This was a weird one for me. I expected to like it but it just felt very flat and boring. If I had to sum it up in one word it would be generic. I honestly can't pinpoint why but I couldn't connect or care for any of the characters in the slightest and combining that with a so-so plot just makes me completely disinterested in the story. Gorgeous cover art though I will say that. ( )

There are super mega SPOILERS HERE… I must start by saying that I love fantasy books. Also, I rarely if ever leave a review of a tree star or bellow. However, this story has so much potential I would be remiss not to give a few words. Duncan, you are a great storyteller. I read your book almost in one sitting. I was until 2:00 AM last night trying to get to know what happened to Gill and Sólene. You did an excellent job showing me the PTSD of Gill. However, these are things I found that made me want to slap you.

The story starts with a dragon that out of nowhere and for no explained reason it appears. The Dragons are supposed to be extinct, so where this one dragon has been hiding? There was no obvious explanation. Why then the Dragon comes back? We don’t know. My issue with this, how in the world such a massive thing could be hiding for so many years? It is a fantasy, so I am assuming magic. Okay, I buy that, although I am not made aware of it.
The story continues until the dragon is dead. In the first book, Gill kills the dragon, and old fart of a man, a drunk that has not had much training in the last years suddenly gets up and kills a dragon. I am a veteran, and when you are low in energy and not well trained, you can’t even take on a kitten. But this is a fantasy; I am willing to go with it.
The hero (Gill) is going from ZERO to a hero in a flash. He is a man with PTSD to a warrior. Again, once a Soldier always a Soldier, that part is right.
He used to be some type of noble a Baron or barennet or baronet, a swordsman at the service of the king. Again, a noble as a personal guard is a little bit low in the totem pole, but I am willing to go with it. But the stretch is, I don’t get the reasons why he has lost everything? Come on, Duncan, throw me a bone. You are expecting me to believe too much just by faith.
So, the man tries to live with the loss of his wife and son by turning into a drunk, (Duncan, if you want me to feel empathy for Gill give me something because it is not clear what happened to them).
Now, Gill is supposed to be the last of the Chevalier of the Silver Circle which were supposed to hunt and slay dragons. What happened to the others?
If the Prince Bishop hates Gill so much why bring him back? The man is a drunkard. Feed him more Alcohol, and he will die with liver failure. Oh, but Prince Bishop needs Gill to kill the dragon, got it.
If Magic is forbidden, then why Prince Bishop is the ruler of a new magical order which will replace the Chevaliers of the Silver Circle. Why not have them kill the Dragon?
But now we have Sólene, a mighty mage woman; Gill saved from being killed. But she doesn’t know she has that much power, but out of the blue and without any training she kills enemies with her magic,
And how she learns to give Gill stamina to slay the dragon It is a mystery. Either she knows how to use the magic or not. You must pick one.

Do not get me wrong I read the story in two days, and that does not happen often. And I will be looking for the next book in the series, to see if some of these questions get some answers. But there are some gaping holes in the story, or maybe they are intended mini-cliffhangers. Writers do these little tricks and unanswered questions to leave us guessing, and wow am I guessing with this story. BUT the guessing was way too much for me. Duncan, please eyes on the details because I found a few lingering issues. I did enjoy the story a lot. Hurry with the second book.

P.S.
After reading The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, I decided to reread Dragonslayer. I have to increase my rating for this book. My level of enjoyment of this book was far greater than The Blade Itself. Again, I want to know what happened to Gill so that is a good thing. I do not care even to finish The Blade Itself. ( )

This was a medieval fantasy, set in its own world, that I didn’t get too many details from if it weren’t for the map at the front of the book. But those details didn’t seem pertinent so it didn’t bother me until I was retelling to a friend.
It’s been while since I’ve read a dragon narrator so this was a welcome addition.
I really enjoyed the plot and went in knowing this was the debut of a new trilogy, so I have high expectations of what is to follow.
It was a little but if a slow build but the characters and plot was introduced really well and built the anticipation for what was to come.

The writing style was easy to digest and not too wordy or hard to pronounce. I believe the world was quite European based so the names of people and places were not difficult to pronounce.

I’m not sure if this works was entirely new or if the authors other work are set in the same place, I would be interested to find out.

One of the main characters, Gill, struggled with alcohol addiction, but it never felt like a touchy topic to me and more like you expect to see in characters like pirates, retired knights and cowboys- coming with the territory.

I enjoyed this book and the plot- it didn’t blow me away but was a solid fantasy novel to get into! ( )

An expedition deep in the mountains, searching for a mysterious artefact, finds far more than they expect. They find this world's last living dragon, waking him from his centuries long slumber. In the time he has slept, humans turned their backs on magic, and are only now returning to its use. The last that Alpheratz remembers is humans hunting down his kind and butchering them. So he responds with aggression at these new invaders. Once he learns he is the last of his kind, he vows vengeance, and begins attacking human settlements.

