Dragons: A Natural History
Dr. Karl Shuker
Barnes & Noble
Nonfiction, Mythology/Folklore
****
DESCRIPTION: Dragons and their kin - giant serpents, winged lizards, and more bizarre beasts - have been featured in nearly every culture. Some are allegorical. Some are mythological. And some may well be real. Dr. Shuker describes several stories of dragons and dragonlike beings, including a few that may hint at unknown creatures still lurking in the corners of the world.
REVIEW: The biggest weakness of this book is Shuker's presentation. I think he tried too hard to describe the dragons and situations, especially when he only had a page or two per legend to get his point across. The stories slow down while he discusses some details at length, then rush to finish before the end-of-the-page deadline. If he wanted to retell legends in a detailed, enlivened way, he shouldn't included so many. That flaw aside, this is a fairly good compendium, though the accounts here differ from many other books on dragon lore. He identifies Tiamat with an image of a serpentine sea dragon, not the lion-like feathered and winged "dragon" usually associated with her. He also fails to mention that at least one legend here (the Dragon of Wantley) was written in parody, and therefore seems to belong in a different category than the other dragon stories. The pictures are nice, drawn from a variety of sources. It's an interesting addition to my collection, another wonder from the Barnes & Noble discount shelves.
You might also enjoy:
Tales of Great Dragons (J. K. Anderson, YA Fiction - An introduction to dragon lore, with pictures to color)
The Book of Dragons (Ciruelo, Fiction - An artist explores the world of dragons)
Dancing with Dragons (D. J. Conway, Nonfiction - Using dragons in magick)
Dragonlore (Ash "LeopardDancer" DeKirk, Nonfiction - Dragons in history, pop culture, and magick)
The Flight of Dragons (Peter Dickinson, Fiction - Speculation on how a biologically-probable dragon animal might live)
A Diversity of Dragons (Anne McCaffrey, Fiction - The famed author explores dragons in myth and modern fiction)
The Book of Fabulous Beasts (Joseph Nigg, Nonfiction - The classical origins and evolution of dragons and other popular fantasy beasts)
Dragons - Truth, Myth, and Legend (David Passes, YA Fiction - Dragon lore and stories)
The Dragonology books (Dugald A. Steer, editor, YA Fiction - The notebooks of a 19th century "dragonologist" discuss the dragons of the world)
How to Raise and Keep a Dragon (John Topsell, Joseph Nigg "editor," YA Fiction - How to choose, raise, and show a pet dragon)
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