As the author himself describes it, Dragon Kings of Oklahoma is Tiger King with dragons. Daisy & Wild-Eye are volunteer firefighters and drug couriers in the small town of Douay, Oklahoma. They’re called out to a fire at a camper, and find the camper completely demolished with the owner charred right along with it. They also find a mama dragon guarding five little dragon eggs. Daisy just so happens to have a touch of druid in him, thanks to his absentee mama, and is able to communicate with the dragon that they don’t want to hurt her. She’s cooperative, and Daisy & Wild-Eye agree to hatch the dragon eggs and sell the wyrmlings for a tidy profit.
The only problem is, dragons are native to Germany (and only Germany) and the German government is VERY protective of their animals. Before long, there’s a member of Germany’s Dragon Guard sniffing around Douay trying to find out where their missing heritage animal has gone. Actually, that’s not the only problem. Because the dragon was being held on behalf of Dusty Schneider, the owner of the town’s All-Mart, supplier of all the Oxy making its way through that part of Oklahoma, and Daisy’s boss. Oh, and he’s a werewolf. And Dusty is pissed that his prize dragon has gone missing, and when he finds out who has the dragon and her eggs, he is going to take it out of their hide. Literally.
Dragon Kings of Oklahoma is a fast-paced adventure fantasy set in a small town hit hard by the opioid crisis. The characters feel like people you might bump into at the local bar, and the town feels lived in, even as the author casually mentions monocles that detect lies and dragons that fought in the World Wars. Daisy faces real-world issues like his own addiction to Oxycontin (and the workplace injury that got him the prescription in the first place) while also dealing with a werewolf crime boss and a very angry dragon. Ferrett Steinmetz is an imaginative world-builder, and his latest work continues that excellence. Dragon Kings of Oklahoma is the first of a trilogy, and all three are being released in the next few months. So if you wanted a new fun fantasy series to dive into, I have a suggestion for you!
