Seven Story Publishing

1. Title: Dragon’s Awakening: A Novelette
2. Author: Richard Harris
3. Genre: Fantasy
4. Summary: An ancient dragon rousing from its slumber. A mysterious young girl fleeing for her life. When a magic-stealing army hunts them both down, can they cheat death? Norinth is enraged. After centuries of hibernation, the self-assured dragon awakens to feed and cull the surrounding overgrown life only to find a little girl he can’t banish and an army on a relentless hunt. But when he realizes the pesky little girl can alter his mind, the selfish dragon shifts from offering her up to defying the encroaching army to rescue her. Attacking the army head-on, Norinth fears his species and the little girl will go extinct. But as a new leader emerges from the army’s ranks, Norinth is outraged by the Sorcerer’s use of Dragon magic to thwart him and kidnap the girl. With his own species’ survival on the line, Can Norinth overcome his pride and fight for more than himself? Dragon’s Awakening is a suspenseful fantasy novelette. If you like enemies to friends, dragons, and wicked magic, then you’ll love Richard Harris’ emotional tale. Buy Dragon’s Awakening to stir yourself from slumber today!
5. Publisher: Independently Published
6. Publication Date: April 30, 2024
7. Page Count: 49

General Review

1. Description and Imagery: The author doesn’t go too much into describing surroundings and world-building in this story but presents enough visual description to transport readers into the world and allow the story to paint the picture rather than fancy prose.
2. Relatability of MC: Personally, I was rooting for the dragon throughout the story as he was smarter, more contemplative, and had a better understanding of the world around him that the humans did which bode well in making a mythical creature appear sagely and wise.
3. Pacing: The author did a fantastic job encompassing a world in under fifty pages. The story felt a lot longer than that and the way the author paced everything out made it feel like more was happening than what was written on the page.
4. Perspective: This story is reminiscent of the battle of generations. The dragon being the old and wise and humans being young, naive, and immature. The child, Hana, was in the middle yet had a mix of naivete and wisdom that bridged the gap between the two factions and forged the path to peace.
5. Vibe Check: There are some gems and jewels in this story, much like anime that has great writing. A philosophical undertone that encourages readers to acknowledge their place in the world and purpose in existence. A fun and contemplative read is often a rare thing to come across and this author did a great job in producing such a read.

Personal Review

It’s always when you’re having an internal battle in life where fiction comes to the rescue and presents a different perspective on your situation. In the hardest of times, fiction manages to hold up a mirror for you to look at yourself from an angle you never quite thought of. Such is the power of storytelling.

This story provides three perspectives: Norinth, Hana, and Mankind. From Norinth’s perspective, humans don’t know anything of the world around them, they are nothing but savages that copy ancient wisdom but don’t know how to properly utilize it. From the human’s perspective, dragon’s are nothing but beasts that impose their savagery on human life and are a threat that needs to be eliminated though dragons existed before humans. From Hana’s perspective, she just wants everyone to get along as her naivete is also her wisdom. She doesn’t see race and species and segregation in any form of those words.

This story is like a mirror reflecting the reader back on themselves and forcing them to contemplate the meaning of their life. Great characters have a way of making readers identify with them and seeing the world from their point of view; great stories, on the other hand, make readers see things from multiple perspectives and that’s what this author did with this short work.

All in all, this story teaches the lesson that people can change and barriers can always be broken with the power of love and the desire for peace. Even though Hana is just a naive child, her naivete enables her to express wisdom beyond her years. To calm the heart of a mighty dragon and change the minds of humankind which have relentlessly hunted them is the most powerful magic of all.

About Richard Harris

Richard Harris is the author of the imaginative Skyland Falls series. He has spent a life telling entertaining tales of adventure that blend fantasy and science fiction around the campfire/table, often while chucking dice. During grade school, he wrote short stories. When he is not writing, he enjoys watching creative film and tv such as “Lost in Space” or “Spirited Away”, reading fiction ranging from “The Hobbit” to “The Outsider” and books on personal development, new skills, and science.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BW25G1LG?ingress=0&visitId=2e674032-fb5a-4d09-aa3c-92917517fee2