One of the most enjoyable ways I’ve found to relax is to read or listen to books depending on the situation. Unfortunately a while ago I was unable to do as much reading as I’ve wanted to. But that particular hectic time of my life had ebbed so when it passed I threw myself back into the wonderful habit that I want to deepen every day. But I had to ask myself a single question. What should I read? Should I return to the worlds that I have explored and that I love or should I explore with something new? Or should I do a little bit of both?
Well I ended up looking at my library and I decided to crack open one of the newer books in my library and I have to say it was a very rewarding experience. The Dragons of Doorcastle is an interesting book set in a very intriguing world. When you look at its cover you are treated to a display of someone holding a gun, another individual wearing ornate robes and a dragon’s head. So right away it teased about a world with magic and handguns. A combination that is not completely unique but still highly fascinating to me. As the story unfolded we find that we are in the middle of a blending of fantasy and steampunk elements.
The story, the first in a series by Jack Campbell, follows two main characters one from each of the two main guilds, the Mages, and the Mechanics. There is a lot of backstories hidden from the audience and I hope that it is explored in more details as the series unfolds, particularly the inherent hatred between the two guilds. But this lack of knowledge did not take away from the quality of the story, in fact, it helped to intensify one of the later sub-plot points of the book. This was a plot point that began to appear late in the story and it did so in a very organic and pleasant way. The story was very well developed and complete and it moved at a good pace, yet it managed to hint at enough that I am excited to pick up the next book in the series and see how it continues.