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Prophecy of the Kings #0.5
Drachar's Demons
Drachar is a ruthless and ambitious sorcerer who will stop at nothing to wreak revenge against those who betray him. From a lowly although arrogant Eldric lord to commander of the most deadly army the land has ever seen, he pitches relentless hordes of powerful soul devouring demons against his own people, the Eldric.
Fierce battle is to commence and all in its path must fight or risk their soul being sent screaming from their twitching corpses. Madness tears at Drachar, a constant reminder of what should happen if he fails in his bloody pact; delivering one hundred thousand souls to the demons in exchange for the greatest of power. The Eldric must learn to summon demons of their own to stand any chance against Drachar’s deadly arsenal of krell, demons and grakyn.
Magic and swords clash together in a war of such catastrophic proportions that the world will be forever stricken. Join Drachar the outcast as he rises to omnipotence. The die are cast and events are set in motion that look set to destroy the world.
The race is on for war threatens; a war like no other for sorcerer will battle sorcerer and demon set against demon.
Fierce battle is to commence and all in its path must fight or risk their soul being sent screaming from their twitching corpses. Madness tears at Drachar, a constant reminder of what should happen if he fails in his bloody pact; delivering one hundred thousand souls to the demons in exchange for the greatest of power. The Eldric must learn to summon demons of their own to stand any chance against Drachar’s deadly arsenal of krell, demons and grakyn.
Magic and swords clash together in a war of such catastrophic proportions that the world will be forever stricken. Join Drachar the outcast as he rises to omnipotence. The die are cast and events are set in motion that look set to destroy the world.
The race is on for war threatens; a war like no other for sorcerer will battle sorcerer and demon set against demon.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2011
1 person is currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
David Burrows
6 books43 followersDavid Burrows is the author of the award winning fantasy trilogy the Prophecy of the Kings (Gold Award 2010 Readersfavorite.com) and the prequel Drachar's Demons. Prophecy of the Kings was also Book of the Month on SFbooks.com. Sample chapters and reviews can be found at David's website http://davidburrows.org.uk/.
David has lived in Blackpool, Liverpool, Edinburgh and he now resides in the garden of England, Kent. He was a Captain in the TA (2/52 Lowland), an experienced mountain climber and more recently has taken part in Saxon/Viking re-enactment. David's fantasy writing has benefited from these real life experiences: hours slogging up and down mountains and fighting in a shield wall and although never maimed or killed, David has broken bones on several occasions, so the fighting at times has felt very real.
As with most aspiring authors, David's writing is part time, with the plots progressing in the evenings and holidays and also during his wife’s pregnancies. At times David's tales seemed to naturally take the characters into extreme peril, and for months he was left wondering as to their fate. Refusing to rewrite the tale to rescue them he patiently waited before inspiration struck and the story continued at a fast pace to the next cliff-hanger. Suffice to say David's two sons have now grown up and, as the quill dries, are of an age to read and appreciate this work and to develop their own writing. As to the characters in David's tales, they too have grown older and wiser; as to whether they survived the tale, only reading the novel will tell.
David hopes you take time to check out his works and enjoy them.
David has lived in Blackpool, Liverpool, Edinburgh and he now resides in the garden of England, Kent. He was a Captain in the TA (2/52 Lowland), an experienced mountain climber and more recently has taken part in Saxon/Viking re-enactment. David's fantasy writing has benefited from these real life experiences: hours slogging up and down mountains and fighting in a shield wall and although never maimed or killed, David has broken bones on several occasions, so the fighting at times has felt very real.
As with most aspiring authors, David's writing is part time, with the plots progressing in the evenings and holidays and also during his wife’s pregnancies. At times David's tales seemed to naturally take the characters into extreme peril, and for months he was left wondering as to their fate. Refusing to rewrite the tale to rescue them he patiently waited before inspiration struck and the story continued at a fast pace to the next cliff-hanger. Suffice to say David's two sons have now grown up and, as the quill dries, are of an age to read and appreciate this work and to develop their own writing. As to the characters in David's tales, they too have grown older and wiser; as to whether they survived the tale, only reading the novel will tell.
