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Dragon Apocalypse #1–4
Dragon Apocalypse: The Complete Collection
Sword and sorcery at its finest! The entire four book series for one low price! The swordswoman known only as Infidel sets off on a quest to kill the dragon Greatshadow and retire in style with his treasure. Things don't go quite as planned, setting the stage for an epic, four book adventure spanning twenty years as Infidel and her roguish allies struggle to prevent the Dragon Apocalypse! DRAGON THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, gathers all four novels of the critically acclaimed series by James Maxey, author of the bestselling BITTERWOOD series. It also includes the novella ORIGINS, the story that provided the inspiration for the novels. GREATSHADOW Infidel is a legendary sword-for-hire, enchanted with impervious skin and the strength of ten men. When her closest companion dies, she decides to retire in style by stealing the treasure horde of the dragon Greatshadow. To do so, she joins an expedition organized by the Church of the Book, who’ve assembled a team of the world’s most dangerous mercenaries to kill the dragon. With half the rogues on the team dreaming of taking the treasure for themselves, can she survive her own companions long enough to fight the dragon? HUSH Infidel must travel to the frozen wastes to fulfill a promise made to a dying friend. When she stumbles across a plot by the Hush, the primal dragon of cold, to murder Glorious, the dragon of the sun, will she be able to save the world from the darkness of an eternal winter? WITCHBREAKER Long ago, Stark Tower, the Witchbreaker, used his hell-forged sword to destroy the kingdom of the witch-queen Avaris. Now, a young woman named Sorrow is on a quest to recover all the lost secrets of witchcraft, and has tapped into the power of Rott, the primal dragon of death, for the might needed to fight her numerous enemies. In the ruins of the land once ruled by Avaris, she discovers a sleeping knight who awakens with no memory of his past, who proves to be a warrior of unmatched skills. They must work together to reach Avaris in her abode in the realms of the dead. But is Sorrow’s new ally secretly her greatest enemy, the long-vanished Witchbreaker? CINDER It’s the end of the world! Twenty years after the attack on Greatshadow, the primal dragon Tempest has torn down the gates of Hell, unleashing an army of the damned onto a world already in ruins from blizzards, floods, and earthquakes. Infidel’s daughter Cinder was born with the power to walk between the realms of the living and the dead. Can she rescue Sorrow and her allies from Hell in time to defend the last stronghold of mankind from the assembled dragons? ‘This one is worth reading right now.' Orson Scott Card on Greatshadow 'Greatshadow's level 30+ adventure is charming, not po-faced, with a group of flawed, quick-witted and oddball adventurers that are equally comfortable with set-piece battle and rapid fire sarcasm.' Pornokitsch on Greatshadow 'A magnificently entertaining romp bursting with charm.' SFX on Greatshadow
790 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2016
133 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
James Maxey
96 books188 followersI've been an avid reader since I first picked up a book. Luckily, I was within biking distance of three different libraries growing up. I was a skinny kid. If only I had maintained that link between biking and reading, I might be a skinny adult.
I'm also a writer. I wrote my first book as a kid, an adventure about pirates and ghosts. When I was a teenager, I used to write superhero adventures. Then I went to college and was steered toward writing "literature." It took me several years to shake that off, and today I write the sort of books I devoured by the shelf when I was sixteen, fast-paced fantasy, SF, and superhero adventures, which I use to explore deeper questions about life. My goal is to always be thought-provoking and always be fun.
I've had short stories in about a dozen anthologies and magazines. My novels to date are:
Nobody Gets the Girl
The Dragon Age trilogy
Bitterwood
Dragonforge
Dragonseed
Burn Baby Burn
The Dragon Apocalypse
Greatshadow (January 2012) -- A team of superpowered adventurers are recruited by the Church of the Book to extinguish the primal dragon of fire, Greatshadow.
Hush (July 2012) -- An effort to complete a quest for a fallen friend, the warrior woman Infidel stumbles onto a plot to kill Glorious, the primal dragon of the sun, and plunge the world into permanent cold and darkness, the elemental domain of the dragon Hush.
Witchbreaker (January 2013) -- A young witch named Sorrow has lost control of her magic after tapping into the spirit of Rott, the primal dragon of decay. Her desperate quest to save what remains of her humanity leads to an uneasy alliance with an amnesiatic warrior who might be the legendary champion of the church known as the Witchbreaker. But can there combined powers prevail when they trigger the wrath of Tempest, the primal dragon of storms?
