The Rage of Dragons

Most of the fantasy world is abuzz at the moment with The Rage of Dragons, as the second instalment is just around the corner.
Evan Winter???s book is highly acclaimed and has recently gained a place on ???the most influential??? lists. A high accolade indeed! Does it deserve it? Damn right it does! This is a fantastic book that has everything from Dragons, demons to incredible fight scenes and exhilarating action.
The Rage of Dragons begins with a battle against two races of people. One who has just arrived from some unknown lands and the inhabitants of the lands that they have landed on. We are immediately thrown into the action from Page One, where a brutal and bloody battle that is raging. The prologue sets the tone for the book, describing the brutality of the battle, introducing the magic system of the book that is purely centred around bolstering military might, and introduces us to the Omehi people or ???The Chosen??? as they believe themselves to be.
We then move onto the main story of the book and quickly introduced to the book???s main character, Tau.
From the beginning of the book, Winters build his world, describing the political system, the caste system that governs the Omehi people and the militaristic way that the inhabitants live their life. The world that Tau lives in is a harsh world that is governed solely by caste and tradition and everyone knows their place.
At the beginning of the book, Tau is happy with his standing, wanting nothing more than to attend The Testing, a ritual competition to test fighting prowess and skill, and join the Ihashe, a division of the army. However, when he attends his friend Jabari???s testing as his second, events occur that will change Tau and his life forever. At the testing, Tau is assigned to an incompetent noble???s son to spar with, but unfortunately for Tau, the noble is as proud as he incompetent and attacks Tau. Tau responds by disarming the noble and thus brings about the attention of Councillor Odili and Tau???s fate is sealed, setting him on a path of pain, obsession and revenge.
For the rest of the story, Tau vows to become the ultimate killing machine. He vows that he will gain a place in the Ihashe and become the greatest fighter that the Omehi people have ever seen. So, that he can gain his ultimate revenge on those who destroyed his life. And he will do this at whatever cost to himself or those around him.
As we move through the story we learn that the years of tradition have created an unjust and unfair society where the lowest of the governed people are seen as nothing more than bodies for the everlasting, unwinnable war that rages with the Hedeni, whilst the privileged members of society do not recognise the worth of those that they see beneath them and are corrupt and cruel. And this cruelty is displayed time and time again throughout the tale of Tau and his sword brothers.
In the meantime, Tau???s story is developed, and he becomes the very thing that he set out to be. However, his character is flawed by the trauma he has endured. He scorns friendship and comradeship focussing totally on his ultimate goal. However, others are not willing to give up on him and eventually his comrades break through his barriers and he eventually forms long lasting bonds with those around him.
Winters masterfully interlaces a tale of comradeship, winning against the odds and determination in his story of Tau. However, be prepared! This is not a happy tale, and whilst there are light moments of friendship in the book, Winters does not shy away from the brutality of war and the cruelty that is rife amongst the socio-political structure that his characters inhabit. However, it is a dazzling story that will have you gripped, as I was from the very start.

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Book has themes I enjoy. Perseverance through great adversity. A bit different take on a fantasy world and an interesting plot. I liked the protagonist and other characters. Occasionally some parts were perhaps a bit too wordy but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Interesting world-building and a unique setting, but the training ended up being so very detailed that I was skimming through up to the last 100 pages roughly - I just don't enjoy descriptions of fight scenes much, and this was so very heavy on dry fighting choreography. 

Tau as a character was also frustrating, and claiming this society is a matriarchy seems bizarre since there's almost no female characters (and the few that exist only get mentioned to inspire rampages of revenge from guys - which is a disgusting trope). I'm willing to give the second book a chance, but damn, this was a slog at times. 

3.5 - This book, along with Red Rising, is captivating enough to keep you going as long as you ignore its treatment of female characters. If not used as plot devices or love interests, they are mentioned briefly at whore houses, to be used by soldiers to “entertain” themselves between battles.

Evan Winter I give you one more book to redeem your sexist undertone.

Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter delivers a powerful punch. The story of Tau, a warrior driven by vengeance in a brutal world, is both thrilling and emotional. Winter's descriptive writing brings the battles and characters to life, making you feel the desperation and determination in every fight.

Rage of Dragons hooks you from the start. Winter throws you into the heart of the conflict without delay, slowly revealing the brutal world Tau fights to survive in. The fast pace is perfectly complemented by the short sub-chapters, making it a quick and engaging read.

If you're looking for a gripping fantasy adventure with unforgettable characters, Rage of Dragons won't disappoint.

