Read these 15 epic fantasy series about dragons

5. The Burning by Evan Winter

Starting with the 2018 novel The Rage of Dragons, Evan Winter’s African-inspired epic fantasy saga about a war-torn society has dragonblood flowing through its veins.

As with A Song of Ice and Fire, the dragons are only one part of a story with a lot of moving parts, but whenever they show up, you know it’s an important scene. And the more you read, the more you realize how deeply they’re tied into all the events that have shaped the world of the story.

The Burning follows Tau Tafari, a young man of no particular note, as he embarks on a quest for vengeance that will push him to the limits of human capability, and beyond. Tau’s people, the Omehi, live in a strict caste-based society, where those in the upper castes have several genetic advantages over those in lower castes. One of the most important differences involves dragons. You see, one in every one thousand Omehi women is born with Gifts. One Gift in particular, Entreating, allows them to commune with dragons and call them to their aid.

The fact that the Omehi can call on dragons is at the core of the war that has raged across this world for almost 200 years. The native people of the continent where the Omehi live have no defense against dragons, which makes the flying lizards the fantasy equivalent of an arsenal of nukes. By enlisting dragons (which the Omehi refer to as Guardians), Tau’s people have a distinct advantage over their enemies.

Of course, in the tradition of some of the best fantasy, the real picture is much more complicated than that. Revelations come fast and hard in this action-packed series, the first volume of which features some of the best fight scenes I’ve read in recent memory.

The second book, The Fires of Vengeance, hits this November, which makes now a good time to get caught up so that you can come on the ride!