Review: A Dragon of the Veil by Nick Snape
Blurb:
With the realm falling apart, the fate of a people falls upon Laoch and Sura’s shoulders and the Gods’ weapons they now bear ‒ a thousand years of faith and lies reconciled in a single moment of hope and redemption.
For Laoch, the Crusades never ended, yet the embittered Ranger finds hope in his love for the dishonoured elven warrior, Sura. Together, they must face a new conflict when a powerful enemy crashes into a Meister’s alchemical experiment, setting off a wave of fear that ripples through the realm.
With the secrets of the Gods’ scripture exposed and whispers of an ancient evil’s return, Laoch and Sura are left reeling by the power their enemy wields when an even larger threat rises from the forest depths. One even the Gods’ weapons fear.
In a world no longer devoid of magic, a thousand years of secrets and lies spill out, and cracks form in the last bastion against an ancient foe.
For cast in iron and spiritfire - here be dragons.
Review:
The author, Nick Snape, has been a regular presence on my X/Twitter timeline since quite a while now. No doubt, his very well received sci-fi action thriller series, ‘Weapons of Choice’, went immediately on my radar. But when word got out that he was making his debut in fantasy, coupled with an opportunity to review it available right on my doorstep, I just couldn’t turn away a golden chance such as this. And hence, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and convey a massive thanks to the author for providing me with a quite stunning physical copy to review the first installment in his new, dark epic fantasy series – Warriors of Spirit and Bone (trust me, it looks even better in person!).
What’s it about?
When a rescue mission goes horribly wrong, Laoch – a Ranger, is left with nothing but loss and grief to surround him with a constant lick of fire and the scent of smoke on his mind. A war hero of the past, at present he is drunk, disorderly and insubordinate in any order you chose, compelled to carry on being a Ranger for the sense of duty, and a growing affection for the Elven Ranger, Sura. The Elf warrior was all venom and spite, wrapped in a good heart. And despite her having kicked more backside than Laoch had sunk pints, her kind – the Elves, were yet to be accepted into human society. But the duo, along with all of humanity, are about to be plunged into a living nightmare when their task of transporting dangerous weapons is cut abruptly by otherworldly forces… preceded by something known as the Soul Tear…
Meanwhile at Erstenburgh, a major city located on the western side of Brandshold, the effect of the Soul Tear is going to have a ripple effect… one that will have irreversible consequences for everyone involved.
Queen Erin has been supportive of the “science” being carried out by the University and its Meisters at Erstenburgh. Their recent invention is an explosive device aptly labeled – Erin’s Wrath. Helmed by Meister Alchemist Kinst, the University is confident that science is the way forward, rather than being held back by the Houses and their Scripture.
On the other hand, the Houses of the Seven – Penance, Fate, Justice, Wisdom, Hope, Honour, and Death, hold opposing views when it comes to the matters concerning science, and preach that the way ahead is guided only by the writings left behind by the Seven – the Scripture. It’s safe to say that science and religion, that is the University and the Houses respectively, don’t get along very well. But there is a problem, a massive one in fact, which has somewhat managed to make both of them work together against a common enemy – the Unbelievers… worshippers of the Unspoken God, the Eighth.
The Houses held the people–not in thrall–but in their hearts. They had risen to give the people peace after the Seven Gods had sacrificed themselves to keep humanity’s new home safe. The scriptures providing tenets to live by; protection in a community that prayed together. Those that rejected the words of the Seven, turning their backs to choose their own path had been few. Yet, in the last few centuries, those rejecting the Gods had increased, the trickle becoming a stream the Houses refused to tolerate. Hence a religious war, one the heathen had prepared for as they dabbled in their science.
Lord Penance of the House of Penance is right in the thick of it all, for he is the most powerful leader in the city… probably in the whole Union. Even above the Crown and the Queen. And he lives and preaches up to his name… He must forever be held in fear, be seen as the wielder of the scourge. The one to keep humanity in line with the rules set down by the Seven. But his life is about to get complicated in more ways than one…
“… Surely between the Gods and the University we can find the answers, yes?”
