Category: Fantasy Publisher: Rainbow Dragon Press
ISBN-10: 1609107241
Type: Fiction
Pages: 312
Copyright: Feb 5, 2011
ISBN-13: 9781609107246
Price:FREE! (eBook)
A cunning opportunist incites the people of Oasis to kill the local dragon and plans to have the current head of state assassinated and assume power. Unless the dragon joins a kitten with attitude and a human with unlawful psychic gifts, Oasis is finished.
Morale in the country of Oasis has never been worse. The Earthers, a tree-hugging sect, fall on their knees at the name of the Earth Mother and beg forgiveness for their crimes against twigs and weeds. The Godlies preach penitence, suffering, and stifling self-righteousness and inspire their followers into submission with terrifying images of an afterlife spent being chased by a fire-breathing dragon.
Most Oasans are more concerned about this life. They all fear the dragon in the swamp at the country's edge, but they don't know that he fears them, too. Druid, whose greatest talent is for putting out fires, steams up when he learns that a cunning opportunist intends to exploit dragonphobia and call for a communal dragon hunt so that he can level the swamp for suburban housing.
Tara, a kitten with charisma, becomes Druid's ally. She'll need all her charm to enchant Serazina. This young human woman hides her ability to read emotions in order to avoid a stay in the Ward for the Chronically Crazy. Serazina gets into greater trouble when Phileas, Guardian of the troubled land, discovers that she can read minds, too, and targets her to be the mother of the heir he so badly needs.
Phileas has more immediate problems. The would-be real estate mogul is spreading rumors that the Guardian is soft on dragons. His follow-up plan involves assassination. Dead dragons, dead Guardians: It's all one to a megalomaniac who dreams of domination.
Somehow these four must overcome communication difficulties, mutual mistrust, and delusions of human superiority to save the country. Otherwise, even though Druid doesn't breathe fire, Oasis will be toast.
Professional Reviews
A Timely Allegory
The Dragon Who Didn't Fly is a deeply moving portrayal of man's destructive attitude towards animals and nature which challenges our established notions of dealing with such issues. The author's greatest feat is to deliver this hard-hitting message without ever `preaching' to her reader. Instead, the author creates wonderful characters such as the water dragon Druid and the cat Tara, who form bonds of companionship that override prejudices and illuminate this story.
The author succeeds in interweaving several threads of plot; her deft handling of these different plots allows the story to conclude with a terrific climax. The combination of an important moral message with a swashbuckling sense of adventure reminds me of Avatar.
One of the book's greatest strengths is that it constantly grounds its humour and adventure with an important overriding message - which is one heck of a feat for any author to pull off. This allows the book to pull off its key emotional moments with dexterity and depth.
Read this book - you won't regret doing so.
Cats, Critters, and More . . .
I love animals of all kinds and the animal characters in the Dragon Who Didn't Fly are the best ones I've ever read. Great story and characters in a setting that I've come to love with its different cultures and the belief systems. It's a story of change and accountability, of sacrifice and love.
The theme is a powerful one and is told with a sense of adventure and with humor. It's a fun and thrilling ride. I admit that while I love the human characters, the animals, especially Druid (the water dragon) and Tara (a unique kitten), are my favorites.
The story world and characters are ones I look forward to visiting again with the other books in the series.
Get your copy of this book and prepare yourself for an exciting adventure in a story world like none other.
Love The Cats
This book was a departure from the genres I usually read. However, the well-developed characters and vivid fantasy world drew me into a story that was at once imaginative and concrete.
My favorite characters were the cats, especially Tara. Her sassy sarcasm and position as the kitten of destiny suggest a lot more than we know going on behind those little green eyes.
When Tara joins forces with Druid, a dragon with an inferiority complex, and Serazina, a human who must hide her emotional existence behind a shield of cold logic, they are a wonderful match for the opportunistic villain Snow.
Don't start this book at bedtime -- for you'll be up reading into the wee hours.
After finding a map on a grueling hunt, Vanx and his new companions decide to travel deep into the Bitterpeaks, where a fabled hoar witch's crystal palace supposedly sits hidden in a valley called Saint Elm's Deep.
