***** - Excellent
**** - Good
*** - Okay
** - Bad
* - Terrible
+ - Half-star
Tales of Great Dragons
J. K. Anderson
Bellerophon Books
Fiction, YA Fantasy/Folklore
*****
DESCRIPTION: From the Babylonian dragon-goddess Tiamat to the taniwhas of New Zealand, from peaceable Chinese dragons to the beast Fafnir slain by the Norse
hero Sigurd, there are many great dragons and dragonlike creatures in myth and legend. This is both a collection of dragon tales and a coloring book, with images drawn
from a variety of sources.
REVIEW: For a coloring book, this is an excellent overview of dragon lore. Many dragons are covered here, and some - like the taniwhas - are rarely found in other
dragon-lore books. Not especially in-depth, but the articles are more detailed than some other books I own. I recommend this book as great introduction to dragons,
regardless of whether you want to color the pictures.
You might also enjoy:
The Book of Dragons (Ciruelo, Fiction - Dragon lore and illustrations)
Dragonlore (Ash "LeopardDancer" DeKirk, Nonfiction - Myths and traditions ancient and modern about dragons and their kin)
Dragons - Truth, Myth, and Legend (David Passes, YA Nonfiction - Dragon lore and myths)
Dragons: A Natural History (Dr. Karl Shuker, Nonfiction - Dragon myths from around the world)
Dr. Ernest Drake's Dragonology (Dugald A. Steer "editor", YA Fiction - A 19th century "dragonologist" discusses the dragons of the world)
How to Raise and Keep a Dragon (John Topsell, Joseph Nigg "editor", YA Fiction - A guide to keeping dragons as pets, based on real-world dragon lore)
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The X-Files: Ruins
(The X-Files series)
Kevin J. Anderson
HarperPrism
Fiction, Sci-Fi
***
DESCRIPTION: When a team of American archaeologists disappears while exploring the newly-discovered Maya ruins of Xitaclan, FBI agents Mulder and Scully are
called in to investigate. The site, deep in the unexplored jungles of the Yucatan peninsula, is rumored to be under a curse by the elder gods, with stories of continued
blood-sacrifices and sightings of the mythical plumed serpents that figure so heavily in pre-Columbian mythos. The jungle isn't the only hazard, as treasure-hunters,
native practitioners of the ancient gory religion and a local liberation army are already on the scene. To further complicate matters, the Pentagon detects mysterious
signals emanating from the lost city, and sends in a team of commandos whose mission is to terminate them, at any cost.
REVIEW: I guess I should've been suspicious when, instead of praise for the book, the first page of hype lists reviewers' favorable comments on the TV show.
Nevertheless, it was at Half-Price Books (for half price), so I decided to give it a try. In the end, I found it a mediocre read. Especially toward the beginning, I
felt like I was reading a novelization of a "field trip" episode; you know, those annoying episodes filmed on location in an exotic place, where roughly 1/3 of their
air-time is filled with stock footage of scenic views and colorful natives. The plot drug in spots, the characterization wasn't accurate or consistent, and the
ending seemed contrived for the reason of pyrotechnics and the obligatory violent confrontation with the liberation army. Another "finale" scene, just a little later
(which I won't reveal in case you intend to read this book, but I guarantee you'll know it when you see it), felt hokey and tacked-on, as did the whole sub-plot leading
up to it. Still, I liked parts of the story, and some nice ideas were presented. I enjoyed a few scenes, though I didn't quite feel I was reading about Mulder and Scully
except in a few rare moments. Ruins wasn't lousy, it was just uneven and ultimately nothing special. I even found myself thinking that I could've written some parts
better... a bad sign, I think.
You might also enjoy:
The Jaguar Princess (Clare Bell, Fiction - A girl descended from Mayan jaguar gods becomes an Aztec slave and potential sacrifice)
The X-Files: Fight the Future (Chris Carter, adapted by Elizabeth Hand, Fiction - Agents Mulder and Scully investigate the alien-coverup conspiracy)
The Lost World (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Fiction - A professor leads an expedition to a remote South American plateau, where prehistoric animals still roam)
The Nitpicker's Guide for X-Philes (Phil Farrand, Nonfiction - Humorous reference for the TV series)
The Maya: Life, Myth and Art (Timothy Laughton, Nonfiction - A look at the Mayan culture and history)
The X-Files - The Complete First Season (Slim Set)
DVD
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