The Waking Fire - (Draconis Memoria) by Anthony Ryan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Throughout the vast lands controlled by the Ironship Trading Syndicate, nothing is more prized than the blood of drakes. Harvested from captive or hunted Reds, Greens, Blues and Blacks, it can be distilled into elixirs that bestow fearsome powers on the rare men and women known as the Blood-blessed.

But not many know the truth: that the lines of drakes are weakening. If they fail, war with the neighboring Corvantine Empire will follow swiftly. The Syndicate's last hope resides in whispers of the existence of another breed of drake, far more powerful than the rest, and the few who have been chosen by fate to seek it.

Claydon Torcreek is a petty thief and an unregistered Blood-blessed who finds himself pressed into service by the Protectorate and sent to wild, uncharted lands in search of a creature he believes is little more than legend. Lizanne Lethridge is a formidable spy and assassin facing gravest danger on an espionage mission deep into the heart of enemy territory. And Corrick Hilemore is the second lieutenant of an Ironship cruiser whose pursuit of ruthless brigands leads him to a far greater threat at the edge of the world.

As lives and empires clash and intertwine, as the unknown and the known collide, all three must fight to turn the tide of a coming war, or drown in its wake.

*Library Journal

Review Quotes

"A marvelous piece of imagination with plenty of twists, a refreshingly different setting, and excellent world-building. A great read."--Mark Lawrence, international bestselling author of The Wheel of Osheim

"The Waking Fire is part Indiana Jones, part Pirates of the Caribbean, and part Mistborn. It's got wonderful, memorable characters and great action...I loved it."--Django Wexler, author of The Guns of Empire

"A fascinating world run mostly by corporations, where much of the power comes from dragon blood, provides a compelling backdrop for this sprawling epic fantasy...Breakneck pacing and sheer wonder keep the story compelling."--Locus

"Ryan handily juggles draconic fantasy, espionage, and steampunk naval fiction with realism and effortless skill."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Raven's Shadow trilogy

"All fantasy readers should rejoice."--Michael J. Sullivan, author of Age of Myth

"Ryan hits all the high notes of epic fantasy."--Publishers Weekly

"A powerful epic."--SFFWorld.com

"Heroic epic fantasy."--Fantasy Book Critic

"A page-turner."--Booklist

About the Author