I was a bit unsure when I first looked at this book, finance and dragons, do they really mix? In this book they do! The smooth easy going writing style and the journey you take with the main character Sailor Kelstern made it very enjoyable read which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
Also, with this book was included a short story "Forego quest" while it felt a bit rough and ready it was a read which made me chuckle a few times.
All in all a good reading experience.

The author of this book set out to do something difficult - tell an interesting story about a merchant banker in a fantasy setting - and, in my view, achieved it. I kept wanting to get back to reading it, which is an excellent sign. It helps that the banker in question is atypically honest, and, despite his frequent protestations, generous to others.

It's a kind of riches-to-rags-to-riches story, though the rags are relative rather than absolute. For a long time, I was thinking it was going a bit too easily; the protagonist kept succeeding in whatever he attempted, and had a clever plan that looked as if it was going to come off without a hitch. I was still interested enough to keep reading, but I did wonder if there was going to be some more tension and conflict and challenge coming - and then there was plenty, and the plot took a series of twists, and overall I was very satisfied with the outcome.

I will mention a brief jarring moment, in which the protagonist has a drunken one-night stand with a junior employee. It felt out of place with the rest of the book.

I'll also mention that in the review copy supplied to me by Netgalley, it's obvious that the author is reaching well beyond his vocabulary, and often using words in senses that are either highly unusual or flat-out wrong.

The bonus story, while in dire need of basic copy editing (again, in the version I had; the published version may well be a lot better), I found genuinely amusing. It's the story of a fated Chosen One, the focus of dozens of mutually contradictory prophecies, who refuses the call so hard that he actually ends up succeeding in a completely unexpected way. It's not just tropes and silly names, but clever and well plotted, which I believe a comic story needs to be.

Definitely recommended, though I would like to see the author bring his knowledge of the basics of vocabulary and punctuation up closer to the level of his excellent plotting.

Solid 4 stars ★★★★☆

<i>‘The world is not always a fair place especially in the world of finance’</i>

The Dragon Banker's concept is rather unique, mixing fantasy with finance and economics. I never thought I’d have cause to mention Futures trading and dragons in the same sentence!

This book is thoroughly entertaining, with compelling characters, and an engaging and witty writing style, revolving around your not-so-typical fantasy protagonist (he's a banker for crying out loud).

Kelstern is a skeptic, down-to earth banker who is plummeted into fantasy and intrigue and sets out on an adventure that is absolutely entertaining and hilarious at times, without seeming forced.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This and the bonus shortness such fun to read. It was a great sci-fi novel with interesting characters.

A solid 4 stars!

This was such a fun book! You don't often read a fantasy novel involving dragons that don't include a ton of blood shed, violence, etc. The main character is a banker of all things and he ends up getting embroiled up to his eyeballs with intrigue, mayhem, and dreaded financial ruin. He mentions many times being more suited for the desk than for action, adventuring, and basically physical activity of any kind. And yet, he finds himself sailing, hiking, mountain climbing, crawling into mines, sleeping in a tent, and basically getting his hands dirty as he does everything he can to ensure the well-being of his dragon client as well as all the people who work for him or who could be affected by his business. He is that rare man of business with more integrity than greed. In short, as much as he gets the adrenalin going by the thought of making his business successful, it's more about how it will take care of people than about the money itself. :D

The story is very well crafted and written, and other than a minor formatting issue in the kindle ARC, it's pretty well edited. There's lots of humor without dissolving into immaturity, and you find yourself cheering for Sailor Kelstern and his friends. I loved that even though he was the main character, many of the other characters were more than one-dimensional. And even though economics is not my forte, I ended up learning quite a bit in this one!

There is also a short story called Forego Quest that is included in this volume. It's sort of like a humorous cross between Terry Pratchett, Star Wars, and about every fairy tale you can think of. It definitely had me laughing and the writing was such that I could picture this as a humorous animated short. After this, I plan on checking out other writing by this author.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Scott Warren, and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.