Assassin's Apprentice
(The Farseer Saga, Book 1 of 3)
Robin Hobb
Bantam
Fiction, Fantasy
****
DESCRIPTION: Bastard son of a peasant girl and Prince Chivalry, heir to the throne of the Six Duchies, the boy known as Fitz created trouble for the crown the moment he was born, but perhaps his worst luck came through his blood. From his Farseer father he inherited the Skill, a magic ability to mindspeak others, but from his wildborn mother he got the ill-omened Wit, enabling him to sense animal thoughts and bond with them... a "gift" that sometimes leads people to abandon humanity and live as a savage beast. His honor doubly wounded by fathering a bastard without siring a legitimate heir with his fragile wife, Chivalry abdicated and removed himself to a quiet province of the Six Duchies, leaving the aged King Shrewd to choose between his secondborn Prince Verity and the foppish, favored son of his second wife, Regal. As for Fitz, he finds himself thrown to the care of his father's former stablemaster, gruff Burrich, while the nobles figure out what to do with him Some would see him elevated and acknowledged as Chivalry's heir, while others would see him quietly eliminated as a potential rallying point for his father's many admirers. The growing threat of the Red-Ship Raiders, devastating attackers from the northern seas, only makes the political climate and Fitz's situation all the more precarious. After a number of lessons from a number of people, he finds himself unofficially apprenticed to one of the least-known of Shrewd's subjects: Chade, the royal assassin. It's not a pleasant job, but for a boy to whom everyone is a potential enemy, knowing how and who to kill just might save his life - not to mention the Six Duchies.
REVIEW: The Farseer Saga preceded Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy (reviewed below), which has long been a personal favorite. Both trilogies (and her more recent Tawny Man trilogy, which takes up the Farseer Saga some years later) take place in the same world. I admit that part of me kept looking for crossover, but these were very, very few. Taken on its own, I mostly enjoyed the setting and the characters. The Six Duchies may not be the most original fantasy world created, but it had some nice touches of realism to it and some unexpected twists. Fitz got whiny and morose from time to time, and I found Hobb's gimmick of having the whole tale narrated by an elder Fitz reminiscing on his youth to be tedious at best and annoying at worst. (Thankfully, Hobb abandoned both the storyteller gimmick and the first-person narrative style in her Liveship Traders books.) The plot itself felt drawn out; I wonder if the Farseer saga was originally just two books long (or one), but at some point was artificially inflated with filler in the hopes of greater profits. In any event, I found myself intrigued enough to look for the second book in the saga.
You might also enjoy:
The Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks, Fiction - A boy learns he might be the only one able to stop a great evil from overtaking the world)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - A finely crafted world serves as the backdrop for stories of a clever assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Crown of Stars series (Kate Elliot, Fiction - Political unrest and inhuman raiders presage a greater evil)
Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind, Fiction - A woodsman finds himself in the company of a strange woman and eccentric wizard, bearing a sword that could save or destroy the world)
Any of Elizabeth Haydon's works (Elizabeth Haydon, YA Fiction and Fiction - Epic fantasy and adventure in a well-realized fantasy world)
Dune (Frank Herbert, Fiction - The interstellar human civilization relies on life-extending spice from desert Arrakis)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A humorous tour guide to epic fantasy worlds)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, Fiction - Evil awakes and threatens a peaceful realm)
A Song of Ice and Fire series (George R. R. Martin, Fiction - World-spanning epic tale of wars and kings, good and evil, and a few dragons for good measure)
Tortall quartets (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Tales of adventure in a magical world)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien, Fiction - The classic epic tale of Hobbits, Elves, Men, wizards, and Middle-Earth)
The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Fiction - An epic fantasy spanning seven worlds)
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy (Tad Williams, Fiction - The magical land of Osten Ard faces an ancient evil)
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Royal Assassin
(The Farseer Saga, Book 2 of 3)
Robin Hobb
Bantam
Fiction, Fantasy
****
DESCRIPTION: FitzChivalry Farseer, apprentice assassin for King Shrewd, returns from the mountains a changed man. Wracked by the physical and emotional aftereffects of the attempts on his life while in the Mountain Kingdom, he finds his tastes for his profession and courtly intrigue in general have gone sour. Try as he might, however, he cannot extricate himself from the machinations of the king's feuding sons and the growing rifts between the Inland and Coastal Duchies, nor can he ignore the growing threat of the Red- Ship Raiders. Their victims, "Forged" into puppets with little more than the basest animal drives, overrun the land, a torment worse than death for those who see sons and daughters and mothers and fathers killing without reason or remorse. Meanwhile, age and illness have caught up with King Shrewd, whose kingdom may not outlast his own impending demise. One slender thread of hope remains, in ancient tales of the "Elderlings" of the distant Rain Wilds... but in searching for these allies, the King-in-Waiting leaves his father's kingdom and his young mountain-born bride wide open to treachery and treason. Fitz must untangle the growing web of deceit to protect his leige and the rightful heir to Shrewd's crown, a task made more difficult by his growing Wit magic and his own heart.
