Knight of the Silver Circle

De: Duncan M. Hamilton

Narrado por: Simon Vance

Dragons have returned after a thousand years, but greater dangers lurk in the shadows....

As the lines between enemy and ally blur, Guillot dal Villerauvais is drawn farther into the life and service he had left far behind. Solène attempts to come to terms with the great magical talent she fears is as much a curse as a blessing, while the Prince Bishop’s quest for power twists and turns, and takes on a life of its own.

With dragons to slay, and an enemy whose grip on the kingdom grows ever tighter, Gill and his comrades must fight to remain true to themselves, while standing at the precipice of a kingdom in peril.

The Dragonslayer Trilogy:

1. Dragonslayer
2. Knight of the Silver Circle
3. Servant of the Crown

©2019 Duncan M. Hamilton (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Narrations

The narrators voice, as strong as it was, was very difficult to distinguish between characters. Most of the Characters sounded like different ages of John Cleese.

The Enlightened are the key

I’m pretty excited with how things are changing, but I’m also concerned about how much things have fallen apart compared to how they use to be, hopefully dragon kind can bounce back from this.

Over a little too early

Great book! Just wish it didn’t end as abruptly as it did. Felt like the author was under contract to produce the book so they ended it prematurely.

Dragons, dragons, dragons.....

4.25 Stars 🌟

This was one of those weird situations where I found this book in my Audible library and when I went to see if I had already read the first book in the series, I found out that I had. Unfortunately, I did not write a review for it - nor do I remember it (apparently it was over 5 years ago....) So.....I decided to take a leap and just jump in.

Even though I honestly have NO memories of the first book, it was NOT hard to fall into this story. I did not feel like I was missing any crucial details or at any time feel lost. Well, actually maybe a bit in the beginning while I was trying to figure out who was the good guy and which one was the bad guy, but honestly, that became pretty clear pretty quickly.

Basic story synopsis, dragons used to be alive but have been gone for centuries. There was a war and they disappeared. After that war, magic was also outlawed (it used to be prevalent and there were many mages, etc) Now, anyone with a hint of magic is killed. Another thing that existed in the olden days was the Knights of the Silver Circle. They were a group of Chevaliers who did many things, but one of the most important was killing the dragons. I got the impression that this was done with dragons who were a danger to civilization (we later learn that dragons can be "enlightened" and those that are not, become basic killing machine) hence the need for the Silver Cirlce.

Many of the information from the past detailing the uses of magic were destroyed. This is where I am a little foggy. There is a Prince Bishop who is not a good man. He has been secretly trying to get The Order back together and has plans to bring them out in the open at the right time. Magic cannot just disappear, and it shows up in certain bloodlines. Apparently, this Prince was born with limited magic. There is also a woman -our FMC Solène - who is VERY magically gifted but is not officially trained so she is afraid that without proper training, she will die from magic burnout if she doesn't use her magic properly. Here is where I was a little lacking in knowledge.


Dragons have now come back into the world. The Prince Bishop sent a group of men from his secret Order to kill the dragon. He thought that would be a great way to unveil the Order after having them save the city from death and destruction. Unfortunately, they all were killed. I'm not sure if Solène was sent with them or not (I don't think she was I think she went in secret), but when this book starts, our MMC Guillot dal Villerauvais (Gil for short) is with Solène and they have this magical cup that can make you imperious to fire and therefore aid in a fight with a dragon. So, together they slay the dragon.

It is on his way back to the city with the head of the dragon in tow that they discover there are 3 more dragons attacking a particular town, not too far from where they are. Solène has to return to the city and the Order because if the Prince finds out she went and took the cup, and helped Gil with its magic, she will be killed. Also, she unintentionally killed some people during the mayhem with the dragon and it terrified her. She only meant to incapacitate them but could not control her magic and it went too far. AND, she is suffering from magical burnout. So - she needs to go back.

Gill decides to take the job (Solène left him the cup) and along with a couple of help/soldiers (and one stable boy) he picks up on the way, he is able to slay 2 of the dragons. This is when we learn more about the evil Prince. It was him that poisoned the former King when he was causing too much of a roadblock for his plans, and he is now having second doubts about this new king. The Prince Bishop is NOT happy when he discovers Gil killed the first dragon and he is scrambling to figure out how to spin it so that the Order can take credit.

Not to mention another dragon, this time a very OLD dragon has awakened after a centuries long slumber, and we even get his POV. Lots going on in his storyline.

Then the Prince goes against his commands and outs the Order, unknowingly at the same time that news hits the kingdom that there are more dragons in the skies. It is safe to say that things are falling apart quickly. The Prince wants the cup and he knows Gil has it. He also wants the King incapacitated when the King makes it clear that he is very unhappy about telling his subjects about the existence of magic. There are riots in the street.

This is where things take off. Will Solène make it back without anyone knowing the part she played? Can Gil kill 3 more dragons? Are the Prince's men going to find and capture Gil as they have been ordered to? Is the King going to arrest or kill the Prince Bishop? So many questions....but.....No spoilers :(

I enjoyed this book and listened to most of it on audio. The book is narrated by Simon Vance who just happens to be a favorite of mine so that was an added bonus. I will say this - I was ABSOLUTELY ready to move on to book 3 after this one ended. Take that as you will. I, on the other hand, have another book to read :)

great

I thought it was rather well done, I enjoyed both the story and narrater; though that's just my opinion

Another phenomenal story from Duncan M. Hamilton

Yet again, I find myself anxious to continue another series by Duncan M. Hamilton. The narrator expertly tells this work. Mr. Vance is truly among the best voice actors/narrators in the business. I thoroughly enjoy these books and recommend them highly.

excellent!

Great tension, that pulls you through an incredibly satisfying tale. Wish it had been 2x longer.

loved it!

this was an excellent book. amazing narrator!! can't wait for more books by Duncam M Hamilton

Dragons!!!

you sir I envy your imagination. everything you write is so intertwined. I love your approach on magic and its affect on your world. I'm in it until it all comes apart. thank you

Great!

Great story line and a wonderful series. If you start anything start this series.