Title: The Dragon Book

Author: Edited by Jack dann and Gardner Dozois with stories by Garth Nix, Tad Williams, Jonathan Stroud, Tamora Pierce, Diana Wynne Jones, Sean Williams, Greg Maguire, Kage Baker, Peter S. Beagle, Bruce Coville, Andy Duncan, Samuel Sykes, Diana Gabaldon, Cecilia Holland, Tanith Lee, Naomi Novik, Mary Rosenblum, Harry Turtledove, Adam Stemple, Jane Yolen and Liz Williams

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
Publishing Date: Nov 5 2009
Hardcover: 448 pages

Stand Alone/ Series: All stories are stand alone

Why did I read the book: I was offered a review copy from the publisher and when I saw the awesome list of authors, I could not possibly say no.

How did I get the book : ARC from the publisher

Review:

I have a great admiration for those who write short stories. To be able to tell a complete story with beginning, middle and ending (or setting, conflict and climax) in such a short format can not be an easy task. So it is always with a certain amount of trepidation that I open short stories’ anthologies as (paraphrasing Forrest Gump) I never know what I am going to get. The Dragon Book contains 18 short stories and you know what? All of them are pretty good (although some better than others of course), which should come as no surprise since the stories are written by luminaries of the Fantasy genre, most of them with a lot of experience in writing short stories. There is obviously, a thread that links all stories in this collection – all of them feature dragons – but that is the only thing they have in common. The stories are as diverse as they can possibly be: some are set in medieval times, some in a contemporary world for example; some are funny, some are dark. Some have a fable feel with a moral lesson, some are surrealist explorations of what ifs. There are alternate history stories and stories set in a different world altogether. Some feature good dragons, other bad dragons, some even have dragons as the narrator.

Here is the rundown of stories:

Dragon’s Deep by Cecelia Holland

Poor fishing villagers are told they need to pay more taxes and they decide to travel up the shoreline to a dangerous place where they might find more fish. The main character is a girl who ends up being the sole survivor of the expedition after they are attacked by a dragon. She in entrapped in his lair and they strike up a relationship of sorts but she is never able to forget where she comes from. This is an old-fashioned tale (with a One Thousand and One Nights feel) where the moral of the lesson clearly points to the ugliness inside, once the girl goes back to the life she can no longer abide to. This one remained with me for a while after I read it.

Vici by Naomi Novik

A young man called Antony, who is always in trouble, is told he needs to kill a dragon in order to be pardoned or off with his head! Set in Ancient Rome, this is an alternate history story (one chance to guess WHICH Antony we are talking about here) and possibly the funniest and quirkiest of the collection with the relationship between Antony and Vici, the dragon, giving me the giggles. This is one of my favourites and one that makes me ask the inevitable question: why am I not reading Novik’s Temeraire books???

Bob Choi’s Last Job by Jonathan Stroud

Dragon hunter who is less human than he used to in order to hunt and which brings closer to the ones he hunts. This one has dragons cloaking as humans and interesting world building, which would make SUCH a good, different UF series.

Are You Afflicted With Dragons? by Kage Baker

A hotel owner who realizes he has a dragon infestation on his roof and has to resort to hiring a dragon specialist to get rid of them. Another funny and quirky one with an ultimate moral lesson which is: don’t play with fire (aha) and you will not get burned.

The Tsar’s Dragons by Jane Yolen & Adam Stemple

Another personal favourite of mine. Alternate history in Russia circa Russian Revolution following around different characters, including a Jew who works for Lenin, a member of the Tzar’s aristocratic circle and Rasputin himself. This one is vivid, gripping and actually riveting as the Red Danger takes a whole new meaning here. Loved it.

The Dragon of Direfell by Liz Williams

A mage is called upon a state to help kill a dragon and finds himself facing something else entirely. Interesting world-building that mentions different creatures such as imps , mage and the Fey.

Oakland Dragon Blues by Peter S. Beagle

A policeman is called upon to clear a traffic jam to find out that what is blocking the road is an honest to god dragon. What is one to do? Part funny, part sad, rather poignant tale that also investigates what it means to be a writer and a storyteller. LOVED it.

