The Dragonslaying Maiden is set in an alternate history Europe, where the Norse gods are real and Dwarves and Elves existed. It tells the story of a long forgotten hero who lived before even the time of the Vikings, written by the god Odin who serves as the main narrator.
This story is definitely High Fantasy, but with a solid grounding in the real-life realities of living in a primitive medieval era. This includes combat and military tactics, which make up a large portion of the novel thanks to a massive war covered by most of the second half of the novel. It really gives life to the old saying that War Is Hell, as plenty of people die and many more live in suffering afterward.
As for the story and plot, they are excellent. The characters are well developed and the events that happen around them are thrilling and well thought out. The author, Daniel Pertierra, clearly has a talent for story telling.
Mr. Pertierra's talent for writing, on the other hand, could use some work. While there's nothing egregiously bad about his style, it is amateurish in many small ways. For example, he has a habit of ending sentences with exclamation points! He does that during scenes that he clearly felt needed emphasis! There are other better ways to accomplish that, and hopefully he could learn how to use them with practice!
With that last point said, I will note that the slightly amateurish writing style actually works well in this case. The first chapter is Odin, in the modern day, looking back at the events of this novel and being moved to write down the story himself. He notes, as he gets started, that he's quite rusty when it comes to telling stories, so the author's somewhat amateurish writing style actually helps build the framing of an out-of-practice teller of tales finally telling a new one after a very long time away from the craft. I do not believe the author actually intended this, but even so, it accidentally gives this novel some added flair.
If you're a fan of High Fantasy, or more gritty Swords and Sorcery, or medieval history, or just want a good rollicking fantasy story, try to find a copy of this novel. That's easier said than done, unfortunately, as it was published in 2017 and taken out of print in 2020, so you won't be finding it new and there aren't many copies out there to buy used. But if you luck across it, pick it up and give it a read. You won't regret it.
A very good story from an amateur writer
The Dragonslaying Maiden is set in an alternate history Europe, where the Norse gods are real and Dwarves and Elves existed. It tells the story of a long forgotten hero who lived before even the time of the Vikings, written by the god Odin who serves as the main narrator.
This story is definitely High Fantasy, but with a solid grounding in the real-life realities of living in a primitive medieval era. This includes combat and military tactics, which make up a large portion of the novel thanks to a massive war covered by most of the second half of the novel. It really gives life to the old saying that War Is Hell, as plenty of people die and many more live in suffering afterward.
As for the story and plot, they are excellent. The characters are well developed and the events that happen around them are thrilling and well thought out. The author, Daniel Pertierra, clearly has a talent for story telling.
Mr. Pertierra's talent for writing, on the other hand, could use some work. While there's nothing egregiously bad about his style, it is amateurish in many small ways. For example, he has a habit of ending sentences with exclamation points! He does that during scenes that he clearly felt needed emphasis! There are other better ways to accomplish that, and hopefully he could learn how to use them with practice!
With that last point said, I will note that the slightly amateurish writing style actually works well in this case. The first chapter is Odin, in the modern day, looking back at the events of this novel and being moved to write down the story himself. He notes, as he gets started, that he's quite rusty when it comes to telling stories, so the author's somewhat amateurish writing style actually helps build the framing of an out-of-practice teller of tales finally telling a new one after a very long time away from the craft. I do not believe the author actually intended this, but even so, it accidentally gives this novel some added flair.
If you're a fan of High Fantasy, or more gritty Swords and Sorcery, or medieval history, or just want a good rollicking fantasy story, try to find a copy of this novel. That's easier said than done, unfortunately, as it was published in 2017 and taken out of print in 2020, so you won't be finding it new and there aren't many copies out there to buy used. But if you luck across it, pick it up and give it a read. You won't regret it.