THE SEARCH FOR THE DRAGON'S DAGGER

A hardy group of adventurers must determine why dragons have returned to their land in Zedan’s debut series-starting fantasy novel.

Warrior Aramas learns that dragons exist the hard way when one kills many members of his band of warriors while they’re retrieving an opal for Alissa, the leader of Spring Green. He and his dwarf friend, Loki, are barely back in town before Alissa hires them to rescue the two sons of her armorer, Adwin, who are being held hostage by a band of thieves. Alissa adds two more members to their party for the mission: a tall, winged dragonborn named Kriv and Aria, a red-skinned, red-eyed tiefling with a tail. Along the way, Aramas also picks up the thief Riadon, the dragonborn Patron, and the halfling Slinger. After this second mission, Aramus’ troop is hired to investigate a dragon burial site and the evil that lurks within Raven’s Nest Castle. Over the course of the novel, Aramas learns more about himself and his special role in life. Many readers will find that Zedan’s tale has a nagging feeling of familiarity to it, and it all becomes clear when his author’s note reveals that his story was based on notes from his family and friends’ Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game sessions. It also explains why the characters’ powers suddenly appear as if conjured by a roll of the dice. Unfortunately, the various players feel undeveloped throughout, with most simply having singular traits. However, action is king in this epic, and Zedan has created a crusade that zips right along. He also skillfully leaves the reader hanging at the end of the book, just as the mystery at its center starts to unravel.

A familiar but fast-paced and engaging fantasy tale.