Books: Dragons
Because Life is short - a list of books to read instead of going to see Reign of Fire. Notes include brief discussion of book's intent and the role of the dragon, no major plot spoilers. Some warnings for content/theme. All opinions are my own, and I limited my list to books I had actually read. So, not very many newly published books.
Note: I would love any more recommendations - especially for 'dragon books' vs. 'books with dragons in them.'
Dragon's blood by Janet Yolen. Dragon is: Exotic Alien Beast. Our hero is: Dragonrider. Setting: An alien world where the dragons are native. SF, with bits of woo-hoo mind play. Notes: A neat examination of dragons as animals, not mystic metaphors. These dragons are flesh and blood - used in pit fighting and for food. The world and its physical environment are well drawn. The main characters are teenagers (this is a youth-market book) and later re-readings as an adult left me dissatisfied with the hero and his attitude. YMMV. Themes of bond-slavery throughout - no gratuitous abuse. First published as a stand alone, later two sequels added. (Series is called Pit Dragons.) Could have done without: Hero's occasional whiney attitude. Horse Involvement: Only as beasts of burden.
Dragonlance Chronicles (Dragons of Autumn Twilight) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Dragon is: Magical, mythical embodiment of evil. Our heroes are: For the most part, a wandering band of idiots. Setting: Pre-industrial Dungeons and Dragons - woops, TSR -type adventuring world. Notes: The series that ate my allowance. This series - and the sequels, and the spin-offs, and the game modules - is what allows Robert Jordan to write blockbusters that make best-sellers lists. A band of adventures attempts to warn the world of the return of dragons. The writing is solid, the world fully realized, if a Tolkin knock-off, and will keep you occupied for *days* - even if you don't game. The characters are...aimed at game-players. There are dozens, and only one or two with any real depth. However, there is the knight Sturm, the Kender, Hasselhoff (?) - always a fun time - and some occasionally moving poetry. For my money, the best of the series was Dragons of Winter Night. Could have done without: Dude. It's based on a role-playing game. The empty holes in the plot for module play were damned annoying. Horse Involvement: Get ridden to death and left at the foot of the castle wall. Occasionally dragon bait.
Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. Dragon is: 'Traditional' magical beast of evil and destruction. Our hero is: Aeirn, a Dragonslayer and a Princess. Setting: Damarian, a preindustrial kingdom. More Turkish in feel than European. Notes: Newberry Medal book, but don't let the children's award turn you away from one of the finest novels on this list. The first half is decidedly non-linear story telling, as it gives the back history of Aerin and her country. Adventuring, mild use of magic (woven into the narrative, but not thrust into the reader's face) magic swords and journeying. A prequel to The Blue Sword, but Hero is easily the superior novel. Could have done without: Read the first half slow. Don't skip. I question if the story would have been better without the grounding in an already established universe. Horse involvement: Trusty steed that is more than a place filler.
Dragonrider by Anne McCaffrey. Dragon is: Empathic Warsteed. Our heroes are: F'Lar and Lessa, Dragonriders (duh). Setting: Planet of Pern, pre-industrial. (Later novels develop a SF support structure, but the earlier feel is fantastic, not SF.) Notes: McCaffrey is the Dragonlady. Many, many, many people find their way into SF/F through her books. However. Read this one, and Moreita: Dragonlady of Pern, and leave it at that. McCaffrey establishes a terrific feudal society, a layered culture dependant on the intervention of fire-breathing beasts - and then casts doubt on the need for the dragon's protection. Lessa is, years later, still a great character - an abused girl who grows into womanhood and stands on her own feet. First in a long-ass series. Could have done without: The decline in storytelling and writing quality that plagued the rest of the Pern novels. Horse involvement: 'Runner-beasts' are one source of dragon food. Double bummer.
