Dustin’s Comments (group member since Nov 26, 2015)

Dustin’s comments from the Wyrms of Words group.

Leira wrote: "Any advise?"

You might like the Raksura books They're aren't dragons exactly, but humanoid creatures with dragon features. Scales, claws, spines, tails, and wings.

Dragons are like the parents-in-law of fantasy. People whine about how they never seem to leave, but the problem is often that they're rarely there for a purpose. They just show up for a few minutes and leave and come back a few days later. I don't know if that makes sense.

I read many posts about dragon fiction and its always the same few stories being recommended again and again.

I don't mind shape-shifting dragons, but it does seem more like a superpower in most cases where humans turn into dragons, as you said, and still act like humans. Its fine, just feels a bit lazy.

Seraphina was an exception and very good.

Cassandra wrote: "I haven't heard of Tooth and Claw, what sort of dragon book is it?"

It's odd. The summary explains it better than I could. I just heard that it was different.

-----
I forgot about The Dragon Keeper . It's not focused on dragons like the others, but they are present in most of the story. Like in Seraphina, a main character is a human girl with dragon scales who travels through a fantasy world with a group of deformed dragons to find a lost city.

Temeraire and Age of Fire (not for young readers) are really good, imo, if you want "real" dragons. (aka: Dragons that don't turn into humans.)

If you don't mind shape-shifting dragons in a science fiction /fantasy world then Heartstriker is good pretty good too.

Wings of Fire is supposedly pretty good too. It might be the kids series you mentioned. I intend to start it soon.

I also intend to read another one called Tooth and Claw.

Like with Pern, I have yet to read Eragon. I got the Hardcovers of 1 and 2 years ago, but jumped to Eldest after seeing the movie which was a mistake.

I'm a decent way in, maybe 1/5th and this seems to be another case of people blindly hating something because its popular and not because of its flaws.

Is it my favorite, no. I was far more invested in Temeraire by this point. Are there things my editing mind would take a thick red pen to, yes. But its still high above Pern in my rankings and already better than the movie, and a decent story in its own right.

Saphira's voice in the audiobook is my one complaint. I respect the fact that they kept her voice gender neutral, but making it sound as if she's chewing gravel the whole time was not the way to do it.

Keelan wrote: "It was unnerving at first, although I understood why-- the hominids didn't exactly endear themselves to him until he met Djer. It makes him more interesting as a character ..."

Good points. It has been far too long since I read it, so I can't discuss it with much accuracy. If one thing can be said for Auron however, it's that he didn't often think with his teeth. He did try to approach things logically even if he didn't have personal interest in the matter.

Next month will be Dragon Rider month #1.

I've read Temeraire inside and out, so I'll be reading Eragon for the first time.

The month after might be "Studying Dragons Month" or it might be Sequels month.

What are you reading or looking forward to reading soon?

Doesn't have to involve dragons.

Please begin all posts with a tag that tells which books you will be discussing and spoiling.

#TS: for entire series.
#HMD: for Book 1
#ToJ: for Book 2
#BPW: for Book 3
#EoI: for Book 4
#VoE: for book 5

And so on.

From the cover, summary, personal taste, reviews, etc. What do you expect from this story. Do you expect to enjoy it or are you wary?

Come back when you're done to share you after thoughts.

To be honest, I forgot about this group.

So I've been rushing about to get things moving again.

I picked two group books, both are from the point of view of dragons. Dragon Champion is more gritty. But while the other, Dragonet Prophecy is meant for younger readers, it can be dark at times too.

I gave no warning so there will be a two month period to read them. This will also give us more time to gain more members hopefully.

I'll probably keep a similar pattern in the future, picking two books with similar ideas but meant for different age groups.

I've read several reviews that stated how effected they were by Auron's early habit of hunting and eating people. Some just didn't like reading about it or saw dragons as enlightened creatures who were above such behavior. While others seemed offended that he would dare end a human's life. Thoughts?

What do or did you expect from Dragon Champion based on the cover, summary, and personal bias?

A month later and Dragonflight audio book is on sale so can't make excuses anymore.

Meghan wrote: " Also if you like sourcebooks "The dragonlovers guide to pern" has all sorts of background info on the dragons themselves..."

I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I did see a book devoted entirely to mapping Pern which impressed me. Showed the layout of every dinning hall and continent.

Which mythology do you prefer?

The divine and wise dragons of Asia? Or the monstrous dragons of the western world?

It seems like though Smaug was the popular vision for western writers for a while. Lovable and emphatic dragons are now the norm.

NDFL made me think of something. Since the dragons spend so much time as humans, are they really dragons? I mean, they can be whatever they want, so aren't they just called shape-shifters?

This isn't just a NDFL concept. Most dragons who can shape-shift, spend most their time as humans. They treat becoming dragons as a super power, only used when they need to knock over a building, then its back to being human.

What does it add and take away for you?

Which individual dragons are your favorite dragons? Why? Are they heroic or villianous?

Smaug is surely going to be on a few lists, but what are some other favorites?

Smaug aside, I have always thought Lien (of the Temeraire Series) was a great villain. This is strange considering how infrequently she is in the series, but she still manages to cast a large shadow. And of course Temeraire himself is adorable.

I like the personalities of the Robin Hobb's Rain Wild dragons as a whole. Very vain and self absorbed.

I think AuRon (of Dragon Champion)is my favorite "heroic" dragon, simply because he has his own way of being heroic.

I have a set of the first three books (Dragonflight?) but just haven't gotten to it.

I was impressed by one elderly man's fondness for the series. I was discussing the high quantity of dragon movies and he jumped in and announced his desire for a Pern movie. Describing the plot with enthusiasm that I've rarely seen older folk show fantasy or science fiction. His affection for the flying scenes made me wonder if he had a history as a pilot.

Hello, new member.

I'm still setting things up, but feel free to introduce yourself or make use of the forums. I've created a few to get things started or you can create your own.

Every few weeks I look for book reviews, the good ones that actually discuss the details, and found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuE_V...

It’s an animated storyboard portraying Temeraire’s hatching. There’s no color or sound but its adorable. Especially for those of us who are so obsessi... who know the scene well enough to hear the words as you watch.