REVIEW: It seems that more happened in this book than in the previous Farseer volume, but to me it still felt overlong in stretches. In true middle-book-of-the-trilogy fashion, it puts the Six Duchies and its many characters into a truly dark and dire situation for the start of Book 3. Also in true middle-book fashion, it feels adrift in some ways, unable to wrap too many things up and unable to start too much of its own. I suppose I ought to track that third book down to see how it ends.
You might also enjoy:
The Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks, Fiction - A boy learns he might be the only one able to stop a great evil from overtaking the world)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - A finely crafted world serves as the backdrop for stories of a clever assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Crown of Stars series (Kate Elliot, Fiction - Political unrest and inhuman raiders presage a greater evil)
Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind, Fiction - A woodsman finds himself in the company of a strange woman and eccentric wizard, bearing a sword that could save or destroy the world)
Any of Elizabeth Haydon's works (Elizabeth Haydon, YA Fiction and Fiction - Epic fantasy and adventure in a well-realized fantasy world)
Dune (Frank Herbert, Fiction - The interstellar human civilization relies on life-extending spice from desert Arrakis)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A humorous tour guide to epic fantasy worlds)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, Fiction - Evil awakes and threatens a peaceful realm)
A Song of Ice and Fire series (George R. R. Martin, Fiction - World-spanning epic tale of wars and kings, good and evil, and a few dragons for good measure)
Tortall quartets (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Tales of adventure in a magical world)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien, Fiction - The classic epic tale of Hobbits, Elves, Men, wizards, and Middle-Earth)
The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Fiction - An epic fantasy spanning seven worlds)
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy (Tad Williams, Fiction - The magical land of Osten Ard faces an ancient evil)
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Ship of Magic
(The Liveship Traders trilogy, Book 1)
Robin Hobb
Bantam
Fiction, Fantasy
*****
DESCRIPTION: Bingtown was built on, and continues to thrive because of, the Old Trader families: their tenacity, their trading and sailing skills, and their liveships.
These vessels are crafted of wizardwood and mature into living, sentient ships over time. Not only does this give the Old Traders mastery of the seas, but the liveships are the
only vessels that can navigate the strange, magical Rain Wild River. Of course, there is a heavy price to be paid for such magic, as there is a heavy price for those who trade
with the Rain Wild Trader families for their coveted magical goods (including wizardwood.) For a long time, the Old Traders and the later wave of Three-Ships immigrants lived
in plenty, independent from the whims of the Satrap who originally granted them the land. Now, the new Satrap has forgotten the old bargains, and is sending in new waves of
traders. These newcomers know nothing of the bargains and pacts that make Bingtown thrive. They only see the treasures of the Rain Wild River, long exclusive territory of the
Old Traders, and the liveships, and covet both. Their influence is tainting the old trading town, and their ignorance may bring destruction of a far greater magnitude than any
could imagine.
