BOOK REVIEW: "The Defenders of Prali" by Davidson L. Haworth

The Defenders of Prali is, like The Lord of the Rings, a collection of the three books set in Prali, Italy, written by Davidson L. Haworth: The Dragon of Prali, The Wizard of Prali and The Vampires of Prali. I'll give you, below, the description of the books from Goodreads before giving you my personal opinion on all three.

Life in Prali, a small village nestled in a picturesque valley in the Italian Alps, is quiet and safe—until the gates to the underworld open nearby, unleashing the fury of the last of the dragons. Generations earlier, the dragons were driven from Prali and slaughtered. Now they have returned with only one goal: revenge against humanity.
A young Franciscan monk named Bernard, an English girl named Mary, and a knight named Leonardo are all that stand in the way of fiery oblivion unleashed by the invading dragon army. The underworld is a place of dark and mysterious magic, where threats far more diabolical than dragons lurk in the shadows.
A powerful wizard, Simon Magnus, sees the plight of the overwhelmed heroes and offers his assistance. But his intentions are far from altruistic; after the dragons destroy the villages, Magnus plans to step in to enslave the villagers and enlists the help of winged furia, demons from the underworld, to finish off the dragons. Desperate, Bernard seeks the assistance of the French leader, Clement Laurent. Infuriated, Magnus brings in Persian mercenaries to crush the resistance. Meanwhile, news that fighters from the Vampire Empire are on the march toward Prali pushes the heroes to the breaking point.
The fate of Prali rests in the outcome of an epic battle between the combined forces of good and evil. Can Bernard and his allies hope to save their village and their way of life?

The Dragon of Prali is reminiscent of The Hobbit mostly, with the village struggling to survive the rampage of a newly-awakened dragon. Their only hope is a lonely monk and a young girl.
It has a strong story with a very unlikely hero. No one will swoon over Bernard, as many girls do for Frodo Baggins, but they'll want to hug him and invite him in for tea instead.
It's a pure adventure story, best read at night, with your own cup of tea and a big blanket.

The Wizard of Prali is a bit darker than its predecessor, and I found it much more entertaining, believe it or not. This is no Harry Potter! There's so Gandalf swooping in to save the day, either.
I read this part a bit more breathlessly than the prior installment, and its dark storyline foretold of even better things to come in the final chapter...

The Vampires of Prali was by far the best. There are no 600 year old teenagers falling for high school kids, no sparkles, no sexy grins, like you'll find in Twilight or The Vampire Diaries.
The vamps in Mr. Haworth's story don't want love and understanding; they want blood and death, like real vampires should! Fans of Dracula and 'Salem's Lot will love this as I did. After all, there is nothing better than undead killers, and we all know it haha!

I loved every character, both good and evil. This was great writing, and to read all the books together as one is a unique experience that all readers should have. You can tell that Mr. Haworth put a lot of heart in each sentence, creating the ultimate fantasy trilogy of our generation.
Who should read this? Everyone!

5/5--wonderful!

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Don't forget to read my interview with the author from this summer's Long Beach Comic Expo HERE !