I'm also a writer. I wrote my first book as a kid, an adventure about pirates and ghosts. When I was a teenager, I used to write superhero adventures. Then I went to college and was steered toward writing "literature." It took me several years to shake that off, and today I write the sort of books I devoured by the shelf when I was sixteen, fast-paced fantasy, SF, and superhero adventures, which I use to explore deeper questions about life. My goal is to always be thought-provoking and always be fun.
I've had short stories in about a dozen anthologies and magazines. My novels to date are:
Nobody Gets the Girl
The Dragon Age trilogy
Bitterwood
Dragonforge
Dragonseed
Burn Baby Burn
The Dragon Apocalypse
Greatshadow (January 2012) -- A team of superpowered adventurers are recruited by the Church of the Book to extinguish the primal dragon of fire, Greatshadow.
Hush (July 2012) -- An effort to complete a quest for a fallen friend, the warrior woman Infidel stumbles onto a plot to kill Glorious, the primal dragon of the sun, and plunge the world into permanent cold and darkness, the elemental domain of the dragon Hush.
Witchbreaker (January 2013) -- A young witch named Sorrow has lost control of her magic after tapping into the spirit of Rott, the primal dragon of decay. Her desperate quest to save what remains of her humanity leads to an uneasy alliance with an amnesiatic warrior who might be the legendary champion of the church known as the Witchbreaker. But can there combined powers prevail when they trigger the wrath of Tempest, the primal dragon of storms?
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 25, 2018
Sword and sorcery is not usually my thing but I really enjoyed it! The elemental dragons are interesting and the halfseads raven more so though I would have liked to see more of them. Great read!
February 10, 2018
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I was also a beta reader for 3/4 of the books.
James Maxey's Dragon Apocalypse is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. Right from the start when Maxey kills off his POV character in the first chapter, you get the sense that this is anything but a generic fantasy about fighting dragons.
For starters these dragons are not large lizards so much as small geography. Seriously. The appear on the maps. They are fused with the elements and the first book follows a party who marching out to kill and rob one. A dozen leave. Only a couple survive for varying definitions of survive. the following volumes expand the cast, deepen the mythology and race to prevent an apocalyptic future vision where the dragons erradicate mankind for their transgressions.
The eclectic cast includes a lovesick ghost, an invulnerable run away princess, a holy knight whose armor is prayed into existence by a hundred monks, a deceiver who has any power he can convince other people he possesses, an ice ogre, a priest whose truth reshapes reality to fit it, a time travelling skeleton, a witch who hammers nails into her own skull to gain power, a magical pirate family, an amnesiac knight, a shape changer who can take the form of any animal tattoed on his body and so many more.
Tight POVs keep the characters surprisingly human. James Maxey grew up on fantasy and comic books. His deft handling of his ensemble casts and original powers blend the best of both worlds. He keeps the pacing throughout the books and each is a quick read unto itself. This hides the surprising depth as his characters discuss religion, injustice, varying philosophies, troubled pasts, the uncertain future and finding your place in the world. There is also a surprising amount of heart. For what starts off as a quest to slay the dragon is actually more of a romance and what happens when you cannot be honest enough with yourself and with those around you.
This is mixed with action, witticisms, humor and sheer audacity that will have you laughing, crying and wondering what will happen next.
It's less Tolkien than Jack Kirby and Joss Whedon in the best way.
James Maxey's Dragon Apocalypse is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. Right from the start when Maxey kills off his POV character in the first chapter, you get the sense that this is anything but a generic fantasy about fighting dragons.
For starters these dragons are not large lizards so much as small geography. Seriously. The appear on the maps. They are fused with the elements and the first book follows a party who marching out to kill and rob one. A dozen leave. Only a couple survive for varying definitions of survive. the following volumes expand the cast, deepen the mythology and race to prevent an apocalyptic future vision where the dragons erradicate mankind for their transgressions.
The eclectic cast includes a lovesick ghost, an invulnerable run away princess, a holy knight whose armor is prayed into existence by a hundred monks, a deceiver who has any power he can convince other people he possesses, an ice ogre, a priest whose truth reshapes reality to fit it, a time travelling skeleton, a witch who hammers nails into her own skull to gain power, a magical pirate family, an amnesiac knight, a shape changer who can take the form of any animal tattoed on his body and so many more.
Tight POVs keep the characters surprisingly human. James Maxey grew up on fantasy and comic books. His deft handling of his ensemble casts and original powers blend the best of both worlds. He keeps the pacing throughout the books and each is a quick read unto itself. This hides the surprising depth as his characters discuss religion, injustice, varying philosophies, troubled pasts, the uncertain future and finding your place in the world. There is also a surprising amount of heart. For what starts off as a quest to slay the dragon is actually more of a romance and what happens when you cannot be honest enough with yourself and with those around you.
