Book Review
of Drasmyr promoted by Bewitching Book Tours
Book
Synopsis:
Drasmyr
By Matthew D Ryan
In a world of wizards and
vampires a clever man may make a fortune. But hunting the undead is no small
task, as Coragan the bounty hunter will soon find out. He will need all his
wits and the help of his comrades to succeed this time. Together, they must pit
themselves against a creature so old time itself bends knee, an ancient vampire
by the name of Lucian val Drasmyr. Read Drasmyr, a dark fantasy novel by
Matthew D. Ryan.
We vampires
do not make easy prey. Our weaknesses are few, our strengths many. Fear is
something we do not know, and death but a distant memory. So tread softly, pray
to your god, and gird yourself with silver when the moons arise and night’s
dark prince awakens. We fear not the wizard, nor the warrior, neither rogue,
nor priest; our strength is timeless, drawn from darkness and we know no master
save the hot lust of our unending hunger. We long for blood, your blood and no
blade, nor spell, nor clever artifice, can keep us long from our prize. Feel
our teeth at your throat, your life ebb from you, and know as darkness comes to
claim you that the price of your folly is your everlasting soul.
Author’s
Smashwords Page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/matthewdryan
Author
Information:
Matthew D. Ryan is a published author
living in upstate New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. He has a background
in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. He also has a black belt in
the martial arts and studies yoga. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy
genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. He believes
he saw the legendary Lake Champlain Monster (a.k.a Champy) once and he has a
cat named Confucius.
Website: http://www.matthewdryan.com
Twitter: MatthewDRyan1
Twitter: MatthewDRyan1
- MatthewDRyan1: RT @Bookgal: How To Sell Self-Published Books: Read This First http://t.co/sJW1uC2M
- MatthewDRyan1: RT @Bookgal: 5 tips for a successful book event: http://t.co/ApP2uxxm @curiosityquills RT @elizabethscraig
- MatthewDRyan1: Shapeshifting owl is seven separate flavors of awesomesauce http://t.co/JEoSqO8M via @speechwriterguy
- MatthewDRyan1: Fantasy Literature Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire http://t.co/qnhun56u
- MatthewDRyan1: RT @FantasyFaction: Amy Rose Davis continues her look at literaty devices: http://t.co/KKLp4jzR
Facebook: Facebook
profile
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/matt-ryan/34/862/877
Blog: http://www.atoasttodragons.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/matt-ryan/34/862/877
Blog: http://www.atoasttodragons.com
Book Excerpt:
The door swings inward.
A grey haired man in pale yellow robes stands in the doorway, one hand on the
handle the other on the doorframe. “The master wishes not to be distur—”
Stepping forward with
hands extended, I snap the man’s neck with a violent twist, then turn toward
Arcalian. “Greetings, wizard.” The body drops to the floor.
With a startled yelp,
Arcalian leaps back from his desk. “Lucian, you’re ali—”
“My dear friend, I have
not been alive for a thousand years. You of all people should be aware of
that.” I step slowly and deliberately past the robed man’s body.
With obvious effort,
Arcalian regains his composure. He sinks slowly back into his chair and rests
his elbows on the oak desk, his hands folded beneath his chin. The tome splayed
out before him is thick and leather-bound. The oil lamp flickers in a draft and
the mage’s shadow dances across the wall. “You have killed Aristoceles.”
My hand motions to the
doorway. “And your guard. Their deaths amused me.”
“The guard will be easy
to replace, but Aristoceles may prove more difficult.”
“Oh really, why is that?
He didn’t smell particularly strong.” I fold my arms across my chest; there is
no rush to kill this man. Indeed, it is enjoyable watching his discomfort grow.
“What use was he to you?”
The wizard makes an
explanatory gesture with his left hand. “Very little in the magical sense, he
was always more interested in philosophy than the true arts of sorcery. But he was
naive enough to be considerably loyal to me, and he had a knack for many things
others might find difficult.”
I glance down at the
crumpled body. “Philosophy? If I had known, I could have made him immortal.
