The King's Dragon

The King's Dragon, first in the seven volume fantasy epic by Kate Elliott (pen name of Alis A. Rasmussen), combines political intrigue with heroics set in Novaria, a world heavily based on medieval Europe, with fictional countries corresponding quite directly with actual ones. The plot centers on two characters: Alain, a young man with a mysterious background thrown onto the battlefield, and Liath, a young woman who gets trapped into an unfortunate situation, and must find her way out. The storyline is typical to others in the epic fantasy genre, one of political strife both inside and outside of the kingdom, yet Elliott skillfully weaves her story so as not to feel cumbersome for readers of the genre. Elliott herself has a background in archaeology as well as medieval sword-fighting, so it's no wonder that she describes the history and action as well as she does, creating an intricate world with humanlike beings, a new religion, and a believable magic system.It's this deep world-building that has drawn the attention of others, for good reason. Sci-fi master Orson Scott Card has significantly praised her work multiple times, saying on his blog that she is "one of the best world creators in fantasy literature."Read if You Like: epic fantasy, dragons, medieval Europe, deep world-building, historical fiction, magic