This is mixed with action, witticisms, humor and sheer audacity that will have you laughing, crying and wondering what will happen next.
It's less Tolkien than Jack Kirby and Joss Whedon in the best way.
March 25, 2019
Dragon Apocalypse is great, epic storytelling with the makings of becoming a classic for fantasy nerds everywhere. It's fun, epic, has great characters, and a great story that always pays off, from the tiniest of details to the biggest plot points. Seemingly every detail has a purpose and a character is never there for just one reason. Not to mention that the first and second book is narrated by a ghost who has kept his personality, which makes for a fun and unique first-person perspective that both enhances that character, and focuses mostly on the other characters without getting too close to what they are thinking. It's a great way to tell the story when there are so many secrets to each living character.
This is not to say that the book is without problems. I don't usually point out how I'd wished there were more LGBT+ characters, but it kind of annoys me that the one who was outwardly lesbian barely had that aspect of her character explored and that one character that seemed to be A-sexual turned out to not have found "the one." That kind of makes me a bit frustrated. Not to mention that the details of the book all being kind of connected makes the book a little tiresome to read at length, which is one of my main issues.
Dragon Apocalypse is still a super fun book that I'd love to see (faithfully) adapted into an adult animated series. Fantasy nerds: Give this book a chance. It's got all you could ask for. Just enough lore to tell the story, but not too much to be distracting, great characters, and a lot of depth.
This is not to say that the book is without problems. I don't usually point out how I'd wished there were more LGBT+ characters, but it kind of annoys me that the one who was outwardly lesbian barely had that aspect of her character explored and that one character that seemed to be A-sexual turned out to not have found "the one." That kind of makes me a bit frustrated. Not to mention that the details of the book all being kind of connected makes the book a little tiresome to read at length, which is one of my main issues.
Dragon Apocalypse is still a super fun book that I'd love to see (faithfully) adapted into an adult animated series. Fantasy nerds: Give this book a chance. It's got all you could ask for. Just enough lore to tell the story, but not too much to be distracting, great characters, and a lot of depth.
October 7, 2022
Extreme let down.
So, to start, it's very obvious upon reading the first few pages that the book seems to either be self published (badly), or had a relatively incompetent editor.
Besides that, the writing style wasn't great and actually fell flat quite often. I don't know how to describe it as anything short of bland and somewhat lifeless. Names of the characters throughout the book was painfully uncreative, and it's clear that Maxey has no clue on how to write female characters.
Not to mention, the first book being written in the prospective of an old man, who dies, and continues to narrate even though the book is supposed to be about bad ass women. Not to mention the fact that said old man was lusting after the man character of the first book since she was a child. It gives...mm, predatory vibes. Heavy, heavy vibes.
It's was very difficult the get through the collection, and I plan on using the book as kindling for my next bon fire, so that it's not plaguing my bookshelf any longer then it needs to.
So, to start, it's very obvious upon reading the first few pages that the book seems to either be self published (badly), or had a relatively incompetent editor.
Besides that, the writing style wasn't great and actually fell flat quite often. I don't know how to describe it as anything short of bland and somewhat lifeless. Names of the characters throughout the book was painfully uncreative, and it's clear that Maxey has no clue on how to write female characters.
Not to mention, the first book being written in the prospective of an old man, who dies, and continues to narrate even though the book is supposed to be about bad ass women. Not to mention the fact that said old man was lusting after the man character of the first book since she was a child. It gives...mm, predatory vibes. Heavy, heavy vibes.
It's was very difficult the get through the collection, and I plan on using the book as kindling for my next bon fire, so that it's not plaguing my bookshelf any longer then it needs to.
October 4, 2021
An entertaining blend of elements
This was a very enjoyable series of books that had me hooked from page three when Stagger makes a comment on Brains and vocal cords that made me chuckle.
Besides being an entertaining read these books are also quite thought-provoking due to their blend and mix of several different literary elements from the genres of fantasy, theology, conservation, sci-fi, even superheroes, which is not always obvious at the time of reading.
My only quibble with this series is book four, Cinder, which was spoilt by the sheer number of grammatical errors which just act like a slap in the face and I am sure could have been picked up by using a spell checker.
In summary, this series is well worth reading, the characters are engaging, the plot is interesting and thought-provoking with a satisfying ending.
This was a very enjoyable series of books that had me hooked from page three when Stagger makes a comment on Brains and vocal cords that made me chuckle.
Besides being an entertaining read these books are also quite thought-provoking due to their blend and mix of several different literary elements from the genres of fantasy, theology, conservation, sci-fi, even superheroes, which is not always obvious at the time of reading.
