Kindle Edition Amazon Amazon Class Act Books Amazon Category:  Science Fiction Publisher: Class Act Books Type: Fiction Pages: 251 Copyright: Oct 15 2-13 ISBN-13: 9781938703201 Price: $6.26 (eBook) An action packed, epic space opera which follows the intertwined fates of two relucant and ill matched heroes. Dragon is an epic, action packed tale of adventure set amongst the political backdrop of an uneasy intergalactic cease fire. As worlds conspire against each other, Gax, an insane warlord stockpiles an arsenal of ancient technology in his attempt to rule known space. Two ill matched and reluctant heroes stand in his way; Sillow, a neurotic and cowardly Sylvan and Brok, a surly and ill tempered Herkulun warrior. After a chance meeting in a seedy, mobster owned casino the two find their fates interlinked as they are propelled into a series of hair raising adventures that takes them from wanted smugglers to agents of a peace keeping alliance. As war grows close once again Sillow and Brok realize it is they alone who must stop Gax and prevent Armageddon, a very tall order indeed for two unlikely heroes Background to the novel ... The novel grew out of these two ill matched protagonists who'd been in my mind for a long time. One was a restless, reckless and neurotic elf and the other a taciturn, ill- tempered barbarian, think Conan without the brains or charm. Originally I planned to write a series of interlinking fantasy novellas following their adventures together. The tone was to be comedic and I intended them to be a sort of comedy double act, the elf the clownish figure and the barbarian the straight man, the foil as it were. Well, the characters developed a life of their own and survived, as did the interlinking format to follow their adventures but somehow the story seemed to work better with a science fiction spin. Because of this transition from fantasy to science fiction the novel took about eight years to fully evolve into its present manifestation. It does retain a strong fantasy element though and the two protagonists still travel around by Dragon, although a metallic one instead of the reptilian creature that existed in the original conception. The final chapter "Relics" blurs the lines completely between the world of magic and gods and science as an ancient mystery is finally answered. I feel that anyone who enjoys space opera and action based science fiction will enjoy this novel. Dragon however also has a little more depth to it as it deals with the themes of war, freedom, tyranny and possible self- destruction. These have always interested me greatly; how sentient and supposedly evolved life forms can brutalise and threaten one another with mutual destruction. Another theme in the novel is how institutions intended to be benign can often become corrupted and tyrannical themselves. Excerpt Chapter 1 The Legacy of Suleiman Asmara was a small desert moon orbiting its gas giant parent at a distance just great enough to put it outside the planet’s radioactive reach. It was a cold, dusty little place, barely capable of supporting microbic life. Yet it did have one thing in its favor, its location.Asmara was in the gray zone, an area of space almost central to the six worlds. None dared lay claim to it and consequently it was free of all outside authority. That was why the crime syndicates built their Pleasure Dome there, and in the two decades after the Dark Age Wars it flourished. It was here, at one of the casino tables, the last three players of a merciless card game studied their hands. Two of them, a human and a reptilian Tuolon, were far from happy, glaring angrily at the third player as he whistled out a tuneless melody. If Sillow had been human, he would have been judged to be no more than fourteen. He wasn’t; he was a Sylvan, and his childlike face and adolescent build were quite normal for his twenty-five years. As he looked over his cards from beneath a shock of dark green hair, only his large eyes were visible. It was just as well, for his lips moved frantically as he mentally played through the possible scenarios. Finally he gave a little nod and placed his cards face down. He took his cigar from the ashtray and began puffing heavily on it. The human, a skinny man with pockmarked features, ran a hand over two day’s stubble, “Make your damn move,” he growled. “If you’ve got the goods, show them.” Sillow shrugged. “Hey, give me a break Garrick,” he replied in his soft, musical voice. “You can’t rush something like this.” He looked at his cards again, studying them as he blew smoke rings in the air. His little feet tapped all the while on the hard marble floor. His fellow players regarded him with extreme irritation, and the human cameto the decision the Sylvan was playing mind games with them. The truth though was far different. Sillow was scared and was trying to decide how best to safely extricate himself and the credits he needed from his present circumstances. Although he couldn’t say why, he was certain now the Tuolon was a professional assassin here to kill him. His would be killer even blewhis ship up to stop him escaping. Since then the little Sylvan had been busy at the tables making the money he needed to get a freighter off the Dome. There was a royal summons to answer and he’d delayed too long already. The message was just one word, Suleiman. “Okay, ready,” he finally announced. “You want to see this hand it’ll cost you…” he paused for effect, “six more credits.” The human thought hard for a moment, shook his head then threw the chips into the pot in the middle of the table.

