Recommendations: Fantasy with Dragons

[@readingreignbro5680]

My personal fave dragon books are Jane Yolens Pit Dragon trilogy. It's a scifantasy about a planet where humans breed dragons and pit-fight them against each other. A young boy that is bonded into servitude on a dragon farm steals a dragon egg and raises and trains the dragon in secret as his only way to raise himself out of bondage. Check it out. It's simple but beautifully written and a lot of fun.

[@TheBookCure]

This sounds AMAZING. I haven’t ever heard of it, but I want to read it right now. 😅

[@akellerhouse83]

When my daughter was 4 she used to tell everyone she wanted to be a fire breathing dragon when she grew up. She was so cute because she was serious and didn't realize that wasn't a thing. I miss those days. That was 10 years ago. 😆 I think the cutest dragons are in Naomi Novik's Temeraire. I think you would like it. Especially the first 2 books. It's a long series. I also love the dragons and Lady Cybill in the Discworld City Watch books. I thought you might include those dragons. I really want to read that Natural History of Dragons book. It sounds like something I could like but I keep forgetting about it!

[@MurcanDownunder]

What about the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre bending series, Dragonriders of Pern? In the future, a group of war weary people tired of their current society colonise a planet to live a more bucolic lifestyle. Shortly after colonising their new planet they discover a periodic external threat to their existence and eventually cuts them completely off from the rest of the universe. While they still have access to modern technology, they genetically modify a native life form into fire breathing, telepathic dragons to fight this new threat. Over the centuries, society devolves into a pre-industrial feudal system and the series becomes more fantasy than sci-fi.

[@jayspeijer614]

Some of the best character development actually involves the dragons themselves; fascinating nature of the bonds/interactions between the dragons and their riders.

[@williamgwynne]

The more animals the better! A Natural History of Dragons has been on my list for a long time. And I cannot wait to read Guards! Guards! I did not dragons were in it! Great video!

[@Steve_Stowers]

8:32: Missed opportunity to say "People feel that it tends to DRAG ON..." I read "A Natural History of Dragons." Loved the bginning; thought some other parts weren't quite as good, but still overall quite enjoyed it and plan to continue with the series.

[@mellies.8822]

I can really recommend Priory of the Orange Tree for every dragon lover. The cool thing is that there are two different kinds of dragons in this book, one eastern and one western inspired species.The dragons are integrated in the world, I love it when authors think those things through to the very minute details. I‘m only two chapters into A Day of Fallen Night but loving it already, so happy to be back in this world full of dragons (and also other creatures!)

[@kaywebbharrison3373]

Loved this video! I second Bob Wanner's recommendation of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series; the first book is Dragonflight (1968). A Gift of Dragons (2002) is an illustrated collection of four stories, three previously published and one new one written for this edition. Happy reading! Kay

[@susanna4972]

I did not finish His Majesty’s Dragon (first book in Téméraire) because I don’t think I could pay attention to the audio (my fault, not bad narration!). But the narrator’s voice for Téméraire is absolutely HILARIOUS!! Maybe I’ll immersion read it soon.

[@esmayrosalyne]

Look, I try to read widely and go out of my comfortzone, but no matter how great a story is, I will always have that niggling thought in the back of my head going: 'Okay but imagine if there were DRAGONS!'. Lol, I love this video Sarah!! 🤩 All here for the Lady Trent love, I knew you would adore that series!!! And you got me very interested in Seraphina, I trust your recs ;) Some of my favourite dragon books are The Iron Crown by L.L. Macrae (dragon spirits, SO COOL!!), A Chorus of Dragons series by Jenn Lyons, The Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill, Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis and The Rainwild Chronicles by Hobb. And while this wasn't my personal favourite, I think you might really adore Miss Percy's Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olsen!!

[@jcmberne]

Not positive, but I think you'd enjoy Temeraire if you read it through that partial YA lens. Also, the series trails off in later books, so don't feel committed to reading them all. Kind of surprised you didn't include any Pern on here!

[@novelideea]

I too love the Inheritance Cycle. So tropey and comforting and dragon centric. Just read Nora Roberts Dragonheart Legacy trilogy and enjoyed it (not quite as Dragon centered as the name leads you to believe). Some of my first dragon love came from the 1970’s Harper Hall Trilogy with DragonSong, DragonSinger, DragonDrums & I love them to this day!!!!🥰♥️🥰♥️🥰♥️

[@robertharcourt7650]

Dragonlance chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman really got me to love dragons. Anlother r80's classic ;)

[@Rogue_VI]

I read Dragonsbane a loooonnnnngggg time ago. I remember very little about it, but I liked it enough to read the rest of the series. Some obvious ones have been mentioned by others. Margaret Weis (with or without Tracy Hickman) has LOTS of books with dragons other than those already mentioned. Dragonships, Dragon Brigade, etc. She's great. Joanne Bertin's Dragon Lords is really good, especially the first two. Gordon R. Dickson has a kind of portal fantasy series called The Dragon Knight. E.E. Knight's Age of Fire series starts off with a kind of coming of age for a young dragon type of story. James Maxey's Dragon Age is like a post-apocalyptic story where dragons rule the world. Christopher Rowley's Bazil Broketail is about battle dragons and the boys who fight with and care for them. There are also several short story collections about dragons.

