It’s been a while since I’ve delved into High Fantasy. This type of fiction is the legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien – fantasy tales with an epic scope set in a world of elves, dwarves, and men. It’s the fantasy I grew up with crafted by Tolkien’s successors: Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, and, more recently, Brandon Sanderson. After reading Of Blood and Fire by Irish author Ryan Cahill, I’m beginning to think you can add his name to that list.
As far as High Fantasy goes, Of Blood and Fire hits all the right notes. The story’s hero, Calen Bryer, is an eighteen-year-old son of a blacksmith living in the Gale, a quaint village on the edge of Ölm Forest. He and his two friends, Dann and Rist, soon find themselves caught up in an adventure that could decide the fate of their realm. And like many a fantasy hero, Calen harbors a secret that will force him to become a savior in the conflict at the heart of this epic tale.
Cahill has created a rich fantasy world called Epheria, and dragons are at the center of it all. Centuries ago, the land was protected by The Order, a legion of dragon riders called the Draleid – men and women, both elvish and human, whose souls are magically bound to their dragons. All was well in the world until a seemingly immortal mage named Fane Mortem destroyed The Order from within by convincing most of the Draleid to betray their brothers and sisters. This event, called The Fall, destroyed most of the world’s dragon eggs. It also allowed Fane to establish the Lorian Empire, which has ruled the land of Epheria for hundreds of years. But one dragon egg still exists, and both the forces of good and evil desire it.
The story takes off when Calen, Dann, and Rist encounter an older warrior named Aeson and his two sons. Aeson, it turns out, is one of the Broken, a Draleid who lost his dragon at some point during or after The Fall. He is also hundreds of years old, adept at magic, and the friend to Asius, one of the Jotnar – benevolent giants who, along with the dwarves and the elves, oppose Fane and his empire.
Aeson also happens to possess the last dragon egg, and he thinks he’s found its Draleid – the one who will be bound to the young dragon for life. The coming of the next Draleid becomes the focal point of the story. And even though it has a familiar Jedi-type feel to it all, it is classic High Fantasy, and Cahill nails all the tropes.
Among those are the villains. While Fane, like Sauron, is left for a later book, his servant, Farad Kyrana, one of the Draleid who betrayed The Order, is a worthy antagonist whose role in the series will likely increase as the story unfolds. But there is also a wraith-like creature called a Fade, another of Fane’s servants, who becomes the central villain in this act of the series, titled The Bound and the Broken.
It’s hard to believe Of Blood and Fire was Cahill’s debut novel. He is an author of considerable talent who crafted a well-paced and exciting fantasy epic deserving of its place in Amazon’s bestseller ranks. Fans who miss Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons will get a new wyrm to root for and enjoy a colorful cast of characters, including noble heroes, wise mentors, elvish wizards, brave dwarves, and suitable villains. And like George R.R. Martin, Cahill does not shy away from offing his characters, including some I found myself pulling for.
Suffice it to say, I’m a fan. I’ve already started the sequel, Of Darkness and Light, and look forward to the third book in this epic later this year.