Novel: The Dragon's Path

Novel: The Dragon's Path
Author: Daniel Abraham
Rating: 3 of 5

Synopsis: A young woman creates a mid-evil bank! Also, something about guys with swords and horses.

Longer (spoilerific) synopsis:
Let me start with: I've adored the work of Daniel Abraham since the Long Price Quartet. He's also half the minds behind The Expanse. I was excited to pick this up.

Sigh. This is very much in the vein of Song of Ice and Fire.

Less than half the book is about banking, which is the really innovative part. A ward of a bank is entrusted with the bank's money to avoid it being stolen by a marauding army, and she protects it by forming her own branch of the bank.

That hook, right there? I'm in. A young woman, about to come into her own, manipulating the system and overcoming the patriarchal elements that want to destroy her, proving herself through her dangerous mind? That's the book I wanted to read.

The book also follows her mercenary captain, a jaded and grizzled combat veteran renown-- who cares? He's a badass and able to make life and death choices, check. I don't really care about his story.

But then, there's this whole other plot. Remember the army that was going to steal the banks money? One of them is also an eye point character, and we follow his rise to greatness and power. And, sure, he's got more book learnin' than sword learning and his rise is based on that, and an unholy alliance he makes. But really?

Let's get back to banking.

It takes 300 pages for our young protagonist to realize she should setup the bank. That the best way to safeguard the bank's wealth is to loan it out. She invests in profitable trade: beer. She gets a nice triangle of trade, with plans of further developing a vertical monopoly.

That's the book I wanted. There just wasn't much of it. I'll continue the series, and hope it focuses more on banking and less on swords.