Humane Killer by Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Sykes

Set in Medieval times. It shows the unlikely alliance between some of the weirdest characters that I have ever seen which include a medieval knight and his female warrior friend from the North, a witch and her revived zombie-like friend whom she calls Lenny, formerly known as Scourge of Savhael.This is one of the longest stories in the book and it opens as the witch is about to be burnt and is given a chance to live – she has to get rid of a dragon. Parallel to that, the Knight is given the task to kill the dragon in order to regain his father’s infamous Mace (used to killed Saracens in the Crusades) . They all meet in front of the Dragon’s cave and the story goes from there. I quite liked this one as well, for its surreal feel.

Stop! By Garth Nix

This one is a mix of Scifi and Fantasy. In the middle of nowhere, at a bomb testing site (about to go off!) a man, but maybe not a man, walks past the guards, in a non-stop mission. An altogether odd story setting it apart from the rest. And that is not a bad thing.

Ungentle Fire by Sean Williams

A Quest. A young man apprentice to a mage, needs to kill a dragon to finish his apprenticeship and be able to marry his sweetheart – but in the way, he revisits his past and thinks about his future and what he must do. This is a proper hero’s journey in which the young must stand against the old in order to become its own person.

A Stark and Wormy Knight by Tad Williams

How I loved this story! This is strictly from the dragons’ point of view, as mother dragon tells a story to help her dragonling to fall sleep. The story is about the fearful old days, when there were horrible, bad Knights going about killing their ancestors….and how their great-grandpap faced one of those terrible knights. But these days are gone, and dragons need to fear no more, because there are greater things that scare humans these days.

None so Blind by Harry Turtledove

A group of Europeans go around the new world’s jungle looking for dragons. On the way, they come face to face with creatures such as vampires and unicorns. This is a great little story exploring the difference between us x them or savages x civilised: as the supposed civilised people do not blink when creatures THEY believe in come out of the jungle and yet the refuse to believe in dragons because the “savages” believe in them.

Joboy by Diana Wynne Jones

The telling about The Destruction of London and the story behind it. A young boy whose father is mysteriously killed and who falls ill with a similar malady which symptoms includes tiredness and dryness. Very twisted Dragon and how one becomes one. It touches issues as adolescence and people having to admit about their dragons and what would happen if you don’t.

Puz-Le by Gregory Maguire

A young teenager stuck her mother when renting a cottage for holiday and starts to rain. She finds a weird puzzle with a dragon to pass her time and is completely engrossed with it. This is one story where I had the feeling that there was much more to come and it left me wanting more.

After the Third Kiss by Bruce Coville

A girl is cursed by her stepmother to become a dragon and the only way to become human again is for her brother to kiss her three times. This is what happens after those kisses, the consequences and sad, dark repercussions of it. There is a spin to a fairy tale (with frogs and dragons) and a bit of mystery behind it all.

The War that Winter Is by Tanith Lee

In ilo tempore: A tale of beginnings of times, maybe, where the dragon brings the cold. A group of nomads go around scavenging when they find the remains of a destroyed village and they save a baby who is to be The Hero. The hero grows up, and he is alien to the people that brought him up because of the very thing that allowed him to survive. Is he the same or is he the other? Very different story.

The Dragon’s Tale by Tamora Pierce

Another one where the dragon is the narrator and it opens:

“Bored, I was bored, bored, bored. If I spoke as two-leggers did, I could have made “bored” into a chant. “

This is set in the author’s Tortall universe and is a story of how the dragon (who is a teenage dragon in case you couldn’t tell by the quote) tries to find something to do while her human foster parents are taking care of grown up stuff. I like the magic system in this world and this is another one that had me wondering: why am I not reading her books?

Dragon Storm by Mary Rosenblum

A girl and a boy are out fishing when they come across a dragon’s egg about to hatch. The dragon proves to be from a species that was thought to be extinct and it is a surprise when the girl can actually communicate with the baby dragon. This one is about fear of the different, about bullies (who so deserve to become dragon food) and about friendship.

