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Heartstrikers series

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Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers,

Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014—Heartstrikers, #1) by Rachel Aaron

Heartstrikers series — by. Rachel Aaron

5 BOOK SERIES

SPOILER ALERT!
This page contains possible spoilers for the series

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy / New Adult / Dystopian-Post-Apocalyptic / Humor

  • Combines dragons, magic, dystopia, humor and urban fantasy
  • Action-packed urban fantasy series with a strong dose of comedy, post-apocalyptic SF themes and dragons
  • "weaves some post apocalyptic and SF threads into the story while also making sure that it has magic and dragons in it." ~ Fantasy Book Critic

Series Description or Overview[]

Begins with our protagonist Julius Heartstriker, who is a very undragon-like dragon. Due to his lackadaisical nature & apparent un-interest at dragon activities/ambition, he gets banished by his mother Bethesda into the DFZ or Detroit Free Zone. He's supposed to prove that he's fit to be called a spawn of the Heartstriker clan and has less than a month to prove it or else it's curtains for him. Oh and also he stuck in his human form for his Detroit jaunt and can’t avail of his dragon form or powers. ~ Fantasy Book Critic

Lead's Species[]

  • Shapeshifting dragon

Primary Supe[]

  • Shapeshifting dragons

What Sets it Apart[]

  • "fresh twist on the genre, infusing her setting with science fiction, post-apocalyptic and dystopic elements as well as a touch of mythology". ~ Bibliosanctum

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

  • Third-person narrative, mainly from Julius perspective. ( at times the book is also through the perspective of Marci.)

Books in Series[]

Heartstrikers series:

  1. Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014) ~ Rachel Aaron | Excerpt
  2. One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Nov 1, 2015)
  3. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (Aug 5, 2016)
  4. A Dragon of a Different Color (Jul 28, 2017)
  5. Last Dragon Standing (Mar 1, 2018)

Shorts, Novellas, Anthologies and Guides

  1. Mother of the Year

Themes[]

  • Post-apocalyptic SF themes

World Building[]

Setting[]

  • Detroit/DFZ — The city of Detroit has two levels. The old rundown original city, drowned out during the return of magic, and built directly on top of that is what is currently know as the DFZ, one of the most prosperous cities in the world.
  • Heartstriker Mountain - Home of the Heartstriker dragon clan. Located in New Mexico.

Places:

  • Dragon home dimension
  • The Heart of the World

Supernatural Elements[]

✥ Dragons, mages, spirits, magical creatures, futuristic, thaumaturgic mage, prophecies, mobsters, witches, cyborg,

Glossary:[]

  • DFZ: Detroit Free Zone — vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit
  • Clutch: dragon litter—Bethesda names her clutches alphabetically, ( she has clutches up to J, this means that Bethesda laid 10 clutches in total, this is unheard of for dragons because of a typical dragon only 1 or 2 clutches.
  • Merlin: Mages a cut above the rest. Tied to a particular type of spirit, these spirits are known as "mortal spirits"

Groups & Organizations:[]

  • Heartstriker Clan
  • The Clan of the Three Sisters - Daughters of the Three Sisters
  • The Chinese Dragon Empire ( The golden empire )
  • United Nations

World[]

Magic exists in the world now, thanks to a meteor striking the earth in 2035. Algonquin awakens from the resulting shockwave, causing great tidal waves to rise, which was how Detroit was flooded and destroyed. The DFZ rises from its ruins, thriving unchecked on an economy system based on free enterprise and bounty hunting.

Built on the ruins of old Detroit, the DFZ is set apart from the rest of the country, having been annexed by the spirit Algonquin, Lady of the Great Lakes. It is home to modern mages, lesser spirits and all manner of magical creatures. Unfortunately, it’s also got a strict no dragons policy. Trapped in hostile territory with only the clothes on his back, Julius is going to have to prove himself to his mother if he wants any chance of getting his true form back. His only source of help comes in the form of Marci, an exiled human mage who is dealing with her own hefty set of problems.

