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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
A fine fantasy with a bit of sci-fi and humorous bureaucracy mixed in. What struck me most was the dialogue, both inner and outer. Characters just nonchalantly drop poetic statements of philosophy in the middle of throw-away conversations and linking paragraphs; Aragh and Jim especially when sharing observations on the nature of human beings.
When I was looking for books to read as part of a Year of Fantasy Classic Challenge I discovered the "The Dragon & The George". At first I wasn't sure about reading but as I was looking over the synopsis on Wikipedia I noticed that "The Flight of Dragons" which is one of my all time favourite movies as a child was actually based on the book. At that point there was no stopping me and I was off the mark to track down a copy.
The story is based around Jim Eckert, a regular guy living in the modern world who has become rather discontent with the life that he and his girlfriend, Angie are being forced to live in. However, when an experiment in astral projection goes wrong and Angie vanishes. Jim makes a quick decision and uses the same experimental machine to send himself after her into the unknown. What he discovers is that both he and Angie have been sent to an alternative medieval earth where magic abounds. Unfortunately for him, his transfer went slightly askew and he is trapped in the body of a dragon named Gorbash. When Angie is then kidnapped by the Dark Powers, Jim is forced to join forces with a range of characters including a wizard, wolf and knight in an attempt to rescue her and find a way to return them both home.
Now, those who have watched "The Flight of Dragons" you may have noticed that the above synopsis only sounds loosely similar to what occurred in the film and you would be right. About the only thing similar is that a 20th century man is sent to a historic fantasy novel and trapped in a dragon's body. Other than this, the only other similarities are in regards to the use of various character names and in regards to some of the evil creatures they are forced to fight. Don't get me wrong, it is still an enjoyable fantasy novel even if the story is fairly standard and at times I think Dickson is more creating a parody than a serious fantasy novel. But personally I prefer the more epic and serious feeling story that is told in the movie.
One nice little novelty in the story though was in regards to the use of magic. There was no mysticism or unlimited powers in this book, the magic system followed very strict laws with every act of magic requiring some sort of payment for its utilisation. I enjoyed seeing this as all too often magic is used in fantasy novels as the quick and easy weapon to solve any problem.
I was in two minds about the characters; Jim Eckert is rather annoying for large sections of the book and is anything but likeable. He is selfish, rude and stubborn throughout the entire novel and it is actually his companions that solve his problems for him. However, I found the supporting characters to be quite nicely developed and quite complex. I particularly loved the antics of Aragh the wolf whose independence and gruffness were there for all to see, but underneath it all there was a loyal and decent creature that we see more of as the story progressed.
Overall, I do think that this is very much a by the numbers fantasy novel, but it has been written competently enough to ensure there is some enjoyment for the reader. Whilst I don't think it is anywhere near the quality of the story told in the movie I loved as a child, it was still fun to read and full of rather interesting characters who kept me entertained. Personally, I am going to try a few more in the series to see if I enjoy them more or less when I am no longer biased by a movie I loved as a child.
The story is based around Jim Eckert, a regular guy living in the modern world who has become rather discontent with the life that he and his girlfriend, Angie are being forced to live in. However, when an experiment in astral projection goes wrong and Angie vanishes. Jim makes a quick decision and uses the same experimental machine to send himself after her into the unknown. What he discovers is that both he and Angie have been sent to an alternative medieval earth where magic abounds. Unfortunately for him, his transfer went slightly askew and he is trapped in the body of a dragon named Gorbash. When Angie is then kidnapped by the Dark Powers, Jim is forced to join forces with a range of characters including a wizard, wolf and knight in an attempt to rescue her and find a way to return them both home.
Now, those who have watched "The Flight of Dragons" you may have noticed that the above synopsis only sounds loosely similar to what occurred in the film and you would be right. About the only thing similar is that a 20th century man is sent to a historic fantasy novel and trapped in a dragon's body. Other than this, the only other similarities are in regards to the use of various character names and in regards to some of the evil creatures they are forced to fight. Don't get me wrong, it is still an enjoyable fantasy novel even if the story is fairly standard and at times I think Dickson is more creating a parody than a serious fantasy novel. But personally I prefer the more epic and serious feeling story that is told in the movie.
One nice little novelty in the story though was in regards to the use of magic. There was no mysticism or unlimited powers in this book, the magic system followed very strict laws with every act of magic requiring some sort of payment for its utilisation. I enjoyed seeing this as all too often magic is used in fantasy novels as the quick and easy weapon to solve any problem.
