A Dragon of Turicum

Heirs of Regula #1

by C.R. Bracher

Magic Fades
A Prince Battles
An Ancient Enemy Awakens
It has been more than a hundred years since the Night Mother vanished with a host of Deiran warriors. Eldred, heir to the Deiran throne, races to manifest the Bond—the greatest of the Night Mother’s gifts—before he reaches the age of ascension. Failure will cost him everything. Trouble in the distant north presents an opportunity for honor. Eldred’s ability to decipher the mysteries of the Wretcheds—a discarded people of the Night Mother—could spell the difference between victory and death. Booklife Reviews
Bracher crafts a rich mythology of medieval life, cultural differences, and a message of tolerance, expertly weaving social commentary and thoughtful characterization, addressing the harm of discrimination in various forms.
The first book in the Heirs of Regula series, A Dragon of Turicum offers a rugged world, vivid descriptions of combat, imaginative religion, magic, and cultures like the Wretcheds, and the welcome message that heroes can have many roles.
Takeaway : Fantasy fans will enjoy this brash young hero battling a dragon, testing his abilities, and finding his place.
Great for fans Melanie Rawn, David Farland.

Foreword Clarion Reviews 4/5
A Dragon of Turicum is a fantastical coming-of-age story in which a prince contends with deception, bravery, sacrifice, and unfounded prejudices.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

431 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

I have been a fan of fantasy and science fiction all my life. Of late, I have been working on a series: The Heirs of Regula. Three books are complete: A Dragon of Turicum, The Crooked Ladder, and most recently The Corporian Dilemma. I hope readers will share some of the pleasure I have enjoyed while working on these books.

When not writing, I am generally working or spending time with my family. I love to go for day hikes or strolls around the city. I also play frisbee golf and tennis from time to time.

Reviews

[Kevin Wolz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a middle-aged, feudal world, *A Dragon of Turicum* is a fantasy novel that explores contemporary issues like ethnocentrism, nepotism, and the relationship between natural giftedness and hard work.

Our protagonist—Eldred—should be the heir to the throne, but despite is studious work in the academy, he hasn’t manifested the necessary qualification to be a solider: The Bond. This is a creative military system where trained soldiers are able to move and fight with one mind. But one has to prove that they have the Bond in order to fight in the military—and Eldred has not.

I really like how this humanizes the protagonist. Most people have experienced times when they genuinely worked hard—maybe even harder than anyone else—but for whatever reason things don’t work out the way that they want. Even the most honest person might be tempted to achieve their goals through dishonest means.

Eldred will be given one more chance to prove himself a worthy warrior before he comes of age; a dragon begins to terrorize the hated—but oppressed—Sun People who live to the north. Racial tensions rise as Eldred squires for a group of Bonded warriors who have been sent to slay the dragon. The Sun People, who are known as the “Wretched” by Eldred’s people, are not what Eldred believed them to be (neither, for that matter, is Eldred what the Sun People expected him to be).

The book has a nice pace with short, digestible chapters. The author has taken recognizable fantasy tropes (dragons, kings, the hero’s journey) and supplemented it with some unique contributions of his own, such as the Bond, a nuanced religious system, and a history specific to this world.

I do think that a lot of the dialogue was choppy and unimaginative. And while the short chapters made for a quick read, I would have liked to have more descriptive scenery. As a reader I wasn’t sure if the scenes in my mind’s eye lined up with the author’s vision at all. At the end of the book I was not convinced that the protagonist really learned anything; he was always a better moral agent than his kin, but even though he shows basic empathy towards the Wretched we never see the deep divisions between their people overcome in a meaningful way.

Overall, I think that this book was worth my time, but I left it with a few frustrations (named above). I’d watch the movie (I think the right director could do a really good job portraying Bonded warriors fighting), but I doubt I’d read the sequel.