Many a lonely night have I spent pondering the mysteries of the universe. It
might prove amusing to have someone who thinks he is learned in such affairs to
talk to. Could you imagine, though, an immortal vampire wandering the world
spending half his time drinking blood and the other half trying to justify his
existence as a murderer of men? I’m sure the emotional turmoil would be
agonizing, far more so than any caused by any one of his ridiculous paradoxes,
be it on place, motion, or the meaning of time.”
“Lucian, my friend,”
Arcalian says, leaning back in his chair, “you always seem to amaze me with
your knowledge of things both common and obscure. Are you truly as well-read as
you seem?” He masks his fear well, but the smell of magic has a new companion,
the odor of human sweat. A lonely bead of perspiration dripping from the
wizard’s brow betrays the man’s true feelings.
“A thousand years leaves
one ample time to read.”
“I suppose it does. I am
curious, however. Something you suggested intrigues me. If you were to change
my friend into a vampire—”
“It is too late. He is
dead and I didn’t even bite him.”
“Yes, but if he were to
become a vampire would he retain that much of his original identity? Would he
still be a philosopher in mind, yet a vampire in body?”
“I’m not really sure.
It’s been so long since I was mortal, I truly don’t remember.”
“It’s a shame that you
killed him so quickly, perhaps if you had been more patient.”
This discussion is
growing tedious. It will be best if I end it. “It doesn’t matter, I can always
find another philosopher if I become overly curious. Perhaps even a mage.”
Arcalian’s lips thin and
his complexion pales. Nevertheless, he still tries to continue the charade. “A
mage? What an interesting idea. Imagine, a vampire with the power of magic at
his beck and call...”
“Don’t worry. It won’t
be you. I intend to kill you outright. I don’t like you enough to give you that
much power. The woman you sent to destroy me, though, she, I intend to keep.”
Arcalian looks at me
with a forcibly puzzled expression on his face. There is a hint of panic in his
eyes. “The woman I sent… I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Come now, don't you
remember? She had blond hair, blue eyes, and a magical sword capable of
severing my head. And I mustn’t forget her companion—the small dark-haired
fellow with the wooden stakes—awfully handy to have around when you’re hunting vampires. They almost succeeded too, but
tragically, they were running just a little late. Imagine my surprise this
evening when I awoke to the grating sound of my own coffin being opened. Well,
the rogue now wears his favorite stake, and the woman... she is now my bride!
Do you remember now?”
“You are mistaken. I...
have no knowledge of these... things.” He makes a furtive glance toward the
wand lying beside the book on his desk, within easy reach if I moved as slowly
as a mortal.
“Mistaken? I think not.
‘Lucian, you’re alive!’ Your performance at my entrance has already convicted
you of your crime.” I place both my hands on his desk and lean toward him,
snarling. “And with no court at hand, I am forced to pass judgment myself.” I
straighten locking my eyes with his.
With human slowness, he
makes a lunge for his wand. I too lunge, hurling his desk aside like a
desiccated leaf in the autumn wind. My left hand clasps his right and twists it
back almost to the point of breaking but not quite, not yet. He gasps in pain
and a bolt of energy unleashed from the wand goes awry to reduce a far
bookshelf to a smoking ruin.
“Before I send you to
the grave, old friend, I need to know one thing. Who else amongst your
scholarly kindred have you told of my existence? Answer me!”
Book Review:
Initially I was a bit
confused as the book moves back and forth between the minds of Coragan and
Drasymr. Once I got used to the voice
used for each character it was fairly easy to tell when the author moved from
one character to the other. But
initially I was a bit confused when the bounty hunter started talking about
being hunted and having a girl trying to shoot him. Eventually I realized it was Drasymr, the
vampire. That helped clear a lot of
things up.
The book is a different
take on the vampire story, a much darker and more evil vampire. This book was
much more along the lines of Frankenstein or what I think Dracula would be
like, with the creepy evil guy and the twist making you look over your
shoulder. When my kids were little we
took my daughter on the haunted house ride at Disneyland. It scared her to death and she was convinced
the ghost followed her home; I’m going to be looking over my shoulder for
vampire for a while. That’s the sign of
a good book.
I happily give this book
4 out of 5 clouds.