David hopes you take time to check out his works and enjoy them.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 26, 2012
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Before I write anything else, I'll mention that I enjoyed reading Drachar's Demons. It's one of the most enjoyable fantasy books I've read this year.
Drachar's Demons is a powerful and satisfying prequel to The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy. The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy was a good trilogy, but in my opinion Drachar's Demons is a more balanced book and offers even more entertainment for the readers. The authors, David and Andrew Burrows, explore themes of revenge, survival, love and loss in a fresh and interesting way within the traditional fantasy context.
Drachar's Demons tells how a sorcerer called Lothanal becomes Drachar. People find out that he has been experimenting with dangerous magic and has glimpsed into the demon world. He is exiled because of his actions, but he is a treacherous man and wants revenge. He makes a pact with the demons and promises to deliver them souls. He attacks his enemies and starts a war...
This book contains several good - and even brilliant - scenes. I think I'd better not write about all the good scenes, because I might reveal too much information about the plot, but I'll mention a couple of scenes. In one fine scene one of the main characters loses a close friend and in another scene this character learns to fight evil with evil.
The authors write fluently and compellingly about the desperate fight against evil. It was fascinating to read how the good guys had to fight evil with evil and had to learn how to summon more power, because they didn't have any other choice - they had to be just as strong as Drachar in order to survive. As things escalated from bad to worse, the good guys had to give up several of their principles or they would've been helpless against Drachar and his army of monsters.
Although Drachar's Demons is a fast read, the character development is surprisingly subtle and the characters feel believable and it's easy to understand why they do the things they do. In my opinion the character development works better in this book than in the previous books.
The authors write fascinatingly about how Drachar feels about the demons and how he begins to lose his humanity, because he gradually becomes more attached to the demon world. The authors also write about how the good guys feel about the happenings. I think it's great that the authors write about the events from different point of views, because it brings depth to the story.
The authors explore differences between wizards and sorcerers in an interesting way, because the sorcerers don't exactly like wizards (the sorcerers think that wizards aren't equal to them). The differences between the Eldric and other races are also handled well, because the Eldric are different from other races and they're a bit arrogant.
The battle scenes are excellent and the story flows fast in them. The frenzy and fury of the battle feels believable. I think that David Burrows' interest in historical re-enactments has a lot to do with this, because he has experience about fighting and tactics. He has spent a lot of time on the battlefield, so he knows what he's writing about.
I enjoyed reading about magic and how the sorcerers summoned demons, because the authors describe the magical elements of the story perfectly. I've always loved descriptions of summonings and things related to elemental magic, so I was impressed by these authors' descriptions about them. The authors write engagingly about how the sorcerers use magic and how they learn to master the more dangerous aspects of magic. It was fascinating to read how the good guys had trouble learning the principles involved in summoning demons.
I think it's good to mention that reading The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy before this book isn't necessary, because Drachar's Demons is a prequel to The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy, but reading it may help to understand certain things.
As the David Burrows has mentioned on his website, he is a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and it shows in his writing, because he writes similar kind of traditional fantasy. His writing style is, however, original and he doesn't imitate Tolkien (he only uses Tolkien's stories as a source of inspiration for his writing).
It was nice to see that David Burrows has developed as an author. It's easy to see that he loves writing and knows how to write good stories. He seems to be shaping up to be a good author, so I hope that he will continue to write fantasy. I definitely want to read what he writes next.
I enjoyed reading Drachar's Demons, because it was good and entertaining fantasy. Drachar's Demons is excellent and fast paced entertainment for fans of traditional fantasy books. If you like well written traditional fantasy with plenty of magic and action, you'll enjoy this book very much.
Before I write anything else, I'll mention that I enjoyed reading Drachar's Demons. It's one of the most enjoyable fantasy books I've read this year.