The Rage of Dragons is as action packed as any book I’ve read in my life. It was really well done and I was engrossed in it the whole time, but I wish that sometimes it just chilled out for a chapter and built a story outside of fighting. Tau is a frustrating main character at times, which I think is purposeful to show his flaws but sometimes he’s just plain stupid and he definitely doesn’t deserve Zuri. Although, if you just look at him as a fighter he’s perfect and the way the fight scenes are written make it so easy to visualize exactly what he looks like doing it. The ending sets it up well for him to grow in the sequel and although I don’t trust that he will, I’m excited to read it and find out.

This book was meh. I can see why everyone likes it, but his is my second time trying to read his book and while his time a finished it I was left wanting more from the book.

I think my issue is the revenge part of the story is a bit slow. I enjoyed the fight scenes and some of the character moments, but expected more from Tao than I got.

The magic system is fascinating and l would love to learn more about it.

The ending restored my hope in this book and I wish here was more moments with the same drive or energy throughout the rest of the book.

An okay book, nothing incredible.

Somewhat generic dystopian Chosen One revenge plot. It's an action-packed, fast paced, page turner, which is what I was looking for, but not so good I'd really recommend it to others. Never got that invested in the main character - I feel like the writing didn't build up the epic parts as much as they could have, and the stakes just felt a bit low overall.

A new favorite!

I haven't read this excellent of a debut book from a new author since Senlin Ascends. This is the type of innovation I love to see in fantasy; a story that branches into a new scope of ideas with characters that breathe vivacious lives that are believable. Besides writing fantastic characters, which is the greatest trait any fiction author should have, Winters illustrates his fight scenes incredibly well, perhaps some of the best I've seen.

By the time I'm writing this, I'm already halfway done with this book's sequel. I'm absolutely looking forward to more Evan Winters.

Loved this book so much I finished it in three days and that is unheard of for me.


Every time someone would describe this book, they would emphasize the fact that it's a military fantasy, and that they loved the book even though they didn't always like the main character. I, however, loved the main character. He didn't always make the best decisions for those around him, but his decisions were true to his character. I understood him and rooted for him the whole way. I can't wait to read book 2 so I can see how the world building will grow and how much Tao will develop as well.

I've had this book on my shelf for a long time. I bought both the ebook and audiobook knowing I will like it but sometimes, I just don't feel like reading hyped books and it's been languishing since. But now that I've decided I want to get through atleast some of the series I own in 2022, this was one of the first ones I decided to pick up. It helps that I have nothing else to do and can just immerse myself in it while recovering from Covid. And what an experience this turned out to be.

Except for a couple breaks, I listened to this at a single stretch. I just didn't wanna stop. But that's understandable because the book is relentless in every way possible. I'm so used to reading more character focused books that even when there are amazing action sequences, the ones I read aren't always that gritty (a major exception being the Poppy War trilogy which is all kinds of bloody). However, this book is about conflict and war and revenge. The fighting starts in the prologue and it goes on and on in some form or the other throughout. We have elaborate battles, competitive melees, personal duels, rage filled skirmishes - you think of it, and this book has that kind of an action sequence.

That's not to say it's all the book is about. Because it's the underlying causes for these fights that make us care enough to keep reading. The world building is not very expansive but we get to know enough about the history, the reasons for the never ending war between the Omehi and Hedeni, and the oppressive caste system within the Omehi which leaves the non-gifted commoners to get slaughtered first while protecting the powerful nobles. This is a story about one person's vengeance yes, but it's also about what that path can lead to, and what happens when people who have always been told they are lesser finally see signs that they may have been lied to. The audiobook narration is also very good and the narrator keeps the tension up and our adrenaline pumping with his very expressive style.

We mostly get only our main character Tau's POV and while it's not easy to like him, it's very easy to root for him. From someone who just wanted to get married to his childhood sweetheart and have a peaceful life, he is forced to become a warrior hell bent on revenge, but that transformation comes at a cost. He is one of the most determined characters I've probably ever read - he knows who he needs to kill, knows he isn't strong enough to do so, and he will forego every other aspect of his life to home his body and mind into a trained and capable fighter. The alternate subplots of his training montages and the fighting competitions really drove that point home about how much he is working towards his goal and how he is improving. It also means that he can be impulsive and reckless, and make decisions in the heat of the moment that affect not just his life, but of his comrades too. He puts himself through all kinds of horrors to be able to withstand his enemies but he never gains respite, and it was heartbreaking to see him encounter only more pain in his path.

