By Mattie Lugar
Fantasy has always been my favorite genre to read from, and when you throw in dragons and academia? That’s even better. “A Language of Dragons” by S. F. Williamson can easily be classified as one of my all-time favorite books.
Set in a post-WW1 London where dragons and humans co-exist, we follow Vivian Featherswallow whose only plans are to follow the rules, get an internship studying different dragon tongues, and protect her sister. When her parents are accused of being rebel spies, her sister is taken from her, and by midnight, Vivan has started a civil war.
When the only lifeline she’s offered is a mysterious codebreaking job in helping the war effort, she leaps at the opportunity knowing that if she succeeds, her and her family can all return to life as she once knew it. Offering her services as a polyglot, Vivian fully believes in her task in the beginning. When she uncovers a secret hidden deep within these dragon languages, she has to ask herself if this war is truly worth fighting for.
One of my absolute favorite things to read about in fantasy books is corrupt governments and political intrigue. I believe that this is really where this book shines the most, especially because Vivian is the perfect example of someone in the clutches of government propaganda. Seeing someone go from blindly trusting her government to wanting to take it down from the inside is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever seen in a book. Considering the political climate of the country at the current moment, this is a book that I highly recommend everyone reads immediately. There’s nuance not just related to government control, but topics such as class and language are also heavily talked about. If you enjoyed the academia related to translation found in “Babel” by R. F. Kuang, then I truly think you will enjoy this book.
Another thing I absolutely adored was how flawed Vivian was. It was hard to root for her at times because of the decisions she made, but to me that’s what made her so interesting. She’s truly only looking out for herself and how she can reunite with her family, but the way she goes about things can sometimes be morally questionable.
Something unexpected that sort of sneaks up on you is the romance. You aren’t introduced to the love interest until further into the book, but the yearning and tension between Vivian and Atlas are to die for. The romance also fully takes a backseat here, but you really feel the climax of everything within the last chapter or so.
If this sounds interesting then I highly recommend you read this book, as the finale of the duology, “A War of Wyverns” released last month.