The Drey.
An unexplored place, full of mystery and the promise of exorbitant riches. A place some say is abounding with outlandish dangers and unnatural wickedness.
In search of one man’s unknown brother, three friends venture into the land to face deadly challenges and a plot born of rival kingdoms and conniving black magic.
Together they are tested, the bonds of friendship strained by endless attacks and threats against their very lives. But, promises of commitment and honorable vows strengthen their resolve, accords made to each other while they gathered at A Fire Before The Drey.
Will that be enough to conquer pursuing evil?
Will that be enough to survive The Drey?
The Drey.
An unexplored place, full of mystery and the promise of exorbitant riches. A place some say is abounding with outlandish dangers and unnatural wickedness.
In search of one man’s unknown brother, three friends venture into the land to face deadly challenges and a plot born of rival kingdoms and conniving black magic.
Together they are tested, the bonds of friendship strained by endless attacks and threats against their very lives. But, promises of commitment and honorable vows strengthen their resolve, accords made to each other while they gathered at A Fire Before The Drey.
Will that be enough to conquer pursuing evil?
Will that be enough to survive The Drey?
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A chill wind rustled the mighty evergreens, and pine needles fell like snow. Through dusk's orange light, an owl streaked along to higher branches, establishing a hunting perch, while faint music from the local village ghosted through air. Three mountain cats kept pace for a time, dashing away to find easier prey.
And all this while he endured, pressing on despite anguish and chaos, numb defiance filling his heart, acting as both salve and bitter poison. Of course, he did not consider spirit or emotion; instead, he buried his failures deep inside and found a simple joy in his task.
So, he carried the heavy wood bundle upon his shoulders, upright and unthinking, ignoring the bark as it scratched his skin. He narrowed his focus, navigating through rough woodlands, avoiding sticks and stones and cracks in the land. Finally, his cabin came into view, a humble structure painted uniquely green; the last civilized settlement before the Drey.
Just past the cabin proper, at the stone fire pit dug into the earth, Grayson Roselimont let the wood fall. Its collision with rock and dirt muted several fast, unnatural sounds, and he brushed sweat from his brow before surveying the land.
Grayson was an imposing figure, big and tall, fair-skinned and freckled, with a full beard and wavy brown hair. Callouses covered sizable hands, and bulky muscles flexed through clothing. And though hulking, there was a measure of grace in his movements, denoting an ability for flowing motion greater than most.
He took the animal skin ranch hat from his head, removed the matching long coat he wore, and tossed both onto the cut tree stump that often served as a chair. Twin hatchets lay one at each side, carried in a well-oiled sling, and he drew the left, cutting the bundle bindings before tossing many logs into the pit.
After throwing a match to start the fire, he walked measuredly toward the cabin, detecting more stealth movements, not reacting to any of them. They would soon assault him, though he guessed not until he gave them a compromised target.
Drullats -- bastardized, demon-possessed creatures, part werewolf, part elven kind -- lurked about. Stalking him. Craving blood. And they would have it too, though it would be theirs.
At the cabin's backside, Grayson returned the hatchet to its holster. He stepped onto the porch, making a blatant show of it, and dropped the sling next to the door. Then, turning his back to the forest, like he was about to go inside, the Drullats made their move.
Rushing to attack, close now and moving at insane speed, four Drullats enacted killing blows, unleashing knives and spears, swift slices and stabs aimed for Grayson's back.
Diving to his right, rolling along the weathered plank porch, he came to his feet and snatched the walking stick leaning against the wall. Forged from the rare and perhaps supernatural Steeltree, the stick incurred no damage when it met the collective attack, sparking brilliantly when the blades rebounded from it.
The Drullats circled him. Grayson waited no longer to give them his counter. Advancing with incredible speed, he struck the middle Drullat with the stick's butt-end, crushing its chest. Blood gushed from its mouth, and it crashed against the cabin wall, collapsing to the floor.
Grayson shuffled right, creating adequate space and stacking the Drullats in a line. He swung the stick around, cracking the lead Drullat in the jaw, breaking its face. The two remaining Drullats screamed with wild rage, and they tripped over each other, the latter shoving the former away.
