Rise of the Drakyn
by Leonard Little
Genre:Epic Fantasy
Word count: 88,717
Marcus gets blood on an ancient amulet,—the only keepsake he has from his mother who died when he was child—alerting the Dark One that the dragon’s heir is still alive. The Dark One sends his drakyn—nearly mindless flesh-eating dragons, hatched from the dead eggs of a dark queen—to pursue Marcus.
His home burned to ashes and Grandfather killed, Marcus sets off on his own with the drakyn only a step behind. He joins scholar Ben, novice healer/dragon-mate Chelene, and her teacher/dragon Xan’Drake.
Together they seek out ways to battle the rampaging evil that’s destroying the kingdom. Betrayal gets them all captured except Marcus, who is left for dead, buried alive beneath tons of gravel and rock. Will Marcus accept his destiny and escape the grave or will he die, leaving his new friends to the tortures of his enemy?
This book is available from Amazon.
Leonard, how did you come up with the title for your book? Does it have any special meaning?
This story changed titles several times. It began as Dragon-Mate then Dragon-Heir, but those titles focused on the Hero, not the Monsters. In my story, the vampire-like dragons, I call drakyn, emerge from large underground caverns to burn and kill anyone in their path, so now the title fits.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Xan’Drake the golden dragon who is both teacher and soul-mate to Chelene. His witty and sometimes snide remarks add humor to tense situations as he guides the three teenaged heroes on their journey.
Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
Yes, eternal life is not always a blessing. Imagine spending that eternity in pain or torture. Life and death can both be blessing or a curse.
What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
This is tough one. I’ve been told that my writing is very visual which has it’s drawbacks for those who don’t enjoy gory scenes. Those who know me personally can’t believe I write scenes like that, since I tend to pass out at the sight of blood.
Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
“I particularly like the way the writer handled the hero’s ability to communicate with trees, animals, and other magical creatures. This story comes to a conclusion in this volume but leaves openings for future tales.”
Where can people learn more about your writing?
My Amazon author page.
Hi, Leo. Nice to know about the blood 🙂