Fantascize.com magazine
Dragon's cover art may give you an impression that it's an epic fantasy novel that involves the mythological creature, but James Austin McCormick's science fiction novel is entirely different. The "Dragon" in this book is a highly-advanced relic spaceship that could regenerate, cloak itself by wrapping energy waves, and transport matter. With artificial intelligence, a holographic visual representation (a dragon!), and tendency to protect its crew, the ship moves like a beast. It may not breathe fire, but Dragon lives up to its name.

The ship wouldn't be depicted like a dragon if it wasn't for Sillow, a Sylvan (elf) who aspires to be like the heroes from his fantasy books. Sent on a mission to report to his homeworld for unknown reasons, Sillow finds himself in a dispute against a Tuolon (a reptilian race generally known to be warlike). The sword-swinging, blasters-blasting, and psychic energy, captivate throughout the book's 260-pages. Dragon has the visual style of space odysseys, a bit of new weird, and Western; and the pace of sword-and-sorcery like R.A. Salvatore's books.With minimal world building, Dragon jumps into battle scenes quickly –mostly held in confined spaces (at least, for the most part, it feels that way). There are other weird races: the Merdine (Caterpillar-like creatures) and mutates (autonomous machines which could adapt to any environment by mimicking the deadliest predators they encounter).

Sillow's sidekick is Brok, a brutish Herkulun barbarian who wants to fulfill his Tir Geld or an experience of taking an adventure of great danger to prove himself worthy amongst his kind, and the only way he could be considered a Freman (someone who could act according to his conscience). The civilizations in Dragon value honor, with their hierarchy and quest to demonstrate power. Yet I'm left wondering how the authorities actually evaluate their experience. Do they have a video device that records such proof? Brok is a likeable character; he reminds me of Chewbacca in a way, while Sillow is the Han Solo-type: witty, stylish, and tauntingly rebellious. There's a spice of humor in their witty bromance banters. "Maybe we can buy you a personality as well," says Sillow to Brok, the more Spock-like character of the two.

Their mission is to explore the nebula and acquire an antidote to rid of the disease caused by alien parasites. They instantly learn of Dragon's capabilities, and its intelligent nature. The ship always feels connected to them, constantly communicating, and more focused on defending than attacking.

Dragon's message of connection and trust is moving: We see this through Sillow and Brok's friendship, their bond with the spaceship, their shaky compromise with the Tuolons to fight a common enemy, and the network in their strategy: "To effectively counter those who seek to destroy us, we need to develop an intelligence network.". Their battles against space pirates are charged with technology and psychic energy, and there's a spectacular battle in the climax that would move readers despite a deus ex machina-element in the final act.

If you like Firefly or other movie-length books light enough to read in one sitting, you'd probably enjoy Dragon's action-heavy and Western Sci-Fi visuals.


Amazon Review #1
Dragon is a science fiction tale that follows Sillow, an elf, and Brok, a barbarian. The book is made up of seven stories rather than chapters, each one linked together to form a tale spanning two decades.
From the first, "The Legacy of Suleiman", which has the duo battling mutant hybrids on a strange, far off world, as they try to save the life of a young prince, the pace rarely lets up. Ancient killer droids, deranged cyborgs and a giant metallic space serpent, hunting them through mine fields, all play a part, until we reach the final tale, "Relics." This was my favourite. The pace is slower and the tone more serious and subdued, as the conflicts and mysteries that pervade the novel are resolved. I can't say too much without giving away the story but I thought the ending was superb as it crosses over into the realms of fantasy.
I would definitely recommend this book for all fans of SF and fantasy.


Amazon Review #2
Sillow and Brok, the two main characters, are very engaging and well defined (though a bit cartoonish). They play off one another delightfully, like a comedy duo.
Although an action orientated space opera, Dragon also has a little more depth to it, as it deals with the themes of war, freedom, tyranny and possible self- destruction. This made it more interesting than many other novels in a similar vein.
If you’re looking for soul searching, issue-driven, hard science fiction, however, then this isn't the book for you. But if you’re after a fast-paced, entertaining and action-packed read, then I would definitely recommend it.