Bethesda names her children by assigning each clutch by letter in order of the alphabet, so that all the dragonlings in her first clutch would have names starting with A, those in the second clutch would have names starting with B, and so on. ~ BiblioSanctum

✥ A comet caused magic to return in 2035 and since then spirits have taken over several parts of the world. One such persona is Algonquin, the Lady of the Great Lakes, who unleashed a tidal wave and destroyed Detroit. In its place she has built the Detroit Free Zone (DFZ) that is a unique mix of magic and unbridled capitalism wherein dragons are forbidden to enter and humans find themselves to be quite low on the Lady’s interests. But DFZ has flourished beyond imagination and led the world in the unique combination of magic & business coming together like none other. This situation of a city -tate within a country is very similar to Hong Kong and China circa pre-1997. ~ Fantasy Book Critic

Protagonist[]

✥ Meet Julius, the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan. He isn’t a pushover so much as he’s just downright terrible at being a dragon. He’s nice, considerate, has no designs on taking over the world, all of which makes him an absolute failure in his mother’s eyes. After twenty-four years of watching Julius hide out in his room in the mountain, Bethesda the Heartstriker has finally had it. Sealing him in his human form, the dragon matriarch banishes her son to the Detroit Free Zone.

Julius is an underdog, being the runt of Bethesda’s latest clutch. While his siblings are out doing great things, Julius prefers to avoid the rest of his family by shutting himself in his room playing computer games and earning an impressive collection of online degrees. ~ BiblioSanctum

✥ Meet Marci Novalli, also a main protagonist. She is a powerful woman from Las Vegas, Marci helps Julius when he has nobody. Marci is a fledgling mage who has a good grasp on magical theory and assists Julius on his journey, while also tending to her own affairs. Marci has a mysterious cat spirit that follows her around named Ghost.

Characters[]

Heartstrikers[]

  • The Heartstriker's clutches are named by the letter of the alphabet, in relation to the numerical order their clutch was hatched. This tradition date's back to Bethesda's origins from when her mother would use the Greek alphabet to name her clutches.
  • The father of the clutches aren't important (with the exception of The Quetzacoatl) and take no part in raising their children, and thus, have yet to be mentioned.
Characters About
Julius Heartstriker

Julius is as awkward as dragons come. He'd rather be at home playing games or taking online classes. No longer under his mother's radar, Julius has his dragon form locked and is banished to the DFZ where he must prove to himself and his family that he is not as useless as his mother would make him out to be. Julius is the runt of his family and kind hearted to a fault. In his human form, he maintains a higher level of abilities than most mortals. He is quick witted and a keen negotiator. He values Marci's friendship above all else.

Bethesda Heartstriker

THE Heartstriker. Clan ruler and matriarch. She rules her throne with an iron claw. Cunning and ruthless, fear of her wrath is what keeps the clan in line. Typically, she does not carry out her threats herself. For that, she sends out Chelsie. Otherwise, she uses her position to manipulate and dominate her children. She believes the Heartstrikers are the greatest clan in the world and vocalizes it regularly, to her family and to her enemies. She is also notorious for her ability to mutl-task; sometimes taking on four conversations at the same time.

She also prides herself on her product line, from clothing to cosmetics, believing herself to be a dragon of modernity; a trait other clan heads have dismissed for a more traditional dragon existence.

Bethesda is the one who sealed Julius' dragon form and banished him to the DMZ.

Justin

Julius’s slightly older brother. The complete opposite of Julius, Justin is stubborn and pig headed. He wields a fang of the Heartstrikers; unique weapons forged from the fangs of the Quetzalcoatl. Despite his arrogance at his own abilities and willingness to prove his strength to others, he has shown concern for his brother's well-being, even if it gets him in trouble occasionally, especially with his sister Chelsie.

Brohomir (aka Bob)

Julius’ eldest brother and seer of the Heartstrikers. Bob shroud's his 'fortunes' in riddles and does not reveal the future unless it suits his agenda, much to the chagrin of his siblings.

Chelsie

Julius’ sister and clan enforcer. She wields a fang of the heartstrikers and keeps her siblings in line. Her shadowy entrances and ruthless attitude are the stuff of legend. Even the loudest Heartstrikers fear Bethesda's Shade. However, she has shown compassion for Julius and his "nice dragon" tendencies. She has a particular caring disposition towards F-clutch.

Conrad

Conrad in his human form is intimidating enough. But any foe worthy of making him reveal his true self will have a battleship sized dragon to deal with.

Conrad, being a "C" is both old and wise, and Bethesda's personal bodyguard. He often remains silent, but will voice his opinion to his mother if he feels it is necessary.

The Heartstriker clan's third most dangerous weapon.

Amelia

"A"melia. Julius' eldest sister and reluctant heir to the Heartstriker clan. Being Bethesda's oldest child should put her at the top of the food chain, but her mother has her hungry eyes set on destroying her and eliminating the one Heartstriker she can't control.

