Review: Ascendant by Michael R. Miller

Blurb:

100,000+ Copies Sold Worldwide

Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean.

Until he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within.

But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows.

Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon's magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.

The start of a new dragon rider epic combining the best of Eragon and How to Train Your Dragon with the hard magic of Brandon Sanderson and Will Wight. Fans of Christopher Paolini, Ryan Cahill and Phillip C. Quaintrell are sure to love this series.

"My eyes for your eyes. My skin for your skin. My world for your world."

Review:

Before really getting into the meat of this review, I just want to say: wow. Let that word hang there for a minute or two. Wow.

I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting when I picked up Ascendant. A dragon rider story, for sure. I had heard it was a sweet story. Someone once described it to me as “an adult version of How to Train Your Dragons or Eragon.” What I found was so much more than that, at least for me.

At its core, Ascendant is a classic fantasy story of a cook who, because of a moment of pity and humanity, steals a dragon egg from a hatchery and becomes a dragon rider against all odds. In this world, dragon riders are revered for keeping the continent safe from an unholy amalgamation of the plague, monsters, and reanimated dead which comprise the Scourge. Our main protagonist, Holt Cook, is a cook at the Crag, which is one of the primary dragon hatcheries in his region. While Holt has dreams of becoming a dragon rider, his caste is set and there is no room for advancement within society. However, through a series of events, he discovers that the mother dragon of the hatchery can sense which of her eggs will develop appropriately and which have some type of birth defect. Those with defects are destroyed. Holt is given the task to dispose of a deformed dragon egg but is unable to do so, smuggling it away and waiting for it to hatch. What follows is a heartfelt, emotional tale of the forging of an essential relationship between two outcasts who, together, are significantly more powerful than either of them alone, set to the backdrop of an classic, epic fantasy tale that is going to be cherished for generations of fantasy fans to come.

Spoiler Alert

"If you love with your eyes, death is forever. If you love with your heart, there is no such thing as parting."

I don’t always love having spoiler sections of my reviews, but I felt like I needed one for Ascendant in order to adequately discuss a number of aspects of this book that I loved. So, here we go with some spoiler talk.

It’s very rare for me to get choked up while reading a book. However, within twelve fairly short chapters, Miller had me so invested in Holt and Ash’s relationship that as I was reading about the scouring of the Crag, sitting on a city bus on the way home from work, I found myself choked up with misty eyes. Holt being torn away from the town by his neighbors as they flee the destruction exploding around them, and Holt begins to feel Ash’s bond. Scared. Alone. Boy? Something tore apart inside me as I imagined the fear coursing through the blind, helpless baby dragon as his only anchor to the world is leaving him while he can sense the devastation that is occurring around him. It is a demonstration of Miller’s masterful writing and characterization that he is able to elicit such strong, raw emotions within chapters of the beginning of this burgeoning relationship.

The dependance and bond of Ash and Holt is beautiful and pure. Miller’s hard magic system weaves the rider and the dragon together in a complex tapestry of power, with magic developing in the rider while the rider can purify and strengthen the dragon’s core soul. The process of Forging and Cleansing is a unique addition to dragon rider lore that works perfectly in this story. I was particularly touched by Miller’s use of his experiences treating his cystic fibrosis with physiotherapy as inspiration for the process of Cleansing. Having watched a childhood friend undergo similar treatments, I found this to be a beautiful tribute to an exceptionally difficult disease, turned into a meaningful, intimate way for dragon and rider to strengthen their bond while providing rationale for why a powerful dragon would desire a human rider.

In general, Miller does a fantastic job naturally progressing and developing all of the relationships in this story, particularly between Holt, Talia, and Brode. I loved Brode’s presence as the gruff, reluctant mentor and I was heartbroken when he was killed while standing up to Silas. But I was so glad that Miller allowed his death to stand as a powerful tribute to his life’s purpose. When he was taken to the Life Elder with a request from Rake to save his life, I felt cheated of the impact of his death. I was so glad that Miller stood strong and allowed his death to remain permanent and meaningful.

Talia’s revelation from her brother that her uncle Osric had betrayed her father was interesting, though not particularly shocking to me. I felt like Miller was setting him up to be one of the “bads” in this novel. However, I was expecting him to be more of a Rake-style villain and reveal that he, himself, was Sovereign. 

Miller has created an extensive world and deep lore that is touched upon in this book and which I can only image he expands upon in future books. The introduction of Rake and his soul-cursed status is exceptionally interesting, and I cannot wait to learn more about him. Who Sovereign is and where he comes from remains a mystery. Ascendant is a near flawless first entry in an epic fantasy saga: it tells a contained, well-paced story that tugs at the heartstrings and delivers searing action scenes while hinting at a larger world that is about to unfold for the reader in the rest of the series.

From the moment I stepped into this book, I felt at home in a way I haven’t with a book in years. The classic style of this story sucked me in immediately and never let go. Within pages, Miller had me standing alongside Holt, rooting for him and Ash. Miller has masterfully crafted a beautiful, heart wrenching entry into an epic dragon rider story with enough heart to transform it into a modern-day classic to rival any proceeding dragon rider story. This is a story and an author that I will follow closely and will incessantly recommend to all who will listen to me. The Songs of Chaos is a new favorite for me. Hands down. Full stop. Classic fantasy as classic fantasy should be done.