There are many side characters but everyone's presence is muted because of how Tau towers above all. I could never get a handle on Zuri initially about what she wanted - I knew there was love between them but I also felt she wasn't able to truly understand his anguish. However, she is the only somewhat significant female character in the story and I hope we have more in the sequel because it was weird to not meet a lot of women in a world where they rule and they are the ones who are gifted with powers. Tau's friends in Scale Jayyed were all awesome characters too and I admired them for trying to keep him grounded and offering friendship even when he wasn't ready for it. Jayyed was another character I was fascinated by but wanted more of. And finally we get only a little glimpse of the queen but I can see she is formidable and hopefully we'll get to know her better in the next.

Overall, this was thrilling, fast paced, full of tension African inspired epic fantasy that will wow you with its truly epic battle scenes, and then make you feel all the pain that the characters are feeling. It's such an impressive debut and very unputdownable and I can totally see now why everyone loved it so much. I have only heard even better things about the sequel, so I'm sure I will love that too. The only question is whether I'll pick it up right away or put it off for later like I always do.

4.5

In Evan Winter's debut novel, we follow Tau, a young man of the Lesser caste who is being trained by his father to be a warrior. When his father is killed in a skirmish with the Noble caste, Tau sets his sights on revenge. With the backdrop of castes, dragons, demons, and the underworld, Tau must train to become the best fighter he can be to avenge his father.

I went into this book very wary. I had heard such mixed reviews. People either loved it or hated it. I ended up being in the former group. I was enthralled throughout this whole book. The main criticism I saw people giving about the book was the narrow-mindedness with which Tau sought revenge. He had no other motivations and made a lot of stupid decisions based on that drive. I 100% agree with all of that. But the world and the setting and the action were so amazingly done that I was still able to really enjoy reading this. I also think that by the end of this book, Tau's character really did evolve into something other than revenge, and it made for a very fulfilling ending.

The world building is spectacular. The way it was presented to the reader incrementally was extraordinary. The whole concept of using hell to call a dragon to your defense is so unique, and the way Tau uses Isihogo I thought was cleverly done. The hedeni's were two-dimensional at the beginning of the book, but by the end we really get to have a more well-rounded view of who they are. I'm sure we'll get even more of an explanation in the second book (which I've already requested from my library).

Overall, I really loved reading this book. The action, the world, the found family, and the characters all created a wonderfully woven story that I am so excited to continue.

TW: alcohol abuse, attempted rape, genocide, gore, misogyny, sexual assault, slavery, animal abuse, demons, amputation, murder, war, violence

Wow. All the stars for this book. It's been a long time since a book was written in such a way that made it super easy to convey the images in my head. The fighting scenes were amazing but my favorite had to be the Daaso Headtaker excerpt... I could see it, like a movie. I was her, I was seeing what she was seeing... and

I really tried to love this book. Unfortunately it was a disappointment.

The beginning had me hooked : the world-building was well-thought and worked on, I liked the idea of colonizing a new land with dragons, and the Gifted mechanics had a lot of potential.
Sadly it quickly turned into a revengeful-teenage-boy-who-goes-to-sword-school type of story, letting the originality of the world-building go to waste for most of the book. I would still have found the book okay-ish if not for Tau, which is the less likeable main character I have seen in a while.
He is immature, reckless and selfish, and seems able to make only stupid decisions. The worst part is that the character development goes backward : he keeps getting more selfish and stubborn, even though he is gifted with side characters who have an irrational amount of patience with him.

The narration is very, very descriptive, to the point where the reader never gets to be personal with the characters. Maybe I could have sympathised with some of Tau's decisions and behaviors if I had known how he felt at the moment ?
Thus a lot of aspects of the book seem unexploited. For example I could never determine if Tau even liked Zuri or if he only thought about her when he had nothing else to think about. His reaction at the end is so excessive compared to what happened in the whole book, I was like « Oh, I had no idea he liked her that much ».
He went to Isihogo multiple times and got to see demons even in the real world, but we don't know if he was afraid, or anxious, or did he ever doubt his own sanity ? Those real-world demons were only described as « Tau saw a demon instead of XX's face and had to blink it away ». Then proceed with the next sword fight without further consequences of Tau seeing demons.

The story is very linear and feels unfinished. Sword school takes a good 60% of the book and feels like a shounen manga : Tau gets stronger until he can face 10 enemies all by himself without breaking a sweat. The side characters are dull and are nothing more than Tau's sidekicks, their only use is to emphasize Tau's greatness. Tau doesn't even seem to consider their feelings : he does not feel any remorse or guilt when he causes the whole scale to fail a skirmish because of his recklessness. No friendship or relationship is grown during those endless pages of sword training.
Poor Jabari never even gets a thought even on the brink of death.

