I
am not an avid reader of the spy thriller. In my youth I read some Tom Clancy
and Larry Bond, but the genre is one that I have not spent much time following
outside of James Bond movies. However, as anyone who knows me can tell you, I
am a fan of fantasy. The opportunity to read a book which combined both
elements together was intriguing. How could I pass it up?
The
book begins by introducing us to Wolf Dasher while he infiltrates a secret base
operated by the elven terrorist organization, The Sons of Frey. As an Asatru,
the invoking of one of the Norse deities with connection to a terrorist
organization raised an eyebrow, but I'm not about to get bent out of shape just
because of something small like. We discover that Wolf Dasher is something
called a Shadow, a human who has been imbued with magical abilities by
something called The Rift, which can apparently communicate with those touched
by its energies, offering them advice in rare situations. Wolf's powers include
the ability to be completely unseen while remaining still in the shadows,
seeing magical auras, and a form of postcognition. Useful traits for a secret
agent to have, to be certain! We also learn that he works for a nation called
Urland, which is a sworn enemy of another nation called Phrygia, which is
quickly revealed to be a fantasy version of communist Russia. Urland's
corresponding nation is, presumably, Great Britain, though one character – an amble-bellied
general with a generally bad disposition and inability to speak in an inside
voice – reminded me of a more American stereotype, leading me to believe that
Urland is Great Britain and the United States combined.
Wolf
quickly discovers that the Director of Operations for the Sons of Frey, Hassam
Teargarden, has arrived at the base. With a description for the elf including
dark skin, and the name "Hassam," it quickly seemed obvious that
elves correlate to this world's Middle Eastern population.
This
is the first issue that I had with Red
Dragon Five. I don't mind the idea of elves representing a particular human
nationality – actually, any departure from Tolkien elves is welcome, so far as
I am concerned – but mixing Middle Eastern names with western fantasy names and
cultures is a big "no, no" in my book. Middle Eastern elves are interesting. Hell, they're damn near
unique as far as I can think of. Don't water them down with elements outside
that culture – revel in that uniqueness! Mr. Phythyon did an excellent job of portraying
the dissension and sectarian conflict rampant in the Middle East, making it a
shame that elves with the names like Teargarden, Spellbinder, and Honeyflower
had to spoil the flavor. Further, the religious sects at the heart of the
conflict in the book continue this trend. The major religion seems to worship a
prophet of God named Frey (clearly an Islamic reference, spoiled by the use of
a Norse god for the prophet). Frey had multiple followers, and two of those followers'
teachings and interpretations of Frey's words created the sects which are at
the heart of the religious conflict in Red
Dragon Five, the Shendali and the Freyalans.
The
first scene in which I read about the religious persecution of the Shendali citizens
of Alfar by Freyalan militias was excellent. It immediately evoked memories of
news reports of sectarian violence in the Middle East. This gave the elves an
immediate flavor and accessibility that I loved. That flavor was diminished
when I discovered that the Freyalans were following the teachings of Freya
(another Norse deity). Too many spices can ruin a great dish, and the end
result was that the elven nation of Alfar felt… flat. Ultimately I saw it as a
traditional western fantasy setting, revoking the uniqueness that I got in the
earlier parts of the book (which returned when Wolf visits Jifan, a
Shendali-controlled elvish nation).
I
don't think any multi-national spy thriller would be complete without political
interaction, and Red Dragon Five
gives you plenty of that. There is a clear effort to demonstrate how the
sectarian conflicts between the Shendali and Freyalans are tearing apart the
nation of Alfar and rendering the government helpless. Sadly, much of the
political action is heavily foreshadowed, leaving little surprise for how the
government's attempts to contain the violence backfire and create more problems
for Alfar. The government officials seem overly heavy-handed while trying to
appear subtle, like someone trying to steal from your pocket while showing off
for a filming crew. There are a few missed opportunities to highlight certain
personalities. There is a rousing speech about patriotism by an official
described as moderate and likely to go with the majority on any vote, but we
never actually see examples of this meek behavior from him to truly demonstrate
how shocking and effective his taking a firm stand on an issue truly is.
Another character seems like a complete tool in the pocket of one of the sects,
but in a private scene with a religious agitator shows a different side
altogether which gives the character far more depth than shown in the previous
scenes. Sadly, that character makes no appearance at all after this, so we
never get to see more of this development. It seems that the entire purpose of
the scene is to show how inept the government officials are by giving the sect
leader the perfect opportunity to cause more trouble in Alfar.
Generally
speaking, the scenes featuring Wolf Dasher are excellent, and follow a very
clear spy thriller formula: locate the enemy base, infiltrate the enemy ranks, and
then get in over your head. The scenes are quite enjoyable, but there were a
few things that left me scratching my head. Dasher, as I mentioned earlier, is
clearly a sort of fantasy James Bond, and he is described as having field
experience that newer Shadows would greatly benefit from, yet he makes puzzling
mistakes that seem like rookie errors, and there is an emphasis on his worry of
being discovered that seems unlike what a veteran secret agent would feel –
particularly one who apparently was involved in other deep cover operations in
the past. Despite these inconsistencies, the action in the scenes is quite
good, with Wolf not being overly-dependant on his Shadow-powers.
No
James Bond spy thriller would be complete without cool gadgets, and the world
of Wolf Dasher has them. From a ring that makes a human appear to be an elf, a
torq which allows you to breathe water temporarily, to a flying carpet, and
more. Magic is the general alternative to "high tech" in the world of
Wolf Dasher. Enchantments allow a ship to act as a submarine, or for small
one-man boats to act as jet skis, which really helps the spy thriller aspect of
the setting. Elves are described as being far superior to humans in terms of
magical ability, and many of the terrorists use wands to turn themselves into
suicide bombers, enhancing the Middle Eastern feel for the sectarian violence.
One thing that would have been nice was for humans to be slightly more technologically
advanced, allowing them to work on merging their technology with elven magic,
but that's probably more of a personal wish than a necessity. The magic items
as spy gadgets work, but in a way it reduces what I love about spy gadgets:
common everyday items which turn out to be unique tools. A watch that shoots a
laser has become cliché, but it's a neat tool that makes sense for a secret
agent to have; a magic wand that does the same just seems like something that
would stand out if you were searched.
Overall, Red Dragon
Five was a fun book. It presented a unique flavor of spy thriller and
fantasy mixed together, marred somewhat by populating a Middle Eastern setting
with western fantasy elements. The plot can be a bit predictable in places,
especially to those who follow the spy thriller formula. This is the second
novel in the Wolf Dasher series, proceeded by the novel, State of Grace, and a short story, The Darkline Protocol. I was able to follow the storyline and the
setting without previous exposure to the other books, which is excellent. Most
importantly, despite what I felt were some flaws in the book, when I finished
it I was interested in reading State of
Grace and continuing with the series, a triumph for any book. If you're new
to fantasy and wanting to dip your toes in the genre, Red Dragon Five can make an excellent jumping-off point thanks to
its merging with the spy thriller genre and familiar setting. Red Dragon Five and other Wolf Dasher
stories are currently available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon.com.
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