Dragon Warrior (Dragon Wars) [Kindle Edition]

Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which both nuclear weapons and dragons destroyed civilisation, surviving humans have banded together to live in small compounds. They face not only the danger of massive fire breathing dragons, but also regular raids from the Marines; genetically enhanced soldiers who think nothing of taking necessary supplies. They also remove the bodies of the dead, and when heroine Rain is powerless to stop them taking a friend, she is determined to infiltrate the Marine base, find her friend's body, uncover what is going on and take down as many of the enemy as possible; be they dragon or Marine.

During her excursion into enemy territory, Rain encounters a wounded Dragon Warrior; one of the rare breed of soldiers able to wield a diamond blade; the only weapon known to kill dragons. Recovering from his concussion, the Dragon Warrior finds his mental conditioning fails and his memories returning to him. He also finds himself responding both physically and emotionally to Rain, and with her help he rediscovers the hero he once was.

I liked the story line, the level of action, the characters and their struggle for survival in a harsh environment, plus adding dragons is a big fat cherry on the icing. The romance is quickly established and becomes physical at the first opportunity but the level of action never really lets up. Rain is a fantastic leading lady, resourceful, feisty and brave, and despite the Dragon Warrior's genetic enhancements, she completely outshines him. The DW (I won't give away his real identity) isn't given the same sort of opportunities to showcase his own skill set, but perhaps this will change in book 2 "Dragon Lord".

I enjoyed Shea MacLeod's Sunwalker Saga, but I have to admit, I absolutely loved "Dragon Warrior." I guess I'm a fan of those types of novels where there's a sense of raw desperation and hope. The emotional aspect of this book was stronger for me than the Sunwalker Saga for that reason. Rain isn't just doing her job - she's fighting for survival. It's easy to get drawn into world with brilliant, motivated characters and heart-wrenching scenes like this book has. This one starts in the middle of such a scene and instantly grabbed me: Micah fighting for his life against a Dragon. MacLeod manages to maintain that level of intensity from the first chapter onward, as you meet Rain and the other survivors, suffer through the first dragon attack, and realize just how splintered their world is, with the war against dragons being one facet and the struggle between different camps of survivors being another. Early on, you get the sense that Rain and the survivors with her are not going to make it, without more help. Enter Micah.

Sixty years after Micah was supposed to have died, Rain stumbles upon him and brings him to their compound. He's been turned into a super soldier/Dragon Warrior by the creepy Dr. Barnes, and he has no memory. Slowly, his brainwashing wears off. You can't help but to pity the guy, and at the same time, you're happy he's hasn't been stripped of the human side of him, which was what Dr. Barnes tried to do. Micah is the kind of hero you want to root for: strong, damaged, and up for a bit of redemption/revenge.

I also loved the details of the story, like how Rain's treasures in the compound were simple things (calendar and photo) and how she described a computer as something people used to research how to make bread! It showed just how removed she and the rest of humanity was from the Before, basically our world, which all but ended sixty years before.

All-in-all, MacLeod does a wonderful job creating and drawing you into this new world of hers. I felt the secondary characters were stronger in this book than the Sunwalker Saga, and there was much more emotional pull, because so much more is at stake in this world. As with the Sunwalker Saga, her lead characters are very well-developed and her writing clean. She's a great storyteller. Her world-building strikes that delicate balance between giving you enough to chew on without pages of prose to put you to sleep. You learn more as you read, and you get to see how the characters react to changes in their world through dialogue and action.

Dragon Warrior was an awesome book. I'm hooked on this series already and looking forward to book two!

Well I bought Dragon Warrior when if first came out and then decided to ask for a kindle for Christmas so have had to hold off on reading on the pc. So got the Kindle and happy days started reading it and I couldn't put it down until I finshed. I really loved the characters and the twists and turns in the plot.

Another fantastic book from Shea MacLeod, I have read the first two books of her Sunwalker Saga and am pleased to see that Kissed by Smoke is now available so am off to get that and eagerly await the next installment of Dragon Warrior. Keep them coming Ms MacLeod please.