Wyrmeweald: Returner's Wealth......there be dragons, many, many dragons

If a book turns up in the post with a dragon on it there is a very likely chance I am going to read it.  Not only did Wyrmeweald boast a rather beautifully drawn white dragon on the front cover but it is also shiny, impossible to resist in other words.  Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell are a duo that are not to be trifled with, they have shared a great deal of success with past ventures in the kid's market and it is rather nice to see them venturing forth into the Teenage market with a darker, more adult, fantasy novel.  Now let's be honest here, there was absolutely no chance that I was going to dislike this novel and this was obviously the case, I loved every second of it.

BEWARE, I have included some spoilers in this review.

Wyrmeweald sets the scene in a fantasy world rife with dragons, travellers and epic, unforgiving landscapes.  Micah leaves home to search for his own helping of Returner's Wealth, said to be abundant in the Wyrmeweald, a dangerous and barren place filled with cut throat pioneers and a whole host of dragons just waiting to make the most out of another lost and naive adventurer.  As expected Micah's time in the weald is nothing but dangerous, exciting and a steep learning curve as he encounters a whole host of wonderfully drawn characters.  After a rather unfortunate incident on the wrong end of a Wyrmekin's lance Micah is introduced to Eli, a man who will become his guide and who is full of surprises about the Weald.  Eli is a man of secrets and honour, a rare find.  An troubling incident with a dragon's egg results in another addition to this unlikely pair of travellers in the form of Thrace, a Wyrmekin.  The trio must work together to overcome their obvious differences and act out a revenge most foul on those that have wronged them and the careful balance of the world of the Weald.  Micah must make his own decisions about the influences that surround him  and whether or not to respect the dragons of the Weald or to exploit them to earn his wealth.

This is such a wonderful novel about overcoming difference, and is essentially a coming of age novel for Micah (if you can say that about a fantasy novel).  Micah's character is so gentle yet strong of spirit that you can't help but be drawn to him and empathise with the losses and gains that he endures in the novel.  The budding romance between himself and Thrace is enticing and complicated, and one that you want so badly to bloom in spite of their obvious differences.  It is not only Micah's characterisation that is strong, all of the characters you encounter are so intricately woven that they seem real, there are multiple levels to each of them.  You will find no one dimensional characters in this novel.

There are just dragons absolutely everywhere in the book, in the landscapes, in the skies, in gatherer's luggage.  The people of the Weald live off of hunting or scavenging from dragons, this is how they obtain the coveted Returner's Wealth which is the element that drives Micah into the wilds in the first place.  The notion of this is so interesting, and of course indulgent of you are as much of a fan of dragons as I am.  The creative genius of these two is utterly overwhelming, and I love it, right down to the stunted blind Wyrme on a rope.

It is not just the story that will grip you, it's the style in which the novel is written.  At the beginning the location and time changes from chapter to chapter to build the foundations of the story, and this is done incredibly well.  These individual stories gradually merge as all of the parties involved encounter one another within the narrative, every little detail is important, there is no padding whatsoever in the telling.  For example, Micah's encounter in a cave as he begins his journey becomes all the more relevant at the conclusion of the novel, the danger he initially faced becoming all the more clear.  There are characters like this too, not just locations, Ichabod the Preacher's harsh madness is explained by the time you finish reading and it invokes a great sadness as you realise he is as much a victim as those he tricks on his travels.

This is yet another wonderful addition to the legacy that is Stewart and Riddell and works well as a standalone although it is the first of a series.  If you have never read anything by them this is as good a place as any to start and there might be a chance you won't be able to stop.  It is brilliant to read something a bit darker, a bit more vicious and all the more tender for it in places, I can't wait for the next one in the series.  Maybe they will take a step further after this and explode onto the adult fantasy market as Wyrmeweald really isn't too far off in my opinion.  This is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good fantasy, especially if you are after a lighter, quicker read than something as epic as George R. R. Martin or Stephen Donaldson.  This is a fantasy world you will love.

Wyrmeweald: Returner's Wealth is out now in paperback with the follow up Bloodhoney just out in hardback.