Drachar's Demons is a powerful and satisfying prequel to The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy. The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy was a good trilogy, but in my opinion Drachar's Demons is a more balanced book and offers even more entertainment for the readers. The authors, David and Andrew Burrows, explore themes of revenge, survival, love and loss in a fresh and interesting way within the traditional fantasy context.
Drachar's Demons tells how a sorcerer called Lothanal becomes Drachar. People find out that he has been experimenting with dangerous magic and has glimpsed into the demon world. He is exiled because of his actions, but he is a treacherous man and wants revenge. He makes a pact with the demons and promises to deliver them souls. He attacks his enemies and starts a war...
This book contains several good - and even brilliant - scenes. I think I'd better not write about all the good scenes, because I might reveal too much information about the plot, but I'll mention a couple of scenes. In one fine scene one of the main characters loses a close friend and in another scene this character learns to fight evil with evil.
The authors write fluently and compellingly about the desperate fight against evil. It was fascinating to read how the good guys had to fight evil with evil and had to learn how to summon more power, because they didn't have any other choice - they had to be just as strong as Drachar in order to survive. As things escalated from bad to worse, the good guys had to give up several of their principles or they would've been helpless against Drachar and his army of monsters.
Although Drachar's Demons is a fast read, the character development is surprisingly subtle and the characters feel believable and it's easy to understand why they do the things they do. In my opinion the character development works better in this book than in the previous books.
The authors write fascinatingly about how Drachar feels about the demons and how he begins to lose his humanity, because he gradually becomes more attached to the demon world. The authors also write about how the good guys feel about the happenings. I think it's great that the authors write about the events from different point of views, because it brings depth to the story.
The authors explore differences between wizards and sorcerers in an interesting way, because the sorcerers don't exactly like wizards (the sorcerers think that wizards aren't equal to them). The differences between the Eldric and other races are also handled well, because the Eldric are different from other races and they're a bit arrogant.
The battle scenes are excellent and the story flows fast in them. The frenzy and fury of the battle feels believable. I think that David Burrows' interest in historical re-enactments has a lot to do with this, because he has experience about fighting and tactics. He has spent a lot of time on the battlefield, so he knows what he's writing about.
I enjoyed reading about magic and how the sorcerers summoned demons, because the authors describe the magical elements of the story perfectly. I've always loved descriptions of summonings and things related to elemental magic, so I was impressed by these authors' descriptions about them. The authors write engagingly about how the sorcerers use magic and how they learn to master the more dangerous aspects of magic. It was fascinating to read how the good guys had trouble learning the principles involved in summoning demons.
I think it's good to mention that reading The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy before this book isn't necessary, because Drachar's Demons is a prequel to The Prophecy of the Kings trilogy, but reading it may help to understand certain things.
As the David Burrows has mentioned on his website, he is a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and it shows in his writing, because he writes similar kind of traditional fantasy. His writing style is, however, original and he doesn't imitate Tolkien (he only uses Tolkien's stories as a source of inspiration for his writing).
It was nice to see that David Burrows has developed as an author. It's easy to see that he loves writing and knows how to write good stories. He seems to be shaping up to be a good author, so I hope that he will continue to write fantasy. I definitely want to read what he writes next.
I enjoyed reading Drachar's Demons, because it was good and entertaining fantasy. Drachar's Demons is excellent and fast paced entertainment for fans of traditional fantasy books. If you like well written traditional fantasy with plenty of magic and action, you'll enjoy this book very much.
January 4, 2012
Ok, so I actually had to read this, then put it down for a week and then read it again. There is so much going on that I felt I might have missed something. Which is AWESOME!! I really enjoyed reading about Drachar and I appreciate the opportunity to read it and review it.
Drachar is an outcast Eldric on the hunt for ultimate power. Along the way he uses Demons and the demon world to assist him, as well as unlikely allies such as the Krell. The rest of the Eldric have to do things they find distasteful to try to track him down and stop him. The Eldric will never be the same again either way!
It is a wonderful prequel to the "Prophecy of the Kings" books!!