The Vestrits, an Old Trader family, are in the same situation as many of their peers. Still in debt from the purchase of their liveship, unable to compete with the influx of
wealth and cheap slave labor from Chalcedean settlers, they are watching their peace and their society erode before their eyes. With the death of the old captain Ephron Vestrit,
the liveship Vivacia quickens to sentience, but what should be a momentous and hopeful occasion instead spurs animosity and trouble for all concerned. Althea Vestrit,
Ephron's oldest daughter and rightful heir, is stripped of the vessel in favor of her sister and her newcomer husband, the cruel and controlling Kyle Haven. Wintrow, Kyle's son,
is ripped from the monastery life he loves and thrown into his father's life at sea; a liveship won't sail without a blood-relative of its owner's family aboard, so Wintrow's
presence is merely to appease the vessel. Brashen Trell, a man of Old Trader blood with a wild past, is sent from the Vivacia with little more than the clothes on his back when
Haven takes command. Now, the people and the ship must work out their destinies, together and apart, if they are to have any hope of surviving to achieve them.
REVIEW: A wonderful story, Robin Hobb creates a great world of wind and water, then populates it with characters of rare depth and realism. All must go through personal and real torment in their journeys, each realizing that none are as world-wise or perfect as they originally believed. There is plenty of action and plenty of introspection. The story took many unexpected twists as the characters matured and grew. As for the liveships, I loved Hobb's creations, and look forward to reading more about them - and about the sea serpents, who seem to have a story to tell themselves. A great book, though the suspense of waiting for Book 2 to come out in paperback might do me in.
You might also enjoy:
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi, YA Fiction - A wealthy young girl's Transatlantic voyage aboard the sailing ship Seahawk leads to her being accused of murder)
The Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks, Fiction - A boy learns he might be the only one able to stop a great evil from overtaking the world)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - A finely crafted world serves as the backdrop for stories of a clever assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Crown of Stars series (Kate Elliot, Fiction - Political unrest and inhuman raiders presage a greater evil)
Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind, Fiction - A woodsman finds himself in the company of a strange woman and eccentric wizard, bearing a sword that could save or destroy the world)
Any of Elizabeth Haydon's works (Elizabeth Haydon, YA Fiction and Fiction - Epic fantasy and adventure in a well-realized fantasy world)
Dune (Frank Herbert, Fiction - The interstellar human civilization relies on life-extending spice from desert Arrakis)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A humorous tour guide to epic fantasy worlds)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, Fiction - Evil awakes and threatens a peaceful realm)
The Piratica series (Tanith Lee, YA Fiction - In an alternate-history Earth, an English teen sets out to recreate her mother's glorious reign as a celebrated pirate queen)
A Song of Ice and Fire series (George R. R. Martin, Fiction - World-spanning epic tale of wars and kings, good and evil, and a few dragons for good measure)
Tortall quartets (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Tales of adventure in a magical world)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien, Fiction - The classic epic tale of Hobbits, Elves, Men, wizards, and Middle-Earth)
The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Fiction - An epic fantasy spanning seven worlds)
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy (Tad Williams, Fiction - The magical land of Osten Ard faces an ancient evil)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Mad Ship
(The Liveship Traders trilogy, Book 2)
Robin Hobb
Bantam
Fiction, Fantasy
*****
DESCRIPTION: This is the continued story of Bingtown, the liveships, and even the sea serpents, as begun in Ship of Magic. Captain Kennit, the pirate who dreams of becoming the first-ever King of the Pirate Isles, has captured the liveship of his dreams: none other than the Vivacia. Much battered by fate, she and young Wintrow are both ripe for the pirate's charm and manipulation, leading them into his plans for dominance in the wild Pirate Isles. Althea Vestrit returns home after a year away, finally bearing the ship's ticket that should earn her place on her family liveship, only to find Bingtown and her family scarcely recognizable and Vivacia nowhere to be found. The New Traders and their slaves run rampant, the Old Traders grow more divided and less influential, and the Satrap has even brought Chalcedean mercenaries into the harbor under the pretense of their being guardians against piracy. It's only a matter of time before something gives, and Althea intends her family to be at the head of it when it does. Malta Haven, Althea's niece, continues to court the Rain Wild Trader Reyn Khuprus, and despite herself grows to have true feelings for him. Reyn, however, is deeply troubled by the secrets of the ancient cities which his family plunders for magic, including the origins of the silvery wizardwood from which the liveships are crafted. Brashen Trell returns to Bingtown from his own voyages, bringing news of Vivacia's capture. When the Trader Council is no more united on this than any other issue before it, Althea, Brashen, and even the strange beadmaker Amber pull together with a daring and desperate plan to rescue the Vivacia themselves aboard the one liveship that no family wishes claim to, the ship that may well have killed its last crew, a ship that has been beached and neglected for years: the insane, blind liveship Paragon.
