Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
This ended up being exactly what I didn't realize I was looking for as a book. It shares a lot of humor and the fantasy (but with real modern life mentioned sporadically) of The Princess Bride and Monty Python & the Holy Grail. From what I remember of seeing Shrek 15 years ago, it was a little like that too. The first 30 pages are a bit slower than the rest as it sets up their real world struggles, so if it's not quite clicking, I would still say to give it a few chapters and see if it's for you if you like any of those movies/books!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is really good fun. It's a fairly quick read, it's a self contained story (although I see here that it's a #1 of some number of books) and it has dragons and magic and that kind of stuff. Not bad at all.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to find a pristine copy of Peter Dickinson’s “The Flight of Dragons” in a tiny used bookstore in Ottawa: the book brought back a ton of childhood memories, as it was one of the inspirations for a gorgeous animated movie, made by the same people who made “The Last Unicorn”. And let me tell you: I watched those two movies (on VHS, of course) so much when I was a kid that I can still quote most of the dialogues from memory. While the so-called “science” parts of the movie were based upon Dickinson’s book, the actual tale of a professor turned into a dragon was (loosely) based on this relatively unknown fantasy novel, “The Dragon and the George”.
Jim was a teaching assistant at a small Minnesota college, and while his life might not have been simple, he was happy playing volleyball, studying medieval history and making life plans with his girlfriend Angie. But when Angie is accidentally transported to a strange land via an astral projection experiment gone awry, everything changes. He insists on submitting himself to the same experiment in order to rescue her but somehow ends up projecting his consciousness inside the body of a young dragon named Gorbash. He is unable to prevent Angie from getting kidnapped by an evil dragon name Bryagh, and quickly realizes that according to the Laws of this strange world he is now in, Jim/Gorbash must enlist some companions with whom to rescue his girlfriend.
Some elements are hopelessly dated (the book was originally published in 1976, hence the astral projection and hairspray), but I was a bit surprised to see that some of the problems Jim and Angie struggle with in the “real world” are still issues we have to deal with now. The tenuous economic situation of working in academia but not being a tenured professor, for instance, has unfortunately not evolved all that much since the 70s – if anything, it’s gotten much, much worse! It’s also nice to see Jim lose a few illusions about the Medieval period along his way: that time period is very romanticised but there were plenty of unpleasant things to deal with back then as well, fleas being only a minor one.
Since Mark Twain, a lot of people have used the “modern man goes back in time and dazzles backwards Middle Age folks with science” premise, with varying levels of success. Dickson obviously thought the idea was hilarious, and you can tell he’s having a lot of fun comparing the complications of modern life with the incomprehensible intricacies of his fantasy land. The book also takes a poke at the standard epic fantasy tropes: the portal to another world, the wise old wizard, the dashing knight in shining armor, the maiden in distress, the motley group of companions going on a heroic quest… I am personally so over all those clichés, so I really appreciate someone making fun of them. I love the image of a dragon climbing up a small tree to avoid fighting a knight, of a wizard who can send someone in another dimension but has no idea how to cure an ulcer, the noble knight who can’t sway from the chivalrous code of conduct imposed on him even when it makes zero practical sense…
But as much fun as this book can be, it never managed to quite outshine the movie, which is a lot less cheesy and a surprisingly intelligent reflection on balance. The die-hard “The Flight of Dragons” fans ought to check it out, but don’t expect it to be as good as your childhood favorite. The writing is enjoyable, but the prose is not especially impressive and the plot is a little all over the place. For someone in love with the lady he must rescue, Jim gets very easily distracted in his quest… That said, I adore Carolinus in the book, who is basically a grouchy Gandalf who chews his beard and basically wishes people would just leave him alone.
For those who have never had the pleasure of watching the movie, here’s a little taste: https://www.tor.com/2016/10/12/the-flight-of-dragons-revisiting-a-forgotten-gem-of-80s-fantasy/
Jim was a teaching assistant at a small Minnesota college, and while his life might not have been simple, he was happy playing volleyball, studying medieval history and making life plans with his girlfriend Angie. But when Angie is accidentally transported to a strange land via an astral projection experiment gone awry, everything changes. He insists on submitting himself to the same experiment in order to rescue her but somehow ends up projecting his consciousness inside the body of a young dragon named Gorbash. He is unable to prevent Angie from getting kidnapped by an evil dragon name Bryagh, and quickly realizes that according to the Laws of this strange world he is now in, Jim/Gorbash must enlist some companions with whom to rescue his girlfriend.
Some elements are hopelessly dated (the book was originally published in 1976, hence the astral projection and hairspray), but I was a bit surprised to see that some of the problems Jim and Angie struggle with in the “real world” are still issues we have to deal with now. The tenuous economic situation of working in academia but not being a tenured professor, for instance, has unfortunately not evolved all that much since the 70s – if anything, it’s gotten much, much worse! It’s also nice to see Jim lose a few illusions about the Medieval period along his way: that time period is very romanticised but there were plenty of unpleasant things to deal with back then as well, fleas being only a minor one.
Since Mark Twain, a lot of people have used the “modern man goes back in time and dazzles backwards Middle Age folks with science” premise, with varying levels of success. Dickson obviously thought the idea was hilarious, and you can tell he’s having a lot of fun comparing the complications of modern life with the incomprehensible intricacies of his fantasy land. The book also takes a poke at the standard epic fantasy tropes: the portal to another world, the wise old wizard, the dashing knight in shining armor, the maiden in distress, the motley group of companions going on a heroic quest… I am personally so over all those clichés, so I really appreciate someone making fun of them. I love the image of a dragon climbing up a small tree to avoid fighting a knight, of a wizard who can send someone in another dimension but has no idea how to cure an ulcer, the noble knight who can’t sway from the chivalrous code of conduct imposed on him even when it makes zero practical sense…
But as much fun as this book can be, it never managed to quite outshine the movie, which is a lot less cheesy and a surprisingly intelligent reflection on balance. The die-hard “The Flight of Dragons” fans ought to check it out, but don’t expect it to be as good as your childhood favorite. The writing is enjoyable, but the prose is not especially impressive and the plot is a little all over the place. For someone in love with the lady he must rescue, Jim gets very easily distracted in his quest… That said, I adore Carolinus in the book, who is basically a grouchy Gandalf who chews his beard and basically wishes people would just leave him alone.
For those who have never had the pleasure of watching the movie, here’s a little taste: https://www.tor.com/2016/10/12/the-flight-of-dragons-revisiting-a-forgotten-gem-of-80s-fantasy/
Marvelous
I can’t believe it took me until now to read this classic. Action, adventure, high fantasy and science fiction combine in a tale highlighting fascinating characters facing both material and ethical challenges.
Gordy Dickson has also demonstrated that he is a gifted writer. Every turn of phrase and bit of comic relief is brilliant.
WOW. Speculative fiction does not get better than this.
I can’t believe it took me until now to read this classic. Action, adventure, high fantasy and science fiction combine in a tale highlighting fascinating characters facing both material and ethical challenges.
Gordy Dickson has also demonstrated that he is a gifted writer. Every turn of phrase and bit of comic relief is brilliant.
WOW. Speculative fiction does not get better than this.