Some parts of the school system feel irrational : why would the Chosen train fighters for years to have them kill each other in skirmishes when they are at war and vastly outnumbered by the hedeni ?

I found this book frustrating because in my opinion it is a waste of good ideas : a lot could have been done with the social system, the war with the hedeni, the Chosen's past, their royalty, Isihogo, the demons, the dragons, etc. Instead we have another sword school book. The ending of this first volume lets me foresee nothing else than a full revenge series where Tau ends up killing the whole hedeni army by himself.

This book is INCREDIBLE!! I had to fight myself to put it down and actually sleep. The characters are brilliant and you cant help but feel every emotion with them!

Cannot wait to read Fires of Vengeance, great work Evan Winter

It reminds me a lot of The Way of Kings in that the main character is an underdog from a lower “class”, who strives to become as strong as the warrior nobles (a feat considered impossible).

However, unlike TWOK it only follows one character's perspective, and he spends all his time surrounded by dudes as they train together and fight against each other. Even though their society is supposed to be matriarchal, the only evidence of that is that people take their mother's surname. Beyond that I'm not really seeing anything different and would've liked the author to explore that aspect a bit more.

I think I did feel a bit disappointed that although the women have strength (they can summon dragons) they still need to be protected by the men, and the main female characters only seem to exist as potential love interests. I've probably been spoiled by the Priory of the Orange Tree!

Nonetheless it was still an enjoyable read though, would recommend for fantasy lovers.

Fast-paced, but still deep. A perfect criticism of classism wrapped up in one young man's quest for vengeance.

The battle scenes were well written and I didn't want to skim them to get back to the larger plot. There are several jaw dropping moments throughout the book and there is also a bit of a mystery that is revealed towards the end that I appreciated.

Highly recommend even if fantasy isn't a genre you normally read.

This was a powerful book. The Rage of Dragons is effectively a study in the power of class as a driver of prejudice, but taking a more african cultural bent to it in a fantasy setting. This puts it in an intriguingly unique position.

I have spent the last year trying to diversify my fantasy reading away from the standard European medieval fantasy setting that has historically dominated the genre, and Evan Winter provides a really intriguing twist on the African fantasy. He has created a civilization that is extremely stratified, with the nobles holding an extreme degree of privilege over those below them, which manifests in generally superior physical stature along with very biased rules. Our main protagonist (Tau) is someone from one of the lower classes whose family is destroyed by the casual prejudice of those from higher up the social spectrum, and this drives him to seek revenge.

This drive for revenge gives him the strength of will to push himself in training so that he can not only match but defeat his supposed betters. Most of this first novel focusses on this gladiatorial style training as he searches to find the nobles he feels that have wronged him. Tau ultimately finds himself being drawn into some of the political intrigue at the top of his society.

This is high fantasy with an intriguing voice. It is hard to believe this is a debut - it is a superbly crafted and well written story. Highly recommended

3,5 stars. I went up and down while I was reading it, but I gotta round it down.

The story of this is your average revenge story (that reminded me a bit of Arya Stark's) which I wasn't really invested in as the one guy he focuses on the most was very obviously the one least deserving of it. I liked basically anyone else better than our main character (Tau) and found him too selfish to care for. I liked it when other characters called him out on it though.

There are some really interesting parts in this. The cruelty at the start that shows you how evil the Nobles could actually be was great. I also liked Tau's unique way of training.

I just didn't love the world too much, and there was a bit too much fighting involving characters I couldn't remember or cared about. The only ones I found interesting were Uduak and Kellan.

While I was getting nearer to the end, I was debating whether I would check out the sequel, as apparently that has multiple POV's other than Tau's, which could maybe work in its favor. But the way the story ended, I'm not sure I'll be interested enough in the main story for it to be worth it.

What a bore! This should have been Zuri's story instead.

I can recommend this book. It's a tale of revenge threaded through the larger tale of a people warped by endless war. It's setting is fresh and interesting.

Four thumbs up. Why not three? Because I like symmetry.

This book is fantastic! I loved every minute of it. If you like fantasy, you have to read this.

Very good. Fantastic world-building and a unique setting! However I found while the beginning was very strong I lost interest in the middle but that's more of a personal preference thing rather than an actual fault; I'm not really a fan of anything that involves showing a lot of fighting so Tau's training started to lose me. Tau as a character was also quite frustrating, although I believe that was intentional. It did manage to grab me again in the end and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next! 3.5

It is unbelievable that this is a debut novel. I am blown away by this book, and I cannot recommend it enough.