The Dragons Of Dorcastle by Jack Campbell Audiobook Review!

• Written by: Jack Campbell
• Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
• Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins 
• • Series: The Pillars of Reality, Book 1
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release Date:12-02-14
Publisher: Audible Studios
Purchase : Amazon / Audible


The first audiobook in a thrilling new epic fantasy saga, written exclusively for Audible by Jack Campbell, the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Fleet series!


For centuries, the two Great Guilds have controlled the world of Dematr. The Mechanics and the Mages have been bitter rivals, agreeing only on the need to keep the world they rule from changing. But now a Storm approaches, one that could sweep away everything that humans have built. Only one person has any chance of uniting enough of the world behind her to stop the Storm, but the Great Guilds and many others will stop at nothing to defeat her.


Mari is a brilliant young Mechanic, just out of the Guild Halls where she has spent most of her life learning how to run the steam locomotives and other devices of her Guild. Alain is the youngest Mage ever to learn how to change the world he sees with the power of his mind. Each has been taught that the works of the other’s Guild are frauds. But when their caravan is destroyed, they begin to discover how much has been kept from them.


As they survive danger after danger, Alain discovers what Mari doesn’t know—that she was long ago prophesized as the only one who can save their world. When Mari reawakens emotions he had been taught to deny, Alain realizes he must sacrifice everything to save her. Mari, fighting her own feelings, discovers that only together can she and Alain hope to stay alive and overcome the Dragons of Dorcastle. 


My Thoughts:


The world is controlled by 2 great guilds, The Mechanics and The Mages. Neither of these mix and they are forbidden to associate together. But when a Mage and a Mechanic are thrown together, they need to get over their differences and work together to stay alive.


Well this book took me completely by surprise. First things first, I went into it thinking, great, Dragons but by 50% there was no sign of them and I was thinking, where are the dragons!!! The name is a bit misleading but as we approach the end you can see why it's called The Dragons Of Dorcastle, so I will say, don't go into this book expecting a book full of Dragons!! Saying that, in no way does the fact that there are very few Dragons (one in fact) detract from the story. This is such a complex and exciting book and one I highly highly recommend you listen to. 


Let's get onto the absolutely amazing characters that are Mari and Alain. I think they are among my favourite characters ever!!


Mari is the youngest ever Master Mechanic but is considered to be nothing to her elders. They think that she should never have been made a Master because of her age and they constantly remind her of the fact. They treat her with derision and don't listen to her but she keeps her head high. 


Then we have Alain who is a Mage. Mages are feared and not at all liked by even the common people. Mages are thought that emotion is your enemy so every Mage is basically emotionless. They are almost robotic in their thoughts and ways. They are thought that nothing and no one matters and that the world is all an illusion so how can anything matter if it's all fake. 


Anyway, Alain is hired to protect a caravan which gets attacked by men that have Mechanic weapons, guns. Alain isn't able to protect the caravan but manages to rescue a girl who was in the last caravan, Mari. Alain thinks that it is his job now to get Mari to where she was going. Mari is hesitant to even talk to him because he is a Mage and everyone knows what Mages do. She has no choice though because the men are trying to find her. 


One thing I adored about the book is Mari and Alains relationship. They go from hating each other to having a grudging respect for each other. I enjoyed seeing Alain respond to things Mari said. Mari can't understand how Mages can be so emotionless but to Alain, it's his life. He struggles to understand what is happening to him but he realises that Mari is awakening things in him that were locked away for a long time. It was such a pleasure to read their interactions and I often found myself laughing at Alains reactions. 


Another thing I loved was the world. Mages and Mechanics rule the world of Dematr but the people are reaching their limit. Mages believe that the common folk dont exist and therefore are not worthy and the Mechanics believe themselves better than everyone else. Mechanics build and maintain things and Mages protect with their magic, yet the people are tired of being caged. We have a mix of both magic and mechanical things thrown together to create on heck of a book. 


Anyway, The Dragons Of Dorcastle was a fantastic read. From the very first page I was drawn into a world filled with an almost steampunk feel but that's heavy in magic too. It was an action packed and exciting book and one I can't recommend highly enough. I loved everything about the book, from the magical world to the fantastic characters, and I can not wait for the next book to see what happens. It's an absolutely fantabulous story and one that I know I will read time and time again. 


So far it's only available in Audio format but I have to say that listening to it was amazing. MacLeod Andrews did a fantastic job. When he was reading Alain, he was emotionless and you could feel how confused Alain was most of the time when it came to Maris feelings. He also did Mari perfectly, he showed her fiery and inquisitive spirit. Even if this was available in print, I'd still recommend the Audio! Amazing book!!!