Storm of Dragons

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at first—*another* chosen-one teen in a dragon apocalypse? But *Storm of Dragons* won me over by refusing to romanticize its disaster. Ash isn’t a prophetic hero; he’s a kid who’s good with a bow and terrible at trusting people, which makes his survival feel earned rather than destined. The dragon attacks aren’t just action set pieces; they’re *ecological* disasters, with Rice lingering on the aftermath: starving refugees, warlords seizing power, and the slow realization that no one’s coming to save them. It’s *The Road* meets *Eragon*, but with less whining and more desperation. Kevin Green’s performance is solid, though not without quirks. His Ash sounds appropriately young, but his female voices occasionally veer into caricature—especially the villainous characters, who get a hissing, over-enunciated treatment that undercuts their menace. The production itself is flawless, though, with no distracting edits or volume spikes. My bigger critique is the worldbuilding: Rice’s focus on Ash’s immediate survival leaves some gaps (Why *now*? Where did the dragons *come from*?), but the trade-off is a story that never drags. If you like your fantasy lean, brutal, and with a side of existential dread, this is a sharp listen. Just don’t expect a dragon you’d want to ride.