The Warring Son

The Warring Son by Bryce O'Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first sequel of author Bryce O’Connor’s The Wings of War fantasy series, unlike its predecessors, occurs entirely within one year, in the second book’s case 861 v.S. (ver Syul), within the same timeframe as the end of its precursor. In the prologue, the warlord Gûlraht Baoill is in the Vietalis Ranges, lustful for more lands to conquer, including the valley town of Metcaf. The main chapters open with the titular protagonist, Raz the atherian, an anthropomorphic dragon-like race, headed north. Meanwhile in the Under Caves, Uhsula assures Shas-hana Rahn that her child is still alive, with word of disgruntlement among the underworlders.

Furthermore, Talo and Carro begin a pilgrimage to the city of Azbar, which sports a revived gladiatorial system, blasphemous in the Laorin religion, but of which Raz ultimately partakes. The Koyt siblings, the boy Arrun and the girl Luseki, receive their own introduction, and cross paths with Raz, who serves as their guardian throughout most of the story. There is a bit of confusion early on when the book introduces the chairman of the city as Markus Tern, although he’s called Quin Tern through the remainder of the story. His servant Alyssa Rhen, the Doctore of the Azbar Arena, handler of its gladiators, quickly discovers Raz.

Raz is taken as a gladiator, attempting to strike a deal with his captors for the Koyt siblings to be cleared of their debts, although the children must see the atherian participate in various stages of mortal combat. Carro and Talo eventually come to the city and see Raz fight, with the rest of the story dealing with the atherian’s struggles, some twists abounding towards the end and accounting for an ultimately satisfying sequel that ends satisfactorily and has its shocking moments, with the aforementioned nomenclatural confusion not being too bad a detriment.

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