Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton – Review

Published: July 2, 2019

Publisher: Tor Books

Series: Dragonslayer #1

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 304 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

Synopsis:

In his magnificent, heroic, adventure fantasy, Dragonslayer, Duncan M. Hamilton debuts the first book in a fast-moving trilogy: a dangerous tale of lost magics, unlikely heroes, and reawakened dragons.

Once a member of the King’s personal guard, Guillot dal Villevauvais spends most days drinking and mourning his wife and child. He’s astonished—and wary—when the Prince Bishop orders him to find and destroy a dragon. He and the Prince Bishop have never exactly been friends and Gill left the capital in disgrace five years ago. So why him? And, more importantly, how is there a dragon to fight when the beasts were hunted to extinction centuries ago by the ancient Chevaliers of the Silver Circle?

On the way to the capitol city, Gill rescues Solène, a young barmaid, who is about to be burned as a witch. He believes her innocent…but she soon proves that she has plenty of raw, untrained power, a problem in this land, where magic is forbidden. Yet the Prince Bishop believes magic will be the key to both destroying the dragon and replacingthe young, untried King he pretends to serve with a more pliable figurehead.
Between Gill’s rusty swordsmanship and Solene’s unstable magic, what could go wrong?

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If you’re looking for a traditional, “dragons are burning my village” style fantasy then you should probably check this out. This was a joyful return to a very traditional fantasy story with a little spin on it.

Guillot dal Villevauvais, though once the finest swordsman in the world and personal guard to the king, is now a drunken wastrel. Think fat Thor but in medieval clothes. Gill, as he’s called casually, has suffered through a series of unfortunate events from leaving the royal court in shame to the death of his wife and child and things aren’t getting better for him. Now he’s got a dragon at his doorstep and he’s been called back to the capital by the Prince Bishop. It seems like things just can’t get any worse. The other main POV in this book is that of Solène, who I also quickly grew to adore. She dreams of opening her own bakery one day, but when it’s discovered that she has magic she’s nearly burned at the stake. Only Gill’s timely arrival and sense of conscience saves her from becoming a human rotisserie. Once she arrives in the capital and is introduced to the Prince Bishop, she is quickly swept into his coterie. She’s a magical prodigy and the Prince Bishop wants her beholden to him.

This was such a great read, despite Gill’s tragic backstory and all the destruction associated with a dragon destroying the countryside. It’s full of political machinations, action, adventure, and good ol’ knights in shining armor. The characters were easy to love and even those who you might consider to be the bad guys aren’t totally detestable. It’s hopeful without being too much so and it has the feel of a grittier traditional fantasy story. Yes, it’s full of chivalry and honor, but it’s also got Gill about to keel over because he’s gotten chubby and out of shape after a decade of avoiding a sword. See – totally realistic.

*The audiobook narration was awesome and is the ONLY reason I could begin to pronounce Guillot dal Villevauvais.