I was in two minds about the characters; Jim Eckert is rather annoying for large sections of the book and is anything but likeable. He is selfish, rude and stubborn throughout the entire novel and it is actually his companions that solve his problems for him. However, I found the supporting characters to be quite nicely developed and quite complex. I particularly loved the antics of Aragh the wolf whose independence and gruffness were there for all to see, but underneath it all there was a loyal and decent creature that we see more of as the story progressed.
Overall, I do think that this is very much a by the numbers fantasy novel, but it has been written competently enough to ensure there is some enjoyment for the reader. Whilst I don't think it is anywhere near the quality of the story told in the movie I loved as a child, it was still fun to read and full of rather interesting characters who kept me entertained. Personally, I am going to try a few more in the series to see if I enjoy them more or less when I am no longer biased by a movie I loved as a child.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The Dragon and The George by Gordon R. Dickson
Quotes: "But, dream or not, all he wanted was to find Angie and get out of here, back to the ordinary world. Only, where should he look for her?"
"How can I want to be someplace else while you're still here?"
"Where's this Angie?" "At the dragon cave." "She's a dragon, too, then?" "No, she's human." "I see the difficulty."
"There is evil; It is the duty of human beings to stand firm against evil, even if evil most likely will destroy them;"
"There is no such a thing as an impossible, but only a thing the doing of which has not yet been learned."
Review: Published in 1976, The Dragon and the George is the story of Jim Eckhart, who goes to pick up his fiancée at the university. She's involved in some sort of astrial projection experiment. It goes wrong, and Angie is transported to another realm. Jim immediately undergoes the same experiment and goes after her.
Only when he arrives. He's in the body of a Dragon Named Gorbash. Angie has been taken captive by an evil dragon and held in a tower.
Along the way, Jim encounters friends of Gorbash who agree to help him rescue Angie. And meets a mage who may be able to help them get back home. If he can save her.
The book is loaded with humor. But it's a fun read and portal fantasy adventure.
(I may have found a new subgenre I like) The side characters really made the story. A talking wolf named Aragh, who steals the show. A Knight, The Daughter of an Outlaw and a Bowman.
All come together to help Jim save Angie.
Something I found interesting as the story goes is that Jim becomes more comfortable as a dragon. And letting go of his more human tendencies.
Overall, it's a fun book. Dragons, magic, a tiny bit of romance and good banter amongst interesting side characters.
I'd give this one 4 ⭐️
Thanks for reading 📚
Quotes: "But, dream or not, all he wanted was to find Angie and get out of here, back to the ordinary world. Only, where should he look for her?"
"How can I want to be someplace else while you're still here?"
"Where's this Angie?" "At the dragon cave." "She's a dragon, too, then?" "No, she's human." "I see the difficulty."
"There is evil; It is the duty of human beings to stand firm against evil, even if evil most likely will destroy them;"
"There is no such a thing as an impossible, but only a thing the doing of which has not yet been learned."
Review: Published in 1976, The Dragon and the George is the story of Jim Eckhart, who goes to pick up his fiancée at the university. She's involved in some sort of astrial projection experiment. It goes wrong, and Angie is transported to another realm. Jim immediately undergoes the same experiment and goes after her.
Only when he arrives. He's in the body of a Dragon Named Gorbash. Angie has been taken captive by an evil dragon and held in a tower.
Along the way, Jim encounters friends of Gorbash who agree to help him rescue Angie. And meets a mage who may be able to help them get back home. If he can save her.
The book is loaded with humor. But it's a fun read and portal fantasy adventure.
(I may have found a new subgenre I like) The side characters really made the story. A talking wolf named Aragh, who steals the show. A Knight, The Daughter of an Outlaw and a Bowman.
All come together to help Jim save Angie.
Something I found interesting as the story goes is that Jim becomes more comfortable as a dragon. And letting go of his more human tendencies.
Overall, it's a fun book. Dragons, magic, a tiny bit of romance and good banter amongst interesting side characters.
I'd give this one 4 ⭐️
Thanks for reading 📚
adventurous
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
(I only had about 20 pages to finish up for the new year, and it would feel like cheating to have twenty pages count towards a whole new book in 2017)
First off, big shout out to my dad and sister Lisa for taking pictures of pages 252-279/the end, so that I could finish this borrowed library book despite flying back to France! Not to mention my mom for requesting the book from the local library in the first place. You three are awesome!
Now, on to the review portion – this book caught my eye when roaming around Goodreads, and when I saw that my home library system had it, my mom was kind enough to request it for me so it would be waiting for me upon my arrival back in the US. It was one of those things where, as it is a standalone book, it has dragons and knights and magic and fantasy, and it wasn’t too long, so I just had to read it like now. I was in the mood for some magical escapades, and I got what I wished for!
