Kosingas – The Order of the Dragon by Aleksandar Tesic, Book Review
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A year before the famous and controversial battle of Kosovo, monk Gavrilo, the kosingas (leader) of the Order of the Dragon, meets with Marko Kraljevic (“kraljevic” means “son of a king”) who turns out to be the Warrior from the prophecy of the Oracle of Fire, the one who will lead the knights of the Order of the Dragon from all over the world against the hordes of Hades.
At the time of their meeting, Kraljevic Marko is more of an arrogant nobleman than anything else; he is not a bad man, and he has a weak spot for children, but he is arrogant and ignorant of many things. It is up to the monk Gavrilo to teach him better, and to prepare him to inherit the position and the duty of kosingas.
Accompanied by Lazar, the ruler of Serbia, they go to an oracle to find out more about what to do next, an oracle who is actually much more than an old woman with a gift. After the visit, Lazar goes to prepare the Serbians for the fight against the Ottoman empire, and Marko and Gavrilo go on a quest to find the legendary weapon Marko became famous for in the Serbian folklore.
On their way, they will encounter mythological creatures from Hades, but also friendly ones, some from Serbian mythology, some known in other mythologies too, like a centaur. They will also go through Serbian country, and the readers will get to know a lot about (very) old Serbian custom, some of it cruel, such as a custom of a village of miners to throw most of the female babies into a pit, for girls can not become miners.
As in all good books of this kind, Marko will grow as a person, learning more both about himself and the people he rules and will one day protect from the hordes of evil. He will also learn much more about the old religion and old gods, for even though he is a Christian, help from the ancient houston astros hoodie deity (the legend says that the wolves are ancestors of Serbians) Strahor will prove to be necessary.
This novel is set in the 14th century Serbia. An avid mountain climber, Aleksandar Tesic has visited all the places in Serbia he describes, and it shows in detailed and colorful descriptions. He knows exactly what they look like, and he asked around about the old custom too – some of the old beliefs (you should do this, you shouldn’t do that) is still there.
While the Serbian folklore and legends are rich, very little of it is known even among the Serbians themselves. Kosingas – The Order of the Dragon tells a lot about them, though never in an overwhelming way, it just comes natural through the story. In the middle of the book there are some high quality illustrations, mostly showing mythological creatures Marko and Gavrilo encounter on their way.
A silent war between Christianity and old Slavic faith is being fought in the background of this world. While not as powerful as before, the old gods are still very much present, and not happy about being neglected. Some peace between the old and the new faith will have to be found, or the world itself might be left in ruins.
Kosingas – The Order of the Dragon is Tesic’s first novel, but he gives a very mature book about heroes and monsters and legends, about gods old and new, about good and evil. Folklore and country and history were thoroughly researched prior to writing, but in spite of a lot of data, the novel manages to be an intriguing and a fun read.
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