Book Review: The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Simon451 (July 19, 2016)
Length: 336 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I’d wanted to read The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power for a long, long time—I’d say pretty much from the moment I first read its description and glimpsed that stunningly gorgeous cover. For one thing, the fact that my love for dragons can only be matched by my love for seafaring fantasy definitely helped turn this book into instant catnip for my senses. Needless to say, my expectations were ultra-high going in. And I just really want to let that be known, in the hopes that maybe my mixed feelings at the end can be better understood.
We begin The Dragon Round with an introduction to the crew of the Comber, a merchant ship captained by Captain Jeryon, one of this story’s main characters. Like most experienced skippers, Jeryon got to be where he is by playing it smart and playing it by the book. His priority is to get his cargo to its destination, avoiding any and all trouble if possible, and so when trouble comes in the form of a dragon in the sky, Jeryon’s first instinct is to leave the creature be, hoping that it will ignore the Comber and go happily on its way. However, some of his crew members disagree, eyeing the dragon for its parts as extra prizes to bring home.
Unsurprisingly, the ensuing encounter with the dragon ends in disaster. Jeryon is overthrown by his mutinous crew and given “the captain’s chance”: to be cast off in a small boat with no rudder, no sails, and no provisions—simply left to the mercy of the seas. For taking Jeryon’s side, the ship’s healer Everlyn also receives the same fate. The two of them end up marooned on a desert island, with no way to escape. Fortunately, the island is abundant with food and water, and can sustain them for a long time, but with the desire for revenge still in his heart, Jeryon is not willing to give up so easily.
One day, Jeryon and Everlyn are exploring when they suddenly come across a dragon nest and witness something no human has ever seen before—a baby dragon hatching from its egg. The two of them decide to raise the tiny female dragonling, which they dub “Gray”, hoping that someday she will eventually grow large enough to carry them off the island. At least, that was the original plan, until Everylyn realizes that Jeryon has a lot more in mind.
To tell the truth, I’m really torn on how to feel about this book. I certainly loved the maritime aspect, and I also have this soft spot for desert island stories—Castaway, Robinson Crusoe, The Blue Lagoon, you name it. I can understand why some people might find them boring, but I’ve always found the survival element of them exciting. I thought the first half of this book was incredibly well done, captivating me with that explosive opening scene featuring the battle between the dragon and the Comber. Then came the on board tensions as Jeryon and Everlyn were sentenced to their cruel fate, their subsequent struggle to stay alive while floating adrift on the open ocean, and finally their arrival to the island where they learned how to build shelter and hunt for food. The two characters carried the story nicely, and I enjoyed their easy relationship and banter as they adjusted to their new reality. Things only got better when they essentially became parents to a baby dragon. Even from the start, Everlyn was the more doting one, treating Gray like a beloved pet. In contrast, Jeryon took to training Gray with a strong hand, because in his mind the dragon is also a deadly weapon.
I also adore revenge stories, and Jeryon is undoubtedly a character deserving of justice. What I found interesting though, is how my perception of him changed over time. I notice that a lot of revenge stories typically work by drumming up sympathy for the aggrieved, so that the reader can connect with their cause and cheer them on. The Dragon Round is different in that respect, showing how a thirst for vengeance can in fact twist a character to the point where they become altogether off-putting and distasteful.
I think this is where things started becoming shaky for me. Thing is, I didn’t actually mind Jeryon’s transformation from an upright captain with sense of honor to a deplorable bloodthirsty vigilante, but I do wish we had been with him for more of that process.
For you see, the second half of the book felt completely different from the first. Just as Jeryon begins his mission to hunt down all his past crew members who betrayed him, the story abruptly switches tack, taking us back on land where the plot also shifts its focus to the power struggles and political conspiracies happening within Hanosh. Not only do we see a change in setting, the narrative also changes a whole new set of character perspectives. Jeryon and Gray are relegated to the background, becoming incidental characters, and poor Everlyn feels almost entirely forgotten.
In a lot of ways, The Dragon Round felt like two books in one because its two halves are just so different. I definitely enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second, and it’s a shame that the excitement and wonder from the beginning didn’t carry through to the end, or I would have enjoyed this novel a lot more. There’s no denying some of the fantastic ideas here, but I just couldn’t embrace the book’s overall structure.
