“Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and good with ketchup.” Always a good nugget of advice to follow.
I’m not sure when my first experience with dragons happened, but I imagine it was somewhere in my pre-teen years, when I was reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Ann McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, or Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series since most of my early memories of dragons comes from those examples. I always thought there was something freeing and uplifting, and supremely magical, about a large creature that flew through the air and that characters could somehow communicate with, whether by speech or telepathy. To this day, I look on these early examples of literary dragons with a certain fondness that I don’t think will ever dissipate.
My favorite visual depiction of dragons from my childhood is also a mix of different kinds: Falkor the Luck Dragon from “The Neverending Story” is high on the list, as is “Pete’s Dragon,” and even Spike, from the original 1980s “My Little Pony” series. I think one of the best things about dragons is that there are so many different kinds and different depictions, and they’re almost all recognizable as being the same kind of creature. Even “Raya and the Last Dragon” has a kind that is very different from Western depictions, but Sisu is still just as majestic and awe-inspiring as Falkor, in my opinion.
If you, too, are a fan of dragons, you should check out Vonnie Winslow Crist’s “Dragon Rain”, releasing tomorrow September 3rd, and available for pre-order here. I had the opportunity to read an excerpt and I have to say that I’m very excited for more! The book contains 18 magical and mysterious stories, each one centering on dragons, and ranges from adventure to dark fantasy to science fiction. No matter where your own love affair with dragons began, you’ll find something in this anthology to your tastes.
And since September is National “Read a New Book” Month as well as National Literacy Month, what better way to honor it than picking up a brand new treat for yourself and a friend.
Happy Flying!
