of feats beyond mere mortals, able to shrug off injury. However, and especially in Fury of a Demon, Naslund brings very clever countermeasures in to ensure Bershad is fit for every scene, or unfit, in some cases. I can’t explain and it will seem like I’m skimping in review here, but the ways in which he scales power up or down, so we don’t have him steamroll through the plot is something of literary genius.
A special thanks goes to all the dragons featured in this book. There were hundreds and hundreds of you all crammed into these pages and you made it all the better with your snapping teeth and your very primal desires. Thank you for not being magical, talking, and divine beasts for once, I enjoyed you as creatures in an ecosystem built around you.
Anyway, if you couldn’t see, I’ve a passion for this series that’s a flame undying and I’m so, so sad this is the last time I’ll read new pages of the Dragons of Terra. I won’t, however, mourn the fact I won’t read any again because this is a series I’ll read over and over – if anything to get back to this book that is a whole kingdom of wondrous writing.
My lasts words to you, dear reader: buy the book. BUY IT. This book exceeds all expectation and would exceed the rating system if my dear boss, David, would allow it (we must follow the rules otherwise we will end up mad like Osyrus Ward.)
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