Matt McAvoy Book Review

Slow burning and cerebral, this is another girl-meets-dragon tale, which are going through something of a renaissance since Game of Thrones.  This one is profound and more human than action based – and exceptionally well written and edited, it has to be said.  Don’t expect swashbuckling or sweeping battle scenes, though they are there, if covered relatively superficially.  This is book more about the character development and the story, as young Astria finds herself exiled and denied her dream to ride, yet taming and taking yoke of a dragon anyway.  She is precocious and strong-willed – very much a contemporary style of heroine – but fearful, too.  This is fantasy for the thinker, rather than visual; indeed, the only real fantastical element is the dragon itself; the rest could be an otherworld historically-influenced fiction.

The writing is simply superb, and Ray Strong has undoubtedly gone out of his way to produce a work of the highest quality; no professional attention has been spared, and this is worthy of applause.  In all fairness, whilst not always my cup of tea, gritty fantasy (as opposed to very high fantasy) has a tendency to be well produced, probably because of the more creative intellect of its writers.  The vast majority of the book – if not all of it – is spent in the company of the lead character, and much takes place in her mind.  When she is not thinking or surviving, then she is talking – and there is a fair amount of dialogue in the book, though it isn’t entirely driven by talk, which is a good thing.  Ray is a good writer, erudite and pensive, and his intention is for the reader to experience, rather than just witness or be told events.  We feel Astria’s pain, fear and defiance; we genuinely root for her.  The action sequences are almost incidental amongst this, though also delivered well; action scenes which are too long can tend to lose the attention, but there is no danger of that with Ray’s writing.  There is enough descriptive content to carry the story along in a pleasing manner, although admittedly on occasion perhaps key points were too briefly outlined – that said, however, Astria reflects profoundly on these moments, along with all others, so there is no fear the reader will ever be lost.

Truthfully, I found it slow, and I wonder if it is building up to a sequel; I won’t spoil anything, but the ending could equally invite or completely negate that possibility, depending on how you (and the author) construe it.  I wouldn’t say that more action is required, but perhaps more emphasis on dramatic interaction with and between other characters.  This book would certainly be suited to readers who love this genre and prefer thoughtful books, and feels to me, predominantly, rather like a nod to the decent quality of which Ray Strong is capable.