Tea With The Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy. Dragon is: a Student of humanity. Our hero is: Unclassified - Martha, a musician and Zen student. Setting: California, USA, Earth. Notes: MacAvoy's first novel, and what an act to follow. An 'urban fantasy' that draws one into the story with the writing and the characters. Some adventures and action, but the treat is following the two main characters (and a strong supporting cast) as they discover each other. Has a sequel, Twisting the Rope, which was not as satisfying but quite acceptable. Could have done without: Slightly new-age feel dates the book today. Horse involvement: None. Bummer.
Tehanu by Ursula Le Guin. Dragon is: Wise, alien creature, and a metaphor for power. Our heroes are: Therru and Tenar, Dragonfriends. Setting: Earthsea, a land of islands, ocean, and magic. Notes: Of course the dragon is a metaphor, this is Le Guin. Magic is deep in the bones of this world and in the author's writing. Dragons appear to a greater or lesser degree through out the series; Tehanu is on this list because it is my favorite of the series. Themes of child abuse, death, and the relentless nature of change run through this book, almost imperatively to a reader caught up in the story telling. A slow, gentle read, with many quality characters. Tehanu is the fourth in her Earthsea series - which begins with A Wizard of Earthsea and, so far, concludes with The Other Wind (The first three have significantly more action than this one.) Could have done without: Difficult to say. Le Guin is that damn good. Is too slow for some people. Also, even for Le Guin, definately 'women's lit.' Horse Involvement: None. There are goats, though.
Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly. Dragon is: Mythical monster. Our heroes are: John and Jenny, Dragonslayers. Setting: Winterlands, a pre-industrial, post-empire collapse area (of course, is Hambly novel.) Magic use is common and mistrusted. Notes: Perhaps *the* dragon-as-evil-and-knight-as-hero novel of, well, of quite a long time. Damn fine story telling that takes the clichés of traditional dragon stories and destroys them, while re-building another, better story. Excellent characters as always with Hambly. Setting - you can feel the damp and the cold and the mud sticking to your feet; smell the marsh and the sour scent of blood. A beautiful sense of the power and danger of dragons. Could have done without: Most of the gnome subplot. And Melymbrosia hate *hate* HATED the sequels. Horse Involvement: Brave but stupid beast of burden. Also a fine, fine paragraph (from the witch's POV) of what it would be like to be transformed into a horse.
Door Into Shadow by Diane Duane. Dragon is: From offworld, otherworldly, and not quite there. Our hero is: Dragonfriend - A swordswoman and a member of a traveling band of heroes. Setting: Non-Earth world with its own magic, history, gods, and nightmares. Notes: Part of an ongoing series (Story of the Five). Exceptional writing. Dark, twisty, tons of action and traveling. Some slight SF feel to the notes and the dragon back history. Could have done without: Rape backstory. Shadow is an older novel, written back before women fantasy writers had gotten that theme more or less out of their system. Horse involvement: Shape changing team member and a neat evil near-horse appearance.
Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson. Dragon is: a Hero. Our hero is: well, a Dragon. Setting: Feudal Magical AU. Notes: Another that takes the essence of dragon tales and re-invents it. A mild-mannered human nobody is transformed into a dragon in an alternate dimension. (Our hero is, this time, male.) There he has adventures and attempts to re-win the heart of his other-dimension girlfriend. Lots of fun. An easy read without a lot of heartache involved. Has at least two sequels. Could have done without: Not much. For what it is, an excellent story. Some of the language has not aged well. Horse Involvement: As clever beast of burden for the knight.
The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wagnerin. Dragon is: the Worm of the World, an embodiment of evil. Our heroes are: Barnyard animals. Really. Led by a rooster with an exaggerated opinion of himself. Setting: An Uber-Barnyard. Near a river. Notes: Exceptional writing that didn't seem to mean anything. Things kept happening - in between the huge chunks of exposition some interesting things take place (I < heart > Dog) but I kept waiting for something to happen, if you know what I mean. More than that I can't really say. Funny and heart-breaking by turns. Could have done without: It's long. And it really doesn't go *anywhere.* Horse Involvement: A walk-on as a minor minor character.
Other books to consider:
Guardians of the Flame by Joel Rosenberg - Another RPG-linked series, this one has a dragon as a (mostly under-used) secondary character.
