Quick Take
- Narration: Christian Rummel brings confident pacing to a series-middle volume that requires listeners to already know and care about Fes, and he handles the action sequences with clean energy.
- Themes: Identity and heritage, divided loyalty, the cost of power
- Mood: Fast-moving and tense, with a reflective undercurrent
- Verdict: A solid third installment in the Dragonwalker series that deepens Fes’s understanding of his Deshazl identity, though listeners new to D.K. Holmberg’s world should start at the beginning.
I should note upfront that despite the Amazon listing crediting George R.R. Martin, this is actually a D.K. Holmberg novel, the third in his Dragonwalker series. The attribution appears to be a data error. What we have here is a fantasy series installment that belongs to the prolific Holmberg’s catalog, narrated by Christian Rummel, and it reads as exactly what it is: a confident mid-series book for readers already invested in Fes and the world he inhabits.
I came to this one having heard enough about Holmberg’s production pace and readership to know what I was getting. He publishes quickly, writes in accessible third-person fantasy with clear action and emotional stakes, and builds series that reward binge listening more than individual volume appreciation. The Rise of the Dragon is a good example of his craft in its native habitat.
Fes at the Crossroads of His Own Origin
The third volume’s central concern is Fes’s Deshazl identity, and what it actually means for him to be descended from the ancient people with a connection to dragons. Holmberg has been building this question since the series opened, and here the answer becomes unavoidable. After Fes and Jayell’s disastrous break-in at the Fire Wizzards’ temple, they find themselves without any obvious allegiance. The empire wants him. The rebellion used him. What does Fes actually want?
That question drives the emotional core of this volume in a way that earlier installments left more at the margins. One reviewer noted the heavy self-reflection and found it slowed the pace compared to earlier books, and that is a fair reading. Another described it as the moment where the author makes you want to read the remaining four novels, which is equally fair. Holmberg is using this volume to do the identity work that will make the back half of the series feel earned.
The Architecture of a Discovery Plot
Structurally, the book follows a pattern Holmberg handles well: separation, unexpected allies, escalating threat, and a decision point that reframes the entire series premise. Fes’s isolation after the temple heist forces him toward people who have something he needs and want something only he can provide. The new allies introduced here are serviceable, though the book wisely keeps them secondary to the Fes-Jayell dynamic.
The new threat introduced at the volume’s climax, an entity that wants to use Fes’s Deshazl connection to the dragons for its own purposes, is the kind of late-book reveal that works better in audio than in print. Rummel’s ability to shift register between action narration and quieter reflection is one of the genuine pleasures of this production. He does not over-emote the reflective passages, which is the right call for Holmberg’s somewhat plain-spoken prose style.
The Repetition Question Honest Readers Ask
The criticism in at least one review, that this volume is a little repetitive and took longer to get through than earlier installments, deserves honest engagement. Holmberg’s books tend to circle their emotional centers. Fes worries about Jayell. Fes questions his loyalties. Fes underestimates himself and then doesn’t. These cycles are features of the series, not oversights. But in a middle volume where the action plot has some pacing unevenness, the repetition is more noticeable.
At seven hours and forty-eight minutes, this is not a short listen for a single volume of series fantasy. Listeners who find Holmberg’s internal monologue passages satisfying will feel the time is well-spent. Those who listen primarily for plot momentum may find the middle section of this book drags before the final-act energy returns.
Who Should Listen and Who Should Skip
Listen if you are already in the Dragonwalker series and want to understand Fes’s Deshazl heritage more deeply before the back half of the sequence. Holmberg fans will find this a reliable installment that moves important pieces into position.
Skip if you have not read the first two books. This is a genuine series continuation that makes no concessions to new listeners, and dropping in at volume three would deprive you of the context that makes the Jayell relationship and the empire-versus-rebellion dynamic meaningful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I listen to The Rise of the Dragon without having read the first two Dragonwalker books?
Not comfortably. This is a direct continuation that assumes familiarity with Fes, Jayell, the Deshazl history, and the conflict between the empire and the rebellion. The book provides no significant backstory recap. Start with the first volume.
Is this attributed to George R.R. Martin, and is that accurate?
The attribution appears to be a data or catalog error. The Rise of the Dragon is a D.K. Holmberg novel, the third in his Dragonwalker series. It has no connection to George R.R. Martin’s work.
One reviewer mentioned this volume was slower than the earlier books. Is that a fair warning for listeners who prioritize pace?
It is fair. The third volume spends more time on Fes’s internal processing of his Deshazl identity than earlier installments did. The action is present but the book’s center of gravity is more reflective. If Holmberg’s internal monologue style has ever tested your patience, this volume requires more of it.
How does Christian Rummel’s narration hold up across nearly eight hours of this material?
Rummel is a professional performer who handles both action and reflection well, and he avoids the trap of over-dramatizing the quieter passages. His voice is well-matched to Holmberg’s accessible prose style, and the pacing of his delivery suits the series’ fantasy adventure register.
