The Book of Dragons [slow burn, urban fantasy, pie of life, progression]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Aaron Abrams was frustrated, fed up with his failure to live up to his so-called potential. Assassination attempts and strange new abilities leave him questioning his sanity until he's pulled into the Drakon, an ancient society that loosely unites and governs the descendants of the most legendary beasts — dragons. To survive and make the most of his new life, Aaron will need to learn about magic, the power of his strange heritage, the hidden world of the Creaturae, and figure out just what the hell he's going to do as the long-awaited leader of the Drakon. At least dragons are rich, right?

Here be dragons! Sorta.What can you expect fromThe Book of Dragons?

✴Pie of Life: What the heck is 'pie of life,' you ask? A much bigger chunk than a mere slice, ready for you to sink your teeth into.✴ A slow burn: The story doesn't leap between major events, but lets the characters exist and interact with each other and the world around them.✴Progression elements✴ Character-oriented storytelling✴Lots of world-building✴Touristy escapism✴ Multiple POVs, each with a narrative voice adapted to the character.✴A new look at creatures from fantasy, mythology, folklore, and more.✴There may be some romance or flirting, but this is not a harem story.✴Updates are at least 2,000 words (usually closer to 3,000 or more).

"IfSuper Supportivewere an urban fantasy with mythological creatures, a hidden world, and a smidgen more action and intrigue, it would beThe Book of Dragons."

[Winner in the Royal Road November 2023 Writathon challenge.]

