BOOK REVIEW | ZENDRAGON | GORDON PRESTON

Today, I join ZOOLOO’S BOOK TOURS to bring you this review of ZENDRAGON by GORDON PRESTON. 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

** WINNER OF THE 2020 OZMA AWARD FOR HEROIC FANTASY **

"An engaging mix of fantasy, spiritual discourse, and B-movie action." KIRKUS REVIEWS

The Dragonsoul Cycle fuses high-adrenalin superhero style like Batman Begins or Star Wars with eastern mysticism and old school Tolkienesque fantasy iconography. The story is propulsively paced, with morally complex drama like Game of Thrones, but remains idealistic amidst the sorrow and darkness. 

The land of Shidokan is plagued by demons, servants of the dark god Akumaru. The blademaster Winteru wages a one man war against demons, driven by sorrow to seek revenge - but revenge can't kill his own pain. He joins an order of mystic martial artists called the Zendragons, but they believe obsession with revenge is damnation. Can Winteru put revenge aside in order to protect an innocent girl who is being hunted by power-hungry men, or will his dark obsession doom her?

The peaceful kingdom of Garderon is invaded by Shidokan samurai through a magic portal. Winteru joins a group of heroes who seek to close the portal and end the war. But first they must cross the realm and run the gauntlet of devil worshiping secret agents seeking their destruction. The riftblade has the power to close the portal, but to get it they must defeat the dragon Teraxion. Teraxion has his own plans for the riftblade, plans of treachery and conquest. Will the heroes differences tear their group apart, or can a helpless ghost change their destiny and save them from doom.

REVIEW

So, I was initially sent this book by Zooloo's book tours. However, I did actually buy the book for my Kindle. 

I have to say that initially, I thought I was going to like this book with its mix of action, fantasy and mysticism. It reminded me of an anime story. However, unfortunately I had to put the book aside for a while and then come back to it.

I appreciated world building and the background to the religious ideologies in the world that Gordon Preston has built, and let me tell you they are intricate. There are some good action scenes scattered throughout the book, and a very good use of Japanese mythology, but at times I did find that there were long passages about the religions and mysticism throughout the book which for me affected the pacing at times.In addition to this, the large cast of characters affected me a little, and there were many times that I would be wondering who this person was or what that person had to do with the story. 

I then went back to the book a little later and enjoyed it much more. It’s a book that takes a little time to read as the book demands your full attention. 

Preston has spent inordinate amounts of time researching the culture, religion and the society associated with Japan in its feudalistic era and this shows in the complex and intricate world building. There is an obvious passion for the subject and can at times appear to be more of a historic fantasy rather than a secondary world.

In addition to the anime feel that I got for the book, there were other elements of eastern cinema that I could pick up, such as Wushu. 

I enjoyed the main character’s journey throughout the book, from being an angry and vengeful warrior who gets shown that calmness and the meticulous centring of spirit is a better weapon than the use of force for forces sake. 

Ultimately, Zendragon is an enjoyable mix of mysticism, epic fantasy and eastern cinema action.