Well, about that…
Accompanied by the Soul Tear, a new, yet ancient, threat has emerged… the Constructors. The Eater of Souls. Passing through the Veils to reach the human lands, the “inhuman” figures with shimmering, mirror-like armour are here. Creations of insane minds that saw beauty in the twisted and the macabre. Who had lost their sense of beauty in the hunger to live, and when fed, had little to do but make their nightmares become real.
And as they say, and rightly so, sh*t’s about to hit the fan…
The lives of everyone involved are about to change forever… Rangers Laoch and Sura. Gowan – the First Ranger. Ecne – the acolyte. Oisin – the Queen’s Elite. Queen Erin. Meister Kinst. Lord Penance. And not to forget, all of humanity itself… For cast in iron and spiritfire - here be dragons!
And only the Gods’ weapons hold the power to defeat the metallic beasts known as the Hunter of Souls, and their masters – the Constructors. For the Seven had done it before. But they no longer walk the lands. And now, those very weapons are in the possession of a select few who hold the fate of every living soul in their hands…
The good
First off, let me say this very honestly – I was completely and utterly taken by surprise at how GOOD this book was, like genuinely. Kudos to the author. And you say it’s his first dive into fantasy?!
The plot was just superb. Fast-paced, with short and quick chapters that kept me hooked right from page one.
The characters were very well written, some more so than others with varying levels of depths and flaws to each of them.
The world building and the lore was just so well presented! Not an info. dump in any way, rather leading the reader into the details, including the history, one chapter at a time.
The writing was really good too, must be said. Although I do have one or two complaints listed below. But overall, I very much liked the writing throughout.
The third person, multi-POV setup was nicely executed as well.
The themes of science and religion, and their respective conflicts of interest were also nicely written and incorporated into the story.
The action sequences were a fun read, well written, and present aplenty.
The magic system was also a great read and well depicted.
The ending was not only very good and satisfactory, but also sets up book two (and the series as a whole) very well!
The “not so” good
The writing, although very good, can get a little bit difficult to follow through on a few occasions.
The whole story and the accompanying world building, again, although both being great, felt a little harder to grasp initially. The complexity and the depth of them both was something that I found a bit of a tough nut to crack, especially in the first half. But as the book progressed, it got much easier to understand, and things started getting unraveled for the bigger picture to form as to “what’s really going on?”.
Highlights!
A conversation between Ecne, the acolyte, and Sura, the Elven Warrior Ranger:
“… But the only way to know things is to try them out…”
“Sometimes, you don’t need to know things, Ecne. Some knowledge is… unwarranted, nor does it make our land a better place.”
“You sound like the Gods’ Houses–can’t do this or that. Quoting scripture, setting our limits. We could do so much more.”
“Always wanting more is a human thing. Isn’t that why you came here?”
“The Houses speak of a cataclysm, an ending to our own land if you like, brought on by our actions. Hiding from knowledge and science isn’t going to change the past, but it could change the future.” Ecne took a quick glance back. “Stop it from happening again.”
Other info.
A very nice, two-paged map of Brandshold is present at the start. Liked it!
Each chapter number is accompanied by a title, and also the location where it takes place. I honestly think it was a very good touch.
A well written thank you note at the end (with a brief of what’s to come in books 2 and 3!) is also present.
Note: Mature themes are present, like – profanity, blood/gore, etc. NOT suitable for younger audiences.
Final thoughts
‘A Dragon of the Veil’ by Nick Snape took me completely and utterly by surprise, I must say. It’s truly an INCREDIBLE start to a new, dark epic fantasy series. Pretty much every aspect was very well written and excellently presented, right from the characters, the plot, and even the world building. And although the first half did feel a little bit complex, confusing, and somewhat overwhelming, by the end, I just couldn’t help but applaud the execution of it all. For me personally, this was a GEM of an indie find, and one that I VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you check out!
