The Bander series is a blast. I grew up reading Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Ursula K. LeGuin, and plenty of stories built around (or influenced by) Arthurian legend, and Bander is a wonderful, action-packed blend of all of the above. The Owl & the Dragon is probably my favorite of the “Brawling Adventure” series, but they’re all great. Bander is a fantastic main character—strong, smart, funny, honest, and a world class brawler. A former imperial investigator, he takes down adversaries by outthinking them (or if that doesn’t work) through sheer brute force. It’s like Jack Reacher parachuted into a vivid, richly imagined realm of sword and sorcery. Highly recommend all of the Bander books.

I think Randy Nargi must have been channeling Jack Reacher in a swords and sorcery fantasy world context when he wrote The Owl and the Dragon: A Bander Adventure. That’s perfectly fine with me, however, as I love Jack Reacher stories almost as much as I love fantasy tales. Together they’re a killer combination, and this is a killer of a great book. Full of action, mystery, thrills, unexpected twists and turns and a star who is really fun. Highly recommended.

This was really a fun 'fantasy detective' read with the hard boiled older detective trying to locate a missing child. Nothing is exactly as it appears. The book reads well and is complex enough to be worthwhile reading over again.

This was my first experience with the main character of this book, Bander of Rundlun, or the author, Randy Nargi. I had sat down on a snowy Saturday afternoon thinking I would read a few pages and see if I liked it or not. Instead I read about half of it. The writing style is simple though catchy. No lofty phrases or need to go find a dictionary to understand what a character is telling another. It introduces the main character right after he had been robbed and left for dead. Fine, this will be a revenge story about a survivor going after the people that left him for dead. But no, it sneakily takes you from one scene to another; adding more information about Bander and about the people he is dealing with. The central plot involves a little girl, Jillen Lockwell, being kidnapped. But of course there is more to the story. And it held my interest long enough that I was surprised to come to the end so quickly. Where did the 300 plus pages go? Where did the time go? The twists and turns of the plot held my attention for sure. I liked the book, and the style of the author. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes light fantasy, and a surprising wealth of information that makes the characters come alive. I could easily picture the village of Hytwen and the city of Vale. The characters, both good and bad, were not just shallow cut outs of people. The style reminded me of David Gemmell in that respect. I look forward to reading more adventures of Bander of Rundlun.

If you like Simon R. Green or Jim Butcher you should read this book, too. The book reads like a good movie runs, with a fast pace that kept me turning pages until there were none left. There is nothing better then a strong leading character. I love a character who doesn't want do anything special, but due to circumstances has no choice. The story grabbed my attention and I didn't put it down until I was done the book.

Randy Nargi is one of my favorite authors, and I really enjoy this Bander series. The series blends high fantasy with the fast pace of an action thriller and the twists and turns of a mystery novel. Bander as the protagonist has had a storied career but is still a force to be reckoned with as he ages. Grab this and the other books for an enjoyable read!