I received and advanced reader copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Klara · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than a century has passed since the Night Mother disappeared along with many Deiran warriors. Eldred, the heir to the Deiran throne, is urgently striving to manifest the Bond, the most powerful gift from the Night Mother, before he reaches his age of ascension. If he fails, he risks losing everything. When trouble arises in the distant north, it presents Eldred with a chance to earn honour. His skill in unravelling the mysteries of the Wretcheds, a forsaken people of the Night Mother, might be the key to achieving victory or facing death.

It's been a long time since I read a fantasy book without any romance. Because of my reading slump, I don’t think I experienced the book at its finest. However, I liked it and had trouble deciding between 3 or 4 stars, but I gave it 4 because of the slump. The story had me wondering about Eldred from the start—what would happen to him, how he would survive, and if he would find the Bond.
As the story progressed, I started to dislike his people, the Deirans, because they seemed to hate everything that wasn’t their own. The Wretcheds, or the Sun People as they call themselves, reminded me of Romanians at times with their culture, gladiators, and science.
The plot is interesting, but a lot is happening, and it’s slow-paced. The main storylines are Eldred's Bond and killing the dragon. All the other elements help immerse you in the world and understand the characters' lives and motivations better. The end of the book feels like there is none. I immediately started reading the second book, which continues right where the first one left off. It’s not exactly a cliffhanger, but it just doesn’t conclude. It felt more like watching TV and having commercials interrupt the movie. So, if you don’t have the second book, maybe don’t start reading the first one!

[J.E. Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eldred is failing as a warrior and on track to a life of mediocrity when an opportunity arises that he can't refuse.

For a self-published novel this was a decent fantasy story. Pretty clean editing, strong plot, and a surprisingly compelling character. I was able to visualise the world, which resembles a sort of alternative Roman Britain. The style is a little underdeveloped, but even there it works, as it gives it a certain voice - part comical, part childlike. If that voice had been a smidge more epic or poetic I could have stretched to five stars.

Despite Eldred - who is kind of ... whiny - I actually quite liked him, and am heartened to know this is part of a series. He reminds me of people I have known and often wondered about. It's good to see him grow.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review. This book deserves 3.5 stars.

I have mixed feelings about this book. For me it was uneven - there were parts that plodded along, most of the supporting characters were not fleshed out, and other storylines were only hinted at. The main character was the son of a king, and while he was initially training to be a warrior, and presumably the next king, he was given no instruction on the finer arts of ruling, leading, politics, etc. In all fairness, he was a bit 'slow' - he did eventually start learning more about the world, and he started thinking for himself. I think if there is another book, his story will become more interesting.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dragon of Turicum is Book 1 of Heirs of ratios by C R Bracher. I enjoyed this book. Eldred is a squire at the Academy and is also the only son of King Alfred. Eldred has not bonded and time is running out for him. I don't want to spoil the book by saying to much, but, I found the book interesting, well written, and exciting. I thought the fighting with the Dragon was great and I was not sure what would happen. I found the ending to be a surprise and a little unexpected, but, a strong ending. I am looking forward to reading Book 2. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It's one of those quite intriguing fantasy books that you truly like and you can tell they are like…..a first-book love. ^^

I enjoyed the balance between action and character development and the final was kinda unexpected. Definitely recommend the novel!

[Spamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

I enjoyed the flawed characters. The fact that none were perfect or had ever power, etc. as you find in a lot of books now, of the cookie cutter variety, this made for a refreshing read.

I am one to read books where dragons and humans work together, so this was a change to my normal reads, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to reading the next book.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

under protest

I enjoyed the book. Enough to start the next one. I don’t usually leave a review because of the instance on detail. I enjoyed the story and want to know what happened next .

[patrick donnelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

Great starter looking forward to book 2 and seeing how the characters develop, going to start book 2 as soon as I post this. Thanks

[Connor Schelstraete · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by this book. About 1/4 of the way through I thought I knew what direction the story would go, but I was wrong. This first in a series of three features mostly world building and character development but I was not upset about it. The world Bracher creates is deep with culture, inherited abilities, and tall tales that may end up being true. The main character, Eldred, has his fair share of character development as well. He goes from being the privileged child of a king to a boy who has everyone against him. This hardship of course comes with a more realistic perspective and a fuel to change the world around him. I look forward to the rest of the story in the next two!

