Dragon Reforged

Gonard's Journey #2

by Chrys Cymri

The monk bobbed nervously. 'Dom Brocard, there is a dragon in the cathedral.'

Sentenced to walk the Changewinds as punishment for his crimes, Gonard leaves the safety of the Settlement and submits himself to the irradiated blasts of air that can make even the most intelligent of beings go mad.

Seeking shelter from the winds and his own haunted past, the dragon finds his way to a place where his tortured soul and crippled body might at last be healed.

But such is not to be, for forces even more powerful than the winds drive Gonard and his companions—the rapidly failing medtech and the human woman Itsa—to an inexorable confrontation with the nature of life…

And the finality of death.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

314 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

Priest by day, writer at odd times of the day and night, I live with a small green parrot called Tilly because the upkeep for a dragon is beyond my current budget. Plus I’m responsible for making good any flame damage to church property. I love ‘Doctor Who’, landscape photography, single malt whisky, and my job, in no particular order. When I’m not looking after a small parish church in the Midlands (England) I like to go on far flung adventures to places like Peru, New Zealand, and North Korea.

Sign up to my newsletter and receive a subscriber exclusive story for free! Go to my website, www.chryscymri.com

You can read about my travels on www.travellinghopefully.co.uk

Reviews

[Dragoniel Silverwing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have left the review of both books on the first tome (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). In this instance I just want to express my incredulity at the choice of a cover. Art being subjective and all that acknowledged - what in the everliving **** is that... thing. It is so bad, it is almost offensive.

This doesn't reflect on the quality of the story itself, but it had to be said.

[Angel Leya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having journeyed into the vast unknown beyond the protected domains, Gonard finds he must face the darkness within himself if he's ever to find peace. Having walked the winds once, he's determined to go again. But when he finds that the truth is much more than he can bear, will he lose himself entirely?

It's impossible to review this part without the first (Dragons Can Only Rust). Once again, the struggle and journey are not a light one. This book dives a little deeper into the darkness and despair, and the ending left me feeling a little hollow. The tragic feeling of grief and loss carries through the entire story, and the process of self-discovery in this book is perhaps a bit slower as the dragon has to dig past the hurt to find the truths that can set him free--or bury him once and for all.

Again, a thoughtful story for those willing to dig deep, but maybe not the best book for a casually entertaining read. And as mentioned in my review for book one, the author's Penny White series (start with The Temptation of Dragons) is more along that vein, while still retaining a depth of world and characters that you find in these two books.

[CNickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book with adventure and love

I enjoyed both books in this series. The books have exciting adventures and interesting evolution of heart and mind. I was reminded of the Velveteen Rabbit and the price of becoming real.

[Georg Gänzle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der zweite Band von Gonards Journeys hat mir deutlich besser gefallen als der erste Teil. Die Erzählung bleibt von Anfang an spannend. Die Handlungsstränge sind kompakter und in sich schlüssiger. Das macht auch die Figuren glaubhafter. Und das Finale fand ich sehr packend geschrieben.