The latest novel by Benedict Patrick, an author I admire and consider a friend, was released yesterday! I, distracted lad that I am, messed up and didn’t post about it when I ought to have, so here’s to making amends! I recommend you grab this novel on Amazon, it’s well-worth it.
The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon is an excellent novel of adventure, exploration and self-discovery. I reviewed it on booknest.eu last week but in case you want the highlights, here they are:
Benedict Patrick takes a sojourn away from the folklore-infested Yarnsworld series and pens a short, remarkably enjoyable standalone in a world as imaginative as anything I’ve come to expect from him. Add to the mix a likable lead by the name of Min, an elderly Samuel L. Jackson as her mentor, and a petty villain who will make you want to strangle him time and again, and you’ve got a memorable journey ahead of you.
[…]
The world is endlessly interesting, not just because of the dragon, introduced in a spectacular fashion early on—really, what a great reveal!—but because it’s a gateway between uncountable other worlds, each one full of possibility for adventure. And indeed, what I enjoyed most in my time with Flight of the Darkstar Dragon is how well it channels the spirit of adventure, the joy of exploration. That’s perhaps what I liked most about Min and Brightest both, the hunger to see, to experience more of the great unknown that is just a step away in the Darkstar Dimension. Benedict recently described this novel as his way of capturing the feeling of the Fantastic Four comic books, and I can’t move past that comparison – that’s something he’s managed to succeed in with passing colours. Nothing captures the hunger that drives Reed Richards and his family, or Darkstar Dragon’s main characters, better than the following quote:
How could anyone live a full life in one world, when they’ve tasted so many, and know there are endless wonders out there to sample?
Plenty is left unanswered about the nature of this dimensional gateway but that never feels like a weakness of the storytelling; rather, it’s a conscious choice of the author. With an ending such as this, there’s no limit to what Min can get up to next – and I, for one, would be all too happy to find out. My score for this novel is 4.5/5, rounded up to 5 stars on Goodreads!
You might want to read this for:
· The sense of exploration and adventure, of worlds unseen and within a hand’s reach;
· The great mentor-mentee relationship between Min and Sam Ja—Brightest;
· The dragon;
· And More! Prob’ly.
The Grimoire Reliquary 
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