The Dragaman’s Bride

The final story in the collection and another favourite. Set in the US around the 30s, a crazy sheriff goes around entrapping teenage girls and boys and having them undergo surgery to prevent them from having children. Quite different tale, which includes a few ghosts, some imps, the devil’s son-in-law, a dragon with a heart of gold and a powerful witch who is the narrator. The fantasy creatures (including the devil’s son-in law) being much more amicable and compelling than the human ones. The perfect way to close the selection.

As you can see from my thoughts, I tend to prefer and gravitate towards the stories that are funnier and lighter but I think there is a little bit here for all sorts of readers.

Notable quotes/ Parts:

From Peter S. Beagle’s Oakland Dragon Blues. The cop tries to get the dragon to move and clear the traffic jam:

“Sir, I am not trying to start anything with you – I’m having enough trouble just believing in you. But I’ve got to get you out of this intersection before somebody gets hurt. I mean, look at all those people, listen to those damn horns.” The Racket was already giving him a headache behind his eyes. “You think you could maybe step over here to the curb, well’s talk about it? That’d work out much better for both of us, don’t you think?”

The dragon raised its head and favoured him with a long, considering stare. “I don’t know. I like this about as well as I like anyplace in this world, which is not at all. Why should I make things easier for you? Nobody ever cares about making anything easier for me, let me tell you.”

Additional Thoughts: there is a website for the book which includes all the authors and editors’ biographies and an excerpt of the book. Check it out: The Dragon Book

Verdict: If you like: Fantasy, Short Stories and Dragons, look no further than this book. It has a great variety of tales.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

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Title: The Adamantine Palace

Author: Stephen Deas

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Gollancz
Publishing Date: March 19, 2009
Paperback: 384 pages

Stand Alone or series: first in a planned trilogy

Summary: The Adamantine Palace lies at the centre of an empire that grew out of ashes. Once dragons ruled the world and man was little more than prey. Then a way of subduing the dragons alchemicly was discovered and now the dragons are bred to be little more than mounts for knights and highly valued tokens in the diplomatic power-players that underpin the rule of the competing aristocratic houses. The Empire has grown fat. And now one man wants it for himself. A man prepared to poison the king just as he has poisoned his own father. A man prepared to murder his lover and bed her daughter. A man fit to be king? But uknown to him there are flames on the way. A single dragon has gone missing. And even one dragon on the loose, unsubdued, returned to its full intelligence, its full fury, could spell disaster for the Empire. But because of the actions of one unscrupulous mercenary the rivals for the throne could soon be facing hundreds of dragons . . .

Why did I read the book: I have seen this around in book stores for a while now and I had been eyeing it for its pretty, pretty cover and because of the good reviews it got all around the internets (I am NOT that shallow). To my utter delight, I got a review copy from the publisher about two weeks ago!

Review:

The Adamantine Palace starts with a bang: right in its prologue, a Prince kills a Queen and in doing so, sets the story in motion. This act is a preface and a portent of what the reader can expect from the book: the machinations of power-hungry, ruthless characters.

In this world, Queens and Kings (and Princes and Princesses and Knights) of different realms compete for power. Their strongholds are all over the land and their influence (or lack of) is directly connected to one special place at the heart of each domain: the eyrie. Where Dragons are hatched and nurtured to the point where they are bonded to a Rider. They are the very thing that empower the Dragon-Kings and Queens and as such are precious commodities, in war, in hunting or even as a product up for sale (although the sale is not straight-forward and involves years of grooming the owner of the Dragon with generous gifts) . The Dragons are expertly controlled with the help of Alchemists (and potions) and are for all intents and purposes, awesome and dangerous yet mindless, tamed creatures.

At the center of it all rests The Adamantine Palace , where the Speaker resides. This position of power will be up for grabs very shortly and both Queen Shezira and Prince Jehal are lined-up to take it. Their competition for the place is only one of the aspects of their relationship. Soon, they will be related as one of Queen Shezira’s daughters will be marrying Jehal. As part of the betrothal, Shezira is presenting Jehal with a unique White Dragon, a symbol of her power and a sign of how outstanding her Eyrie is. To everybody’s surprise though, Snow (how the dragon is called) goes missing on the way to Jehal’s domain and a massive hunt ensues, but to no avail. The Dragon is gone. And this is only the tip of the iceberg because other political, social occurrences require the characters’ attention.

