The Dragon and The Djinn [Paperback]

Gordon R. Dickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

Gordon R. Dickson continues his acclaimed saga of a twentieth-century American transformed into a Dragon Knight - and transported into a fantastic medieval adventure! The Dragon Knight's journey to the Holy Land is supposed to be a simple quest...but pirates, sea giants, and the legendary Djinn threaten to make his voyage the most dangerous odyssey known to man - and dragon.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dickson's style of fantasy hearkens back to the era before both the glossy epic approach of Robert Jordan or Terry Brooks and the pseudo-postmodern slickness of Ellen Kushner or Pamela Dean, but it has its own special charms. In this new story about James and Angela Eckert (following The Dragon, the Earl, and the Troll), the author's meticulous historical research salvages what in the hands of a lesser talent could have been a pedestrian work. The Eckerts are 20th-century humans trapped in the 14th century, where Jim has discovered that he possesses magical powers. Here, Jim agrees to help his friend Sir Brian Neville-Smythe find the father of Brian's beloved Geronde, so that Brian and Geronde may wed. The father was last known to be in the Muslim land of Palmyra, and Dickson's fascination with the cultures of that area proves infectious. While the adventures here are cut from standard fantasy cloth?kidnappings, caravans and sorcery abound?the detailing is marvelous. Also appealing are Jim's pet hobgoblin, Hob, and the djinn named Kelb, who generally appears in the form of a small, mangy dog; both provide comic diversion. The characters may be secondary to the historical re-creation?Angela Eckert is especially ill-used in this volume?but those looking for fantasy in the mode of L. Sprague de Camp or L.E. Modesitt should delight in this book.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA?This series entry follows the exploits of Sir James Eckert, the brave Dragon Knight and apprentice magician whose 20th-century upbringing and knowledge make him an oddball in the 14th-century England he inhabits. This time, Sir James is embroiled in a trip to help his friend search for his future father-in-law in the Holy Land. As the two progress in their travels, they meet pirates; sea giants; assassins; Mongols; and the legendary Djinn, who have awesome power over good and evil. What was supposed to be a relatively simple quest turns into a dangerous journey into mysterious, unknown lands. Dickson has created an entertaining fantasy that will thoroughly satisfy fans of the saga. New readers will be captivated and want to track down every book they can find about Sir James. YAs will especially enjoy the fish-out-of-water humor, the action, and the characters straight out of myths and legends.?Charlotte Bradshaw, San Mateo County Library, CA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ace (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441004954
• ISBN-13: 978-0441004959
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best in the series, September 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dragon and The Djinn (Paperback)

After the first two books in this series, this was the best. We finally get to see what happened to Geronde's father. And there's a wonderful moment when Angie seemingly defies the rules of magick (and upsets Carolinus quite a bit in the process)--delightful! The only pssible way it could have been improved is if Daffydd had had a nice large role, too. *sigh* (Okay, I'm obsessed with Daffydd.) Great book!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little on the disappointing side, September 8, 2000

By 

Gary Huffmaster (UO Student) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dragon and The Djinn (Paperback)

Althought I love the entire series of these books this one only grabs your attention at the end of the book. Admittidly this has a very exciting ending but the body of the book was much slower than the rest. Of course I still enjoyed the battle of the Jim and Brian but it seemed to stray too far away from the other books. However if you have come this far you have to keep going becuase the following books raise back up to the usual standard that is expected. So in short, read the book. It isn't bad but you have to do it to get to the next two which are much better.

4.0 out of 5 stars Eastward ho!, May 27, 2009

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Dragon and The Djinn (Paperback)

James Eckert, the Dragon Knight, who was transported to an alterante 14th Century and there became known as both a magician (he can transform himself into a dragon) and a member of the nobility (a baron, to be precise), here finds himself drawn by the obligations of friendship into new perils. His friend and neighbor, Sir Brian Neville-Smythe, has learned that Sir Geoffrey deChaney, the father of his betrothed, has been seen in the city of Palmyra in the Holy Land, and is resolved to seek him out and ask him to grant his permission for Brian to marry his daughter. When Jim's petition to the King for guardianship of the infant Robert Falon, is granted earlier than he had expected, he finds himself free to follow his friend and offer his assistance. And it turns out to be needed. Through a siege upon the Cypriot castle where they're temporarily lodged (including the need to deal with the owner, who's been cheating Brian at dice), an abduction by Assassins (the kind who ate hashish), and the repeated appearance of a mangy dog that claims to be a djinni in hiding from a jealous counterpart, Jim and Brian persevere, and finally discover that their journey has a meaning far beyond what they had expected, as they confront a Muslim sorcerer who's raised a major demon--and can't control it.

Dickson here expands somewhat on his previous explications of how magic works in his world, while at the same time following Jim's sustained unease over just how fit he and his wife Angie really are to live in this alternate reality, where magic may work but people are the real stumbling block. The final confrontation between Jim, Angie, Brian, Geronde and her father, two hobgoblins, a Christian knight turned slave, and the sorcerer himself vs. the demon and its machinations--intended to, as Jim says, "upset the balance between History and Chance"--is particularly thrilling, though the djinn-in-disguise turns out not to be as vital a character as I had expected it would be. It's clear, too, that the author did some serious research into the 14th-Century Near East. Though my favorite Dragon Knight volume will probably always be the initial one, The Dragon and the George, this sixth entry is a satisfying blend of magic, intrigue, and human interaction, with a lot to say about friendship and courage.