That is, after the rather slow start, full of details of Jim and Angie’s life in the “real world”: their struggles to advance in their careers, to make ends meet, to find a new place to live. I wanted magic, and dragons! And especially considering that most of this information we learn about their life is irrelevant to the bulk of the story – I mean, the Grottwold scenes and information could be kept, as they are important -- but as for the rest, they could have been glossed over in a quick page or two, not the 20 or 30 or so pages I seem to remember it being.
Moving on from that, we find ourselves thrown along with Jim quite suddenly into a world of magic and medieval fantasy elements, with a twist: Jim has found himself transported to this world in the body of a dragon named Gorbash. Worse yet, his fiancé Angie is still very much her human self, and a prisoner of the dragons. Naturally, a Quest must be undertaken, and all quests begin with a visit to an old and wise wizard: S. Carolinus. To undertake a quest and save a lady love, Companions must be found, else wise the Quest is doomed and Jim and Angie along with it. And with a destination with a name like the Loathly Tower, which is surrounded by Dark Powers, yeah, you’re going to want some help with that.
General Commentary:
Once we got into this magical world, things kept moving along at a nice clip. Admittedly the whole side trip to take back Malvern Castle from Sir Hugh de Bois de Malencontri took a lot of time, but its entertainment and interestingness levels kept it worth the read. Though when we were around two thirds of the book and they were talking about continuing the quest to go after him, I did begin to wonder just when they were going to refocus their energies on finding Angie. I also appreciated how strong Danielle was in her own right in this very patriarchal world, and how she would not let anyone force her to do what she did not want to do – though her neat-and-tidy ending, especially after the very pointed and nuanced conversation she had alone with Jim, was less than pleasing given how vocal she had been about what she did or did not want throughout the book.
I’d almost go to say that the final battle seemed a bit rushed, but when I think about it, it was just right – after all, the battle wasn’t really the climax nor point of the story, just a means to the way the rest of it rolled out with the decisions that needed to be made. And despite some rather long explicative paragraphs in the denouement of events (some of those, I feel, could have been reduced – except Gorbash’s experiences, those were quite priceless), things ended quite satisfactorily, with neat bows all around, except of course for the little open package for Jim and Angie.
Particular things I enjoyed:
Jim adjusting to his new dragon body:
Like anyone else who has suddenly overexerted a body out of shape for such activity, he was stiff as a board in that portion of his body he had most need of at the moment.
The irony of it did not escape him. For twenty-six years he had gotten along quite nicely without wings. Now, after one day’s use of them, he was decidedly miffed to have to proceed on foot. His amusement gone, he turned his head toward the ocean and set about following a land route. (page 69)
Between flying, and trying to figure out what and how much to eat, his becoming familiar with and learning to deal with the dragon rage, even learning more about dragon culture and society such as the connections between regular dragons and mere-dragons – it made for quite an interesting read, and some solid building blocks for the dragon society and the world-building in general.
S. Carolinus and the Magic:
[…Carolinus said,“] Now that really is going over the line, Dark Powers or not! Auditing Department, are you copying all this—” (page 267)
Despite the very medieval setting of all this, I simply loved that the regulation of magic paid, due, and owed, was maintained by an “Auditing Department”. But most often when Carolinus was complaining to the Auditing Department that they needed to pay up or dispense credit where it was (past) due. Not to mention, it feels like a very modern term in a very medieval setting, plus all the references to Nature and Science and all the other types of factors inherent in the magic of this world. I wanted to know more about it, because it was interesting, not because it was too lacking.
Jim’s Analysis and Understanding of this new world:
It was bitter for Jim to face the fact that he was helpless to strike back against a cruel wrong. Intolerable. He had reached his present age never having cause to doubt that injustice must eventually be brought to book, and that any unfairness of life must, in the end, be balanced. […] It was hard to let go of cherished illusions; but he had no choice. Gradually, as he faced that fact, his convulsive grip on the belief that life must be fair, or else it could not be endured, relaxed; and he saw one more shackle upon the strength of his individual spirit fall away and sink into the waters of oblivion. (page 227-228)
What happens when you take someone with a specialization in medieval history and plop into a fantastic/magical medieval world? You get Jim, running headlong into things he doesn’t understand completely in their new context, making use of the cultural differences between what he knows and what he encounters in this new world to his benefit (hullo, Social Security Number!), and not to mention some decent reflections on how he can understand in a practical manner this new world, and accustom himself to it. Not only did I enjoy when he made cultural comparisons to his modern world (B-movies, anyone?), but also scientific ones like the different types of clouds as he flies through them. Then there was when he was suffering a bit of a slump, flying off on his own, and reflecting on how isolation can be a nice thing, while the inhabitants of this world were not much more than animals compared to the people of his own world (page 187-188) – okay, so that is not very nice of him, but considering just how much had changed, he’s allowed some negative thoughts about his position and the world he’s in. I think I could have used a few more comparisons between Jim’s real world experiences and those in this. What it definitely could have used were more insertions of Jim’s knowledge of medieval times scattered about to really flesh out that he knows his stuff and make direct connections to what he is experiencing, like when he reflects on eating the innkeeper out of his stock.
