Over decades of fantasy tales, dragons have gone from being menacing guards and villains to the soul bonded companions of fearsome dragon riders - they are great mythical creatures that continue to fascinate fans of fantasy. In his debut adult fantasy, Dragon Rider, Taran Matharu takes the story of a young boy plucked from obscurity and combines it with the conflicts and magic of ancient history. Read more below from the author's own words on the inspiration that drove this story.
Dear reader,
Thank you for choosing Dragon Rider. I hope it takes you on a thrilling journey through a world of majestic beast companions, ancient empires, and unlikely heroes.
I invite you to soar with Jai and his dragon, Winter, to feel the pulse of rebel hearts, and to explore the murderous politics and vivid locales of a crumbling empire. My deepest wish is that you find yourself as invested in the fates of these characters and their struggles as I was in creating them.
Dragon Rider was born from my deep fascination with the ancient world, the mythical beasts of times past, and all things fantasy. The roots of Jai's people, the Steppefolk, trace back to my ancestors, the Indo-Scythians, nomads of the ancient world. As for the cruel imperial Sabines, they hearken to the Romans, with their emperors, legions, and iron-fisted rule.
I also wanted to explore the exciting possibilities of the cultivation genre, a fascinating new realm of fantasy literature. Within these pages, a spiritual, structured magic system inspired by eastern Wuxia and Xianxia novels awaits. The soulbound, as the practitioners of magic in the series are known, form deep bonds with legendary beasts as their animal companions.
Beloved favourites of the fantasy genre will feature, as well as more obscure beasts plucked from world mythologies. From griffins to manticores, to the lesser known Persian chamrosh, the soulbound can bond with a veritable menagerie of animals. And let's not forget the prehistoric creatures—mammoths and saber-toothed tigers, to name but a few.
I hope that Dragon Rider will transport your imagination and hold your heart captive until the very last page. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
With warmest regards,
Taran Matharu
