The story takes place in two different times and two different worlds. In 1910, during the days leading up to the World War I, James Kinghorn accompanies his parents to Northumberland for a mini-vacation while his father observes naval gunnery practice nearby. Little does he know that he's about to slip into the penultimate stages of events set into motion 15 years before; or that he will hold the future of both worlds in his hands.

Meanwhile, back in 1895, Inspector Corrick is assigned the task of solving the brutal murders of several young women. But with magical forces involved, science and reason become more than just a little baffled. Assisting and/or obstructing the investigation is a man from the British Foreign office. What he knows and what he's not saying are critically important, but why isn't he saying it? All we can guess is that these are part of the events that will eventually result in James' quest to stop the forces of darkness.

It's difficult to classify this novel as any one trope or another. Parts feel like a traditional fantasy quest, others like a modern day thriller. The only major drawback is that inherent to almost all new books; a good deal of the story is concerned with exploration of the environment rather than the establishment of the plot. So while the story feels a little rushed in places and some scenes feel more like they're there to show you some important part of the world or important character, other scenes move along sharply and the tapestry being woven looks big enough to hold plenty more stories.

I enjoyed The World of Eldaterra: The Dragon Conspiracy and will be keeping an eye open for any future installments that might come my way.