Domesticating Dragons

July 27, 2020
Akers (Bulletproof Air) merges magic and the mundane in an uninspired chosen one fantasy that attempts to do for live action role-play gaming what Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One did for video games but fails to update any of the tired tropes it employs. LARP fighter John Rast is home for the summer before his final year of college and eager to compete at his local renaissance faire. But when his opponent, Kracek the Hosier, transforms into a fire-spitting serpent in the middle of their fight, John winds up facing a real dragon with his blunted sword and prop shield. He rises to the occasion, tossing the weapons aside and running the beast over with his mother’s station wagon. John’s victory puts him on the radar of the Knight Watch, an organization that keeps tabs on mythical entities, and they recruit him onto the team. But Kracek’s widow, the Storm Goddess, is out for blood and willing to destroy everything John holds dear to get to him. Akers boldly treads the line between fantasy and reality, but the pacing drags between familiar character beats and cheesy villain monologues. There’s plenty of wish fulfillment here, but not much substance. (Sept.)Correction: The author's last name was misspelled in an earlier version of this review.

November 30, 2020
With this mash-up of science fiction and fantasy, Koboldt (The World Awakening) delivers a funny and immersive look at the world of genetic engineering. Recent PhD Noah Parker is hired as a designer by Reptilian Corp., purveyor of dragons. The dragons engineered by Reptilian Corp. have been used by industrial farmers for years, and now the company is eager to break into the retail market with a domesticated model, as a canine epidemic recently wiped out dogs from North America. Noah’s job is to pull the best aspects from different animals together to create a dragon that could be sold as a household pet—but Noah has a secret agenda of his own and intends to alter the dragons’ DNA to his own ends. As he works, he’s swept up into the sinister underbelly of Reptilian Corp., learning the company’s dark secrets. With characteristic verve, Koboldt contrasts the playful adventure plot with the eerily dystopian setting and a searing examination of corporate greed and ambition. Fans of inventive speculative fiction are sure to be pleased.