[@kirstenbl]

Yay for dragon books😍A really good middle grade series with dragons is Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. I absolutely loved them. I would also recommend Heartstrikers by Rachel Aaron. It's an underrated selfpublished series about shapeshifting dragons set in a dystopian urban setting - really unique and funny.

[@diyanosaur]

Dragonsbane is such a good book! I loved the take on dragons in that book. This is great recs video 😁

[@ericar5739]

I just finished the Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik about 2 months ago. I had a blast getting to know each dragons' personality in the series and finding out about different cultures the dragons had from different regions. Some of the books I loved more, and it had more to do with wanting more dragon interactions lol. I think you will really enjoy the series. When Book 4 of Harry Potter came out, I read it so many times that pages came out, because I just wanted to read about dragons. Later I realized other fantasy books had dragons too lol. Looking forward to reading The Keeper Six, Dragonsbane, A Natural History of Dragons (tho I always wait for the series to be completed before reading because of the break in the immersion can cause reading slumps for me)

[@TheBookishMom]

I am always a sucker for animal companions, especially dragons! My daughter likes the Dragon MAsters series too!

[@BookishChas]

Awesome video Sarah! I’ve never read the Lady Trent books. I’ve just never thought they would appeal to me. Temeraire was a DNF for me, but a lot of people love it.

[@goddessofgore]

You talked me into The Keepers Six! Thank you 🖤

[@coleton7048]

Sarah stop making me want to read things! I have too many series on the go or planned but now I really want to read Lady Trent. Stahhhhhp. 😄

[@Johanna_reads]

I always love your recommendations! ❤Wonderful gush about Lady Trent. I'm now curious about the series, and Guards! Guards! was such a perfect choice that wouldn't have immediately come to mind. Have you and your kids seen the Dragon Prince show on Netflix? It's been one of my favorites for the past few years! My husband was pointing out how emotionally intelligent the dialogue of that show is, but I also love the whimsy and corny dad-humor in it. 😅

[@briankinsey3339]

Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince series is a long time favorite of mine - character-centric political action and war, with dragons coming to play a key role. And of course, there's the old standby - Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern series - starts kind of slow, but there are a lot of good books in the series. R.A.V. Salsitz also had three books - Where Dragons Lie, Where Dragons Rule, and Night of Dragons - they come across as kind of D&D-feeling, but I kind of enjoyed them. There's also some interesting dragon-related stuff in Katherine Kerr's Deverry series, but it doesn't come in until like book 7, so you need to enjoy the earlier books to get there. Series as a whole is more centered around magic and reincarnation in a Celtic themed world. Also get an interesting fantasy/sci-fi take on dragons in Peter Morwood's Book of Years. All older stuff, but just what I came up with browsing my shelves.

[@punkrockcerealbowl]

Yooo Dragon Masters is great! We read that with our son and he loves it. This was a great video and now I have to get Dragonsbane

[@kyrosv1289]

Thank you for the video! There are several that have piqued my interest, some are already on my TBR, but especially Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly seems like a good match for me at the moment.

[@petervandeweyer517]

Because of potential series adaptation news I was reminded of Dragonlance today.

[@PonderingsOfPete]

i actually have Tooth and Claw and would love to read it at come point!

[@TheBookCure]

Yes!!! This is much shorter than Infinite Jest, so I could actually complete a buddy read 😝😝

[@rhyleygrant5660]

Inheritance cycle by Christopher paolini about dragon riders the book I'm reading at the moment has dragons the lonesome crown by Brian lee durfee but its only in the final book of the series

[@Zarred]

One of my firsts other than like yours Smaug, was Bruce Coville's - Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. Middle-grade novel about hatching and taking care of a dragon in our normal world, but also gets into standing up for what you think is right and the start of the young adult and teen responsibilities.

[@verosnotebook]

😊 Just re-read Lady Trent and loved it even more. And yes, audio is excellent. Loved Seraphina too and Guards Guards. Dragonsbane sounds good. Need to check. Got Tooth & Claw but haven’t read it yet. Temeraire is good. Loved book 1 (which I think you would like) and then didn’t love book 2. Should try again… I also want to try McCaffrey’s dragon series but especially the inner trilogy Dragonsong

[@TheBookCure]

Yes, I’d love to try McCaffrey as well!

[@jennitoikkanen3431]

I recommend The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda and A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons :)

[@orionmegastar]

There are some dragons in The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. The Deverry Cycle by Katharine Kerr also has dragons, only they don't appear until the seventh or eighth book, been awhile since I read the series so it is a bit fuzzy.