My only quibble with this series is book four, Cinder, which was spoilt by the sheer number of grammatical errors which just act like a slap in the face and I am sure could have been picked up by using a spell checker.
In summary, this series is well worth reading, the characters are engaging, the plot is interesting and thought-provoking with a satisfying ending.
September 12, 2020
The characters captured my right away. James Maxey has a wonderful imagination and touch of humor that he poured into this series. It is always amazing to read a new adventure and feel like its original and new. The characters are a mixture of the not so perfect making their way in a difficult setting. As the story unfolds there is an amazing world opened with its many residents and problems. The story never slows down and keeps your turning pages following poor Stagger and Infidel through the many trials they will face. I purchased at a local Comicon from the author and I am very glad I did. Keep up the great adventures.
The only issue was with printing. Book had many errors and at one point the wrong character name.
The only issue was with printing. Book had many errors and at one point the wrong character name.
April 5, 2020
This book was epic! The characters were fantastic and really easy to fall in love with, the plot was super creative with all sorts of crazy situations, but developed in a way that made them seem perfectly natural for the world that it was taking place in and the character involved. There are also some great suprises about some of the characters as you go along that make you go "ooooooh now that makes a lot of sense!" Definately a book I will be re-visiting and going back again and again to read and enjoy!
May 4, 2017
Highly recommended
I loved this quartet of novels. The storyline keeps you hooked , the characters are well thought out and as the story progresses you care what happens to them. I enjoyed the first books characters especially stagger.
I couldn't put these books down. If you love dragons you will love these stories.
I loved this quartet of novels. The storyline keeps you hooked , the characters are well thought out and as the story progresses you care what happens to them. I enjoyed the first books characters especially stagger.
I couldn't put these books down. If you love dragons you will love these stories.
April 17, 2019
Unpredictable and non-stop
A rare find for me but this was an incredible series that never let up. Literally could not predict the twists that kept getting thrown in and the intensity just kept building as the apocalypse kept creeping closer and closer. An awesome series like few I have ever read.
A rare find for me but this was an incredible series that never let up. Literally could not predict the twists that kept getting thrown in and the intensity just kept building as the apocalypse kept creeping closer and closer. An awesome series like few I have ever read.
July 5, 2017
Story line is muddied by time travel.
Story line is very convoluted and somewhat difficult to follow. Jumps due to time travel and explanation of time travel with the same character from two different time lines present in the same moment detracts from the overall story.
Story line is very convoluted and somewhat difficult to follow. Jumps due to time travel and explanation of time travel with the same character from two different time lines present in the same moment detracts from the overall story.
January 30, 2018
Not my cup of tea
I don't deny that this book has been a work of great imagination and for those among you who enjoy sagas of great length and complexity please feel free to revel in it.
I don't deny that this book has been a work of great imagination and for those among you who enjoy sagas of great length and complexity please feel free to revel in it.
March 1, 2018
Who knows the reasons for their intriguing actions - read on!!!!!
I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and their motivations, a really good read, thank you James Maxey, more please!!!
I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and their motivations, a really good read, thank you James Maxey, more please!!!
March 7, 2019
Not a bad read. Found the plot to be rather complex and not always comprehensible.
Still I have to say I found the books entertaining. Worth the money when the books were on sale. Some interesting plot twists.
Still I have to say I found the books entertaining. Worth the money when the books were on sale. Some interesting plot twists.
June 15, 2017
Great read
Couldn't put it down, i just wanted it to never end. Great characters and very descriptive, can't was it to read more.
Couldn't put it down, i just wanted it to never end. Great characters and very descriptive, can't was it to read more.
July 30, 2017
Entertaining
Quite a good read. Opening chapters were good and gripping but got a bit wordy and contrived towards the end.
Quite a good read. Opening chapters were good and gripping but got a bit wordy and contrived towards the end.
February 15, 2018
Funny at times
An easy read which is light hearted at times. Books you don't put down and a great story line. Will read more of the writers books
An easy read which is light hearted at times. Books you don't put down and a great story line. Will read more of the writers books
March 26, 2019
Unbelievable Imagination
Maxey. has created a great story keeping you entertained with so incredible flawed heroic characters and make believe worlds a must read
Maxey. has created a great story keeping you entertained with so incredible flawed heroic characters and make believe worlds a must read
February 26, 2018
I am very glad to have come across this writer & this series. A very competent & sophisticated work of fantasy, with gut-laughs & grief in a beautifully poignant balance. Really enjoyed it.
October 11, 2018
A different story about dragons.
Intresting good characters and story line kept me invovled. Different from most dragon books ive read. I would read more from this author.
Intresting good characters and story line kept me invovled. Different from most dragon books ive read. I would read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews