Kindle Edition Amazon Category:  Fantasy ISBN-10:  1719824169 Type: Fiction Pages: 335 Copyright: August 20, 2018 ISBN-13: 9781719824163 Price: $3.99 (eBook) A world of steam and springs. A breakneck race for power. Will one woman's defiance topple a kingdom? If you like feisty heroines, fearsome dragons, and fast-paced action, then you'll savor this steam-powered thrill-ride. Hovering in the Otherworld above a dystopian land called the Dregs is a place where humans, dwarves, and all the creatures of fae gather once a year to wager fortunes and celebrate the spirit of competition. The place is called Sky Island, for the dragons race around it. Those who risk life, limb, and wing to compete before the gods are granted a kingdom of their own if they win. It is no small thing. But to race at Sky Island is by invitation only. A dragon racer must first win a Chalice in the realm of men before the gods will even take notice. Dragon Racer 1 After losing her mother, Sharrah Che has moved in with her widowed Aunt. She and Aunt Sadie work at Guotin's bakery across the lane and enjoy a decent life living under the king's protection just off of prosperous Gaslamp Avenue. Not all single women are as lucky in this steam and spring powered kingdom full of poor, prosperous, and sometimes unsavory men. Just when Sharrah is starting to feel normal again, and because she is now of an appropriate age, her aunt decides to take her to the dragon races. From there Sharrah's life is twisted into chaos after she is turned into little more than a prize for Luumin, a terrifying wizard with eyes the color of fall leaves. At Dragon's Keep, while punishing Luumin, angry King Travvingto mistakes Sharrah for a racer in training and orders her to ride the dragon named Azure in an upcoming race. All she has to do is hold on and let dark Anshi win. But things are never so simple. Don't miss this amazing new manchu longwei (pure dragon greatness) series from the multiple award winning author who has sold more than a million eBooks and given away over two million more. Also by M. R. Mathias: The Wardstone Trilogy, The Dragoneer Saga, The Legend of Vanx Malic, The Crimzon and Clover Short Stories, and Fantastica. Dragon Racer, book two is scheduled to release before Christmas 2018, and book three in late Spring of 2019.

Professional Reviews
AuthorsDen Review by Sawyer Ziegelman
Let it never be said that I look down on Swords & Sorcery. I read the entirety of Tolkien’s Silmarillion. I’ve watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, boxed set, extended edition only. I was perusing the Song of Ice and Fire at an age way before it would be considered appropriate and then and only then did I move on to the TV series (which is actually pretty tame in comparison). I’m even familiar with author M.R. Mathias’ other forays into high fantasy; I’ve read through The Legend of Vanx Malic series and found it to be, in a word, saucy. And not the bad kind of saucy either. More the “genuine Italian marinara or half the cast of Game of Thrones” kind of saucy. This most recent foray, Dragon Racer 1, is a slow burn but a satisfying read.

You wouldn’t be mistaken for thinking that a book entitled “Dragon Racer” would in all likelihood involve high-octane action of the fire-breathing reptilian variety, and you would be correct. Though the actual dragon racing occurs at the beginning of the narrative and the immediate conclusion, the bulk of the main plot establishing the plight of our young heroine Sharrah Che as she’s thrust into a rigged game she barely understands while also introducing the audience to the arcanepunk dystopia of the Dregs and its various power players, factions, traditions, magic systems, et cetera. Though the cast of supporting characters is large enough to warrant its own glossary and the exposition a bit heavy at times, rest assured however, the races themselves are most definitely as advertised; a pulse-pounding aerial relay/dogfight that’s just nuanced enough to be technically intriguing as well. Dragon Racer 1 does a good job of not only describing these contests in all their semi-ludicrous glory, but also in establishing why they are so important both to the world and the narrative.

Now that most of the exposition is out of the way, future installments focus more on the novel’s main selling point. Namely racing. On dragons. Because let’s face it, that idea alone is enough to draw people in regardless of your opinion of the fantasy genre.

Reviews for "Dragon Racer 1 (Dragon Racers)"