Spoiler Free Summary: Dragon Strike by E.E. Knight is the fourth story in the Age of Fire series. Three dragons separated shortly after hatching are reunited as the coming human war causes them to pick sides. Once more the copper finds himself at odds with his siblings, but is he really on the wrong side this time, or are they?
Character: This book probably won’t make any sense before reading at least one of the previous three. You see, the brilliance of writing three individual timelines is now balanced in that this story is strongest when one has read the three previous books. Only by doing so can one truly appreciate the growth and development of these characters. I happened to have read all the other books first, so this book felt like a fulfilled promise to me. I highly advise new readers to do the same. This book picks up expecting readers to have connected with each dragon, and that’s a disadvantage. At this point, I was particularly interested to see how far the dragons would take their childhood rivalry. More interestingly is the other biases these dragons developed as they grew. Each had become a main character in their own book, but when their values are put at odds with those of their siblings and the world in which they live, things get interesting.
Exposition: A part of me feels like this book needed a bit more exposition. I only say that because I feel this book depends on readers having enjoyed at least one of the other books. A touch of exposition would have absolutely slowed the pace of the book down, but it would have given new readers more context. I can’t necessarily say it was a bad thing; I only affirm that I even I, someone who hates exposition, would have understood a bit more exposition in this book.
Worldbuilding: What knight loses in his exposition and character, he regains in his worldbuilding. Again, this book felt like a fulfilled promise. We’ve spent three books watching these dragons grow and find some sort of path, and Knight then puts them right back at odds with each other just as the world is in a terrible state of it’s own. It really was cool to see everything come together.
Dialogue: I’d say Knight finds a consistent rhythm in this book. It’s still not as good as the dialogue in book 2, but it is good. Each dragon has a distinct voice (even other characters). So while I know there’s better work from Knight out there in this regard, the quality of this story’s dialogue is still entertaining and informative.
Description: When we have a book with more action, this tends to pick up as well. This is true of this book. Strike is a set up story, but even in that regard the description comes to life in a way that captures the imagination.
Overall: I still say the third book is best, but that doesn’t make this book bad. I just think the reason I love this book so much is because of the job Knight did in book 3. This story gave me everything I wanted it too, so it holds a special place in my heart because Knight used this book to fulfill all the potential the first three books offered. Again, if you love coming of age stories and dragons, you’ll absolutely love this story about dragons coming of age.
Thanks for reading
Matt
M.L.S. Weech 