Opening Thoughts: I can not start a review of this book without mentioning the cover because it is one of the best I've seen on any piece of literature. It is a work of art, but also immensely evocative of what the book is about - right down to the size of the dragon and the circular nature of the journey of the ship. It might be the perfect cover. I wish the book matched up, and it is unfortunate to say this, but the best thing about The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon is what's on the front.

Setting: I think world-building and creating a stage is Benedict Patrick's greatest skill. Though I've only read a short story set in his Yarnsworld setting, it is clear that he has a talent for crafting intriguing and unique worlds. Darkstar is no exception. There is mention made of a home planet (full of pirates!) that the characters originate from, but events from the very start take place in what is called the Darkstar Dimension. This is a world that is almost completely water, and that defies our known properties of physics. The world is circular, much like our own, but instead of traveling around its outside as we do on Earth, the denizens of the Darkstar Dimension seem to travel upon its inner curve. The world is smaller, and so this is more apparent from the start when the characters quickly realize that they are almost entirely surrounded by water. Residing in this Dimension is the Darkstar itself, a massive violet orb that seems to suck in all magic that comes into its proximity. And attached to the Darkstar is a dragon the size of an island.

Despite the strength of this setting, it also comes with a host of problems. One such issue is the consistency of the rules that seem to be in place. My main concern while reading was one of scale. The dragon is said to be so large that its teeth are the size of towers, which is indeed gargantuan. But this creates confusion to the point where I was never sure how large anything was in the book. The dragon lands in the water at one point, which to my mind would create tidal waves the size of skyscrapers or quite literally shake the Dimension itself, but that does not happen. Every time the dragon interacted with anything, I was only confused at what was happening and wondering why other things weren't happening. Fantasy is a genre full of weird occurrences and magical phenomena, but not adhering to some type of physical rule will hamper any writing.

Plot: Darkstar opens with a transition into the Darkstar Dimension. The entire crew of the Melodious Narwhal, a flying ship led by a fresh naval academy officer named Min, blacks out and is suddenly in a new dimension with a ship that is rapidly losing altitude. They crash into a body water and eventually meet an old hermit who has his own floating turtle island. This is a situation ripe for drama, and indeed there are a score of mutinies and rebellions on all sides. The notion that the Darkstar Dimension is a kind of hub world for other realms is quickly introduced, and from there one can imagine the infinite possibilities awaiting the crew of the Narwhal. However, their ship is inoperable due to the negative influence of the Darkstar on any kind of magic, and so they are beached.

Again, there is host of possibility with this plot. Patrick creates a space of imagination. The ability to travel from world to world, exploring new places that might be completely at odds with what is known, is exciting. However, 90%, maybe more, of Darkstar takes place in the Darkstar Dimension, which is itself kind of a boring place. There is a lot of water and a huge dragon, but once he has exhausted those resources, there is not much else to explore aside from his characters. The few times that some of those characters do venture into other realms feels stunted and random and not as satisfying as inter-dimensional travel should be.

Character: I could have accepted a standard plot and an underused setting had there been better characterization in Darkstar. The main character is one who, on paper, I should love. Min is a strong-willed and capable woman, young, but energized to be a good leader to her crew. This is actually the type of character I am most drawn to, but I never liked Min. There is something about her that feels hollow, and I wish I could put my finger on what that is. For one, she is arrogant and the arrogance continues even after she has a realization of it as a flaw. She is also reckless and projects confidence without actually feeling it. Her motives seem pure, but her actions never back them up. She has almost no growth throughout the novel, and if I compare her in the beginning to who she is in the end, there is no discernible difference.

Min is joined by a crew of varied perspectives. Abalendu is her antagonist, a noble born passenger intent on finding a legendary land called Glimmerwrought, and he is a constant thorn in the sides of every other character. He is one-dimensional and shows no signs of redemption and the novel is worse for his presence. Zoya is his bodyguard, and of any of the characters I might have liked her the best had her decision making ever made any sense. She has divided loyalties that are unclear and cloudy and she is frustrating to read. Brightest, one of the few inhabitants of the Darkstar Dimension and the crew's guide to its mysteries, is intriguing to a point, but mostly comes off as comical and slightly doddering despite his enormous bag of tricks. Perhaps the most frustrating part of the characterization on the whole is the lack of any voice that differentiates any of the characters. If I were to read this without character tags, and you asked me to identify who was speaking at which point, I would have no answer. They all talk the same, have similar mannerisms, and very little to distinguish themselves outside of their appearance.

Parting Words: On the whole, I went into Darkstar with fairly high expectations and was quickly underwhelmed and then gradually disappointed over and over. The disappointment largely stems from the very clear ability of Benedict Patrick to imagine a world that a reader would want to explore. The Darkstar Dimension is one ripe with possibility, and I suspect that in further books Patrick plans to explore those possibilities. But I can't see myself returning to this particular series because the first book has left such a bad impression on me. There is no amount of exploration that will captivate a reader if there aren't good characters to traverse it with or polished, concise prose to take pleasure in. There were things I appreciated about this book, but they are largely overshadowed, and that is a shame.