Completely subjective best short quotes:
[…Jim] now realized how far he was from understanding his strange new friends. All of them, even the humans, thought and acted according to standards entirely different from his. It was a sobering example of how one could speak the same language as someone else without being on the same mental wavelength at all. – page 199
Life and death were next-door neighbors; similarly, love and hate were as close as two doorways at the end of a corridor, and if you did not learn to hate someone within a short space of time, you learned to love. – page 201
“As for ‘impossible,’ there is no such thing as an impossible, but only a thing the doing of which has not been learned.” – page 215
More quotes with selected commentary:
[Jim] had always been a skeptic by nature; and although this strange world was clearly full of all sorts of variances with the normal pattern of things as he knew them, his mind instinctively revolted against too much credit in the supernatural—particularly, he thought, the old B-movie horror type of supernatural. – page 67 – A sample of some of the language here, plus the way that despite being in such a strange world, Jim continues to make comparisons to his own world and life experiences in a way that is relevant and usually amusing, too. It’s like little nods to popular culture of the 70s which are still relatable today even. (It also makes for an interesting take on views of popular culture and how it manifests itself in contemporary books across the decades.)
A touch of annoyance tweaked at [Jim]; and on the heels of this came an idea a which he nearly smiled visibly. Ignorance of other people’s customs could work both ways.
“Of course, if only I’d known your Social Security number right from the start,” he said. “It would have been different.” – page 79
… a detestation of someone named Sir Hugh de Bois de Malencontri. – page 103 – Heads up, my linguistic nerd is about to come out: Sir Hugh – Sir Hugh (Hyoo, almost “who”); de Bois – of the woods (French); de Malencontri – with a French pronunciation, we get “malen” sounding like “malin” (bad, conniving), and “contri” sounding like the English “country”… making his name something like Who of the woods of bad country. And with a name like that and given his role in the story, I don’t think it is entirely a coincidence!
[Danielle said, “…] Besides, why should I care about you, bowman or not?”
“Because I find you beautiful, lady,” Dafydd answered, “and I remember nothing in all my life that I found beautiful that I did not want it; and, wanting, never ceased from striving for, until I gained it.”
“Is that so? I’m not some bauble to hang on your baldrick, Sir bowman! As it happens, I’ll say who gains me!” – page 133 – I love Danielle’s independence and feminist attitude – while you could say it’s technically out of place in a medieval-type world, at any rate, this world is pretty atypical as it is. I also appreciate that she does not need to be saved by a knight, and when she sees someone she wants, she’s not afraid to go after him (this quote leads into her conversation with Jim discussing how Danielle is of the mind that once Jim finds Angie, he will discover he no longer wants to be with her and instead will choose Danielle as she has already chosen him). What I didn’t like is how things turned out between Danielle and Dafydd at the end: it seemed a betrayal of her independence and stubbornness.
Also, there was something about the knight’s determination…and something, as well, about this crazy world he was now in: unbelievable as it seemed, there was something in him—in the human, not dragon, part of him—that wanted to try taking Malvern Castle, even if he and Brian must make that attempt alone. – page 139-140 – Ah, here are some of the seeds planted which indicated Jim’s ultimate decision at the end of this book!
Perhaps, the thought came to [Jim] much later, the others might have noticed this change in him and would have worked to reverse it, if it had not happened that, just at that time, as soon as he was well enough to participate, he was drawn into their discussion about what should be done next. – page 180 – I admit, I’m wondering if there is also some lasting physical damage after that wound, and not just psychological. (I did wonder if he would even be able to fly, given where the lance took him, but later he did fly without any trouble.)
He knew better now. It was very ego-pampering to cannon into men-at-arms whom he outweighed five to one and send them flying. It was very comfortable to tell people living in the rigidly stratified society that he had been a baron, and let them surmise that he had perhaps been a prince. But what had happened when a real lance actually went through him? All at once the fun had gone out of the game. He was ready to pick up his marbles and go home. – page 191 – Once more, I like this for Jim’s reflection on his situation and how he relates to the world he now finds himself in.
