Finally, some of the books that I've had on hold at the library forever came in. And, I seem to have noticed a theme in my reading lately - dragons. Yes, even the non-fantasy book Girl With a Dragon Tattoo fits that category. However, these giant denizens of the fictional bestiary are part of the fantasy realm. Sometimes, one just needs some true escapist fiction. So, which literary dragons have I been slaying?
I have been rereading several books in the Dragons of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. I was first introduced to her works by my mother, who owned several of the Dragon paperbacks. It was only recently that I realized that some of the books were organized into trilogies, as I'd just read the books in any order. The two that are my favourites, and the ones I most recently read, are Dragonsong and Dragonsinger. These two follow the trials and travails of Menolly, a citizen of a harbour town of Pern, blessed with a distinct gift of music that her family seems determined to smother. I enjoyed reading about Menolly; she is a likeable character and (to give part of the plot away) her time at Harper Hall is very interesting and well done. Sadly, I don't like the third book in the series, Dragondrums, quite as much. It focuses on Piemur, a friend of Menolly's from the Harper Hall. In recently re-reading the books I realized that I would have much rather read a third book on Menolly and her life as a journeyman harper, instead of suddenly switching characters to Piemur, who was only introduced in the second book.
The two I borrowed from the library are The White Dragon and Dragonflight, both of which I've read before, but not lately. I will let you know my thoughts on them shortly. They are books one and three of the Dragonriders of Pern series, but I don't think one necessarily has to read the books in order.
What other fantastical dragons have appeared lately in my reading? Mercedes Lackey, a truly original and prolific fantasy author, recently wrote about dragons in One Good Knight, one in her new 500 Kingdoms series. I really quite enjoy this series, and so it deserves a special blog posting of its own. If you wish to read that series, start out with The Fairy Godmother, as it explains the basic premise of the novels. The books are highly entertaining. Maybe they aren't great literature, but you will stay up late reading them!
Since I seem to have stumbled upon the dragon theme, I thought I would take a tour around my own bookshelves to locate further reading material once my current selections are finished. There isn't a lot about dragons on the historical shelf! However, to my great surprise, I found a number of books about dragons on my fiction shelves. I have discussed them below in no particular order.
Of course, one starts first with the great classic: The Hobbit. Many people know the tale of Bilbo Baggins and the band of dwarves on a quest to take the horde of treasure from the dragon Smaug. However, once one has read the Lord of the Rings, this nice little children's book takes on new dimensions. I haven't read it for awhile and it may be time to give it another go. I am not the type to read the Lord of the Rings every year like my brother, but a little Tolkein every now and again doesn't hurt. I think I've had my copy since I was about 10 and it is showing its age: the spine is lined and the edges of the front and back covers are rounded.
A curious young adult book that somehow ended up in my collection is Dragon's Blood, by Jane Yolen. It is a short, small book about a boy who wants to train a dragon to fight in the dragon-fights. I believe it is supposed to be the start or part of a series, but I just have the one book. I haven't read it in years, so I think it's time I had another look and investigated the possibility of a series.
Another interesting fantasy novel about dragons is Ladylord by Sasha Miller. What makes this book interesting is that it approaches fantasy and fantastical animals, such as dragons, from an Eastern/Oriental perspective. Most fantasy, whether or not about dragons, seems to stem from Celtic/English based roots and a dream of Merrie Olde Englande. However, Ladylord sets its fantasy in a world that seems to be based in Chinese/Japanese roots, which makes it a welcome change. Sadly, I have never come across another book by Sasha Miller, which is a shame as she is an excellent author. Maybe some research is in order there. I'll add Ladylord to my what-to-read next pile.
Dragons are sort of mentioned in A Wind at the Door, one of Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet featuring the Murray family. However, since dragons aren't the central theme, I think I will put L'Engle aside to another day (and a blog post all of its own!).
I own a terrific fantasy novel called The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. Again, it approaches fantasy from a different perspective; sort of a colonial-Victorian-Arab-desert mix. It does not talk about dragons. So why is it on the list? Well, the other book in that series, The Hero and The Crown, does talk about dragons. It is set in the same land as The Blue Sword, but at a different time period. For whatever reason, I own only one of the books in the series, not both. But I wasn't going to let that stop me from recommending a few good books, even if one of them is only tangentially connected to the subject of dragons.
And, finally, on even more of a tangent, a book that isn't really even about dragons at all, is the book Raptor Red, by Robert T. Bakker. No, it is not about a dragon. It is a fiction novel where the main character is a dinosaur. Yes, I know, dinosaurs are not dragons. However, they are as close as we are likely to get in this non-fantasy world! And, it is fiction. It is a story told entirely from the point of view of the dinosaur - she is the main character. Not fantasy - because there are no humans and dinosaurs living together, but fiction, because it is not a true story, although it is factual.
So there it is, my current dragon reading and my list of further suggestions on the topic. I also welcome any suggestions from my readers as to dragon books I should add to my quest. I'm always interested in reading new books and I'm sure I have missed plenty of good dragon books. Happy reading everyone!
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