An infamous relic hunter. A legendary dragon. The journey of a lifetime.
Twillo lies bleeding out in a volcanic desert. Towering over him is a snarling red wolf, death only seconds away.
Right as his vision is going black, a mysterious voice offers Twillo a chance at survival.
Do you agree to bind souls?
It is the voice of a dragon, one that hasn’t been seen for hundreds of years.
By agreeing to soulbind with the dragon, Twillo will tie himself to the dragon’s destiny, one of future conflict. He will need to cultivate the highly illegal magic power known as dragonessence, and seek instruction across the Four Kingdoms of the Sagaland. It will take practice, circumstance, and luck from a divine source.
Even then, Twillo may not survive.
The entire world is at stake. No one knows their fate is in the hands of a mysterious relic hunter turned unlikely hero…
Legacy and triumph await, but at what cost?
So, right off the bat, let me set some expectations. If you want a slice-of-life or Sect/Academia heavy book, this is not for you. If you instead want a fusion of epic fantasy and Indiana Jones, with some light cultivation themes, then this book is definitely for you.
The story follows Twillo, and he is the outcast son of a disgraced noble. There’s no cushy life for him, no arrogant young masters in his way, just the hectic life of a relic hunter that he has built for himself. Moving from one treasure hunt to the other, visiting his cache of supplies in each city he’s stayed in, Twillo is constantly on the move, constantly doing things, and—even when he knows that he should probably stop and figure out things like “How to Meditate for Cultivators 101”—there’s simply no time to do so. Instead, he relies on his relics to solve problems, which requires creative problem-solving.
For almost the entire book, Twillo is joined in his adventure by Adventus (the dragon alluded to in the blurb). Most of the time, this is a voice-in-the-head deal (like Dross, but formal instead of sassy). When Twillo has the power available though, he can summon Adventus forth. This normally goes well for him in fights. Who would have thought summoning a dragon was a great trump card?
The history of Adventus, Twillo himself, and the world in general, is deep and fascinating. Harmon has obviously poured an immense amount of effort into his worldbuilding, and this includes some amazing research into both eastern and western settings and mythologies, for his world blends the two together. Non-human entities are everywhere, from classic giants to Japanese-inspired yokai like kitsune.
I was also super pleased to see a hated trope of mine explicitly addressed. Do you ever feel, in your PF or LitRPG stories, that the characters are unreasonably lucky? Or that, had the dice rolled a different way, the story would have no basis? Some series (like DotF) may address this with a luck stat. But this book does one better. Yes, the character is very lucky, thanks to the all-too-real goddess of luck, Livia. Instead of just being a number, luck (and Livia") are integral plot points and critical in the wider global conflict that is rushing towards Twillo.
And that brings me to something else I really appreciated. A clear, articulated, and sensible overarching global plot that serves as the foundation for the entire series. I’ve read so many serials now wherein there just doesn’t exist a well-established long-term goal or conflict, and so having this one established and integral to the entire story from the first chapter is fantastic. There’s no waiting around for a thousand pages before teasers start being dropped. No, page one, you’re in, the characters are established, and Twillo is not having a good time.
In terms of things I wanted more of, that’s simple. Cultivation. This is, in my mind, an epic fantasy first and foremost, a progression fantasy novel second, and a cultivation novel third. And by this, I just mean the progression aspects are not in the foreground of the writing. The way Twillo recharges his power isn’t via meditation, great personal struggle, trials or tribulations. It’s by finding a Vortex and absorbing the power it offers him. It’s a simple site that acts as a fast charger that just pumps energy into Twillo. Mechanically, it’s simple and effective, but often in this genre, we want the whole powering up to be an intensive (or simple intense) process. Or to put this another way, Goku gathering up his chi is better to watch than Goku teleporting to a city and popping a sensu bean whenever he needs a kick.
Book one ends with Twillo facing off against the Senja, Adventus has some forms unlocked (being vague so I don’t spoil things), and everything is set for a major escalation of the conflict in book two. Knowing Harmon Cooper’s relentless speed of publication, I hope we don’t have to wait too long to see where the plot—and Twillo—goes.