…glistening dome of hairless gray skin. […] two perfectly round blue eyes, below which was exposed no proper nose but, instead, two air slits side by side […] showed its […] mouth, entirely lipless and with two jagged but matching rows of pointed teeth. – page 248 – Not going to sugarcoat it, my first image in reading this was of Voldemort – I mean, that head! That nose! Need we go further?
Here, there were only a bunch of strange characters they had met only the week before last […] – page 270 – Though it really seemed to me like more than two weeks have passed, especially when you consider the time Jim spent laid up healing
Typos:
He leaned over to rear in the ear of the dragon next to him. – page 23 – Should be “ roar” not “rear”
If that was ordinary dragon fare, he’d just have to go hungry. Perhaps the magician could help him out in the foot department … -- page 41 – “foot” should be “food”
“[…] Honored to make your acquaintance, Sir Brian.” – page 75 – Except, Sir Brian never got around to saying his Christian name, just explaining his family name and coat of arms (Neville-Smythe)
“Speak for yourself, Sir James.” [said Sir Brian]
“Well, there’s no one I’d rather have with me, besides Sir James here,” said Jim. – page 96 – Um, Jim shouldn’t be referring to himself in the third person like that… I think that he is supposed to have said “Sir Brian” not “Sir James”
That much, Jim thought, was true. Sir James was clad in tight leather breeches with belt… -- page 167 – Again, “Sir James” should be “Sir Brian” – makes me wonder if originally Sir Brian’s name was Sir James…
These threads go over your head under your own hair to fasten in on… -- page 168 – “in” should be “it”
…and the harpy screamed hideously, yerking aside into Brian… -- page 219 – “yerking” should be “jerking”
…the serest gray of winter light… -- page 221 – I’m not entirely certain what that’s supposed to mean, “serest” – closest I find at dictionary.com is that it could be a form of sear, and means “dry, withered”
…as Dafydd came up. And mistress Danielle! Good morning!” – page 235 – missing opening quotes “And mistress Danielle! Good morning!”
First off, big shout out to my dad and sister Lisa for taking pictures of pages 252-279/the end, so that I could finish this borrowed library book despite flying back to France! Not to mention my mom for requesting the book from the local library in the first place. You three are awesome!
Now, on to the review portion – this book caught my eye when roaming around Goodreads, and when I saw that my home library system had it, my mom was kind enough to request it for me so it would be waiting for me upon my arrival back in the US. It was one of those things where, as it is a standalone book, it has dragons and knights and magic and fantasy, and it wasn’t too long, so I just had to read it like now. I was in the mood for some magical escapades, and I got what I wished for!
That is, after the rather slow start, full of details of Jim and Angie’s life in the “real world”: their struggles to advance in their careers, to make ends meet, to find a new place to live. I wanted magic, and dragons! And especially considering that most of this information we learn about their life is irrelevant to the bulk of the story – I mean, the Grottwold scenes and information could be kept, as they are important -- but as for the rest, they could have been glossed over in a quick page or two, not the 20 or 30 or so pages I seem to remember it being.
Moving on from that, we find ourselves thrown along with Jim quite suddenly into a world of magic and medieval fantasy elements, with a twist: Jim has found himself transported to this world in the body of a dragon named Gorbash. Worse yet, his fiancé Angie is still very much her human self, and a prisoner of the dragons. Naturally, a Quest must be undertaken, and all quests begin with a visit to an old and wise wizard: S. Carolinus. To undertake a quest and save a lady love, Companions must be found, else wise the Quest is doomed and Jim and Angie along with it. And with a destination with a name like the Loathly Tower, which is surrounded by Dark Powers, yeah, you’re going to want some help with that.
General Commentary:
Once we got into this magical world, things kept moving along at a nice clip. Admittedly the whole side trip to take back Malvern Castle from Sir Hugh de Bois de Malencontri took a lot of time, but its entertainment and interestingness levels kept it worth the read. Though when we were around two thirds of the book and they were talking about continuing the quest to go after him, I did begin to wonder just when they were going to refocus their energies on finding Angie. I also appreciated how strong Danielle was in her own right in this very patriarchal world, and how she would not let anyone force her to do what she did not want to do – though her neat-and-tidy ending, especially after the very pointed and nuanced conversation she had alone with Jim, was less than pleasing given how vocal she had been about what she did or did not want throughout the book.
I’d almost go to say that the final battle seemed a bit rushed, but when I think about it, it was just right – after all, the battle wasn’t really the climax nor point of the story, just a means to the way the rest of it rolled out with the decisions that needed to be made. And despite some rather long explicative paragraphs in the denouement of events (some of those, I feel, could have been reduced – except Gorbash’s experiences, those were quite priceless), things ended quite satisfactorily, with neat bows all around, except of course for the little open package for Jim and Angie.
