The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon by Benedict Patrick

Impossible world. Impossible dragon. Impossible adventure.

Lost with her ship and crew in an unfamiliar land, Min’s first command could be her last.

Nothing here behaves the way it should:

The magic that powers her skyship has been drained, rendering it immobile.

The sky is an endless twilight, lit by the luminous fish that swim in it.

Off starboard, there’s also the country-sized dragon that is looking particularly hungry.

It will take all of Min’s training and experience to get her people safely back home, but as the truth about the Darkstar Dimension begins to be revealed, Min will have to prove to her crew – and to herself – that she is still the best person for the job.

From the twisted mind that created the ‘delightfully weird’ Yarnsworld series comes a fantasy adventure like no other.

An epic fantasy written by Benedict Patrick, with a dragon? Count me in.

I’m a huge fan of Benedict Patrick’s Yarnsworld books. They have this fairytale feel that never fails to capture my imagination, and are a wonderful blend of short fiction and a longer narrative.

But The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon is not a Yarnsworld book. It’s something entirely different: a weird and wonderful epic portal fantasy with one of the most inventive worlds I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about.

Seriously. This is a world with an endless sea that curves in on itself like the inside of a bubble, dotted with islands, turtles disguised as islands, and the occasional floating castle. And in the middle of the “bubble”? A dark, purple star, orbited by portals to other worlds, and patrolled by an unspeakably huge dragon that tries to eat everything it spots.

Oh, and when I say “huge”, I mean it. It’s said to be the size of a country.

In amongst all of this is Min. Her airship — which she is in charge of, but is not the captain of — finds itself stuck in the Darkstar dimension, and none of the crew can remember how it got there. They have more pressing things to worry about than amnesia, however, as the magic engine that keeps the ship in the sky has gone dead. Goodbye magic, hello gravity.

The Yarnsworld books already had me suspecting, but this book confirmed my suspicions: Benedict Patrick is one of the best worldbuilders in the genre. It’s a joy to see his imagination come to life, and I’ll read any book he puts out just for the pleasure of being transported to some place entirely new.

There’s more to a fantastic book than just a great setting, though. There has to be well fleshed-out characters and an engaging plot.

In terms of characters, I really enjoyed reading about Min. She’s fiery, she has a chip on her shoulder, and she has an almost-overpowering desire to prove to everyone that she has a right to be where she is. Her story is not so much about personal growth (though there is a degree of that) so much as it is about someone fighting to be respected. By necessity, she’s a bit of a reactive protagonist, but her struggle to regain her agency and become more proactive is part of her story. She’s perhaps not as complex a character as I would have liked — though her pride is definitely a major flaw — but as you’ve probably gathered, the focus of this book lies more on the world than the characters.

As a result, some of the side characters (and the antagonist in particular) can seem a little one-dimensional, although there is an older character with whom Min has a very fun dynamic with a lot of engaging dialogue. In terms of plot, this is more an “along for the ride” kind of deal than it is a story full of unexpected twists and devastating revelations. The main struggle lies in staying alive, avoiding any rash decisions, gathering information, and trying to avoid the massive dragon that would very much like to eat everyone.

But while the plot might sound simple, Benedict Patrick is brilliant at playing to his strengths. He masterfully builds tension by drawing our attention to the unknown, and then eeks out small details about his world — just enough to let our own imaginations fill in the blanks — and keeps us begging for more. There’s a sense that anything can happen, and that combined with some very readable prose had me devouring this book in very few sittings.

For me, this was the equivalent to a very fun “family movie”, although there is some (rare) strong language. Sailors, y’know how they can be.

To sum up, The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon is a wonderful book for those who want books about inventive worlds and the exploration thereof. However, it might not be best suited to those who prefer more complex and in-depth characterisation. It depends what you read for, but for me this was a tremendously fun novel, and I can’t wait to read more about this world.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.