We all play roles at times. Wardwick of Hurog played the role of a fool till he reached adulthood, just to keep his father from murdering him. Now he must overcome the image he so carefully built and fight not simply for his birthright but to free the five Kingdoms from tyranny and the rising tide of darkest magic that threatens his world.

IN A NUTSHELL
‘Dragon Bones’ was pure fun. A fast-paced, energetic Sword and Sorcery adventure with original twists in both the plot and the magic, and a main character who made me smile. It reminded me of how much fun a fantasy novel can be and left me keen to read the second book in the duology.

When I was searching for a book for HERE BE DRAGONS Halloween Bingo square, after I set aside ‘Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons’, I was suprised to find that, in, 2002, four years before she published ‘Moon Called’, the first Mercy Thompson book, Patricia Briggs published a pair of sword and sorcery fantasy novels: ‘Dragon Bones’ and ‘Dragon Blood’’. I’m a Patricia Briggs fan, so I grabbed the audiobook version of both books.

‘Dragon Bones’ was a delight. It felt good to relax into a fast-paced, action-packed Sword and Sorcery adventure that didn’t need me to commit to reading 4,000 pages over six or seven books to reach the end of the story. 

In many ways, ‘Dragon Bones’ is a traditional Sword and Sorcery fantasy. It takes place in what feels like a world of castles, horses, crossbows, bladed weapons, warring kingdoms and feudal politics. Magic is a taken for granted part of the history of the kingdoms, but although there are still mages, magic is fading from the world. The dragons are gone, the gods are waning, and the dwarves have retreated in on themselves. 

Patricia Briggs made this world her own by the magic system she uses and by the characters she centres the story around. Her interpretation of dragons and dragon magic was original, and her use of genus loci to focus magic in the ruins of once-great kingdoms gave the book a haunted feel. 

What I liked most about the book was that the hero was an unconventional underdog. Wardwick is the heir to a once-great stronghold that used to house dragons, dwarves and humans.  To protect himself from his filicidal father, convinced everyone that one of his father’s beatings had injured him badly enough to make him into an idiot. He’s a very large, very strong, often quietly kind idiot, but he thinks and speaks too slowly to be a threat to anyone. When the situation changes, the charade that had protected him now stands in his way and may even threaten his freedom. I enjoyed watching Wardwick find his way back to himself and convince others to follow him. 

I liked that the story was told from multiple points of view and that the characters of the main players developed over the course of the story. 

Patricia Briggs laces the novel with humour, often delivered via engaging dialogue and at Wardwick’s expense. 

The plot kept me turning the pages. There was just the right mix of excitement and emotional turmoil to keep this as a fantasy adventure rather than a Grimdark dirge. The ending surprised me in a good way and meant the ‘Dragon Bones’ worked as a standalone novel. It also left me wanting to know what Wardwick will do in ‘Dragon Blood’

I’m glad I went with the audiobook version. Joe Manganiello did a great job of bringing Wardwick to life.