With all the work that's been piling on me lately, I know I've been daydreaming about ditching homework and rereading some of my favorite books.
Mainly dragon books. Because let's face it - if you want to ditch homework, you might as well get something that can burn it to a crisp, right?
But since I can't do that, here's a list of books that maybe one of you might enjoy reading that involve dragons or drakin (dragon shape shifters). After all, you can't go wrong with dragons!
Dragonflight or Dragonsong
Author: Anne McCaffrey
Series: DragonRiders of Pern/Pern: Harper Hall
To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise—and take back her stolen birthright.
But everything changes when she meets a queen dragon. The bond they share will be deep and last forever. It will protect them when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa’s world is threatened by Thread, an evil substance that falls like rain and destroys everything it touches. Dragons and their Riders once protected the planet from Thread, but there are very few of them left these days. Now brave Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world...
Forbidden by her father to indulge in music in any way, a girl on the planet Pern runs away, taking shelter with the planet's fire lizards who, along with her music, open a new life for her.
Why?: The overall series has over fifty books and almost all of them are fantasmagorically amazing. I absolutely adore them, and those these two aren't my favorites (I prefer The White Dragon for the direct DragonRiders of Pern series and The MasterHarper of Pern for The Harper Hall series) they're the first and great places to start off. If you like dragons, read these books.
Dragon's Blood
Author: Jane Yolen
Series: The Pit Dragon Chronicles (#1)
Jakkin, a bond boy who works as a Keeper in a dragon nursery on the planet Austar IV, secretly trains a fighting pit dragon of his own in hopes of winning his freedom.
Why?: It's a fast read with a decent amount of action and just the right amount of fluff. And though I prefer my dragons with minds of their own, I absolutely adore the ones in this story.
Firelight
Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: Firelight (#1)
Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Why?: Sure, just like most paranormal romances out there today, it's got it's Twilight-esque moments with the romance plotline. But come ON. It's DRAKI. They're draki that are trying (and mostly succeeding) in being AWESOME.
Joust
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: The Dragon Jousters (#1)
Vetch is a young Altan serf working his fingers to the bone for a lazy Tian conqueror who now owns his family's farm. With his father dead and his mother and sisters scattered to the four winds, Vetch lives a nightmarish existence where he is overworked, beaten, and starved on a daily basis. The only thing sustaining him is unadulterated hatred: hatred of the Tians and their dragon-riding Jousters, who are steadily overwhelming the nation of Alta. Vetch's life is ironically spared by a Jouster who, upon seeing how Vetch is being abused, takes him on as the caretaker for his dragon. After learning more about the Jouster, Ari, and his beautiful dragon Kashet, Vetch sees an improbable way to freedom -- by hatching and taming a dragon of his own.
Why?: Even though this is technically an adult series - actually, so is Anne McCaffrey's, but it's got enough crossover appeal that I don't have to worry about specifying - I think that anybody who loves dragons really needs to give this series a go. It's absolutely fantastic, and I'm sure all of you lovely readers would enjoy it.
What excellent dragon books am I missing? (I know I'm missing some; help me out here!) And do you think you'll pick any of these up?
