Dragon Champion (Age of Fire) [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

E E Knight (Author), David Drummond (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2009 | Series: Age of Fire (Book 1)

"Gray dragons are different, my son. It means you must be careful; your skin will be pierced more easily. But on the other hand, having no hunger for gems and gold will allow you to live in the Upper World and far from men."High in the mountains, deep in the safety of a cave, a brood of dragons is born. The four young ones are among the last of a dying breed-the final hope for dragons' survival. But hope shatters when a murderous group of slave-trading dwarves breaks into the cave, leaving death and destruction in its wake.Only young Auron, a rare scaleless gray dragon, manages to escape. Armed with nothing save wit, claws, and a boundless determination to survive, he seeks his kind. But to find other dragons-or at least discover who's killing them off-Auron will have to search a world of mercenary elves, vicious humans, and dangers of all kinds. Winning allies in the strangest places-and finding himself along the way-Auron embarks on the journey of a thousand-year lifetime.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Knight, best known for his Vampire Earth mass market series (Tale of the Thunderbolt, etc.), makes an auspicious trade paper debut with this smoothly written fantasy told from the point-of-view of its dragon hero. Four dragon hatchlings, flameless and dependent on their father to bring home horses and even men as food, face a host of dangers, including fierce dwarves who invade their cave. Only Auron, the pride of the litter, will survive to fight those determined to drive his breed to extinction. Some flat poetry that poses no threat to Tolkien only slightly slows the brisk pace of this bloody, unsentimental fairy tale. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

E. E. Knight is an award-winning writer of sci-fi/fantasy/horror popular fiction. He is the author of the bestselling Vampire Earth series, a post-apocalyptic saga in which the Earth is under the heel of a race of extraterrestrial vampires, as well as the Age of Fire series. He lives in Oak Park, Illinois, with his wife, and also teaches genre fiction writing at Harper College. David Drummond has made his living as an actor for over twenty-five years, appearing on stages large and small throughout the country and in Seattle, Washington, his hometown. He has narrated over thirty audiobooks for Tantor, in genres ranging from current political commentary to historical nonfiction, from fantasy to military, and from thrillers to humor. He received an AudioFile Earphones Award for his first audiobook, Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay. When not narrating, David keeps busy writing plays and stories for children.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Tantor Media; Unabridged,Unabridged CD edition (August 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400112001
• ISBN-13: 978-1400112005
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,876,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a science fiction/dark fantasy writer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watership Down, Duncton Wood, Redwall and Now . . ., January 25, 2006

By 

Michael J. Bell "roland-of-gilead" (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Champion (Age of Fire, Book 1) (Paperback)

E. E. Knight's Dragon Champion continues the popular tradition of animal perspective fantasy, but instead of rabbits, moles, or other woodland creatures as the protagonists, he carries it a step further with an animal which itself is a fantasy - dragons. It's a very clever concept, and like Knight's Vampire Earth series, he executes the basic concept with wit, excitement and flair.

Told from the viewpoint of Auron (later AuRon, when his wings develop and he can fly), it's a tale of a dying breed among men, Elves and Dwarves, and one dragon's quest to learn his place in the world and how he might change it.

This is not a fairy tale, for there is plenty of graphic violence, and the novel opens with a rather savage birth ritual involving survival of the fittest from a clutch of hatching dragon eggs. Knight blends his story with fascinating dragon lore, and manages to cover nearly everything you've ever heard regarding dragons, keeping the legends plausible, while maintaining his narrative pace and picaresque plot.

Knight does not make the mistake, as so often occurs in this sub-genre of fantasy, of making every human character evil. There are good and bad men, and there are good and bad dragons.

This novel is complete in itself, but my understanding is that Knight plans to continue the series with novels told from the perspectives of AuRon's surviving sister and brother, and then a grand finale fourth volume tying all three together.

Get in on the beginning, readers. It's going to be something special.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I dare you!, April 3, 2007

By 

Rhona L. Westbrook (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Champion (Age of Fire, Book 1) (Paperback)

I'm not big into epic fantasy, though I loved Robin Hobb's Mad Ship trilogy and a few others. I picked up Dragon Champion because I had seen it several times on my way to another shelf to pick up my usual fare of dark/urban fantasies and paranormal thrillers. I opened it, planning to satisfy my curiosity and put it back, but it was not to be.

This dragon snatched me into his world so easily I didn't realize it had happened till two hours later when I came to myself, sitting on the floor under the shelf from which I'd taken the book. Dragon Champion is a fierce, haunting tale of terrible loss, self-sacrifice and heroism. The end gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. There is so much I love about this book I dare not share it here and spoil your enjoyment. So, go pick it up...I dare you to read the first few pages and put it back on the shelf.....I dare you!

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful beginning to a set, December 20, 2005

By 

Jessica L. Lawrence (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Champion (Age of Fire, Book 1) (Paperback)

If you wander by a set of books, simply the front cover will draw you to this book. Upon seeing the front cover, I immediately read the back cover. Auron is born with natural skill and cunning, enabling him to survive. He is the rare scaleless gray dragon, which means that he doesn't have an insatiable hunger for gold and gems like other dragons. His remaining brother that is allowed to live betrays his family and Auron's mother and sister are immediately killed. He hides with his sister until his father comes back and they are spotted, and their father finds out what has happened and is attacked. Auron and his sister must split ways, in hopes that one will find their father and the other will draw away the attackers. Auron then begins his journey alone into becoming a Drake. This is a wonderful book, and anyone a fan of science fiction and fantasy will love this book!!