REVIEW: A wonderful sequel to a marvelous book. More secrets of the wizardwood and the Rain Wild Traders are revealed, and the already rich characters are allowed to grow even deeper and more interesting. Some great plot twists and developments here, making me all the more eager for the third and final book to come out.
You might also enjoy:
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi, YA Fiction - A wealthy young girl's Transatlantic voyage aboard the sailing ship Seahawk leads to her being accused of murder)
The Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks, Fiction - A boy learns he might be the only one able to stop a great evil from overtaking the world)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - A finely crafted world serves as the backdrop for stories of a clever assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Crown of Stars series (Kate Elliot, Fiction - Political unrest and inhuman raiders presage a greater evil)
Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind, Fiction - A woodsman finds himself in the company of a strange woman and eccentric wizard, bearing a sword that could save or destroy the world)
Any of Elizabeth Haydon's works (Elizabeth Haydon, YA Fiction and Fiction - Epic fantasy and adventure in a well-realized fantasy world)
Dune (Frank Herbert, Fiction - The interstellar human civilization relies on life-extending spice from desert Arrakis)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A humorous tour guide to epic fantasy worlds)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, Fiction - Evil awakes and threatens a peaceful realm)
The Piratica series (Tanith Lee, YA Fiction - In an alternate-history Earth, an English teen sets out to recreate her mother's glorious reign as a celebrated pirate queen)
A Song of Ice and Fire series (George R. R. Martin, Fiction - World-spanning epic tale of wars and kings, good and evil, and a few dragons for good measure)
Tortall quartets (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Tales of adventure in a magical world)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien, Fiction - The classic epic tale of Hobbits, Elves, Men, wizards, and Middle-Earth)
The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Fiction - An epic fantasy spanning seven worlds)
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy (Tad Williams, Fiction - The magical land of Osten Ard faces an ancient evil)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Ship of Destiny
(The Liveship Traders trilogy, Book 3)
Robin Hobb
Bantam
Fiction, Fantasy
*****
DESCRIPTION: Bingtown is in shambles after Chalcedean raids and civil unrest, as all the enmity between New Traders and old flares in to violence. Up the Rain Wild river, the city of Trehaug is in similar disarray. An earthquake has destroyed most of the Elderling city the Rain Wild traders plunder for treasure, and the last known dragon has at last risen to the skies to seek the remnants of her kind that still live. In the wake of these upheavals, secrets are at long last revealed and the terrible truth of the Bingtown liveships comes to light. Meanwhile, unaware of the disasters at home, Brashen Trell and Althea Vestrit, aboard Paragon, have arrived in the Pirate Isles to seek out Vivacia, the Vestrit family liveship stolen by Kennit. What they find is not what they expected, but it is too late to turn back. Besides, Paragon seems uncharacteristically eager to meet King Kennit of the Pirate Isles.
REVIEW: This is an excellent conclusion to a memorable trilogy, and word is that this world will be revisited in future tales. It picks up pace steadily, with
unexpected plot twists and ever-growing characters, until you can't make yourself stop reading. Enough is finished that you feel satisfied at the end, while enough interest
remains to make you want another book or two. A great read, with a creative and original premise.
