In the Hall of the Dragon King: The Dragon King Trilogy - Book 1

Written by Stephen Lawhead

Narrated by Tim Gregory

A kingdom hangs in the balance as a young acolyte shoulders a knight’s errand to rescue the King. Tested in more ways than one, Quentin must face life outside of the temple as he is swept up in the political uncertainty of the court and ventures out on an Arthurian quest across the lands in hopes of reaching the King before it’s too late. This crossover YA political fantasy features religious undertones.

Quentin had always thought his calling was to be an acolyte at the temple and live a simple life far from adventure or service to the crown – until a waylaid knight with a mortal wound implores the priests to finish his errand to the castle. Unsure but convicted, Quentin offers to finish the quest not knowing the fate of the kingdom rest on his shoulders.

In Arthurian fashion, Quentin is thrown headfirst into the political scheming of the court where Prince Jaspin is trying to usurp the throne for himself while the King has mysteriously disappeared. As Quentin sets out to find the King, he learns that the balance of good and evil are weighing on the scales and time is running out. Tangle in a new destiny, Quentin must rely on his friends and companions as they journey towards an uncertain future filled with ancient secrets and unimaginable obstacles.

In The Hall of the Dragon King readers will find:

• Christian allegory and themes
• A sweeping Arthurian styled epic fantasy about hope, destiny, and purpose
• Crossover appeal for young adult and adult readers
• A coming of age story with religious undertones

In this first book of the Dragon King Trilogy, Stephen R. Lawhead has deftly woven a timeless epic of war, adventure, fantasy, and political intrigue perfect for fans of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series, and Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Apr 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9780785259251

Stephen Lawhead

Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife.

[Kat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book years ago and liked it then. Listening to it now, everything was like brand new. Lawhead is one of the greatest writers out there!!

[Anna Puchar-Krause · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a good book if it wasn't for religion. In my opinion, the writer relayed too much on the religion.

[Apps Simplified · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quentin, the main character, is completely lovable, as are all the characters. I highly recommend this book and the full series. The author is a wonderful writer.

[revslick_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It's been a long time since I've had to force myself to plod through a fantasy novel. I heard that Lawhead is a modern day Lewis and decided to take a chance. Unfortunately, I chose his first book and it really, really shows. From the setting, plot, characters and even dialogue is trite and retread. I began to notice this when I started rooting for the main character to fall into a pit and die a slow, horrible death. That didn't happen. I'll give Lawhead another try; I've heard he's since improved vastly.
The only plus is the reader is introduced to the notion of a god who is actively searching for us.

[sirfurboy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an early Lawhead book - I think maybe only his second ever. My feeling is that he las learned a great deal since writing this one. These days his descriptions are so much more vivid, his characterisation so much deeper, and he really understands how to put a story together. Another big difference is that these books are fantasy, whereas these days Lawhead writes mostly historical fiction.

The story in this book is not bad. Quentin, an acolyte of the god Ariel, leaves service at his monastry to take a vitally important and urgent message to the queen. This leads him into an adventure to seek out a lost king, and he finds out a good deal more on the way.

Even though the story is not bad, it is not brilliant either. As a story it does not compel you to keep reading, and the characters are just a little too wooden to really care about. Whereas much modern fantasy has its genesis in Middle Earth, this book seems to have had its genesis in Narnia. Not that this fnatasy world is at all like Narnia - but you can see the same story ideas in places.

A book for Stephen Lawhead completists only.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good if a little formulaic.

[sunqueen_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I normally like fantasy but did not really enjoy this very much. Plot was really predictable, and pace dragged. I actually had all three books in this series but could not bring myself to read the other two.