[@kyrosv1289]

Dragons turning into human form is nothing new, ehem... Dragonlance. So, question, have you read anything from the Dragonlance world? The Dragonlance Chronicles (1984-1985) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman [a trilogy]: - Dragons of Autumn Twilight - Dragons of Winter Night - Dragons of Spring Dawning ... You could start in the Dragonlance world with The Raistlin Chronicles: - The Soulforge (1998) - Brothers in Arms (1999) There are almost no dragons in these 2 books! Only the second one has a dragon, but I think that it could be a good introduction to the world. ... I'm not going to mention all the books with dragons in the Dragonlance universe, but just this one more... Dragons of Summer Flame (1995) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

[@caitlinl2750]

I think you’d love miss Percy’s pocket guide if you liked lady Trent!

[@amoura9586]

I need to read Tooth and Claw and His Majesty’s dragon. I own them both so holler at me when you decide to read them. I’m interested in the Pern series as well. Battle Mage by Peter Flannery has dragons as a focus in the book. I really loved it. There are dragons in A Chorus of Dragons *laser eyes*. Read it.

[@oana-mariauliu5828]

Joust - by Mercedes Lackey - the best dragon book I've read so far. And I'm not a fan of dragons, mind you. 😅 This one, though, focuses on the connection between man and dragon. It's not an action novel. It's about the protagonist's personal growth and bond with dragons.

[@MagusMarquillin]

Yeah, the Smaug was also my first Dragon love - Bilbo's life or death riddle-banter with him sets the bar pretty high. Still this last year I've found Tolkien did in fact do a better dragon story in "the Children of Hurin" - while Smaug was impressive and somewhat conniving, he's basically satisfied by simple greedy pleasures, but _Glaurung_ is so much more insidious is his ways, he's much more a stand in for ultimate Evil in Middle Earth, reading this encounter was awful and amazing and I love it though I hate it! it's like nothing else Tolkien wrote. For something completely different, Tolkien also wrote a rather humorous satire of old England that involves a dragon named Chrysophylax, in his novella "Farmer Giles of Ham". Worth while if you like Tolkien's wit. My favorite Eastern Dragon is Falkor from the Neverending Story, if your feeling like a loyal dragon companion on a life changing adventure, he's there through most of it, though he rarely takes center stage. I've only read the first Earthsea book, but there's a dragon encounter there that promises great things in that series, felt like a mix between Eastern and Western Wyrms. For a good mix of quality, quantity *and* variety of dragon characters (with magic), I know of none better then Dragonlance Chronicles and it's subsequent series - that's where you feel the ancient legends become real in all the horror, and beauty, and hope, that entails. As for what I look forward to... there's so many, but mainly: the Song of Ice and Fire ought to have a lot of that same legend-becomes-real quality, though I wonder how I'll feel about speechless, less intelligent dragons - not that animals can't have personality. Same for Lady Trent. I also want to read "the Dragon and the George" by Peter Dickson, as it was the basis of an animated movie I loved growing up called "Flight of Dragons". Then there's "Chronicles of the Shadow War" a sequel trilogy to "Willow" from the 90s that appear make dragons key to the harmony of existence. Unfortunately the last book is rare and expensive - fortunately for me I bought it when it came out. And I've really got to get to know Tolkien's OG dragon-slayer, Beowulf, along with a whole lot of dragon mythology the world over. Sorry if I type a lot, but I really love Dragons. 🐲❣🐉 They shape so much of our genre.

[@Shaad2321]

Great video! I love dragons too! So,e great series with dragons are Dragon of Terra by Brian Naslund, Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill, temeraire by Naomi Novak, Echoes saga by. Phillip C Quantrail and there’s a series Anthony ryan series I want to read!

[@phen0menos]

Very predictable answers for me, but my favourite dragon series are Realm of the Elderlings and Earthsea

[@kyrosv1289]

The Inheritance Cycle (2003-2011) by Christopher Paolini [a YA tetralogy].

[@alynam82]

So... I read my first book that had Dragons in it... and I finished it late last week! (Assassin's Quest)

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

Puff the Magic Dragon (old song by Peter Paul and Mary Pete's Dragon the 1977 movie Hurry up and get to The Tawny Man then Rain Wild Chronicles....justttt sayin 🙃😜

[@angelamccollister]

I love those new editions of Temeraire but I already have the entire series in mass market so won't spend the money to template them. Especially since I've not yet read them. Lol

[@mattkean1128]

I keep seeing several Kate Elliot books pop up lately. I don't know if actually dragons feature in her Crown of Stars series, but I'm curious. Patricia Mckillip has a short story collection, Harrowing the Dragon I have to read.

[@MrRorosuri]

Dragons !!!

[@TheBookCure]

🐉 ❤️

[@J.R.Carrel]

I've been thinking about reading a natural history of dragons. It's been popping up all over the place. I didn't understand what you meant by they don't address her being able to do stuff?