Particular things I enjoyed:
Jim adjusting to his new dragon body:
Like anyone else who has suddenly overexerted a body out of shape for such activity, he was stiff as a board in that portion of his body he had most need of at the moment.
The irony of it did not escape him. For twenty-six years he had gotten along quite nicely without wings. Now, after one day’s use of them, he was decidedly miffed to have to proceed on foot. His amusement gone, he turned his head toward the ocean and set about following a land route. (page 69)
Between flying, and trying to figure out what and how much to eat, his becoming familiar with and learning to deal with the dragon rage, even learning more about dragon culture and society such as the connections between regular dragons and mere-dragons – it made for quite an interesting read, and some solid building blocks for the dragon society and the world-building in general.
S. Carolinus and the Magic:
[…Carolinus said,“] Now that really is going over the line, Dark Powers or not! Auditing Department, are you copying all this—” (page 267)
Despite the very medieval setting of all this, I simply loved that the regulation of magic paid, due, and owed, was maintained by an “Auditing Department”. But most often when Carolinus was complaining to the Auditing Department that they needed to pay up or dispense credit where it was (past) due. Not to mention, it feels like a very modern term in a very medieval setting, plus all the references to Nature and Science and all the other types of factors inherent in the magic of this world. I wanted to know more about it, because it was interesting, not because it was too lacking.
Jim’s Analysis and Understanding of this new world:
It was bitter for Jim to face the fact that he was helpless to strike back against a cruel wrong. Intolerable. He had reached his present age never having cause to doubt that injustice must eventually be brought to book, and that any unfairness of life must, in the end, be balanced. […] It was hard to let go of cherished illusions; but he had no choice. Gradually, as he faced that fact, his convulsive grip on the belief that life must be fair, or else it could not be endured, relaxed; and he saw one more shackle upon the strength of his individual spirit fall away and sink into the waters of oblivion. (page 227-228)
What happens when you take someone with a specialization in medieval history and plop into a fantastic/magical medieval world? You get Jim, running headlong into things he doesn’t understand completely in their new context, making use of the cultural differences between what he knows and what he encounters in this new world to his benefit (hullo, Social Security Number!), and not to mention some decent reflections on how he can understand in a practical manner this new world, and accustom himself to it. Not only did I enjoy when he made cultural comparisons to his modern world (B-movies, anyone?), but also scientific ones like the different types of clouds as he flies through them. Then there was when he was suffering a bit of a slump, flying off on his own, and reflecting on how isolation can be a nice thing, while the inhabitants of this world were not much more than animals compared to the people of his own world (page 187-188) – okay, so that is not very nice of him, but considering just how much had changed, he’s allowed some negative thoughts about his position and the world he’s in. I think I could have used a few more comparisons between Jim’s real world experiences and those in this. What it definitely could have used were more insertions of Jim’s knowledge of medieval times scattered about to really flesh out that he knows his stuff and make direct connections to what he is experiencing, like when he reflects on eating the innkeeper out of his stock.
Completely subjective best short quotes:
[…Jim] now realized how far he was from understanding his strange new friends. All of them, even the humans, thought and acted according to standards entirely different from his. It was a sobering example of how one could speak the same language as someone else without being on the same mental wavelength at all. – page 199
Life and death were next-door neighbors; similarly, love and hate were as close as two doorways at the end of a corridor, and if you did not learn to hate someone within a short space of time, you learned to love. – page 201
“As for ‘impossible,’ there is no such thing as an impossible, but only a thing the doing of which has not been learned.” – page 215
More quotes with selected commentary:
[Jim] had always been a skeptic by nature; and although this strange world was clearly full of all sorts of variances with the normal pattern of things as he knew them, his mind instinctively revolted against too much credit in the supernatural—particularly, he thought, the old B-movie horror type of supernatural. – page 67 – A sample of some of the language here, plus the way that despite being in such a strange world, Jim continues to make comparisons to his own world and life experiences in a way that is relevant and usually amusing, too. It’s like little nods to popular culture of the 70s which are still relatable today even. (It also makes for an interesting take on views of popular culture and how it manifests itself in contemporary books across the decades.)
A touch of annoyance tweaked at [Jim]; and on the heels of this came an idea a which he nearly smiled visibly. Ignorance of other people’s customs could work both ways.
“Of course, if only I’d known your Social Security number right from the start,” he said. “It would have been different.” – page 79
… a detestation of someone named Sir Hugh de Bois de Malencontri. – page 103 – Heads up, my linguistic nerd is about to come out: Sir Hugh – Sir Hugh (Hyoo, almost “who”); de Bois – of the woods (French); de Malencontri – with a French pronunciation, we get “malen” sounding like “malin” (bad, conniving), and “contri” sounding like the English “country”… making his name something like Who of the woods of bad country. And with a name like that and given his role in the story, I don’t think it is entirely a coincidence!
Spoiler
Jim opened his eyes in the darkness. The strong jaws of his conscience began to nibble at him. This strange world with its talking creatures, its magic and its Dark Powers, had somehow put that part of him to sleep. Now it awoke, a giant with its strength redoubled. However fairy-tale his existence appeared to be here, this was in fact a world where people were born in the ordinary fashion, suffered and died—were killed, too, like that poor child in the village with her hands cut off. He remembered how, back in his own world, he had wished to change modern times for a medieval period when problems were more solid and real. Now, here he was, surrounded with solid and real problems even if the rules were a little different—and far from appreciating that solidity and reality, he was acting as if it were some kind of dream in which he had no responsibility. – page 129 – I love these moments of self-reflection. It builds character and consciousness. Speaking of, I wonder if this is intentional on the part of the author to exemplify what H. Bergson explores this quote from his publication Laughter: “Poetic imagination is but a fuller view of reality. If the characters created by a poet give us the impression of life […it is because the poet/writer] lays hold of the potential in the real, and takes up what nature has left as a mere outline or sketch in his soul in order to make of it a finished piece of art.” At the very least, it is surely a moment of metalepsis, when fiction escapes into reality.[Danielle said, “…] Besides, why should I care about you, bowman or not?”
“Because I find you beautiful, lady,” Dafydd answered, “and I remember nothing in all my life that I found beautiful that I did not want it; and, wanting, never ceased from striving for, until I gained it.”
“Is that so? I’m not some bauble to hang on your baldrick, Sir bowman! As it happens, I’ll say who gains me!” – page 133 – I love Danielle’s independence and feminist attitude – while you could say it’s technically out of place in a medieval-type world, at any rate, this world is pretty atypical as it is. I also appreciate that she does not need to be saved by a knight, and when she sees someone she wants, she’s not afraid to go after him (this quote leads into her conversation with Jim discussing how Danielle is of the mind that once Jim finds Angie, he will discover he no longer wants to be with her and instead will choose Danielle as she has already chosen him). What I didn’t like is how things turned out between Danielle and Dafydd at the end: it seemed a betrayal of her independence and stubbornness.
Also, there was something about the knight’s determination…and something, as well, about this crazy world he was now in: unbelievable as it seemed, there was something in him—in the human, not dragon, part of him—that wanted to try taking Malvern Castle, even if he and Brian must make that attempt alone. – page 139-140 – Ah, here are some of the seeds planted which indicated Jim’s ultimate decision at the end of this book!
Perhaps, the thought came to [Jim] much later, the others might have noticed this change in him and would have worked to reverse it, if it had not happened that, just at that time, as soon as he was well enough to participate, he was drawn into their discussion about what should be done next. – page 180 – I admit, I’m wondering if there is also some lasting physical damage after that wound, and not just psychological. (I did wonder if he would even be able to fly, given where the lance took him, but later he did fly without any trouble.)
He knew better now. It was very ego-pampering to cannon into men-at-arms whom he outweighed five to one and send them flying. It was very comfortable to tell people living in the rigidly stratified society that he had been a baron, and let them surmise that he had perhaps been a prince. But what had happened when a real lance actually went through him? All at once the fun had gone out of the game. He was ready to pick up his marbles and go home. – page 191 – Once more, I like this for Jim’s reflection on his situation and how he relates to the world he now finds himself in.
…glistening dome of hairless gray skin. […] two perfectly round blue eyes, below which was exposed no proper nose but, instead, two air slits side by side […] showed its […] mouth, entirely lipless and with two jagged but matching rows of pointed teeth. – page 248 – Not going to sugarcoat it, my first image in reading this was of Voldemort – I mean, that head! That nose! Need we go further?