To deal with the new threat, once renowned, now disgraced master swordsman Guillot dal Villerauvais, last of the Chevaliers of the Silver Circle, is sent after it. But Gill has had more practise lifting a wine bottle than a sword these past five years, and though the original Chevaliers were the dragonslayers of old, they were imbued with magic long since forbidden. What hope does Gill possibly have against a creature out of legend?

Guillot is an excellent antihero. The kind I always fall for. He's not a bad man. He's broken and hurting still over the loss of his family, and a deep betrayal. I just want to hug him, to stuck the broken pieces back together. Once a master swordsman, Gill has lost much of his skill thanks to turning to wine in an effort to numb the intense emotional pain. That all changes when a beast not seen for a millenium wakens and begins terrorising the countryside. As the last Chevalier of the Silver Circle, Gill is charged with killing the creature.

After Gill, or equal to, Alpheratz is my favourite character. He, too, is suffering from intense pain, and the loss of his family. For centuries on end, he slept after being wounded in battle. When meddling humans accidentally awaken Alpheratz, he kills them. His last memory is of humans attacking him. Fully awake, the great dragon goes to find his mate, or any of his kin. Find her he does, in her mountain cave. A pile of bone stripped of scales, horns, teeth, and claws. Desecrated. And beyond her body, the remains of their egg clutch, all destroyed.

This was soooooo sad! I wanted to soothe Alpheratz too! And his story made me loathe the humans in this book in general. Reflecting our own world, these humans found a source of energy/power they just had to use and abuse. They used magic willy-nilly, and drained it from areas, killing trees, plants, etc, in the places they drew heavily upon. They started invading the dragons' territories, slaughtering those defending their lands, using magic to do so. It sickened my heart that these humans just took what they wanted, butchering the indigenous beings who objected to this theft. These humans committed genocide, pure and simple.

I adored the French influences in the story. From people and place names, to even some of the dragon mythology. I can't wait for the next book! If you love stories of dragons, be sure to check this awesome read out!

***Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing a hardcopy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Also reviewed via Netgalley. Reviewed for JBN Book Tours. ( )

"Dragonslayer" is an epic adventure fantasy series. A dragon appears from nowhere after they believed they were extinct. Gill, a drunk old man, who hasn't trained in years is now faced with having to go kill the dragon or does he?

Hamilton created some relatable characters. "Dragonslayer" mainly focuses on Guillot (Gill) a banneret who had previously been one of the greatest swordsmen of the kingdom and champion of the king. He is a retired king's personal guard. He suffers from PTSD. He retired because of the death of his wife and son, his ex-friendship with the Prince Bishop. After retiring he turned to alcohol. We see him struggle with alcoholism. is one lazy drunk who can be very rude and stubborn. It isn't explained why he lost everything. Gill is supposed to be the last of the Chevalier of the Silver Circle which are people who hunt and slay dragons. Don't know why he is the only one left.

When a dragon rampages through the kingdom Gill pulls himself together to help his king and kingdom. Prince Bishop is the ruler of a new magical order which is replacing the Chevaliers of the Silver Circle. He needs Gill to kill the dragon.

Gill ends up saving Solene, a strong, confident, and charismatic woman who has no clue she has a lot of magical powers. She has magic and his being looked at like a witch. In this medieval timeframe, magic was illegal. Gill calls out the villagers, shaming them for their deeds and raising a few questions in his rescue of the young woman. Solene shrugs off this horrid event. She not only returns the favor in saving Gil's life but in demanding her place in his quest. Gill has huge growth in the book unlike a lot of the other characters in the story.

Hamilton does a great job in inserting his mysterious tragic backstory. Hamilton's writing at times doesn't explain the characters in depth or their memories. It is hard to understand why the characters are the way they are because of not much depth. He humanized the dragons by giving them purpose and emotion. He allows us to develop sympathy from cheering on the deaths of these monsters to mourning the loss of these magnificent beasts.

There is a map included on the inside of the book. It was sort of helpful, but I still had a hard time understanding the world they live in. didn't know much about the country and towns.

His writing style had some great twists and snappy dialogue. The pacing moves pretty well. There were a couple of spots at the beginning that moved a little on the slower side. The book has many unanswered questions. I am looking forward to the second book of this series in hopes of getting some of the questions I have answered. Sometimes I find authors leave gaps in the story to get the reader to get the next book. This is a story about redeeming oneself and taking responsibility to make things better. Self-pity isn't the answer it will just make everything worse. I really enjoyed this medieval fantasy story. It was a lot of fun to read. I am looking forward to the second book in his series.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Jean Nerd Book all opinions are my own. ( )