[Emily Reeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never leave reviews on books nor do I usually read fantasy, however A Dragon of Turicum has inspired both. I very much enjoyed this read. From the beginning of the book I felt invested in Eldred's story (even if I did find his character to be rather frustrating).

A Dragon of Turicum follows the story of a stubborn 18 year old. Yet, underneath his stubbornness is a boy longing to fit in and be accepted by his father. It is this quality that drives the story through multiple lands bridging together two opposing cultures. Eldred's ability to see past the ethnocentrism that the rest of his comrades have is what I feel really drives this book home. No character is perfect or lovable, each with their own flaws. Although this is a fantasy book, the interactions and stubbornness of the characters feel very raw, which I appreciated. I will be picking up the next book in the series as I am interested in what remains left for Eldred. As a writer I think C. R. Bracher does a great job at keeping his readers engaged and letting the small daily interactions between characters speak volumes for themselves. I am excited for the next book.

[K.M. Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read

This was a decent sword and sorcery novel. Eldred's the odd man out, a mixture of almost every race in the book, but lacking their best warrior power. When it looks like he's going to wash out of training, the king sends him to die by fighting a dragon. Surprise, Eldred is smarter than he looks and starts figuring things out. The Sun People being killed by the dragon are heckin' smart but our hero figures them out and helps slay the dragon. The worldbuilding is very interesting, with basically this whole world being an experiment by a goddess of some kind. I expect this will get more detail in later books.

[B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no clue where I snagged the kindle version of this book, or even when I snagged it. In December, I was trying to clear out my kindle, and was reading through in alphabetical order when I got to this one. I immediately fell into the story and by the fourth chapter, I purchased a paperback copy because I knew that it was one I would want to keep on the shelf when I was done - go back do the re-read thing, etc. *If* I purchase a physical copy of something off of kindle (because I rarely read my kindle - I'm a physical book all the way kind of person), it's always after I'm done and know the book was good. This was the first time ever that I made an exception to that practice and just jumped on it. When the physical copy showed up, I absolutely dove in. The worldbuilding is glorious. The characters are fleshed out, and the language is appropriate to the character's ages and stations. Eldred is an immature, spoiled 18-year-old, and he comes across that way - but he also grows and develops, as one does. I also have to say that I absolutely loved the cultural interactions and perhaps especially how curiosity on the part of one of the lady characters (trying for no spoilers here) for Eldred because of his different cultural background is *NOT* made to be something more. She's curious, and that's where it ends. Curiosity between characters is so rare in books these days - it's always turned into a love interest, and I was so buoyed that did not happen here. When I finished, I immediately ordered a physical copy of book 2. Unfortunately, it won't be here until next week, but I plan on diving in as soon as it gets here. Once Bracher finishes the trilogy, I genuinely hope he keeps going as a writer. This is the type of stuff that made me fall in love with fantasy novels in the first place oh so long ago. It was the perfect book to close out 2023 with.

[p mondini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heirs of Regula Book #1

This story of an outsider making his way into his future is distinctly original. Secrets and on going developments have piqued my curiosity and I am compelled to continue to the next book.

[jeanie c. riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

He does not have the bond! He is considered an embarrassment!

He is bigger than most but not bonded so can not be king! A dragon is killing the wretched! His father sends him and those he wishes to get rid of! Off to book 2!

[Virginia Adi · Rating 3 out of 5]

good ideas that do not go forward

[Stephen Levesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed it! This is a well written and has well developed characters. The story is catching and with the strong characters makes for a very enjoyable read. Great Reading Everyone!

[Rhys Brindley · Rating 5 out of 5]

a different fantasy

I have enjoyed the book, it is different from many fantasy novels I have read, but that makes it interesting.

[Eleanore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine. I liked it enough, and the characters are good, but I'm not sure I'll remember it by the time the second book comes out.