Known as the Planeswalker, Amelia spends most of her time traveling to different dimensions and increasing her magical powers. Probably for the purpose of preparing for a showdown between she and her mother.

She also shares a friendship/rivalry with Svena the White Witch.

David

David is a politician and the state senator from Arizona; the first dragon ever elected to public office.

Like most dragons, he covets power and has a dangerous silver tongue.

Jessica

One of Julius' sisters. She is a doctor in the DMZ and only aids Julius when Bethesda orders it.

Ian

Bethesda's so-called favorite. Ian owns multiple companies and is very successful. And being a very powerful figure in the world with great influence will earn you Bethesda's favor easily. He is betrothed to Svena of the Three Sisters Clan and Bethesda desires a union between the two to produce magically strong offspring.

Gregory

A dragon who runs Heartstriker operations in South America. He believes strength is the only way to victory and diplomacy is for the weak.

Frederick

Being an "F" Frederick has the poor misfortune of being a servant of the Heartstriker clan. Bound forever to human form for reasons unknown, he, like his F-clutch siblings are at the beck and call of Bethesda or any of her visiting children. Serves as Bethesda's personal tailor.

Frieda

A member of F clutch who serves as Bethesda's secretary and personal assistant within Heartstriker Mountain.

Franz

In charge of Bethesda's private treasury.

Finlay F in charge of the vehicle fleet.
Felix Another member of F-clutch.
Frances The Heartstriker family doctor.
Ferdinand A mage within F-clutch

Gunther

Bethesda's failure of a son, and by her admission, the least disgusting one she's had to eat. Gunther hid himself in the mountain and ate so much, he was unable to move around without great effort. Bethesda ate him for the purposes of preserving her family, for fear that he may devour them due to his insatiable appetite.

Jordan Julius's brother.
Jennifer Tried to banish Julius to another dimension every day for years.
Jaqueline Burned off all of Julius's feathers when they were eight.
Jacob Cursed Julius's toilet to produce multiple types of boils.
Jorinda Another of Julius's sisters.

The Three Sisters

Name About
The Three Sisters Not identified individually, the Three Sisters are thousands of years old and among the most magically powerful forces in the world. They went to sleep like the rest of magic during the drought and remain asleep even after magic returned.
Estella The Northern Star. Estella is the seer for the Three Sisters Clan. One of three seers that exist at all times in the world, she despises Bethesda and plots to overthrow the Heartstriker Clan. Near the end, she sacrifices her future to kill the heatstrikers, Julius tries to give her another chance at future, but she still wants to kill everbody, and tries to do so, Katya saves all of their lives by killing Estella. Estella also brainwashed Svena.
Svena Svena, known as the White Witch, is Estella's younger sister and one of the most magically gifted dragons in the world. She has a longtime rivalry with Amelia but are actually good friends, despite the desire to kill each other. She has also taken up with Ian of the Heartstriker clans and intends to have a mating flight with the young dragon.
Katya Katya is the youngest of the clan and the least magical. Despite her sisters efforts to keep her in their northern realm, she periodically escapes. Her last such effort lead her to the DFZ where Julius's story begins. She later on kills a cruel and murderous estella. By doing so, she becomes clan head.
Ysolde Known as the Frost Caller, Ysolde is the most talented healer within the clan.

Humans[]

Name What About
Marci Novalli Thaumaturgic mage, witch, the first merlin After her father's death, she travels to the DFZ to make a career, using her magic to aid others for a fee. Marci is a gifted mage despite not having finished school. She is both brave and clever. She is also extremely curious about old magic, which often wears on Julius and other members of his clan. She is a main protagonist
Aldo Novalli Mage (deceased) Marci's deceased father. Murdered by the mobster, Bixby.
Emily Jackson General In charge of the United Nations Anti-Dragon Task Force. A survivor (more or less) of Algonquin's attack that destroyed Detroit, she was rebuilt by Raven with cybernetic implants and has used those powers to kill a number of dragons. She also murders Marci, ( Marci still comes back from the dead with the help of Ghost, Raven, and Amelia... yet the fact that general Jackson tried to kill Marci, by shooting her in the back... is not cool. )
Sir Myron Rollins Undersecretary

of Magic

An old and powerful mage. He, like most older mages, had to learn magic with no guide after the magical drought.