I see that Hobb returns to this corner of her wonderful world with her latest trilogy; I'm chomping at the bit for it to come out in affordable paperback.
You might also enjoy:
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi, YA Fiction - A wealthy young girl's Transatlantic voyage aboard the sailing ship Seahawk leads to her being accused of murder)
The Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks, Fiction - A boy learns he might be the only one able to stop a great evil from overtaking the world)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - A finely crafted world serves as the backdrop for stories of a clever assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Crown of Stars series (Kate Elliot, Fiction - Political unrest and inhuman raiders presage a greater evil)
Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind, Fiction - A woodsman finds himself in the company of a strange woman and eccentric wizard, bearing a sword that could save or destroy the world)
Any of Elizabeth Haydon's works (Elizabeth Haydon, YA Fiction and Fiction - Epic fantasy and adventure in a well-realized fantasy world)
Dune (Frank Herbert, Fiction - The interstellar human civilization relies on life-extending spice from desert Arrakis)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A humorous tour guide to epic fantasy worlds)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, Fiction - Evil awakes and threatens a peaceful realm)
The Piratica series (Tanith Lee, YA Fiction - In an alternate-history Earth, an English teen sets out to recreate her mother's glorious reign as a celebrated pirate queen)
A Song of Ice and Fire series (George R. R. Martin, Fiction - World-spanning epic tale of wars and kings, good and evil, and a few dragons for good measure)
Tortall quartets (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Tales of adventure in a magical world)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien, Fiction - The classic epic tale of Hobbits, Elves, Men, wizards, and Middle-Earth)
The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Fiction - An epic fantasy spanning seven worlds)
The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy (Tad Williams, Fiction - The magical land of Osten Ard faces an ancient evil)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Dragon Keeper
(The Rain Wilds Chronicles, Book 1)
Robin Hobb
Eos (HarperCollins)
Fiction, Fantasy
****
DESCRIPTION: The war between the Traders of Bingtown and the Chalcedean raiders is over, and while the the dragon Tintaglia upholds her end of the bargain
with the traders - defending the Rain Wilds River from enemy ships - the humans work to fulfill theirs. The sea serpents, in truth larval dragons, have finally made
their way up the acidic river to spin their cases on the silver clay banks and complete their metamorphosis into full-fledged dragons, the legendary Lords
of the Three Realms. At last, the much-anticipated day of their emergence has come... but something has gone horribly wrong. The hatchlings are deformed, deficient
in body, ancestral memory, and - in some cases - mind. None can fly. Some cannot even walk, dying shortly after emerging, to be devoured by their famished kin.
Tintaglia herself seems to have given up hope, abandoning the hatchlings and the Rain Wilds River when she finds a new mate. Bound by their contract, the Traders
continue feeding the dragonlings, hoping against hope that maybe they will grow into self-sufficiency. With mounting costs and minimal rewards, rumors of bounties
offered for dragon parts by enemy Chalcedeans start sounding sweeter to the Rain Wilds Traders' ears.
Incomplete ancestral memories tell the dragonlings of a great Elderling city which once lay further up the Rain Wilds River, in the days before the massive cataclysm
that destroyed the Elderlings and turned the waters acidic. If there is to be any hope of them surviving, surely it is to be found among the remains of the civilization
where dragons and humanlike Elderlings once lived in peaceable coexistence. But, malformed and unable to hunt, the dragonlings cannot make the journey alone. They will
need human keepers to travel with them, on what will likely be a one-way journey into a land so wild and dangerous not even the hardiest of Rain Wilds Traders have
ever braved them and lived to tell the tale.