Meanwhile, in the wild, outside the control of an Alchemist , Snow goes cold turkey without the potions and lo and behold: a Dragon slowly awakes out of the slumber she has been under and it proves to be not at all mindless or tamed. Unbeknownst to the Kings and Queens, she is prepared to avenge herself and to liberate the other Dragons.

The Adamantine Palace is a fast-paced read – its 384 pages (a rather short book for the Fantasy genre) are divided into about 70 small chapters, something that proves to be both its strength and its weakness. The former is in the whirlwind non-stop action. But not of the sword and the fighting (at least for the greatest part) kind, but of the Machiavellian kind. I swear that to read this book, is probably the closest you will ever get to being inside say, the Borgia’s inner circle. Cunning schemes, twists and turns, cheating, betraying, poisonings, sex as a weapon – everything you can think of, you name it, these Kings and Queens and Princes and Princesses (and the Speaker) are doing. There is no stopping them. There is no stopping Prince Jehal most of all. And when Snow awakens from her slumber, it only adds momentum and grandeur to the story, as the one character that is the most powerful of them all.

From a strictly intellectual point of view, the plot in this book is utterly fascinating –especially if you consider that not a single character is a hero (the both that are most sympathetic? Very surprisingly , get killed), they are all quite villainous.

But this intellectual appreciation, at least for me, is also a detached one. Because the extremely short chapters alternate narratives between several characters (too many to count but Snow is included) which means not a single one of them truly reaches any potential: all the characters to me, appeared as thin, shallow creatures. There is no way to develop any character because there is simply too many of them ; they are all undeveloped which is a shame because both Sheriza and Jehal for example, could have been utterly fascinating characters; but they fall short both because the narrative kept being interrupted for the benefit of other characters but also because there is little in the way of showing their motivation . It is very clear that these characters are all power-hungry but why it is never explained. I should probably have accepted that it is an ingrained quality stemmed from years of conniving and competing but still I wished for something more.

As a plot-driven book, it undoubtedly works. But I am, essentially a character-driven reader who missed someone to connect with and to truly root for (or even against). It also doesn’t help that on top of having a chapter from their perspective, the author also added short sentences (in italics) to show their exact thoughts. And I was not impressed by those to put it very mildly. They came across as less than sophisticated and quite frankly, cartoonish. Like for example, there is one sequence where one of Queen’s Shezira’s daughters is going into hiding because Snow is attacking. She is running , she is saying something and then she thinks “wait wait wait, shouldn’t I go back?” . Most of these insertions came across as very choppy and useless and I think the book could have benefited from their exclusion or actually, by their inclusion in the regular flow of the character’s point of view.

I also missed more in-depth world-building , there were things there which were merely mentioned without so much as a second glance. Most of them sounded intriguing as I wished there was more in the way of information about the world and its History: about the Taiytakei, the Alchemists, Soul Dust, etc and etc. To be fair though, this is clearly a first in a series and all of it may be further developed in the next instalments and I actually intend to read at least the second one to see how it all goes.

The book ends with a minor cliff-hanger that may well be the beginning of a Dragon-apocalypse. I can’t help but to wonder and even perhaps wish, for the dragons to win this war given the selfish, self-serving nature of these Queens and Kings that will have a hard time uniting against a common enemy. If you like fast-paced, plot-driven Fantasy, you might like this one (a lot of people did). If you like me, prefer your characters with a bit more of meat in their bones, then you might want to sit this one out.

Notable quotes/ Parts: Oh, without a doubt, the moment where Snow “wakes up”! Kick-ass and pretty scary.

Verdict: A fast moving, Machiavellian, plot-driven novel. A solid debut with equal measures of weaknesses and strengths.

Rating: I am torn between a 5 or a 6. To me it was 5 because I was unmoved by the characters but I can see how other readers might appreciate it more than I did , so I will go with a tentative 6. Good, recommended with reservations.

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