Rage of Dragons – Evan Winter

---

“The days without difficulty are the days you do not improve. The days you do not improve are the days the men behind you close the distance.”

So what’s the book about?

The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable war for centuries. To make up for the difference in the number of warriors, some of the Omehi people were born gifted. Some can summon dragons and others can transform men into fighting machines. And in this world Tau experiences one tragic fate after another and from then on lives only with the aim of getting revenge. And also Tau had to learn that only noble people are worth of anything and the the lesser ones have to bow to them.

---

Why I wanted to read this series?

I love exploring different cultures. And in the last few weeks, I’ve been reading mostly Asian-inspired fantasy novels. I find it refreshing compared to the standard European setting. Don’t get me wrong, I love this setting with knights and also Vikings, but I really want to read something new and refreshing. So after reading Asian inspired books, I wanted to discover the culture of Africa. That is one reason why I wanted to start this book. The other is that Evan Winter got so many positive reviews on his debut novel that I wanted to read this one too. And spoilers: I have not regretted it.

---

These aspects attracted me the most while reading.

1. First of all, the class system. I really liked the aspect of Evan Winter bringing in the class system. It reminds me of our world today, because we also have a class system. Children born into rich families have more privileges than children from poor families. Especially in education, the gap between these two classes is huge and Evan Winter brings this aspect into his novel. On the one hand, there are the Nobles in Rage of Dragons, who are privileged people similar to our world. They receive a better education and thus a better future. And it is suggested that only the Nobles are destined for greater things. On the other hand, there are the Lessers, who have to bow to the Nobles. I could understand this conflict well.
2. It is also a heartbreaking tragedy. Tau goes from one tragedy to the next. But Tau always gets back up and is ready to keep fighting for his revenge and his goals. These tragedies give him a kind of strength to try even harder. Because in the beginning Tau didn’t want to become a killing machine, but after these actions he is ready to do so.
3. I really liked the training sequences in this book. It reminded me of the Warhammer tabletop games. The nobles play a kind of war game against the Lessers. So they plan their strategies and get different locations and so on. In my head I always saw the tabletop game and how the warrior is moved from one side to the other.
4. The sword fights in Rage of Dragons were amazing. Normally I like books that don’t have so much war or fighting scenes. But Rage of Dragons was so well written that I felt like I was holding a sword myself and fighting for my life! Tau is such a great fighter and you always want to see him win!
5. The African setting was not that prominent, but it has some nice influences. I like to imagine the world of Rage of Dragons in an African setting and also the protagonists. There wasn’t much about another culture, but also the setting is really nice and so I liked that aspect.

---

So what are my final thoughts about the book?

Tau is so committed to his revenge and I really liked that. In the beginning, he seemed like a normal boy who just wanted to live a normal life. But after a significant event, he totally changed. I also wondered if an event in my life could change me that much. And whether I would sacrifice my life for it, even though I know I can’t be as good as a talented person. And another question was to myself, what would I give to achieve my goals…?

---

My Rating

---

Follow My Blog

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.