REVIEW: I loved Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy (reviewed above), and am thrilled to see her continue to explore this part of her greater
Farseer universe. (I wasn't as impressed with her Farseer Saga, also reviewed above, and haven't read the follow-up Tawny Man trilogy; some reference is
made here to events in those books, summing up enough so casual readers shouldn't be thrown.) Her dragons are wonderfully unique, even if they are often remarkably
arrogant around puny little humans, and I enjoy her world of the mysterious Rain Wilds and the liveships. Unfortunately, this feels more like a piece of a book than a
whole book in and of itself. It ends on a strangely incomplete note, as if it were randomly cropped from a much larger work. (This may well be what happened; the
second book, Dragon Haven, is already out, a suspiciously fast turnaround time unless the two were written as one.) Roughly half of the book is merely a setup
to the journey, establishing characters and rivalries and motivations, which seemed a little much given the size of the book itself; the journey was barely underway
when I ran into the back cover. As I've come to expect, Hobb creates nicely-drawn characters, each one with strengths and flaws, and while I found one in particular
irritatingly selfish, I'm reserving full judgment until the end of the series; one of the most irritating people in her Liveship books become one of the most powerful
and intriguing by the end, after all, so something similar may be in the works here. On the whole, I liked what I read, but thus far I prefer the Liveship stories.
(When I finished, I strongly considered ordering the second volume, but I have to keep my reading slate relatively clean for the impending arrival of the sixth
Temeraire book. Sorry, Hobb, but right now Novik's producing more consistent work...)
You might also enjoy:
Dragons Wild (Robert Asprin, Fiction - A college slacker learns that he and his sister are dragons, about to develop their into powerful and unpredictable "secondary gifts")
The Last Dragonlord (Joanne Bertin, Fiction - A combination of flawed dragon and marked human souls, the near-immortal dragonlords inspire awe, respect... and, in some hearts, hatred)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - In a world of magic and meddling gods, a human assassin/detective works with his dragonlike familiar assistant)
Dragon Companion (Don Callander, Fiction - A librarian finds himself in a world of magic and elves, where a talking dragon befriends him)
Dragons in the Stars and Dragon Rigger (Jeffrey A. Carver, Fiction - A rigger girl, capable of navigating interstellar ships through lucid dreaming, befriends the dragons who live in subspace)
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (Bruce Coville, YA Fiction - A boy who buys a dragon's egg in a strange magic shop never expects it to actually hatch)
Hatching Magic and The Dragon of Never-Was (Ann Downer, YA Fiction - An encounter with a medieval wizard's pet wyvern awakes the latent powers of a modern Boston girl)
Dragonsdale (Salamanda Drake, YA Fiction - At a dragonriding academy, the daughter of the stable owner is forbidden to fly)
Dragoncharm (Graham Edwards, Fiction - Two dragons set out on a quest to save their species from a cataclysmic change on the horizon)
Dragon Rider (Cornelia Funke, YA Fiction - Threatened by modern man's encroachment, one of the last European dragons sets out to find a legendary sanctuary with an irascible brownie and an orphaned London boy)
The Dragon Quartet (Marjorie B. Kellogg, Fiction - Elemental dragons and their human companions travel around the world and through time to avert a global catastrophe)
Song in the Silence (Elizabeth Kerner, YA? Fiction - A girl dreams of finding legendary dragons... while a dragon dreams of meeting a human girl)
The Dragonling series (Jackie French Koller, YA Fiction - When a boy finds a newborn dragon in its slain mother's pouch, he discovers truths that will change his entire world)
Bitterwood (James Maxey, Fiction - In a world where dragons have enslaved humans, one dragonslayer resists)
The Dragonriders of Pern (Anne McCaffrey, Fiction - On the distant planet Pern, dragons and telepathically-bonded riders fight deadly Threadfall)
The Temeraire series (Naomi Novik, Fiction - An alternate-history Earth uses sapient dragons as airborne fighting ships during the Napoleanic Wars)
Eragon (Christopher Paolini, Fiction - A farmboy finds a dragon's egg)
Dinotopia: Hatchling (Midori Snyder, YA Fiction - Convinced she has endangered a rare dinosaur's egg, a Hatchery worker girl runs away... only to find herself with an even more dangerous task)
The Pit Dragon Chronicles (Jane Yolen, YA Fiction - On the world of Austar IV, a slave boy steals a hatchling dragon from his master)
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