Book Review: Draconis Memoria (Trilogy)

True change has never been bloodless.

-Anthony Ryan, The Waking Fire

In a steampunk world where corporations rule one half of the globe and an old dynastic empire rules the other, the powers-that-be fight for exclusive access to a most precious commodity: drake blood.

Whole economies are upheld by the hunting and harvesting of Green, Red, Blue, and Black drakes. Their blood can be distilled into a product that grants special powers to a rare number of individuals–the Blood-blessed. But as the supply goes down and the bloodlines of captive drakes weaken, the Ironship Trading Syndicate turns to desperate measures to ensure their grip on the trade.

Lizanne Lethridge, a dangerous spy, must infiltrate an enemy colony to uncover secrets of an ancient artifact. Corrick Hilmore, a second-lieutenant on a battle cruiser, engages in a mission to hunt pirates only to enter seas on the verge of war. Claydon Torcreek, an unregistered Blood-blessed from the slums, journeys into a wild continent in search of a beast from legend.

Stories intertwine as human civilizations sharpen their weapons and set their sights on defeating one another. But a threat far greater than any human force arises from a forgotten realm. And it wishes to see the whole world burn.

The Draconis Memoria by Anthony Ryan is made up of three books: The Waking Fire, The Legion of Flame, and The Empire of Ashes.

For me, these books checked off all the boxes for what makes a great series. Here’s why…

Ryan is a great writer and storyteller.

Draconis Memoria is a page-turner that’s not only exciting but also intelligent and well-crafted. The dialogue and pacing are spot-on. And many of the concluding lines in chapters are so clever and suspenseful, I couldn’t help but go on to read more.

The characters are so very human.

Each one is unique, flawed, and speaks with his or her own voice. Even the secondary characters have depth, and each has an interesting storyline in their own right. My favorite character in the series is Lizanne. Her no-nonsense attitude (sometimes callous and harsh) differentiates her from the typical hero propelled by noble goals. Yet her moments of compassion and self-sacrifice show there’s a good person under that hard-edged exterior.

The plot keeps you guessing.

Far from predictable, the story (told from various points of view) takes many twists and turns. Not only does this happen on a large scale but in the small things (such as the posturing within conversations) much of what you’d expect to find is flipped on its head. While I thoroughly enjoyed where the story went, its way of twisting and turning also bears my critique. Sometimes so much was going on that I got lost. Not enough to take me out of the story, however, so this is just a minor criticism of mine.

The world has incredible depth.

For example, the description of monuments and structures of the past, as well as characters quoting long-dead poets and philosophers, shows how much culture and history there is in each region. The fine detail Ryan has put in shows that there’s more going on in this world than what we see on the page. It bought me in completely.

The world has an intriguing magic system.

Readers of Brandon Sanderson will probably see similarities to the allomancy found in the Mistborn trilogy. In both Sanderson’s and Ryan’s worlds, only a special kind of people are able to use magic, and they need to drink down vials of product to do so. Whereas allomancers get their powers from metal, the Blood-blessed of Ryan’s world need to drink diluted drake blood. A product much more difficult to harvest than (let’s say) copper.

Different kinds of drake blood give different kinds of abilities (i.e. green drake blood enhances one’s strength, senses, and speed). This gives Ryan the ability to expound on the whole harvesting process, which in turn creates much of the conflict that the characters have to face. (I focus on a similar conflict in one of my short stories.)

 

Overall this trilogy is an excellent read, and I’m so happy it was recommended to me. If you’re comfortable with graphic violence and strong language and are looking for a well-crafted and exciting fantasy, then I would highly recommend the Draconis Memoria trilogy.

 

What great books have you read lately?

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