Justin Sterling, a former lord from the 14th century, has lived
for centuries as an immortal. The price for his immortality is unswerving
service to an ancient entity known as the Dragon. Unfortunately, the Dragon has
required Justin to kill many innocent human beings to serve his secret purposes.
Justin has grown to detest this lifestyle but fears the repercussions of
disobeying the Dragon.
Sandra McCormick, a Chicago police detective, is a loner who is running from
a past filled with abuse. She has been assigned two seemingly baffling cases.
Both involve men (one a cop) murdered under extremely mysterious and gruesome
circumstances –- their still-beating hearts had been ripped from their chests.
Justin killed the cop and must now possibly eliminate Sandra before she
stumbles upon his secret. However, these two damaged individuals are about to
fall deeply in love. But the Dragon’s secrets must be protected at any cost.
If so ordered, how will Justin carry out the execution of a woman he cares
deeply about?
This book is so dark you practically need a miner’s lamp to read it! But
strap it on and light it up, because this book is definitely worth a read. It is
an interesting fusion between a gritty detective novel and a dragon fantasy
novel. Chicago is presented as a rainy, dirty city and the cops are what you
would expect in a dime novel from the 30’s. You almost feel damp yourself, as
the cops slog through the dark, wet streets trying to solve the gruesome
murders.
Justin is a true anti-hero in the tradition of Thomas Covenant from the
Donaldson novels. However, Justin is even more difficult to warm up to than
Covenant because he has been committing grisly murders for centuries. However,
by the end of the book, I started to feel a little sympathetic towards him. I
expect he should become more likable in future volumes if we can forget that he
has been a cold-blooded murderer for centuries!
The novel's premise, regarding dragons being driven from the world to some
day return again, is unique and refreshing. This is not your run of the mill,
copycat fantasy novel. The prose is very descriptive but flows smoothly and
makes the book a quick read. You could easily read it in one sitting although I
broke it up into two sessions. But beware! The book is billed as book 1 of a
series. This volume does not neatly wrap up the plot threads at the end. In
fact, it actually raises more questions than it answers, necessitating the
purchase of the next volume to obtain some needed closure. However, there is no
sign yet of a second volume from the authors. Hopefully, it will be published
soon, because I definitely want see how this story progresses.
