Kraken Rider Z

Kraken Rider Z, Book 1

By: David Estes, Dyrk Ashton

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 21 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

If there's one thing dragons fear, it's a kraken.

Even lowly hull-scrubber Zee Tarrow knows that. Like everyone on the island kingdom of Tosh, he grew up frightened by fables and horrible tales of the great beasts of the deep. It seems an odd thing to impress upon the children of the realm, because–luckily for the dragons and their riders–no one has seen a kraken in a thousand years.

Then again, Tosh's lifeblood is the sea. Royal Dragon Knights guard the king's ships from the constant threat of pirates, hostile empires, and the monstrous horrors that dwell beneath the waves. It makes sense that the people would fear krakens, even after generations of Knights graduate and take flight from the ramparts of Triumf’s Citadel, the country's most elite–and therefore also exclusive–military academy. A school that Zee, who has barely ever had more than two copper pennies to rub together, should have no chance of getting into.

Thing is...Zee has a secret. He’s not only seen a kraken....

He saved its life.

When that truth gets out, will Zee be hunted by the Dragon Knights he has always envied and admired, or will he become the first Kraken Rider in history?

From the minds of David Estes and Dyrk Ashton, authors of the Fatemarked series and the Paternus Trilogy, comes a series perfect for fans of Iron Prince, Mage Errant, and Ascendant. Kraken Rider Z is an action-packed fantasy series with lots of heart and the kind of unbreakable bond between man and beast that hasn't existed for centuries. Start your adventure today!

©2023 David Estes and Dyrk Ashton (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

Amazing coming of age story about an unlikely duo.

Great audio performance, plot, and storytelling. I can’t wait for the further character development and continuation of the story of Z and Jessop.

Wonderful progressive fantasy! Love Zee and Jessup

I’m a huge fan of David Estes having started with him back when he was writing the Moondwellers series. So when I heard he was working on a book with Dyrk Ashton about a kraken and his rider, I couldn’t help but be completely intrigued with how that could possibly work.

I’m also a huge fan of bonded dragons and have read all of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, over and over and over… And just finished the Fourth Wing books. So, yes. I do love dragons!

In Kraken Rider Z, we not only have the ONLY mythological kraken in existence, but we have an entire world which includes dragons, military dragon school, and a whole lot of magic. Count me in!!!

And, as I’ve come to expect from David Estes, I was swept away by the story of 7 year old Zee finding and naming a baby Kraken. I was all in from the beginning chapters.

Zee and Jessup are then separated for about 10 years and both have grown into adults. During this time Zee ends up as a hull scrubber on a ship and Jessup survives in a harsh ocean environment trying not to be eaten while he’s young. Zee spends his time dreaming of become a dragonrider.

Without going into spoilers, all I can say is I fell in love with the two protagonists in this progressive fantasy. The action is non-stop and the ending is very satisfying! Although the book starts with a 7 year old, it’s not an MG book. It’s YA, but reads as adult fantasy.

If you enjoy lovable characters, dragons, magic, or incredible world building in your fantasies, this book is for you.

I preordered and listened to Kraken Rider Z on audiobook narrated by the incredible Tim Gerard Reynolds (does the Red Rising series) and I couldn’t get enough. Between the story and Tim’s performance, I listened to this book every second possible and would force myself to turn off the audio late at night so I could sleep.

Really well done to both authors! I can’t wait for book 2!

Great story

Good book with a slow start. Dragons are small kraken are big. Looking forward to the next book.

They did well building the characters

I enjoyed they way the built the characters up. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Shonen manga meets epic fantasy

Initially sent a free ebook copy by one of the authors who is a friend, I’m glad to have used a credit on the audio version. This book is just so much fun. TGR brings a classic and engaging narration to a thrilling and exciting character progression fantasy. Our noble hero Z and his Kraken Jessup face many trials and tribulations and never give up. Fantastic world building, a sense of humor, dramatic action, and wonder woven together at a clip that kept me engaged for all 22 hours. Satisfying end but I still can’t for book 2!

Interesting fantasy

Overall, this story is very entertaining. Still wrapping my head around a Kraken who can talk, crack jokes, and otherwise display very human emotions. It is well done and excellently performed by TGR, who rocks as usual. It is clean and not overly violent and worth a credit. I look forward to the next installment.

Amazing First Book

An amazing start to a series. it's a book I recommend picking up. It has plenty of action but doesn't skip world building or character build up and relationships.

surprisingly good

Read it / listen to it! Enjoy it! It’s worth it! Kk kk kk kk kk kk kl

Brilliant and new!

I’ve followed this story since it’s pre-release chapters through Wraithmarked, and I can’t say enough how much I have loved every read! From the rough arc, to the released chapters, to this wonderful performance putting a whole new light over it all. Tales of dragons are many, but krakens you want to root for and maybe go swimming with, not so much. Thank you for this delightful story and I can’t wait to read more!

A fantastic book.

I will be buying a hard copy for the nieces and nephews when they get a bit older. This is like Harry Potter in that you can give this to a 10 year old or a 15 year old or an adult and as long as they are into well written YA they will love this. I am not easy to impress but this has me invested in the series. My only petty complaint is the description of the characters appearances is a bit lacking. I couldn't tell you anything about Z's appearance accept he has a lot of scars and he is short. I can tell you at least that the kraken's eye color is green. Not worth dropping a star over it still earned 5.