Dragon’s Dust by Alfred Wohlmuth
Age 14+
Published 1/15/2017
“Hidden in the forgotten tunnels beneath the castle of Thorilleia lies an ancient book written by a powerful wizard. Two young men set out to find the book, which is said to contain a mysterious secret. Their journey takes them across rugged mountains and through dense forests where they encounter dangerous creatures and strange cultures. When they reach Thorilleia, they find themselves thrust into a pivotal role in a war between great kingdoms.
Loaded with action and unexpected twists, Dragon’s Dust is not just a quest for riches and power; it’s an adventure story where integrity, determination, and courage prevail in dire circumstances.
For readers who want an exciting, medieval adventure story—here it is! For readers looking for deeper meaning, Dragon’s Dust has timeless life lessons subtly woven into the tale. Although set in an imaginary world, the characters and the action are so convincing that they give the story a refreshing sense of realism. ” – From Amazon
The Review:
Mister Wohlmuth is old-school. We don’t normally comment on a book’s cover, but on this one we must. Too often do we see bad Photoshop covers in lieu of a more traditional hand drawn cover as we see on this book. Honestly, it is refreshing and the book inside feels every bit as good as we expected. It feels like late 70s/80s speculative fiction. The book is as described, where good triumphs over evil in the end. This is a refreshing change of pace for us, but it causes the book to fall short as when there is a sense of danger it is reduced an order of magnitude, as just like any popular movie, you know the good guy is going to win (no spoilers here, we swear).
In some ways, it reminds us of Piers Anthony’s work from the same period (we love Piers) and perhaps that nostalgia gives us some of the good feelings we get from this. Never the less, it is not without its faults in terms of development and pacing, but over all the story Mister Wohlmuth delivered here is a solid and commendable work. Our only real gripe is with the names, which would land top spots on a list of the most inventive yet awful names we have ever read. While we love Otok and Gyank (rhymes with Bank), we would have appreciated more attractive monikers.
The Rating: B+
Mister Wohlmuth impressed us to say the least and without a doubt, we would read this book again. Despite some of the odd naming conventions, we took a shine to them all, eventually. We couldn’t recommend this to anyone who doesn’t love old-school fantasy, but if you’re anything like us, you probably do. Dragon’s Dust is a darn fun read.
Want to read Dragon’s Dust: Part 1: The Book of Seregon (Volume 1)