Here, there were only a bunch of strange characters they had met only the week before last […] – page 270 – Though it really seemed to me like more than two weeks have passed, especially when you consider the time Jim spent laid up healing
Spoiler
after getting nearly stabbed to death by Sir Malencontri.Typos:
He leaned over to rear in the ear of the dragon next to him. – page 23 – Should be “ roar” not “rear”
If that was ordinary dragon fare, he’d just have to go hungry. Perhaps the magician could help him out in the foot department … -- page 41 – “foot” should be “food”
“[…] Honored to make your acquaintance, Sir Brian.” – page 75 – Except, Sir Brian never got around to saying his Christian name, just explaining his family name and coat of arms (Neville-Smythe)
“Speak for yourself, Sir James.” [said Sir Brian]
“Well, there’s no one I’d rather have with me, besides Sir James here,” said Jim. – page 96 – Um, Jim shouldn’t be referring to himself in the third person like that… I think that he is supposed to have said “Sir Brian” not “Sir James”
That much, Jim thought, was true. Sir James was clad in tight leather breeches with belt… -- page 167 – Again, “Sir James” should be “Sir Brian” – makes me wonder if originally Sir Brian’s name was Sir James…
These threads go over your head under your own hair to fasten in on… -- page 168 – “in” should be “it”
…and the harpy screamed hideously, yerking aside into Brian… -- page 219 – “yerking” should be “jerking”
…the serest gray of winter light… -- page 221 – I’m not entirely certain what that’s supposed to mean, “serest” – closest I find at dictionary.com is that it could be a form of sear, and means “dry, withered”
…as Dafydd came up. And mistress Danielle! Good morning!” – page 235 – missing opening quotes “And mistress Danielle! Good morning!”
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am re-reading this series since I recently bought most of it at a book sale. I remember reading these books during the 6th grade as I read through almost every dragon book at my local library. Anyone remember the animated movie "Flight of Dragons" from the early 80s? The main story is based off this book (with the science-y parts about how dragons fly/breathe fire from the book "Flight of Dragons" by Peter Dickinson). I honestly love the book much more, and I'm really happy to be reading the series again! I have reviewed in the past that I enjoy fantasy or sci-fi that has a link to our world, instead of being thrust into a completely original land I have to figure out on my own.
In this case, we are thrust into a different dimension where dragons are real and can talk, there are English wolves and chivalrous knights. But we are not alone in our confusion in this alternate world, as we follow along with Jim Eckert, a professor of Medieval History from our world, who is hypnotized and his mind is placed into that of the dragon Gorbash. A slightly silly premise, I know, but I love it! We discover along with Jim that his fiancee, Angie (which is my name, so when I was younger this delighted me to no end), has also been transported to this world and kidnapped by the Dark Powers!
It's the usual tale of good vs. evil as the balance of both must be retained, and an adventure where Companions must be found to help Jim rescue Angie. Yet, it's not as cliche as it sounds and a great book I could read over and over again.
In this case, we are thrust into a different dimension where dragons are real and can talk, there are English wolves and chivalrous knights. But we are not alone in our confusion in this alternate world, as we follow along with Jim Eckert, a professor of Medieval History from our world, who is hypnotized and his mind is placed into that of the dragon Gorbash. A slightly silly premise, I know, but I love it! We discover along with Jim that his fiancee, Angie (which is my name, so when I was younger this delighted me to no end), has also been transported to this world and kidnapped by the Dark Powers!
It's the usual tale of good vs. evil as the balance of both must be retained, and an adventure where Companions must be found to help Jim rescue Angie. Yet, it's not as cliche as it sounds and a great book I could read over and over again.
I was first introduced into the dragon knight series by two of the later novels in the canon, only finding this first installment recently. While lacking some of the finer points (25 years difference and experience certainly makes light of that reasoning) this is still a good story that truly comes to fruition towards the latter part of the novel. If you enjoy medieval fantasy, it's worth checking out!
As a curiosity I decided to read this tome in preparation for my summer family's reunion during which we decided to re-watch a favorite movie from our youth--Flight of Dragons. This book is one of two source books upon which the movie is based.
Some brief thoughts: I absolutely loved the idea behind a magic auditing department. Loved reading the passages that made it into the movie in some form or another. Didn't quite get who the main villain was in the book. In the movie it was an evil wizard but he was a no-show in the book. Jim/Gorbash was just as endearing in this book as he was in the movie. Or so I remember! As with The Last Unicorn (last summer's family reunion book-read / movie-rewatch combo), this book was a very enjoyable read. Will I pick up the series sequels? Hmmm, not sure!
Some brief thoughts: I absolutely loved the idea behind a magic auditing department. Loved reading the passages that made it into the movie in some form or another. Didn't quite get who the main villain was in the book. In the movie it was an evil wizard but he was a no-show in the book. Jim/Gorbash was just as endearing in this book as he was in the movie. Or so I remember! As with The Last Unicorn (last summer's family reunion book-read / movie-rewatch combo), this book was a very enjoyable read. Will I pick up the series sequels? Hmmm, not sure!
Ronnie James Dio recommended this book, and for the first time he let me down. This book is tedious and predictable, too much telling, not enough showing. It has moments but it wasn't long before I found myself skimming through just trying to get it over with. The first sentence of each paragraph was about all I needed.