The Drullat thrust its spear, a committed move aimed for Grayson's heart. With his own nimble move, Grayson skipped back and blocked, breaking the spear in pieces. Then, flowing around the opposite way, ripping the stick at a down-sloped angle, Grayson smashed the stick into the its thigh, reducing leg bone into splinters. And as he chopped straight down with a crushing blow and ended the Drullat, the last remaining attacker fled.
"Come back, coward. At least take your dead with you."
"I'm not dead," Broken-Sternum squealed.
"You soon will be. I will drag you and your ilk into the forest and let nature take its course."
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chapter 2
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A falcon soared high in the sky, screeching at the sight of something in the near distance. Guytonius Delphius looked back and scanned the setting sun's horizon. Whistling low, a call to his shepherd canine Cerros, he scampered over a rock formation, and came to hide behind an outcropping.
Folding himself to be obscured from view, Guytonius hunkered near the ground, atop a down-slanted boulder. He was a lean man, tall enough to be more than average, with medium olive skin, a peppered goatee, and long black hair that waved at his shoulders.
With flexing phalanges, he worked to hold an unmoving position. The unique foot coverings he wore, crafted by the Vibramani peoples, bestowed each toe the ability to grip the rock individually. Confident he would not fall, Guytonius slipped off the rifle sling, setting the long gun on the ground, adjusting his pistol belt too, sliding it around the buckskin top he wore over brown trousers.
Cerros navigated the rocks smartly and slinked to his master. With a snort and a low growl, Guytonius understood the stalker, a single Drullat, traversed uneven ground to spring an ambush. He scratched the shepherd’sÂ
The first thing which must be said about this book is that the cover is absolutely stunning. If the face of this novel doesn’t draw you in, then the premise certainly will. It is quite difficult to ignore a story with a beautiful cover design and a promise of adventure.
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Now… Did the story deliver?
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Personally, I think A Fire Before the Drey is a book full of potential. I won’t say it didn’t deliver, but it did disappoint in a number of ways. The first thing is in the writing itself. It was not very strong and read almost like the author’s very first book.
When you promise an adventure of friends where vows and commitments will be tested, I’m going to head into the book expecting a tale that is strongly character-driven with a cast of powerfully developed individuals. Sadly, that is where the story fell flat.
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This book was described as an epic fantasy. That might be stretching things, considering the read was only about 200 pages. And that’s what I found so disheartening because this could have been three times as long and twice as enjoyable if the author had taken the time to work on proper world-building and character development. Instead, it felt like half of a story or a short prequel just to garner interest.
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The lack of character development really hurt the novel. There was very little given beyond an initial description of each person. Dark hair, dark eyes, wearing nice clothes. So much was missing that I often forgot who was who and couldn't remember half of the small cast. The lack was so painfully prevalent that I wasn’t even aware one of the characters was a dog until it was described as barking—midway through the book. Before then, I had honestly believed this was a group of four friends—not three friends and a pup.
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Beyond that little complaint, the book was interesting. The concept of the Drey and all the creatures which lived within was very unique. There was mystery behind the connection of the long-lost brother, and the journey to get to him had all the perfectly combined elements of fantasy, action, and adventure.
The dual storylines were much appreciated, and the battle sequences were easy to follow. This book had no lack of creativity and delivered on potential. I just wish it felt more complete.
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One pleasant surprise, however, was the message of faith woven into the novel. I was not aware that the author or his work was Christian, but that became very clear by the end of the story. As a fellow Christian, I was more than thankful to read an action-packed fantasy novel without the foul language or crudeness that is far too common in secular fiction. The fact that the characters remained true to their faith in the Creator and His righteousness, even in the midst of a life-threatening trial, put a smile on my face.
Overall, I did enjoy this story. I wish there had been more to it. I wish there had been much more world-building and character development, but I think there is plenty of promising potential. As with most things, I’m sure this author’s writing will get better in time, with every book that is published. So there’s every reason to believe the rest of this series will be twice as good as this.Â