Highly respected by Marci. Sir Myren is also a pompous ass, who betrays Marci and General Jackson to work with Elgonquent, he later on redeems himself, he is forever a brilliant snob/ ass.

Bixby Crime-boss Bixby is a crime boss who murdered Aldo Novalli (Marci's father) He seeks the cosmolabe in her possession. Bixby is later killed by Aldo's loving daughter, (Marci)
Ross Shaman Ross is an crocodile shaman and Katya's human lover.

Chinese Dragon Clan[]

Name What About
The Golden Emperor Ruler of the Clan Xian is one lucky dragon to be ruling one of the largest dragon clans in the world. A very calm and peaceful ruler. He is also the father of F clutch, and near the end of the series, he continues his relationship with Chelsea, F clutch, (in particular fredric and falicity). He has always loved Chelsea.
The Empress Mother Dragon Fenghuang is the over protective mother of the Golden Emperor. She hates Bethesda with a passion. She also is cruel, she never told Xian that he had childeren, and she led Xian to believe that Chelsea had betrayed him.
Lao Dragon Lao is the Golden Emperor's cousin and personal attendant. Like Fenghuang, he is very protective of his cousin and ensures his life is a peaceful one.

Others[]

Name What About
Ghost Spirit There's more to this ghost cat than meets the eye. Marci's closest ally next to Julius.
Algonquin Spirit The overall antagonist of the series. She is the spirit of the Great Lakes. When she awoke when magic returned, her rage against the humans who ruined her waters infuriated her and she immediately destroyed Detroit in retribution. Now she rules the DFZ and will order dragon's deaths if they are spotted in her city. Her human guise is of a Native American woman with an even temperment. But this is merely a facade to hide her more sinister motives.
Vann Jeger Fiord Spirt A dragon hunting spirit hailing from the Norway. His power isn't as strong, being so far away from his home waters. But he is still powerful enough to kill dragons just as well.
The Quetzalcoatl Dragon An ancient feathered serpent and Bethesda's deceased father. His fangs have become the swords that symbolize the Heartstriker's power. Only Bob and Amelia are old enough to remember their grandfather.
The Black Reach Dragon One of the three dragon seers in the world. The Death of Seers.
Raven Raven Spirit Raven is mischievious but genuinely enjoys humans. She had a relationship with Amelia many years ago. He now works alongside General Emily Jackson and Sir Myron Rollins in the United Nations.
Marlin Drake Dragon The first dragon to host a television talk show. Bethesda calls him a "sea serpent" because of his undersea origins. He is known to have web feet in his dragon form. Drake is the leader of the clanless. Drake is the father of J clutch, but only reveals this when one of his children do something accomplishing and noticeable.
Dragon Sees the Beginning Dragon Construct A construct in the form of a dragon who lives in the last moment of the dragon's home dimension.
The DFZ Spirit The spirit of the concept of the Detroit Free Zone.
Arkniss Dragon Also called "Fading Smoke". Arkniss hails from Gibraltar
She Who Sees Dragon A dragoness from the African continent

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table or Column (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column.

Rachel Aaron

Rachel Aaron — Author of Heartstrikers series

Author[]

Rachel Aaron

Bio: Hello, my name is Rachel Aaron, and I write The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series for Orbit Books! I'm also the author of the new, rolicking fun Paradox Science Fiction trilogy under the name Rachel Bach. Confused yet? I know I am! I was born and raised in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Athens, GA with my faster-than-the-speed-of-light son, perpetually understanding husband, and fat dog. I write full time, all the time, but when my husband can drag me away from my own books, I love reading fantasy (urban and traditional), Romance (paranormal and Regency), and Science Fiction (all kinds). I also enjoy video games, Minecraft, anime, manga, hanging out at conventions, and very overdone, epic things. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter or Facebook. But if you don't feel like being all social media-y, here are a few of the interviews I've done: ~ Rachel Aaron | Rachel Bach - Bio

Contributors[]

Cover Artists[]

Other Contributors:[]

  • Audio Book Narrator: Vikas Adam — Source: ~ BiblioSanctum
  • Editor: — Source: 


Publishing Information[]

