Dragon Rider

Written by: Pramadha Mohana

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“I’d quite forgotten how wonderful it is to ride a dragon.” This sentence sums up the essence of the entire book.

Set in a world of dwarfs, elves and of course dragons, DRAGON RIDER is a fantastical ride, a ‘ride’ in the true sense.

To me, this book is pure magic. It is so captivating that I almost had tears in my eyes as the book ended, making me wish that this fabulous, amazing journey would go on and never ever end. Evidently, it is a crime to miss a book this good.

In fact, this book is so good that my hand quivers as I write this review, worrying that nothing I ever write would do justice to the story I just read.

The synopsis of the story is that Firedrake, a silver dragon; Sorrel, a brownie; and Ben, a little boy, embark on a journey to a mythical land called the Rim of Heaven, where dragons can live in peace forever, away from the reach of humans and their greed.

The journey takes them halfway around the world from the Scottish valleys to the Himalayas – the land of the eternal snows, better known as the Roof of the World. And along their journey, they meet and befriend marvelous creatures, creatures we’ve only heard about in folktales and childhood fairy tales.

But every adventure has its perils. During their quest, Firedrake and his friends have to look out for the brutal villain, Nettlebrand. With his humongous size, deadly claws, icy cold scales and golden armor that can evaporate even dragon fire through touch, Nettlebrand, ‘the golden one’ has been the nightmare of many a dragons. Tormenting dragon civilization since the dawn of time, Nettlebrand’s only aim is to hunt dragons. It was what he was born, created to do.

From enchanted ravens, mountain dwarves, Dubidai, the alchemist, the legendary basilisk to the blue djinn with a thousand eyes to sea-sea serpents, there is nothing in the book that does not fail to capture your interest. And as only she can do it, Cornelia Funke blends all these amazing elements with sheer logic and fact. Then, she takes you on a magical dragon ride to rediscover lost folktales, forgotten prophecies and fabulous creatures. Most importantly, she breathes new life into the words- courage, kindness and friendship.

All I can say is that DRAGON RIDER is a very special story, which is emotive enough to melt anybody’s heart! (Does the sentence sound weird? …read the book; you’ll know what I mean!  )

Pramadha Mohana
IX D, Delhi Public School

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Wiki page for the book.