Flight of the Darkstar Dragon

Imaginative and adventurous; a seriously good read

The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon is the first book to take place in the new Darkstar world. We follow the crew of a skyship commanded by Min, on her first assignment out of the Academy, when the ship is torn into a foreign and entirely unbelievable reality. The ship, damaged from its rough introduction to this new world, is now adrift on this foreign sea, except the sea seems to surround them entirely, as if they were inside a giant bubble. This book and its world are captivating to the imagination in a way that few books manage so completely. The Darkstar Dimension is richly crafted and the writing conveys a sense of wonder and limitless possibility beautifully.

The Darkstar Dimension acts as a kind of stopover world between worlds; it is vibrant, surreal, and enchanting. In the center a purple star burns, luminescent fish populate the sea that surrounds the star, islands are scattered throughout the sea, and most concerningly, a dragon the size of a continent lives on the surface of the Darkstar and periodically comes down to eat anything it finds. Orbiting around the Darkstar are rifts of various size, shape, and color, each leading to a different world.

The story follows Min’s perspective in the third person. Despite her crew’s misgivings about having such a young and inexperienced commander in such an unsettling situation, Min is confident in her abilities as First Officer. She’s very likable and easy to believe in, if a bit naïve. She grows as a character a lot through the relatively short story and I found myself caring for her, commiserating with her in her crises, and always rooting for her.

Alongside Min are some notable members of her crew: Jedda, the ship’s socially-awkward artificer; Abalendu, a scholar and nobleman whose research was the ship’s original mission; and Zoya, a skilled warrior and host to a powerful artifact called a Parasite Glove, on the mission as Abalendu’s bodyguard.

Brightest is a grumpy old man who has been living in the Darkstar Dimension for many years and helps Min and her crew navigate their new situation.

Those looking for a lighthearted and fast-paced adventure would enjoy this. If glowing whales, continent-sized dragons, and magical chess sound interesting, this book’s got it all.

5/5, this book was just so supremely enjoyable. Between well-crafted characters, an action-packed plot, imaginative worlds, and fantastical creatures, every minute with this book was a good time.