Monday, 3 February 2025

Deathwings - Arthur Slade - Dragon Assassin Book 5

Deathwings
Dragon Assassin Novels Book 5
Arthur Slade
Dava Enterprises
ISBN 9781989252253
ASIN B09L6LVJWF

Deathwings - Arthur Slade - Dragon Assassin Book 5

I read the three novellas contained in this novel a while ago. I loved the whole Dragon Assassin World. I decided to reread the whole series in these new editions. But I am getting ahead of myself a bit. When I first read these stories back in 2018-2022 and Art had planned to release a shorter story each month for a year, however that did not quite happen. There was however 12 novellas released in this format. Later he rereleased them in Omnibus edition, and then recently I discovered there were only available as novels. The original novellas were: 

     Twin Fury
     Dark Wings
     Bitterwaters
     Elder Magic
     Royal Blood
     Old Enemies
     Downfall
     Deathwings

The Novel (omnibus editions break down like this:

Twin Fury
     Twin Fury
     Dark Wings
Royal Blood
     Bitterwaters
     Elder Magic
     Royal Blood
Burning Empire
Downfall
     Old Enemies
     Downfall
Deathwings
     Deathwings

Still later in their evolution Scholastic Canada released some of them in Canada in print format. But back to the volume at hand. The description of this book states:

First came the woman with the golden spear. Then came Deathwings.

In this ultimate book in the dragon assassin series, the worlds are at war. The wizards, the giants, the dragons and the mortals have a common enemy. Can they come together in time before Deathwings descends? And will Carmen and Brax survive to join the fight?

This book contains the final two episodes in the bestselling series:

11. The Golden Spear - She came out of nowhere. With death in her left hand.
12. Deathwings - Deathwings is coming. The worlds will never be the same.

The first 3 books make a complete story and are excellent reads. Then the next book make a story and go in a completely different direction. This one begins with a mysterious attack that nearly takes out both Carmen and Braxx. And they soon find out there have been multiple attacks, around the whole world. Half the Kings, Queen’s and rulers on Ellos are taken out before anyone really knows what is going on. A mysterious woman on a silver dragon of unknown species attack with a magical golden spear is the attacker. She has the ability to appear and disappear through red smoke. Her attacks can come from anywhere and he spear returns to her as if on command. Brax is severely wounded, and Carmen is given the quest of finding out who the woman is and ending her. But first her brother, her friend Megan and Thord, he who has a bear’s heart head off after the killer.

Secrets are discovered about Kali, and who is really pulling the strings. And the master plan. In this part of the story Carmen and Brax will need to completely trust her brother. 

This series continues to have a lot of action, and a fair number of twists. I thought the last volume topped them all, but Slade has delivered again with this volume. The writing is clean and crisp. The pace is unrelenting. This story is the last planned in the Dragon Assassin Series, but Slade has indicated he has ideas for others stories set in the same universe, and the first has been released, I Brax book 1 A Battle Divine. I cannot but hope we find out more about the bats of great power, the newfound cooperation on Ellos. And that we again see Dragons, Mages, and Giants working together. It is an excellent story from the masterful and ever entertaining pen of Arthur Slade. A great read in an excellent series!

Books by Arthur Slade:
The Dragonfly's Journey (1996)

John Diefenbaker: an Appointment with Destiny (2000)
Dust (2001)
Tribes (2002)
Monsterology (2005)
Villainology (2005)
Megiddo's Shadow (2006)
Jolted (2008)
Shades: 17 Startling Stories (2011)

Flickers (2016)
Crimson (2018)
Death by Airship (2019)
Mr. Universe (2021)
...

Hunchback Assignments Series:
aka Modo Mission Clockwork Series:
The Hunchback Assignments (2009)
The Dark Deeps (2010)
Empire of Ruins (2011)
Island of Doom (2012)

Modo Embers End - Graphic Novel (2014)

The Northern Frights Series
Draugr (1997)
The Haunting of Drang Island (1998)
The Loki Wolf (2000)

Northern Frights Reprint Editions:
Draugr (2020)
Drang (2020)
Loki Wolf (2020)
...

The Canadian Chills Series
Return of the Grudstone Ghosts (2002)
Ghost Hotel (2004)
Invasion of the IQ Snatchers (2007)
Twin Fury - Arthur Slade - Dragon Assassin Book 1

Royal Blood - Arthur Slade - Dragon Assassin Book 2

Burning Empire - Arthur Slade - Dragon Assassin Book 3

Downfall - Arthur Slade - Dragon Assassin Book 4

Deathwings - Arthur Slade - Dragon Assassin Book 5


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