Series: The Burning #1
Published by Orbit on July 16, 2019
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 544
Format: Hardcover
Game of Thrones meets Gladiator in this debut epic fantasy about a world caught in an eternal war, and the young man who will become his people's only hope for survival.
The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable fight for almost two hundred years. Their society has been built around war and only war. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine.
Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war. Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He's going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn't get the chance. Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He'll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.
Discussion Questions
- How does African culture influence the world building in this book? (Hint: Evan Winter’s explanation of his world, compiled by Tor.com from Winter’s AMA on r/fantasy, provides a good starting place.)
- The Chosen’s society is built upon a caste system. How does this caste system affect the people’s lives?
- Queen Taifa uses dragons to wipe out the hedeni, the native people of the land, and secure a place for her “Chosen” people. What are our society’s dragons (for example, Rick Riordan makes the comparison to nuclear weapons)? If you were in Queen Taifa’s position, would you use the dragons’ power against your enemy? Why or why not? What are the potential consequences?
- The nobles motivate themselves with the war cry “Blood will tell.” What are the social implications of this war cry? Do you believe that the talents we’re born with determine our worth, or are there other factors involved?
- How do you feel about Jayyad’s belief that men are limited in how far they can go by their bloodline? Do you think that Tau has disproven this belief, or is he a special case?
- After his loved ones are brutally murdered, Tau decides to take the path of vengeance. Do you agree with his idea of justice? Explain why or why not.
- How do you think Aren would respond to Tau’s decisions? The actions he takes on his pursuit for vengeance?
- How does Tau’s choices on his path to gain power reflect his mental state? Where does he find stability in his life?
- How do you predict Tau’s new position at the end of the novel will affect his society’s culture? What potential tensions may arise? How do you think these tensions will be resolved?
- Ever since the Chosen (Tau’s people) forcefully colonized the land, they have been engaged in a non-stop war against the hedeni (the native people). In the present day, various factions have arisen as the leaders argue over how to end the two-hundred-years war. How does their struggle mirror the racial tensions in our world? What do you believe is necessary for racial reconciliation?
The Rage of Dragons is a fantastic book. I’ll release my review on the blog soon, but I wanted to go ahead and share the discussion guide my book club made, so y’all can get a feel for what to expect. (And because this was long overdue!)
The Rage of Dragons was my book club’s March 2020 pick.
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