Drachar is an outcast Eldric on the hunt for ultimate power. Along the way he uses Demons and the demon world to assist him, as well as unlikely allies such as the Krell. The rest of the Eldric have to do things they find distasteful to try to track him down and stop him. The Eldric will never be the same again either way!
It is a wonderful prequel to the "Prophecy of the Kings" books!!
March 3, 2021
This fantasy novel manages to combine an interesting plot with a sense of a huge and complex history without becoming a (metaphorical) strain on the wrists.
When the sorcerer Lothanal is caught studying demonology he is banished by the Eldric. Stripped of both resources and the ability to work magic, his only option is to enter into a pact with the demons. To meet a price measured in thousands of souls, he resolves to reignite war between the peoples of the north and south.
Both the main plot arc and subsidiary character arcs are engaging and consistent. A similar level of effort is clear in the creation of the background, which provides the monsters and magical powers a reader expects of high fantasy, without seeming derivative.
Burrows displays particular skill in large-scale combat, managing to successfully show the power of magic without rendering common soldiers an irrelevance. He also balances portrayal of the confusion the characters feel when immersed in a battle with the reader’s desire for a clear overview of events.
His system of magic is also well realised, providing a sound reason demonic magic is stronger than permitted magics, without falling into simplistic right-vs-wrong dualisms.
However, the writing does let the story down in places. Although the book is easy to read, there are occasionally issues with descriptions and word choice which reduce immersion; this is especially noticeable in a few of the faster-paced scenes.
There are also a few scenes toward the end which are clearly set up for a series rather than parts of the existing narrative; this failure to fully integrate events could leave the reader feeling slightly let down.
Burrow’s characters are – for the most part – very believable, with even supporting characters displaying a plausible range of personality traits. Unlike some high fantasy novels, the romance does not feel tacked on merely so there is romance, and the heroes do not flawlessly put aside all their disagreements and prejudices because there is a greater threat.
I enjoyed this book for its ideas. I recommend it to readers looking for a quick fix of high fantasy.
When the sorcerer Lothanal is caught studying demonology he is banished by the Eldric. Stripped of both resources and the ability to work magic, his only option is to enter into a pact with the demons. To meet a price measured in thousands of souls, he resolves to reignite war between the peoples of the north and south.
Both the main plot arc and subsidiary character arcs are engaging and consistent. A similar level of effort is clear in the creation of the background, which provides the monsters and magical powers a reader expects of high fantasy, without seeming derivative.
Burrows displays particular skill in large-scale combat, managing to successfully show the power of magic without rendering common soldiers an irrelevance. He also balances portrayal of the confusion the characters feel when immersed in a battle with the reader’s desire for a clear overview of events.
His system of magic is also well realised, providing a sound reason demonic magic is stronger than permitted magics, without falling into simplistic right-vs-wrong dualisms.
However, the writing does let the story down in places. Although the book is easy to read, there are occasionally issues with descriptions and word choice which reduce immersion; this is especially noticeable in a few of the faster-paced scenes.
There are also a few scenes toward the end which are clearly set up for a series rather than parts of the existing narrative; this failure to fully integrate events could leave the reader feeling slightly let down.
Burrow’s characters are – for the most part – very believable, with even supporting characters displaying a plausible range of personality traits. Unlike some high fantasy novels, the romance does not feel tacked on merely so there is romance, and the heroes do not flawlessly put aside all their disagreements and prejudices because there is a greater threat.
I enjoyed this book for its ideas. I recommend it to readers looking for a quick fix of high fantasy.
November 26, 2011
Received in a giveaway by the author, this is a prequel to the first three books written by Mr. Burrows; it fills the reader in on what triggered the prophecy and the story in the trilogy. Another interesting book, lots of plot-line and action, the book grabs one and pulls the reader back into this familiar world. The author does a good job of giving the bad guy a voice, and while you don't like him, he definitely holds your attention. Solid main characters have you rooting for the good guys, but fascinated with the bad guy!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews