The Dragon Hammer

FIRST IN THE NEW EPIC FANTASY DRAGON HAMMER SERIES. STUNNING COVER ART BY SPECTRUM AWARD WINNER DANIEL DOS SANTOS. Sixteen-year-old third son of a duke in an alternate Viking-like medieval America must face invasion by confederates of a colonial Roman empire based on vampiric blood slavery.

The Dragon of Shenandoah wasn’t supposed to be calling. Wulf von Dunstig was so far down the succession list, he wasn’t even spare to the heir! But calling it was. As the third son of the ruler of the Mark of Shenandoah, Wulf should not have inherited the ruler’s complete bond with the giant dragon that lay under his land. He was into reading sagas and ranger lore, after all. Visions and rule were for his brother Otto. Yet when Wulf is secretly compelled to bond with the land-dragon, he finds himself thrust into a terrible new reality.

Darkness is rising.

In a world of dragons and magic where the Vikings stayed after they discovered the New World, the North American continent is divided into dozens of medieval kingdoms and principalities. To the south lie colonies of the still mighty Roman Empire—an empire based on vampiric blood slavery. Now the evil that controls the Empire is moving to conquer the north and bind the land-dragons to its will.

Standing in the way: Wulf and the castle fosterlings of Shenandoah. These are Wulf’s best friend Rainer Stope, mighty with weapons, not so great at expressing his feelings; Ravenelle Archambeault, royal hostage from a Roman colony, slave mistress and blood drinker—yet a loyal sister to Wulf and the others. And then there is Saeunn Amberstone, an elf teenager (which means she’s sixty-two years old), lovely and mysterious beyond measure. Wulf cannot let himself fall in love with Saeunn. That way lies doom.  But how can he stop himself?

Yet it may not matter. For the one chance to halt an invasion of evil is a weapon forged in the heart of a dragon and lost to the world centuries ago. Find it and hope for freedom remains. Lose it, and the dragons—along with the world they made—will fall into endless darkness. That weapon’s name?

The Dragon Hammer.

About Tony Daniel:
“[D]azzling stuff.”—New York Times Book Review

 “Remember his name, and keep watching for whatever he does.”—Roger Zelazny

 “Daniel proves that the Golden Age of science fiction is right here and now.”—Greg Bear

About Guardian of Night by Tony Daniel:
“[A] large cast of utterly graspable humans . . . .Following in the footsteps of Poul Anderson and Greg Bear, Tony Daniel makes a triumphant return.”—Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine

“. . .an unparalleled success and could easily become a classic in military science fiction. . .Daniel creates. . .believable aliens as well as humans who are all striving for the same goal: capture the Guardian of Night. I was surprised and delighted by the depth of characterization in this book and recommend it to you heartily.”—Galaxy’s Edge

 About Metaplanetary, by Tony Daniel
“[A] panoramic tale of men and women engaged in a war that spans both virtual and normal realities and that calls into question the nature of human intelligence and the price of freedom.”—Library Journal

"The best science fiction novel I’ve read in five years.”—Lucius Shepard

About Superluminal, by Tony Daniel
“Daniel renders his 31st-century battles and human dilemmas utterly fascinating.”—Washington Post Book World

“[T]eems with vivid characters and surprising action.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 “[B]rilliantly realized. . . the story remains gripping throughout.”—Booklist