Jhereg by Steven Brust - A long series with a unique feel to the magic and the universe. Dragon is only one of several 'clans' of 'people' - others include Orca and Phoenix. Compelling characters, not all of whom are very nice.
Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip - A classic. A world woven through and through with magic. Has a series of fantastic speaking animals, and a very sweet romance.
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis - my least favorite section of my favorite Narnia book uses a dragon as a metaphor for nasty human behavior.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Smuag - the original, uber-gold stealing fire-breathing dragon.
coffeeandink
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! - Dragons are small swamp-creatures, used mostly for comic effect. Comic film noir fantasy with great heart.
Tanith Lee, The Dragon Hoard - Funny YA fantasy, sort of a twisted fairy tale. Dragon is a challenge set by the antagonist.
Patricia McKillip, "The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath" - Dragon as landscape: 1. Gorgeous writing, as usual.
Lucius Shepard, "The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter" and "The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule"- Dragon as landscape: 2. Dragons as big as small islands. Gorgeous but bleak.
George R.R. Martin, The Song of Ice and Fire series - Dragons right now mostly exotic local color; may become more important as series progresses. Intricate if grim saga with a cast of thousands, clever plotting, and thorough worldbuilding.
Robin Hobb, Assassin's Quest - Dull dragons worst part of a lame ending to a previously good trilogy.
Diana Wynne Jones, Charmed Life - Contains a very small but clever dragon. Funny and charming. Worst thing: Nothing. One of DWJ's best books.
cofax7
Patricia McKillip's The Sorceress and the Firebird also has dragons, of a sort. I didn't like the novel and its prequel The Sorceress and the Cygnet the first time through, but they've grown on me. Very dense and allusive work.
oracne
THE IRON DRAGON'S DAUGHTER by Michael Swanwick. Industrial Revolution wasterland dragons that are mechanical but also magic. It's hard to describe, but I recommend it. No horses. Young girl hero. Strange magical beings everywhere. A weirdass but very cool book.
A BOOK DRAGON, by Donn Kushner. YA. A dragon from medieval Britain who guards a book that eventually ends up in an American bookstore. Very cozy.
Note: I would love any more recommendations - especially for 'dragon books' vs. 'books with dragons in them.'
Dragon's blood by Janet Yolen. Dragon is: Exotic Alien Beast. Our hero is: Dragonrider. Setting: An alien world where the dragons are native. SF, with bits of woo-hoo mind play. Notes: A neat examination of dragons as animals, not mystic metaphors. These dragons are flesh and blood - used in pit fighting and for food. The world and its physical environment are well drawn. The main characters are teenagers (this is a youth-market book) and later re-readings as an adult left me dissatisfied with the hero and his attitude. YMMV. Themes of bond-slavery throughout - no gratuitous abuse. First published as a stand alone, later two sequels added. (Series is called Pit Dragons.) Could have done without: Hero's occasional whiney attitude. Horse Involvement: Only as beasts of burden.
Dragonlance Chronicles (Dragons of Autumn Twilight) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Dragon is: Magical, mythical embodiment of evil. Our heroes are: For the most part, a wandering band of idiots. Setting: Pre-industrial Dungeons and Dragons - woops, TSR -type adventuring world. Notes: The series that ate my allowance. This series - and the sequels, and the spin-offs, and the game modules - is what allows Robert Jordan to write blockbusters that make best-sellers lists. A band of adventures attempts to warn the world of the return of dragons. The writing is solid, the world fully realized, if a Tolkin knock-off, and will keep you occupied for *days* - even if you don't game. The characters are...aimed at game-players. There are dozens, and only one or two with any real depth. However, there is the knight Sturm, the Kender, Hasselhoff (?) - always a fun time - and some occasionally moving poetry. For my money, the best of the series was Dragons of Winter Night. Could have done without: Dude. It's based on a role-playing game. The empty holes in the plot for module play were damned annoying. Horse Involvement: Get ridden to death and left at the foot of the castle wall. Occasionally dragon bait.
Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. Dragon is: 'Traditional' magical beast of evil and destruction. Our hero is: Aeirn, a Dragonslayer and a Princess. Setting: Damarian, a preindustrial kingdom. More Turkish in feel than European. Notes: Newberry Medal book, but don't let the children's award turn you away from one of the finest novels on this list. The first half is decidedly non-linear story telling, as it gives the back history of Aerin and her country. Adventuring, mild use of magic (woven into the narrative, but not thrust into the reader's face) magic swords and journeying. A prequel to The Blue Sword, but Hero is easily the superior novel. Could have done without: Read the first half slow. Don't skip. I question if the story would have been better without the grounding in an already established universe. Horse involvement: Trusty steed that is more than a place filler.
Dragonrider by Anne McCaffrey. Dragon is: Empathic Warsteed. Our heroes are: F'Lar and Lessa, Dragonriders (duh). Setting: Planet of Pern, pre-industrial. (Later novels develop a SF support structure, but the earlier feel is fantastic, not SF.) Notes: McCaffrey is the Dragonlady. Many, many, many people find their way into SF/F through her books. However. Read this one, and Moreita: Dragonlady of Pern, and leave it at that. McCaffrey establishes a terrific feudal society, a layered culture dependant on the intervention of fire-breathing beasts - and then casts doubt on the need for the dragon's protection. Lessa is, years later, still a great character - an abused girl who grows into womanhood and stands on her own feet. First in a long-ass series. Could have done without: The decline in storytelling and writing quality that plagued the rest of the Pern novels. Horse involvement: 'Runner-beasts' are one source of dragon food. Double bummer.
Tea With The Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy. Dragon is: a Student of humanity. Our hero is: Unclassified - Martha, a musician and Zen student. Setting: California, USA, Earth. Notes: MacAvoy's first novel, and what an act to follow. An 'urban fantasy' that draws one into the story with the writing and the characters. Some adventures and action, but the treat is following the two main characters (and a strong supporting cast) as they discover each other. Has a sequel, Twisting the Rope, which was not as satisfying but quite acceptable. Could have done without: Slightly new-age feel dates the book today. Horse involvement: None. Bummer.
Tehanu by Ursula Le Guin. Dragon is: Wise, alien creature, and a metaphor for power. Our heroes are: Therru and Tenar, Dragonfriends. Setting: Earthsea, a land of islands, ocean, and magic. Notes: Of course the dragon is a metaphor, this is Le Guin. Magic is deep in the bones of this world and in the author's writing. Dragons appear to a greater or lesser degree through out the series; Tehanu is on this list because it is my favorite of the series. Themes of child abuse, death, and the relentless nature of change run through this book, almost imperatively to a reader caught up in the story telling. A slow, gentle read, with many quality characters. Tehanu is the fourth in her Earthsea series - which begins with A Wizard of Earthsea and, so far, concludes with The Other Wind (The first three have significantly more action than this one.) Could have done without: Difficult to say. Le Guin is that damn good. Is too slow for some people. Also, even for Le Guin, definately 'women's lit.' Horse Involvement: None. There are goats, though.
Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly. Dragon is: Mythical monster. Our heroes are: John and Jenny, Dragonslayers. Setting: Winterlands, a pre-industrial, post-empire collapse area (of course, is Hambly novel.) Magic use is common and mistrusted. Notes: Perhaps *the* dragon-as-evil-and-knight-as-hero novel of, well, of quite a long time. Damn fine story telling that takes the clichés of traditional dragon stories and destroys them, while re-building another, better story. Excellent characters as always with Hambly. Setting - you can feel the damp and the cold and the mud sticking to your feet; smell the marsh and the sour scent of blood. A beautiful sense of the power and danger of dragons. Could have done without: Most of the gnome subplot. And Melymbrosia hate *hate* HATED the sequels. Horse Involvement: Brave but stupid beast of burden. Also a fine, fine paragraph (from the witch's POV) of what it would be like to be transformed into a horse.