Overall, I had a good time with The Dragon Round, though a part of me also feels it could have been so much more. Still, if nothing else, the first half of the book made everything worth it, with Power proving himself as an excellent wordsmith and talented world-builder. I would be curious to see where his writing takes him next.
The BiblioSanctum 
It sounds interesting in a whole but it’s too bad that it wasn’t a bit more for you.
LikeLike
Yeah, I wish there had been more consistency between the two halves of the book.
LikeLike
I enjoy revenge-oriented plots as well (when I don’t stop to think what that says about me, of course… 😀 ) but I’m not sure about a character that becomes so obsessed with his revenge that he transforms into a villain… But I’m still intrigued enough to give this one a chance – thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
Revenge plots are cool! 🙂 I wouldn’t even mind a character that lets it twist them so much it turns into a villain, in fact I find that somewhat intriguing…but I would need to feel some connection with them!
LikeLike
I’ve had that happen too, where a book has felt like two different books. Too bad it happened to this book, I’ve also been looking forward to it for months. But I do plan on reading it, the story still sounds too good to pass up!
LikeLike
It’s definitely worth it! I wish the second half read more like the first half though!
LikeLike
Wow…I can definitely understand your feelings here. I think I’d feel exactly the same way from what you described. The first half sounds super appealing to me but the second half seems like the book looses it’s way more or less. I was really excited about reading this but now I’m a bit more hesitant. Yours isn’t the only middling review I’ve read for it. I suppose I’ll have to think on it some more…
LikeLike
Yeah, it seems there are mixed reactions about this one, and for a lot of different reasons. I’d be curious to see what you think if you get a chance to read this! 🙂
LikeLike
That’s a shame that the last half wasn’t better. Odd how it he second half was so different from the beginning. I like revenge stories, but I have to like the guy or what’s the point? I’ve started and stopped this one three times now, I just haven’t been in the mood.
LikeLike
Yeah, if the beginning didn’t grab you I don’t know if the rest would. The main character felt very different by the end. I didn’t mind not liking the guy so much, since I can come to enjoy flawed characters – but I felt like I needed more in order to understand his motivations.
LikeLiked by 1 person
*waves*
Perhaps
LikeLike
Yep, I would say this is a “maybe” – who knows, it might work for you!
LikeLike
*takes note of this for my dragon-obsessed sister* Dragons always win her over, pretty much no matter what.
LikeLike
If your sister enjoys dragon books in general, and won’t mind what shape or form they come in, then yes, do tell her to check this one out!
LikeLike
I think this has a lot of positives going for the story but for me it loses something along the way. Maybe it’s trying to be too many things rolled into a short space and I didn’t really figure that out until reading your review but it really helped me to focus on that aspect. There is a dragon story, a maritime story, a story of revenge, a Robinson Crusoe story – even a train your dragon! I think it’s fine to have all those aspects but it perhaps needed more time to develop them. And, like you, Jeryon, well, he becomes a little bit unlikable and his actions very questionable. I can understand a story of revenge but this wasn’t one of those stories where you feel good for Jeryon getting his own back.
Lynn 😀
LikeLike
I think you’re on to something. I enjoyed all the individual elements, but perhaps they weren’t incorporated into the story as well as they could have? There was a sense that not everything really fit well together, so I definitely know what you mean.
LikeLike
The first half of the story sounds great but I am not sure about the change in the second half. I hate when authors do that because it tend to threw me off completely of the book. Last time it happened to me, it was with Inda by Sherwood that I ended up DNFing
LikeLike
Haha, I’m too stubborn to DNF, but I can see how something like that would prompt someone to throw in the towel. If I were less anal about finishing every book I start, I probably would have been tempted to set this one aside for later.
LikeLike
This sounds interesting, but I don’t have the best of luck with dragon stories. Not sure if they’re just not my thing or if I just read a few dull ones. (One of those books was The Hobbit, so I’m thinking they just might not be my thing).
LikeLike
Haha, how can you not like dragon stories?! That’s it! We can’t be friends anymore (just kidding 😛 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL I keep trying to like them. They’re just not working for me. 😦
LikeLike
Pingback: Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads | The BiblioSanctum