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: RKF

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 466
Views: 180,147

Chapters(98 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

Tu ShuaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
First thought: I have a lot of questions. After I read the prologue, the novel left me questioning, what is that? And who is that? Although, I would have to say the chapters are quite long, so if you like that, good for you.
Style: I felt that the prologue was quite rigid. However, after it, the story improves quickly, showing the author's deep care for detail, giving each character its own unique feel.
Grammar: Good. I don’t have much to say here; the grammar is smooth, and I didn’t notice any mistakes.
Story: The prologue honestly could have been shortened; however, it lays a foundation to understand how the story goes and who Milton is. Now for the important part, the main story. I felt that the chapters (After the prologue) are smoother and more interesting, from Aaron’s deja vu to the weird man that he met. For example, in Chapter 2, the main character Aaron is thrown into some kind of maze where he tries to outrun a mysterious sound.
Character: The main character is a ball of complex emotions. I think he is a conflicted person that tries to contain himself. He is a realist yet insecure. He might be on the verge of exploding. So, realistic, insecure, smart, and fearful.
Overall: The story is quite good and worth a read. Although if there was something I didn’t like, then it would be:
- Chapter length too long for my taste.
- Prologue rework?
CKMoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If Terry Pratchett wrote slice of life with LotR-expansive worldbuilding.
Edit: As the author has done a relaunch of their story and addressed my original concerns, this is now a 5-star story.
This review may contain spoilers.
Plot
The first thing I want prospective readers to know is that you want to trust the writer is taking you somewhere, we're just buckling the seatbelts and ensuring everything is to working order first. It takes quite some time for the actual story to get going, but it's helped by the fact that the characters, dialogue, and world are colorful and fascinating. Don't expect any fast-paced action story beats to knock your socks off immediately because you are sitting down for a well-crafted dish that the author has clearly put in the hours to deliver to you.
As for the plot, our MC has a bad day. Then it progressively gets worse when he suspects he might be going through a mental breakdown (after hallucinating murder attemps on him), he checks himself into a mental hospital where it only gets worse. It's confusing, he's dreaming about people who seem familiar while being chased in a labyrinth, and also his newest roommate claims to be God. Yeah, things are going really weird.
World
This is where this story *shines*.
There's a lot of lore and worldbuilding, and if that's your jam then this will be for you. The plot is always in the background, but there's so much to see, to breathe, to take in, to listen, to *taste* in the story. Have you ever wondered about the linguistic rules of Dwarven or the mating preferences of nymphs? It's in there, with a lot of philosophical and moral quandaries that have arisen as a result.
Character
The dialogue is on point. As in, *very* on point. Good dialogue is hard to write, and this author clearly puts time and effort into crafting each and every line. Each individual has their own unique speaking quirks and flair, and it comes out dripping with flavor. At times it may veer into the uncanny valley, but that might
Skyeman69Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A thoroughly good read that has plenty going on and after a reasonably quick start has slowed slightly to give us all a chance to understand the world our MC finds himself.
Writing is good and I find the story flows along nicely and the content has me looking for more as it’s well worth getting your teeth into.
Youngish OldsterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow. Loving this story. TBoD hits a lot of reading sweet spots for me: a nuanced, layered urban fantasy featuring an interesting, flawed, yet self-aware MC; a slow-burn plot that gradually reveals a deep hidden magical world interwoven with our own; slice-of-life mixed with visceral action sequences, and a carefully crafted writing style that complements the story really well. If any or all of these interest you, give TBoD a try. It won’t disappoint.
The story is in the middle of a rewrite. The first draft was already solid, but the rewrite has taken things to another level. (A few review comments below are based on stuff in the original that haven’t happened in the rewrite yet. No spoilers though.)
Style. The story has a great real-world, gritty, urban fantasy mystery noir feel with a right-sized helping of magical surrealism thrown in. MC Aaron’s PoV adds the initial confusion, mystery, fear, and growing realization of his dangerously weird situation that draws us into the tale.
The structure is novel-like as much as it is serial-like. Eventual venue shifts and PoV shifts are clear and do a great job of getting readers engaged with a complex and interesting ensemble of characters that move the plot forward.
Story. Things are just starting, but the tale is already revealing clues about the mysteries surrounding Aaron’s life, and how they link to the deep magical world that our reality intersects with. There are a lot of hints of different non-human species & organizations, but the story doesn’t info dump, so we’ll have to wait for them to be revealed in character and plot context. Which is as things should be, imo.
I particularly enjoy how the story portrays the vitality of urban life: condos; pub crawling; cafe hopping; dealing with gentrification, commuting & traffic; meeting & dealing with various incidental characters. It’s an honest and realistic portrayal of life in USA-sian cities, warts and all.
Grammar. Yesiree Bob.
Character. Kudos to
KaywyeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So for anyone who is into a rollicking good time reading urban fantasy, this is for you! Entire societies of magical folks hidden just below the surface of hum drum every day life. The author is taking his time setting up everything just so, and it works! Also, this story has just the correct amount of humor...not to grim and not a full comedy, but a slightly sparky bit to keep the story from getting too dark. Really, one of the best stories I've read on this platform. Want to see where this author takes us! And I want to thank them for sharing this story with us for free. To those just discovering this story...give it a shot! I doubt you'll be disappointed!
Lucian T. EinarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
**Overall:**
"The Book of Dragons" is a promising urban fantasy with captivating elements. While it's a slow burn, the story's richness lies in its world-building, well-developed characters, and intriguing plot.
**Style:**
The narrative starts a bit choppy, or at least the first edits (I saw a comment that the author pulled out some chapters for a complete overhaul), but gradually improves, revealing beautiful prose and detailed descriptions. The author's skill in crafting dialogue is evident, creating unique voices for each character. This story will go on for the long run, so don't stop keep going!
**Story:**
The plot begins with the protagonist, Aaron, facing a series of bizarre events that hint at a deep-seated mystery. It takes time to unfold, but the suspense picks up after the third chapter. Aaron's journey to understand his hidden powers and the strange events in his life is filled with potential, making the story a slow burn with a well-focused plot.
**Grammar:**
The grammar is well done, making for a smooth and engaging reading experience. As I said before, I saw a comment that the author pulled out some chapters for a complete overhaul (either to fix the plot or the grammar) which is great.
**Character:**
Aaron, the protagonist, starts as an average individual, and while his character isn't immediately relatable, his thoughtful and observant nature adds depth. However, there's room for a more in-depth exploration of his character, especially regarding his past and the reader's connection to him. Then again, it's a slow-burn story. Hold your horses, not everything has to be a doom-scrolling-on-social-media kind of deal. Relax and enjoy the show.
The story's ensemble of characters is colorful and engaging, with well-crafted dialogue and individual quirks, I guess I still like Aaron the most. The worldbuilding is exceptional, offering a deep and immersive experience.
In conclusion, "The Book of Dragons" is an urban fantasy that combines a slow burn with rich
Second_SolRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Not much has happened so far, but this seems like a promising story.
The prologue is especially intriguing, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll come into play in the 'present day'
Character thoughts are a little verbose in tense situations, but other than that this story is written quite well.
CallMeStarGuyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Well written story about dragons, mages, fae, and all those monsters and creatures that make fantasy interesting and exciting to read. The author definitely has a creative writing background and it shows with their great diction and diverse vocabulary that adds to the story. The characters are all distinct and carry a unique voice that makes differentiating them simple and the story easy to follow. The protagonist displays some of that MC snark that's just enough to be quipping but not annoying. The problems and mysteries encountered in the story are deep and show that there is a plot and there is agency that will lead to conflicts and surprises that sadly many stories on RR avoid to constantly update content and stay relevant. The Mc is not OP, he is special, but the world does not contort to make the Mc stand out if you get my gist. The story is a bit of a slow burn, but in turn we get to really know the main cast and the other POV characters presented in the later books. There is action, but it's more to help the story develop than as a reason for the story to progress. The story is written in the classic novel form, but adapted for a bi-weekly release format. I definitely recommend this, especially for inspiring future writers and current creatives who could use a great example of a great writer who incorporates their knowledge and experience into their fiction.
One Way JusticeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Story: A good old-fashioned prologue like in the fantasy novels or yore (which I tend to appreciate more than most modern, ‘market’-aimed, hollowed-out nothings). In the prologue we have a clash of the temporary protagonist, O. Milton and a shadowy foe whose skills/name shall remain unspoken. Additionally, we have a palatable mini-course on philosophical discourse, which interweaves well with the action and is a welcome source of profound introspection that is a net bonus to character development and engagement, in my opinion.
The same themes run through the post-prologue chapters, so that—despite a shift in backdrop—the narrative thread remains consistent.
Characters: Prologue protagonist Milton is a wise character who has come to terms with things most people can never... he is a philosopher at heart, and is able to live and act by his convictions—a body-felt wisdom that is so rare as to be awe-inspiring. This makes him a very appealing character to root for.
Post-prologue protagonist A. Abrams is more relatable than his wizened prologue counterpart. Abrams has confidence issues, does not fare well in crowds, and wages plentiful internal battles against himself—that most dreaded of opponents. Self-image is a powerful thing.
The side-characters are also well-developed, and seem consistent in personality throughout the narrative (ie, not just one-dimensional).
Style: Vivid prose that is not afraid to come to the foreground at times; the language is part of the story in a non-intrusive, additive sense. The dialogues are believable and not overly expository.
Grammar: Well-structured sentences. Punctuation is used correctly and to good stylistic effect.
rue75Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
A well-written urban slice of life novel. The characters are nicely drawn, the POV chapters are well written and add to the story's interest. It's world building is very good, and importantly, given the novel's contemporary setiing, is credible. The principal characterisations are well-drawn, and their is enough variation from the tropes to draw a reader into the novel.
Well worth reading.