  • Publisher: Rachel Aaron,
  • Author Page: 
  1. Nice Dragons Finish Last:
    1. Nook
      1. Pages: 315
      2. Publish Date: July 14, 2014
      3. ISBN132940149708284
    2. Kindle
      1. Pages: 315
      2. Publish Date: July 15th 2014
      3. ASIN: B00LSV28DC
  2. One Good Dragon Deserves Another:
    1. Nook - N/A
    2. Kindle
      1. Pages: 487
      2. Publish Date: August 1st 2015
      3. ASIN: B00YI6GPZ6
  3. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished:
    1. Nook - N/A
    2. Kindle
      1. Pages: 517
      2. Publish Date: August 5th 2016
      3. ASIN: B01G7YZT26
  4. A Dragon of a Different Color:
    1. Nook - N/A
    2. Kindle
      1. Pages: 525
      2. Publish Date: July 28th, 2017
      3. ASIN:  B072C5F5R1
  5. Last Dragon Standing
    1. Nook - N/A
    2. Kindle
      1. Pages: 306
      2. Publish Date: March 1st, 2018
      3. ASIN:  B0791NG6RF

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE - Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014):

As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: stay quiet, don’t cause trouble, and keep out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn’t cut it in a family of ambitious predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience. Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ--a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit--Julius has one month to prove to his mother that he can be a ruthless dragon or lose his true shape forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are seen as monsters to be exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test. He only hopes that humans are more trustworthy than dragons. ~ Fantasy Book Critic: Nice Dragons Finish Last

✤ BOOK TWO - One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Oct 2015): After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all-knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one. Now that he's got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Bethesda the Heartstriker's gamble to put her clan on top.  Refusal to play along with his mother's plans means death, but there's more going on than even Bethesda knows. Heartstriker futures are disappearing, and Algonquin's dragon hunter is closing in. Now, with his most powerful family members dropping like flies, it's up to Julius to save the family that never respected him and prove once and for all that the world's worst dragon is the very best one to have on your side.

✤ BOOK THREE - No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (Aug 2016): When Julius overthrew his mother and took control of his clan, he thought he was doing right by everyone. But sharing power isn’t part of any proper dragon’s vocabulary, and with one seat still open on the new ruling Council, all of Heartstriker is ready to do whatever it takes to get their claws on it, including killing the Nice Dragon who got them into this mess in the first place. To keep his clan together and his skin intact, Julius is going to have to find a way to make his bloodthirsty siblings play fair. But there’s more going on in Heartstriker Mountain than politics. Every family has its secrets, but the skeletons in Bethesda’s closet are dragon sized, and with Algonquin’s war looming over them all, breaking his clan wide open might just be the only hope Julius has of saving it.

✤ BOOK FOUR - A Dragon of a Different Color (Jul 2017): To save his family from his tyrannical mother, Julius had to step on a lot of tails. That doesn’t win a Nice Dragon many friends, but just when he thinks he’s starting to make progress, a new threat arrives. Turns out, things can get worse. Heartstriker hasn’t begun to pay for its secrets, and the dragons of China are here to collect. When the Golden Emperor demands his surrender, Julius will have to choose between loyalty to the sister who's always watched over him and preserving the clan he gave everything to protect.

✤ BOOK FIVE - Last Dragon Standing (Mar 2018): Dear Reader, There is no way to write a blurb for this final book without spoiling all the others. Suffice it to say, mysteries resolve, dragons war, pigeons abound, and no one is safe as Bob’s grand plan finally comes to fruition.

But the Great Seer of the Heartstrikers isn’t the only one whose schemes are nearing completion. The Nameless End is coming, and even the machinations of the world’s most brilliant dragon seer might not be enough to stop it. As everything comes crashing down, it’s up to Julius to prove what he’s always known: that seers can be wrong, and Nice Dragons don’t always finish last.

First Sentences[]

  1. Nice Dragons Finish Last (2014) — Prologue: It was a very ugly house. / Chapter #1: "Get up." Julius woke with a jump, toppling off the slick modern couch. He landed face down on hard white carpet, smacking his knee painfully on the corner of his sister’s abstract coffee table in the process.
  2. One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Nov 1, 2015)

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

Awards[]

Read Alikes (suggestions)[]

— If you like these, you may like this:

New Adult:

Category links at bottom of page

Notes[]

Why Rachel Aaron decided to Self-publish: Civilian Reader: Guest Post: “‘You’re doing what?’ – Why I Decided to Self-Publish My Next Series” by Rachel Aaron

See Also[]

External References[]

Books:

Freebies & Excerpts:

Summaries:

World, Characters, etc:

Reviews:

Interviews, Guest Posts, Author Commentary:

Artist:

Author:

Community, Fan Sites:

Gallery of Book Covers[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
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