New Book Alert: Sand and Smoke (Dragon Destiny) by Carl Cota-Robles; Fantasy Novel Brilliantly Combined With Steampunk Science Fiction and Westerns

New Book Alert: Sand and Smoke (Dragon Destiny) by Carl Cota-Robles; Fantasy Novel Brilliantly Combined With Steampunk Science Fiction and Westerns

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: If you want to write an Epic Fantasy series and are bored with putting it in a Medieval-esque setting with kings, feudal lords, elves, and sorcerers, you may wish to combine it with other genres. Science Fiction works, giving a scientific explanation to all of the magical goings-on. An Urban Setting could be interesting turning your Fantasy, into a Magical Realism story. Or you could do what Carl Cota-Robles did.

He put in a dash of magical Fantasy with dragons, a cup of Steampunk Science Fiction, and mixed it well with Westerns to give a book that is a very strange mixture of ingredients but is certainly a very creative attempt at building a new hybrid Fantasy world.

The Western/Science Fiction Steampunk portion of the story is provided by Al Hardin AKA The Silver Bandanna. Al is a young cowpoke living in a desert-like area on a planet in the year 4717. He disguises himself as The Silver Bandanna- a Lone Ranger type who protects the poor downtrodden people from the “Punchers”- corrupt thieves who steal money and land from honest folk. Sometimes he is hired for big projects to take down the corrupt governments that control the Punchers.

Al, however, has one ability that many other western heroes lack: he can control the winds with his hands. He doesn't know where he gets the power from, only that it is useful. In fact, it is so useful that many recognize the Silver Bandanna by that ability as much as they recognize the eponymous bandanna that he uses to cover the lower half of his face.

Al is going to need all of his abilities for his latest assignment. Joel Forquid, a rich idealist, recruits the Silver Bandanna to destroy a weapon that his father financed and will destroy many. Along the way, Al and Joel encounter other people to aid them on their journey as well as face gun fights and double crossing. Oh did I mention that there are dragons flying overhead and some are protecting the weapon?

While the dragons veer Al's story firmly towards Fantasy, they are upfront in the other story, that of Maya Samoralt. Maya's half centralizes the more fantastic and magical elements. Maya is a brilliant, and at times arrogant swordswoman, who is selected to be a student at a Hogwarts-esque school that teaches young people to become dragon riders.

While waiting for her big chance, Maya and the other students go through various trials to demonstrate their skills such as sword fighting and locating items as well as learning about meditation, reading ancient texts, and working with a partner. Maya also has to deal with a bullying snobbish classmate who also happens to be her partner. However, Maya makes a new friend in Cuicao, a young Shapeshiftter dragon with a reputation for rule breaking within her draconian community.

Meanwhile we get a look into the world of dragons as two races of dragons battle preparing to erupt into a Civil War.

Until late in the book, these stories almost never converge. The only link that they share is the existence of dragons and a few derogatory comments about people from their sides of their world. I wonder if Cotas-Robles had three ideas in mind in writing his book and he couldn't decide which one to write, so he combined all of them.

They could have gone just as well as three separate books in the same series, however the function of separating gives us a wide scope of what this world is like. So often, with books that take place on a different world, it is assumed that all of the residents live in the same environment, are under the same government, and have the same sociopolitical structure and issues. When you think about it, it is kind of ludicrous. As if the people of Earth were expected to look alike, worship the same deity, have the same sociopolitical structure, and live in the same small area of the planet.

In separating the stories, the Reader gets an idea over how vast their world is. They live different existences and it shows in the competing narratives.

Al lives in an arid mostly agrarian community where corruption takes the form of avaricious officials, robber barons, thieves, and land developers. Maya lives within a structured classicist society in which people are identified by the gemstones on the foreheads such as gold for wealthy merchants, silver (like Maya and her family) for artists and educators, copper for laborers, and obsidian for dragon riders. The dragons are arranged in a clan-like structure with plenty of infighting. The fact that these three stories don't converge until later into the narrative shows Cota-Robles’ gift of not only building a world but the many different facets of it.

Cotas-Robles is also effective in filling his world with memorable characters. While Al is certainly patterned after the heroic characters found in Westerns, he is well-defined in his motivations and goals. His dislike for Punchers comes from a clear place and his personal code on what he does and doesn't do as the Silver Bandana are made aware.

Maya is also well-written and established. She is both bookish by revealing her interest in the school's library and active in her interest in sword fighting. She shows a duplicitous at times argumentative nature such as her confrontations with her partner, Nikita and her admission over how she got accepted at the school. She also shows a great deal of kindness in her conversations with Cuicao treating her like a friend rather than a dragon.

Even supporting characters show a lot of depth. Joel is driven by the large picture of stopping the weapon. Jin Bell, a Puncher hired by Joel to help out with the mission is ruthless and could back stab the team at a moment's notice but shows compassion and protectiveness towards Fin, his partner and unofficial adopted son.

The dragons are also given plenty of character as well. Cuicao is an impetuous little spitfire but is very devoted to Maya once they bond becoming the best friend that both need. A dragon, Hans is devastated when his son, Johan turns against his family further illustrating the divisive precarious nature among the dragons.

With Sand and Smoke, Carl Cotas-Robles gave us a wonderfully detailed world of memorable characters. It would be a great world to return to for the next adventure.