| Title | : | A Dragon and Her Girl |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781642780031 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 291 |
| Publication | : | Published February 13, 2020 |
A Dragon and Her Girl Reviews
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Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this anthology to review.
I feel this is a very solid anthology. It has a basic premise of stories about women and dragons. It's fun to the see the different ways the various authors approach this concept. All of the stories are fantasy, but the stories span the width of the fantasy genre to include urban fantasy, steampunk, and other sub-genres.
All of the authors are competent. Some stories stood out to me more than others. In particular I liked the stories by Max Florschutz, Jaleta Clegg, and Hannah Marie.
For anyone who enjoys short fantasy stories and likes dragons, this Anthology is certainly one to try. -
Disclaimer: I was lucky enough to have a story included in this anthology, so this review will focus on the other stories as well as the anthology itself.
Because this is a benefit anthology, the contributing artist and authors received no compensation for their work. Instead, this was put together by two fantastic folks, Joe Monson and Jaleta Clegg, to support the very worthy cause of the science fiction symposium, Life, the Universe, and Everything.
The beautiful wrap-around cover art by Kaitlund Zupanic (kaitlundzupanic.com) is a story all on its own. To see the art in real life was breath-taking. Photos of this book do not do it justice. Please take some time to peruse her other art, as she is truly a gifted artist.
Please take time to read Joe Monson's foreword. It is a delightful tribute to Linda Hunter Adams, to whom this anthology is dedicated.
There are twenty stories included in this anthology, each one a unique vignette of some sort of dragon and some sort of girl (surprise!). It was interesting to read each author's take on the theme and how they viewed the dragons themselves. I found it interesting that not a single story depicted the dragon as an evil entity. Rather, they were benevolent, feral, just, romantic, wild, kind, or a combination of all of the above.
In the interest of time and word count, I'll leave you with my overall impression for each story, rather than provide a detailed review. They are all so very good. There is definitely something in this anthology for every age and interest.
A Game of Stakes by Max Florschutz - Turns the story of princess captured by dragon on its head in an utterly delightful twist.
Dragon Soap by M.K. Hutchins - The spunk of the heroine made me want to be her when I grow up.
Li Na and the Dragon by Scott R. Parkin - Tragic and heartening at the same time.
High Noon at the Oasis by Jaleta Clegg - There is more magic and wonder in this one story than I can hold in my entire head.
The Wild Ride by Christopher Baxter - For a rootin', tootin' cowboy-esque story, I sure did "awwww" a lot.
Rising Star by Michaelen Pendleton - This made me chuckle about Hollywood. (You'll see what I mean.)
The Diamond-Spitting Knight by S. E. Page - The image of the Diamond-Spitting Knight has ambushed me twice yesterday in totally unexpected moments and I laughed with glee each time.
Amelie's Guardian by Brian Thomas Schmidt - Told in the voice of a dragon, this story is soft and sweet.
Aer'Vicus by Jodi L. Milner - The character names in this story are as amazing as the tale itself.
Loyalties by Josh Brown - An adventurous quest with a surprise at the end. Keep reading!
Ash and Blood by Hannah Marie - Let me know what YOU think.
Therapy for a Dragon by Sam Knight - Whoa. I read this again, slower, to take in the slow burn and unexpected but thoroughly deserved, ending.
Taking Wing by Julia H. West - This was a pure joy to read and I loved it.
Lullaby by John D. Payne - The relationship between the dragons is so real, I felt it in my soul.
Rain Like Diamonds by Wendy Nikel - A Queen's sacrifice for her people made me wish for rain, then when it came, I didn't want it.
Here by Choice by Gerri Leen - This was absolutely lovely.
Dragon's Hand by David VonAllmen - I could literally taste the dirt and smell the fire as I read this.
Take Out the Trash by Melva L. Gifford - Funny, funny, funny! The voice of this character is so well written.
Burying Treasure by Alex Shvartsman - This made me laugh out loud. Well done!
Dragon in Distress by Mercedes Lackey and Elisabeth Waters - Adventure by two of the best in the business.
I am so delighted that we get to share these with the world. -
Varied short stories with a common point, albeit in varying approaches. In some the dragons are the protagonists, or have a significant relationship or interaction with the protagonists, while in some others they are mere elements of the decor.
No surprise, I liked the former more, though there is nothing to say on the quality overall.
I picked this book first for "A Game of Stakes" which is set in the universe of another of the author's books , "Axtara Banking and finance", that I recommend to those who seek original takes at fantasy, and explicits a point of lore that is brushed on in the later.
I found a few others in the process.
Very often, the classical dragon story tropes are taken and twisted in unexpected and funny ways.
Even if the format denies the depth of world building novels allow, most of these stories handle it well and still give a nice glimpse, and sometimes let the reader yearn for more. -
This is a collection of 20 stories from multiple authors. Each story has a strong female lead character and a dragon in it somewhere. I thought this book was good and it was a great way to discover new authors and their writing styles. I liked that each of the stories was unique while still sharing a common thread through it. If you like fantasy then this a a great book to read and it will help you find new authors which will lead you to finding other great books to read.
I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own. -
This was a really delightful anthology, with a good range of stories all focused around the central theme of dragons. While I felt the first LTUE benefit anthology, Trace the Stars, had mostly three-star stories without any real standouts, this one had quite a few. In particular, I enjoyed "Dragon Soap" by M.K. Hutchins, "The Wild Ride" by Christopher Baxter, and "Taking Wing" by Julia H. West, all of which are solid four-star stories (and I might actually give "Taking Wing" five-stars). In particular, there are a lot of feel-good stories in this anthology, with happy, satisfying endings and fun twists on old tropes. A very strong anthology!
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Every story provides something unique. A view of great majesty, fear, or compassion of the dragon and the girl in the story.
You may have had the opportunity to read some of these stories before. This collection is of previously published and new works. But don’t let that deter you from creeping into the lair where they are hidden. The editors, Joe Monson and Jaleta Clegg, have pulled together a collection where the stories that build on each other. You can read them individually in any order you choose, and as a whole provides an arc of narrative that helps bring the reader back in full circle.
You can read the complete review at
https://guildmastergaming.blogspot.co... -
It was good for an anthology. About half of the stories I enjoyed, although a few I ended up skimming or skipping after reading the first couple of pages.
