But fate has many twists, turns and tragedies in store for him. That's just the set up! Tau's life journey would be intriguing enough if it followed its predicted course. The Omehi's dragons, and their militant society, are the only things that allow them to hold on to their peninsula in the face of the Hedeni, fierce fighters who outnumber them a hundred to one.

To gain a foothold, the Omehi had to use their 'nuclear option' on the hedeni: invoking the aid of dragons, which has terrible consequences both for the caller and the enemy. Tau's people the Omehi have been in a constant state of war with the Hedeni for almost two hundred years, even since they landed on their peninsula, escaping from the fall of their old empire at the hands of a wicked force called the Cull.

If he fails, he has two choices: serve as cannon fodder in the Omehi's endless war against the indigenous Hedeni who populate the continent, or become a Drudge, a servant with no rights and no honor. If he passes, Tau can join the ranks of the Ihashe, the more elite division of the rank-and-file army. We meet our hero Tau Solarin as a young man, just training for his warrior trials, which in the society of the Omehi is a requirement for all commoner men. That's exactly what I got, but there is so much much to the story.

I was intrigued by the lovely cover art, which seemed to promise a Zulu-inspired fantasy world with dragons. It may be cliche to say a book was impossible to put down, but well, dang it, this book was impossible to put down!

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter