The Dragon's Banker

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.

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

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*

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.

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.

*** Received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
Are you bored of reading regular fantasy novels with the same type of setting?
Are you looking for fantasy fiction with a different mood and setting?
Then this one is for you.
I loved every single thing about 'The Dragon's Banker". Right from the setting to its plot everything's immaculate.
The writing style made it easier to read the book even if you do not know the working of the world in this book.
This is one book where the protagonist is relatable and ready to accept his faults and shortcomings. He is law-abiding, funny and clever enough solve some severe problems.
I was sceptical about the dragons and banking in the same book. But I am mind blown after reading this one.
All the characters are well written and they played a dynamic role in the book. I learned a lot about finance from this book than from reading an article.
The bonus novelette was equally good. But I felt that it needs a little bit of touch up in editing.
Apart from that, I love this book to the core and I recommend it to all the fantasy fans. I am looking forward to reading more works from this author.
My Rating- 5/5

Of the six or so books I plan on reading this month (a couple of which are ARCs) - this intrigued me the most. I was genuinely impressed by the writing. Especially for a relatively new author, the book is well polished, with what seemed like the perfect length and a unique premise. (I guess a tip of the hat to the editor too).

Now for the unique premise - the author deigns to tell the story of an honest banker who somehow manages to get sucked into a dragon's (or multiple dragons') schemes. There isn't significant world-building, but it is set up to be a pre-Industrial Revolution European society with elements of magic and magical chemicals (alchemics). There are vague references to human sorcerors, but the sorcery itself is hardly relevant to the plot and there is little "true" magic except for the chemicals and the flying dragons.

Things I enjoyed
- There is an actual attempt to stay on theme and focus on the minutiae of banking, lending and the financial system. The idea of an economy switching from a commodity-backed currency to a Fiat one excites the economist in me.
- There are several reasonable analogies and explanations for some of the relevant economic concepts

What I missed
- There never seemed any real danger for the banker
- I would have loved to see "pages" out of his notebook, whether in the end or placed in the beginning of chapters
- There were hints or brief mentions about the nature of dragons, of fiat and trust, of what wealth meant in a human society built on change and impermanence versus the permanence of dragons and gold, but they were never fully explored. I would have loved to read a little more about that, but this is also might just me.

The Dragon's Banker by Scott Warren a fantastic read. The Dragon of lore has decided to employ a banker on behalf of his fabulous wealth... but why does a dragon need a banker? This story is great, with fantastic characters, and a fun plot.
P.S. the short story at the end is HILARIOUS!!!

The Good

-Unique plot with the most unlikely protagonist. Fantasy (dragons) with finance and a merchant banker for a main character. I didn’t think that would make a fun read but this book proves that it can be fun
-Very likable characters who just want to earn a profit while doing the things they like doing
-Sailor Kelstern, our main character, uses his wits to fight his enemies rather than force
-Just when you think everything’s going very well, things go downhill very quickly which makes it an exciting read


The Bad

-Pretty weak world-building
-The business/finance/accounting stuff might not work for everyone


Overall

A fun read which will make you wonder, “How will they get out of this predicament, now?”

Also, really loved the novelette included! It was hilarious!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available in stores on September 25th.

Wow, this book proves that everything is better with dragons, even the world of finance. I loved every single moment of this book! It was a blast. Not every fantasy book needs to have vicious battles of the physical sort. Sometimes, the battle of the wits is much more cutthroat.

Sailor is a banker (oddly enough). He’s incredibly good at what he does. Think Scrooge McDuck but with a sense of compassion. He loves money and he loves numbers, both in pretty equal value. What he’s not a huge fan of is adventure. He’d tell you that he’s not a coward, he just prefers his comforts to trekking through the wild or sailing.

When he takes on a new client he learns that he is, in fact, working for a dragon. This dragon has realized that with the advent of paper money, his vast hoard will be less impressive and he wants to get ahead of the game, so to speak. It’s the most clever idea for a book, and it made me actually give a rat’s ahem about numbers.

“One should never tell a dragon that he is becoming…well, not poor but at least less obscenely rich than he was before.”

The characters are enjoyable, and the story moves at a good pace. This book is just flat-out fun. I highly recommend it.

A combination of fantasy and finance, The Dragon's Banker was an interesting read. While it may not be something I reach for time and again, as the mix was a bit heavy on the finance side for my personal preferences, it was definitely different, while still remaining familiar in the fantasy side of things.

The characters were fabulous and well-written, the story a fun and fast read (surprising with all the economic talk!), and I really hope the author decides to return to this world. It's a pretty fun one.

This book is a standalone novel that shares the same would as The Sorcerous Crimes Division (which I haven't read).

As someone with no interest (and only has limited/basic knowledge) in all things related to money, this book actually made finance and economics a bit more interesting. I suppose banking set in a world of fantasy with elves and dragons automatically makes financial investments much more interesting. I think young adults (or adults) who want to find a fun way to grasp the basics of finance should read this book.

The storyline of the book is pretty interesting and quite different from your average fantasy novel. The novel takes place in a world that is transitioning towards fiat currency (government issued paper money) and features Sailor Kelstern as the main character. Sailor is a businessman and banker who is content with his office job (he's not really a man of action). But Sailor's life gets turned upside down when a mysterious client with a cave full of unimaginable treasures hires Sailor to manage it's wealth (and help with the transition towards fiat currency).

I think I definitely would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I had a background in business, economics and/or finance. It was still entertaining nonetheless but I would mostly recommend this book to anyone who has a background or better grasp and understanding of these fields.

Finally, I absolutely loved the short story at the end about Arturus Kingson, and unwilling hero who refuses to accept his destiny as the 'Chosen One' and is constantly running away from being a hero. No matter how hard he avoids opportunities to save the day, life just keeps throwing important artifacts, hero worshippers, and hero killers at him.

The character was funny and I loved how the author took the 'Chosen One' trope and turned it into an entertaining story about how a hero can never run away from their destiny.

If you've ever read The Hobbit then you know that dragons are intelligent creatures filled with greed as they closely guard their hoard of treasure. But time doesn't stand still even for dragons and countries will begin to modernize whether the dragons want them to or not. So, what is a dragon to do when gold is no longer accepted as payment for goods or services?

Thoughts:
In Borreos, wizards are common, but dragon’s are not. In fact, the existence of dragons are thought to be almost laughable since it has been so long since anyone has seen any. Sailor Kelstern, a banker, is having a normal day as any when a drifter tells him that there is a rumor that some dragons have been spotted in the Redfang Mountains. Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to Sailor until he meets one who requests his help and banking knowledge. Sailor says no, but due to a set of circumstances he is forced into a working relationship with the dragons to help them exchange their gems, metals, and other treasures to something that will work in the new modern times – all without anyone knowing that there are dragons in the world and that they have a lot of gold.

My overall take is that this is a good book to try out if you want to stick to something in the fantasy genre, but want something different than a story about needing to save the world from pending doom. The characters are well done and likeable and the situations they encounter are interesting as they try to navigate the world that sometimes wants to work against them. Also, keeping up with the dragon’s ever changing demands isn’t that easy either. Be prepared though – Sailor sometimes has to explain to the dragons and others about how he plans to accomplish everything so there may be more business-related conversations than you might expect in any fantasy book.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Short and enjoyable read. How do dragons react when society switches to Fiat currency and their vast holds become basically worthless? Read it and find out.

It left me wanting for more. :)

Sailor Kelstern is a banker in a land of nobles, elves, dwarfs, but no dragons. At least that is what everyone knows. Sailor learns differently when approached by a lady with an offer that he cannot refuse - turn a dragon's hoard into banknotes so that the Dragon can continue to prosper and his wealth increase. But he is hounded by a nobleman who feels slighted by him, he has to carefully skirt the law, every venture seems to go wrong in some way and yet he persists and manages to make a triumph of sorts. An interesting fantasy adventure lacking the normal gang of adventures and dungeon diving. Who knew banking was so exciting?

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to review this book!

Published by: Scott Warren (Self-Published)
Genre: Fantasy (Economic Adventure!)
Pages: 255
Format: e-book
Review/Purchased Copy: Provided through NetGalley, in return for an honest review.

Sailor Kestern is a fine banker in an unenviable position. His former client, a nobleman by the name of Brackwaldt, has it out for him and that’s made business difficult. So difficult in fact, Sailor’s prospects in the capital of Borreos are looking increasingly forlorn. Gates are shut in his face, trade routes are blocked for him, human shipmasters refuse to work with businesses that so much as associate themselves with the Kestern banking house.

Even with this one major issue at hand, it’s an exciting time to be a financier and Sailor isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The Royal Mint is driving a major initiative on behalf of the Crown, introducing paper currency and hammering it into the economy with all the strength an institution has in wielding hardcore monetary policy. Adam Smith’s invisible hand? Pfft, please, Borreos has one Darrez Issa, financier extraordinaire, who looks over the interests of the Crown with an eye sharp enough to make even an eagle jealous. A man like Sailor has a healthy dose of awe for the queen’s financial advisor, and the good sense to stay away from him after the last time the two crossed paths.

But this is called The Dragon’s Banker and not The Adventures of Sailor Kestern: Merchant Banker. There is, of course, a dragon – and what a dragon he is! The dragon has a daughter, too, and she is far more integral to this novel, the mysterious figure through whose actions Sailor becomes embroidered in the most ambitious venture he has ever helmed. Success is difficult, and failure? Let’s just say, the wrath of even the most morally bankrupt nobleman is like a fleck of dust in comparison to the rage of dragons.

As a reader with a bachelor’s degree in economics, I was the perfect audience for The Dragon’s Banker. The economics made sense and Warren seems to have a good grasp of how demand and supply work; he’s thought through all sorts of issues that the reader could’ve picked up on and works them in the story seamlessly and just at the right time. Some of Sailor’s most minor actions, at first, see great pay-off by the end of this 255-page read and in ways I didn’t necessarily expect.

The world was well enough distinguished from your average mish-mash of fantasy races; elves, in particular, struck me as a memorable lot, coming across less as a perfect, immortal version of humans and as more alien, as fickle as any creature as I’ve read about. There are quite a few memorable characters, as well – Sailor’s assistant, his banking partners, several dragons (in my mind, I call them Greedy, Arsy and Tiny-but-Not), and more. I will say, I thought a few of the dragons would have benefitted of a further appearance or two.
One aspect of this novel won me over, and it’s a specific reading of the novel that I will now expand on:
At one level of The Dragon’s Banker, there’s a critique of capitalism’s ceaseless chase of profit maximization. Though avaricious, Sailor never has the amassing of riches as his personal goal. For him, money is most valuable for what it can do for people. In that way, what could’ve been a cynical take on banking is instead a subversive work of fantasy well worth the read for that angle alone.

Sailor Kestern is a humanist – and that, I think, is the greatest triumph of The Dragon’s Banker. This banker, the only one worthy of representing the interests of the most avaricious creature of all, the dragon, ultimately differs from his cold-blooded patron in the following way – money isn’t an end goal for him. It is merely a tool.
To me, The Dragon’s Banker is a 4.5/5 star read. I enjoyed it immensely, partially because of my background, partially because of my reading of it as a critique on some of the woes of capitalism. It’s my firm belief that you’ll find plenty to love within these pages.

As for me, I am curious to see what else Scott Warren is capable of.

You'll enjoy this novel if:
• You like to see dragons evolving with the new financial times;
• You're looking for an atypical fantasy protagonist, one who relies on his smarts rather than on his fists;
• You're in for an adventure that deals with trade, the economy and a world in the early stages of the Industrial revolution;
• You are looking for a critique of capitalism, now with dragons!
• And More! Prob'ly.

A fantastic book about a human banker and a family of dragons set on proving that all other species are greedy for money but are surprised when Sailor Kelstern shows them that not everyone wants profit for themselves

I gave this 5 stars because the narration of Sailor's thoughts throughout the book were something different to read but also entertaining and made me want to keep reading. There was always something happening on each page that pulled you into the story even more like you were also one of the characters.

I was excited to find a standalone book in the world of Vick's Vultures. It turned out to be the most entertaining treatise on logistics and investing ever. I loved the dragon and that he wanted to invest in his own hoard - it led to a really entertaining read!

The first chapters of this book really captivate me because of the description of the characters and also on how well the reader can understand this new fantasy world. Normally it is not a book that I read but can say that it was a pleasant and surprisingly good read.

A fun trip on the fantasy troupes that have become a little too common the past few years. Well written and worth reading.