Door Into Shadow by Diane Duane. Dragon is: From offworld, otherworldly, and not quite there. Our hero is: Dragonfriend - A swordswoman and a member of a traveling band of heroes. Setting: Non-Earth world with its own magic, history, gods, and nightmares. Notes: Part of an ongoing series (Story of the Five). Exceptional writing. Dark, twisty, tons of action and traveling. Some slight SF feel to the notes and the dragon back history. Could have done without: Rape backstory. Shadow is an older novel, written back before women fantasy writers had gotten that theme more or less out of their system. Horse involvement: Shape changing team member and a neat evil near-horse appearance.
Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson. Dragon is: a Hero. Our hero is: well, a Dragon. Setting: Feudal Magical AU. Notes: Another that takes the essence of dragon tales and re-invents it. A mild-mannered human nobody is transformed into a dragon in an alternate dimension. (Our hero is, this time, male.) There he has adventures and attempts to re-win the heart of his other-dimension girlfriend. Lots of fun. An easy read without a lot of heartache involved. Has at least two sequels. Could have done without: Not much. For what it is, an excellent story. Some of the language has not aged well. Horse Involvement: As clever beast of burden for the knight.
The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wagnerin. Dragon is: the Worm of the World, an embodiment of evil. Our heroes are: Barnyard animals. Really. Led by a rooster with an exaggerated opinion of himself. Setting: An Uber-Barnyard. Near a river. Notes: Exceptional writing that didn't seem to mean anything. Things kept happening - in between the huge chunks of exposition some interesting things take place (I < heart > Dog) but I kept waiting for something to happen, if you know what I mean. More than that I can't really say. Funny and heart-breaking by turns. Could have done without: It's long. And it really doesn't go *anywhere.* Horse Involvement: A walk-on as a minor minor character.
Other books to consider:
Guardians of the Flame by Joel Rosenberg - Another RPG-linked series, this one has a dragon as a (mostly under-used) secondary character.
Jhereg by Steven Brust - A long series with a unique feel to the magic and the universe. Dragon is only one of several 'clans' of 'people' - others include Orca and Phoenix. Compelling characters, not all of whom are very nice.
Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip - A classic. A world woven through and through with magic. Has a series of fantastic speaking animals, and a very sweet romance.
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis - my least favorite section of my favorite Narnia book uses a dragon as a metaphor for nasty human behavior.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Smuag - the original, uber-gold stealing fire-breathing dragon.
coffeeandink
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! - Dragons are small swamp-creatures, used mostly for comic effect. Comic film noir fantasy with great heart.
Tanith Lee, The Dragon Hoard - Funny YA fantasy, sort of a twisted fairy tale. Dragon is a challenge set by the antagonist.
Patricia McKillip, "The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath" - Dragon as landscape: 1. Gorgeous writing, as usual.
Lucius Shepard, "The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter" and "The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule"- Dragon as landscape: 2. Dragons as big as small islands. Gorgeous but bleak.
George R.R. Martin, The Song of Ice and Fire series - Dragons right now mostly exotic local color; may become more important as series progresses. Intricate if grim saga with a cast of thousands, clever plotting, and thorough worldbuilding.
Robin Hobb, Assassin's Quest - Dull dragons worst part of a lame ending to a previously good trilogy.
Diana Wynne Jones, Charmed Life - Contains a very small but clever dragon. Funny and charming. Worst thing: Nothing. One of DWJ's best books.
cofax7
Patricia McKillip's The Sorceress and the Firebird also has dragons, of a sort. I didn't like the novel and its prequel The Sorceress and the Cygnet the first time through, but they've grown on me. Very dense and allusive work.
oracne
THE IRON DRAGON'S DAUGHTER by Michael Swanwick. Industrial Revolution wasterland dragons that are mechanical but also magic. It's hard to describe, but I recommend it. No horses. Young girl hero. Strange magical beings everywhere. A weirdass but very cool book.
A BOOK DRAGON, by Donn Kushner. YA. A dragon from medieval Britain who guards a book that eventually ends up in an American bookstore. Very cozy.