Customer Reviews

Father of Dragons (Ballots Keep)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Emily Veinglory's very name gave me pause when "Father of Dragons" was recommended to me by a friend on AfterElton.com's gay book club. But I trust my buddies, and picked up both of her Ballot's Keep novels for my Kindle.

The surprise is threefold in "Father of Dragons": Xeras, the "hero" is more emo than hero; and his fragile, damaged psyche is nurtured by the ghost of his murdered lover, Drin. The tragedy underlying Xeras' exile is not about his attraction to men, but his crossing rigid caste boundaries, with dire results. The central surprise in the story is the relationship between man and dragon - something all but forgotten in the world Xeras inhabits. Dragons are like ivory-billed woodpeckers - thought to be extinct, but possibly not. That "possibly" turns into a startling reality when Xeras is rescued from a stormy night by a female dragon with an agenda of her own.

I don't believe in spoilers, but suffice it to say that the title can be taken literally. The third great surprise in the book is the elegance and comic precision of Veinglory's writing. She is nearly Dickensian in her literary drollery. The great dragon myth-maker, Tolkein, was a largely humorless writer; and his most modern progeny, Christopher Paolini, is even more literal and high minded. Veinglory's language is stylish and just plain funny, and that makes for a hugely refreshing read.

I won a copy of Emily Veinglory's book in a give away through her well-known review site, POD People, last year and just got around to reading it. I'm not much for M/M fantasy but since several of my recent reads fell into the supernatural/fantasy genre, I came across Father of Dragons on the book shelf and decided to keep going and read it as well.

I should point out that Father of Dragons fell more into the fantasy genre than into M/M for me. Despite being gay, I'm usually turned off by most M/M romance or erotica. These lines are thinly crossed especially when the material is written by a female (often heterosexual) author. Veinglory concentrates more on other storylines and less on the male romance. While the sexual content is there, its clearly not her focus and this made her book a much more entertaining read for me, especially for someone who usually avoids fantasy all together.

Father of Dragons is the story of a young man named Xeras. He is haunted by the voice of his lover who has been executed for no reason. The book opens with Xeras encountering a female dragon while lost in the forest. He awakes the next morning and is informed by a male dragon that the female dragon implanted an embryo in his side.

Veinglory's use of dialogue also comes very naturally. She knows the dialect and its very believable for the time period and genre approached here. The banter between Xeras and his dead lover was often sweet and sometimes comical. There's also not too much dialogue. The author pushes her story forward with colorful descriptions and narrative that were much more interesting and unique to me. The dead lover's speech in italics also made his and Xera's conversations easy to follow.

Xeras soon finds himself attracted to a Duke named Carly and faced with the chance to confront the dragons that have been attacking the locals. But there are bigger problems echoing from Xeras, homeland and he and Carly find themselves wrapped in a world of magic, all while the voice of Xeras' previous lover echoes in his ear. And lets not forget the baby dragon growing inside him!

Veinglory's characters and the plot are far more fascinating here than the sex. I'm not saying she can't write spice, and those scenes were certainly appreciated, but I was drawn to the story more than anything. That says a lot because usually its the other way around and I'd prefer to just get on to the sex. Also the idea of a man being pregnant with a dragon was strange, unusual, and new to me, ultimately making this read very enjoyable and different.

This is the first book I've read from Samhain. It is well polished and I found the "clean" cover to be very attractive. Most erotica or M/M romance slaps a shirtless torso on the cover and immediately tries to appeal to our visual senses. Veinglory's writing stands alone and deserves a cover such as this one. If you enjoy fantasy, dragons, and a touch of M/M, then I highly recommend this read to you.

I loved this book. The characters were interesting, and the plot was new. The beginning was slightly confusing at first, but it helped to draw me in even more.

I have a hard time finding things that I really loved to read. This book is one of my favorites. I definitely recommend it for the gay supernatural/fantasy reader.

As always Emily Veinglory surprises me... and as aways it's a good surprise.

Father of Dragons is not the usual fantasy gay romance. Even if the main character is a high born man who loves man, sex is not the mainly aspect of this novel. And though I like my sex scenes, I don't find any lack in this romance. It has enthralled me from the very first page and Xeras is one of the best character I have found lately.

Xeras is a man born in a wealthy and noble family. He has made the error to fall in love with a commoner, and law forbid that (notice, it's not a crime he has fallen in love with a man, the crime is that the man is a commoner); his family resolves the matter killing his lover Drin. And Xeras choses to exiliate himself from his country. He starts a journey in unknown terrain with the only company of his lover's ghost. But during one of these adventures he meets a dragon female, Plegura, and after a night spent with her (and don't ask nothing I will not tell nothing!), he awakes pregnant of the dragon's child. He has been chosen to be Father of Dragons, and after the initial refusal, he begins to care for this little moster he bears inside him. After all Drin has always wanted children!

And as every right damsel in distress he also find a duke for himself, Carly. Carly is an handsome man and very very interested in Xeras, but what will he say when he will know about the little monster? and in this case, the little monster is not a tender definition for a spoilt child...

Father of Dragons is absolutely a wonderful reading. It has everything, humor, adventure, love. I can't put down this book until I have finished it and it has satisfied every expectation I have for.

Xeras is a fatalist man. He accepts everything happens to him and knows as to open his heart to new love and lovers. He is not a perfect and invincible knight in shining armour. He fails and suffers but everytime he stands up again.

Carly can be the prince charming of the story, but he is not Xeras' saviour. He borrows his strenght to Xeras, but his strenght lays in giving to Xeras a reason to live, like does the little monster, the unwanted but so cherished dragons child. All the story is about Xeras and his journey, and maybe a little about the dragons child. And maybe, in the end, is not Xeras the damsel in distress, but Carly!

I hope that Samhain Publishing will think to print this book, cause I sure want it for my library!

Let me start off by saying I loved this book! I wont' go into plot details (you can get that from the first review if you want it) but I will say that this novel had all the elements that I enjoy in a book: incredible writing, fantasy and gay romance. I didn't know a thing about this author when I purchased this title, just took a chance (after reading the one review) and was greatly rewarded. So, if you are unsure about this book, don't be. You, like I, will be eagerly awaiting it's sequel.

The book is comical, fast-paced, and heart squeezing.
Its a great book but has few stars in the romance department.

;)