The Dragon Delasangre (Dragon Delasangre #1) by Alan F. Troop
Introduction:
The Dragon Delasangre is an unusual take on urban fantasy, with an anti-hero main character readers tend to love or hate — no wishy-washy in-betweens.
Genre / Intended audience:
Dark Adult Urban Fantasy
Narration:
First person, present tense as told by the main character, Peter Delasangre
Characters:
Peter DelaSangre - a dragon, often in human form
Jeremy Tindall (Human) - the family attorney
Aurturo Gomez (Human) - Co-manager of DelaSangre’s company, LaMar Associates; Peter’s most trusted human
Henry DelaSangre (Dragon) - Peter’s Father, aka Don Henry
Maria Santos (Human) - a waitress Peter meets
Jorge Santos (Human) - the brother of Maria Santos
Casy Morgan (Human) - Jorge’s girlfriend
Elizabeth Blood (Dragon) - Peter’s wife
Derek Blood (Dragon) - Elizabeth’s older brother
Charles Blood (Dragon) - Elizabeth’s father
Samantha Blood (Dragon) - Elizabeth’s mother
Chloe Blood - (Dragon) Elizabeth’s younger sister
Philip Blood - Elizabeth’s younger brother
Setting:
Present day Florida
Theme:
We are what we are.
Plot:
Peter DelaSangre is a member of a very rare species who can take either dragon or human shape. No matter the shape, they are always dragons. Having been raised among humans, he has an unnatural (according to his father) fondness for them — and yet he eats them. The Dragon Delasangre details Peter’s life, with three main threads that all come together in the end. First, Peter hooks up with and eats a random waitress, and her brother relentlessly pursues vengeance. Second, Peter seeks and finds a female dragon mate and starts a family, after living most of his lonely life on a private island with his ancient ailing father. The third thread is a mysterious threat from a source that isn’t revealed until the end of the story.
About the Author:
Alan F. Troop published four novels in the Dragon Delesangre series , recently re-released in Kindle format. He passed away in 2014; his obituary can be found here.
My Opinion:
Reading reviews for this book, it is clear that readers either love it or hate it. I can understand why. I fall on the ‘loved it’ side, but readers will not be entertained who are unable or unwilling to get inside the mind of a dragon who sees humans as loyal pets or food. Despite that, the book is original and breathtaking. I read it years ago and now, re-reading it, I enjoyed it just as much. Troop was a talented writer with the ability to convincingly put a reader in the mind of what we’d usually consider a monster. I found myself rooting for Peter. That could seem impossible, but it works magnificently when told in Troop’s very personal first person style. Much of the story is about the internal battle within Peter between his human friendly upbringing and the ways of his kind. That internal struggle is externalized through his relationship with his more traditional wife Elizabeth and her family. As stupid as some of Peter’s actions may be, the author does a good job of convincing the reader of the reckless influence Elizabeth has on Peter. He knows better, but just can’t deny her anything. His fondness for humans, coupled with his own arrogance, is Peter’s downfall in the end. Peter learns, a bit late, the lesson his father spent a lifetime trying to teach him: ‘we are what we are.’ He is a dragon, and his kind cannot be friends with humans. He pays a high price for this lesson, but his enemies pay with their lives. There are four books in the series and — I’m sad to say — no other books from the author.