At its core, Dragonsphere is the story of a magical sphere constructed to trap the soul of a dragon. Go deeper, and you discover a richly woven, plot-driven tale of magic, friendship, and war.

We follow the sphere from the beginning, meeting its creators, its guardians, and those that would misuse it. Along the way, we’re treated to a wide and diverse cast of characters. The world was vast and the author painted a vivid picture of the lands, their people and their customs.

Overall, I found the book hard to put down. From the first page I was drawn in and the next hundred pages flew by. The pace slowed for me in the middle where we learn about Orlek, the priests, and the Five Islands. This was the only section where I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight and the history lesson of the Five Islands seemed like a bit of an info dump. It didn’t detract from the story, however I did find myself glossing over it and had to go back and reread. The ending, while certainly exciting, felt rushed. It might be more of a personal preference, but I would have liked a slower build. Particularly, Calderon’s part in the resolution felt too sudden. There were several interesting characters introduced late in the story that I would have enjoyed spending more time with.

I would definitely recommend Dragonsphere. It was an impressive, classic fantasy read. There were quite a few nice twists and turns, several of which resulted in a story shift I didn’t see coming. At times, I had no idea where the author might go next and that is a big plus for me. The world building is nicely done. The plot is solid. There is plenty to expound on and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next installment will bring.