The Dragons of Dorcastle Review

Title: The Dragons of Dorcastle
Author: Jack Campbell
Genre: Fantasy, YA Fiction, NA Fiction, Sci-Fi
Series: Six part
Rating: 5/5
Ages: 16+

My Thoughts

The Dragons of Dorcastle by Jack Campbell is published by Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio. It is the first in a series of six books that merge Fantasy with Sci-Fi. The series (The Pillars Of Reality) begins with The Dragons Of Dorcastle and concludes with The Wrath OF The Great Guilds. The series is a Romeo and Juliet love story with major Fantasy and Sci-Fi plot twists scattered throughout each book. The Dragons Of Dorcastle follows seventeen year old master mechanic Mari and sixteen year old mage Alain as they are forced to come to terms with the lies that have been ingrained into them from a young age. The Young Adult novel combines magic and steampunk with romance and comedy. The result is a masterpiece that readers won’t be able to put down.
I really enjoyed the pace of this novel. It was very refreshing to read a book where the author took the time to establish and develop the main characters before introducing the main conflicts. While there were some very intense scenes, there was also plenty of material to make the reader laugh. This novel graduates the reader to a more realistic storytelling than the over dramatic, unrealistic scenes of most modern YA authors. The Author uses the rules governing the world to draw the reader in and keep them reading. They are a bit hazy and not completely explained. The story follows seventeen-year-old Master Mechanic Mari and sixteen-year-old Mage Alain as they discover the truth about the world they live on. In the midst of fighting for their lives Mari and Alain must learn to trust each other and question the Great Guilds that raised them. The Dragons Of Dorcastle combines Fantasy with Science Fiction in a way that will surprise even the most seasoned of readers.
​The Dragons Of Dorcastle by Jack Campbell is a fascinating, interesting and welcome break from popular YA and NA Fiction. The story is hilarious and incredibly engaging. Alains character is funny, original, and interesting. The six-part series begins with The Dragons Of Dorcastle and concludes with The Wrath Of The Great Guilds. My favorite part of reading this novel and, well the entire series was watching Alains character develop. I also thoroughly enjoyed the authentic approach to magic. Of course, the book simply would not have the same effect on readers without the well-built chemistry between the characters. I would definitely recommend this novel to readers of all genres however I think that it would be most beneficial for teens in particular to give The Dragons Of Dorcastle a look. There are so many life lessons tied into this book. Masterful writing, hilarious dialogue and surprising twists and turns combine to create a story the reader will never forget.

About the Author

​John Hemry known more commonly by his fans via the pen name Jack Campbell, is an American Sci-Fi Author. With twenty-eight novels, twenty-nine short fiction works and 6 non-fiction works published as of late early 2017 he is also quite well known. Campbells first novel Stark’s War was published in April of 2000 however his earliest short-fiction, One Small Spin was published in 1997. Campbell’s Non-Fiction Interstellar Navigation, published 2000, was his first venture into the genre. A retired U.S. navy officer Campbell even speaks some Russian.