Customer Reviews

Dragon's Blood (Pit Dragon Trilogy)

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I first looked at "Dragon's Blood", I wasn't so sure it would be a good book. I'm a fan of Jane Yolen, but, well, it just didn't look interesting.

I was wrong.

"Dragon's Blood" is an amazing work of fiction. Though I was, at first, strongly reminded of Anne McCaffrey's Pern, the society described in this book took on it's own identity. Yolen creates an amazing planet and culture that arises in the future. While the people do have technology, it is not spectacular. Instead, we are introduced to a charming, though struggling, society built by criminals, a world based on an economy where dragons are raises to fight one another.

The story revolves around Jakkin, a teenage boy, who is, unfortunalty, a bonder (basically a paid slave) He was born free, and his dream is to pay off his bondage and return to freedom. To do this, he steals a dragon hatchling. he plans to raise this dragon into a pit fighter, and thus earn his freedom.

I was impressed with Yolen's vivid desciption and emotion. The story kept an enjoyable balance between light-hearted entertainment and deep meaning. The characters were strongly devoloped and realistic, adding more to the tapestry of the novel.

Like many readers have said, this book may not be suitable for children, for there are subtle references to prostitution. Some may find this shocking, but it fits well with the book's society. Besides, the references are subtle, so a younger, naive child would probably read past these references without a second thought.

Overall, "Dragon's Blood" is a rich, vivid, imaginative novel, and a worthy tribute to Jane Yolen. I am looking forward to reading the book's two sequels.

P.S. My review title is a delightful little cussword used in the book. I'll probably be using it often.

The Pit Dragons Trilogy is one of the most delightful series of books I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. It consists of the stories of a boy and girl, Jakkin and Akki, who live on the planet Austar, a former penal-colony with a master/bond-slave societal system, where telepathic dragons are bred and trained for fighting in the Pits.

One of the things that makes the whole trilogy so good is the ingenious way in which Yolen develops her world of Austar. The culture, politics, ecology, and dragon- physiology (complete with endearing anatomy diagrams) are brilliantly conceived and interwoven to create a wholly believable climate into which the reader is inextricably drawn.

I have often thought with interest about the similarities between the Austarian culture and the early Australian culture (remember, Australia was also a penal colony) not to mention the similarity betwen the two names.

The books are also about the perplexities of growing up, and the love which Jakkin and Akki have for each other, and for the dragons in the stories, are what make it so valuable from a human standpoint. And most of all, it is Jane's unique witty, humorous and poetic writing that keeps the whole saga going. The first of the books - Dragon's Blood - is the simplest of all three stories. Placed entirely in the setting of the dragon-breeding nursery of Master Sarkkhan, it tells of Jakkin's fight to free himself of the bond-system by securing a dragon hatchling, and rearing it in the wilderness to train as a fighter in the Pits - assisted by the resourceful Akki.

In this classic, humans have long since colonized the planet Austar IV, where "dragons" are one of the native creatures. Dragons are raised here in nurseries because they had almost reached the brink of extinction in the wild. Young Jakkin was born into a life of labor under one such place, Sarkkhan's Nursery. Each laborer wears a pouch around their neck, and can only become free when that pouch is full. Jakkin's is hardly full, and at Sarkkhan's Nursery there is only one way to do that: steal a dragon's egg and raise it to be a fighter at the Pits.
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This was more difficult a task than it may appear, for most of the dragon eggs would not hatch, and only an adept could tell the good eggs from the bad. Likewise, the eggs are not counted, but the hatchlings are. Jakkin is lucky and is able to snatch a small hatchling that was unaccounted for. He takes it to the desert and raises it as a fighter with the aid of Akki. And the dragon turned out to be more than it had first appeared ...
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I loved this book. I read it a few years ago, but the story is still fresh in my mind. The story was great, and I was turning pages all the way through. The character's goal to win freedom -- and with a dragon at that -- enlightened my own spirit when I read it. A charming and wonderfully written book that deserves to be bought and placed on the shelf to be read again in the future.
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_Dragon's Blood_ is the first book in the Pit Dragon trilogy. It is followed by _Heart's Blood_ and _A Sending of Dragons_, which are quite readable, though I felt they did not live up fully to the first book.

There aren't that many authors who've mastered the art of telling a story that's simple enough that children can get drawn into it, yet complex enough not to bore adults or young adults. J. K. Rowling is one. Diane Duane is another. And Jane Yolen, as she proves in _Dragon's Blood_, is definitely a third.

Set in a vividly-painted world with a detailed society, _Dragon's Blood_ is a coming-of-age story that features dragons on par with McCaffrey's or Duane's when it comes to the ability to enchant. As most such stories do, it has a happy ending... but not completely happy, and if Jakkin seems to have an unusual amount of luck on his side, Yolen still manages to tell his story in a way that won't make adults (who tend to be more cynical than starry-eyed young teenagers) roll their eyes and toss the book aside. On the flip side of the coin, while concepts such as prostitution, maturity achieved through sex, and drug addiction are mentioned, this is done tastefully and with a definite message against all of the above. I wouldn't hesitate to give this book to a child, though the very young or very sheltered might have questions about these issues after reading.

With a strong plot, realistic characters, a colorful setting, and the perpetual delight that is (well-portrayed) dragons, _Dragon's Blood_ would give either a youngster or an adult a great introduction to the fantasy genre. For those who are already fans, add this one to your bookshelf; you won't be sorry. However, you might want to wait until you've read it before purchasing the sequels, neither of which quite measure up to their predecessor.

Welcome to Austar IV, a miserable desert planet inhabited by drug-filled weeds, giant dragons, and deadly temperatures. And this is the charming setting of Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Trilogy. The first book, "Dragon's Blood," is a bit uneven but a solid story about freedom, courage, and friendship.

Austar IV was originally settled by criminals, and the place still isn't very inviting. Most of the people are "bonders" (slaves) or prostitutes, and the main source of money is betting on the "pit dragons," who fight for gamblers. And orphaned bonder Jakkin dreams of freedom, and has a secret plan to fill his bag with gold and free himself -- steal a new dragon hatchling and quietly raise it to fight in the pits.

At first, a disaster involving a panicking dragon seems to dash his dreams. Then Jakkin finds an uncounted hatchling and spirits it away to the hills. But he soon learns that someone knows his secret -- the pretty Akki, an independent girl who is hiding an odd secret of her own. But even her help may not be enough to free Jakkin from slavery.

In "Dragon's Blood," Yolen shakes off the dust of the old Anne McCaffrey stereotypes about dragons and the humans who raise 'em. Though there are a handful of similarities, Yolen's dragons are raised to fight and are actually sort of alien lizards. And there's nothing refined about the world she creates here -- it's gritty, dusty, raw and very dangerous.

"Dragon's Blood" doesn't have much of a storyline except raising the hatchling and getting to know Akki, and at times it drags. But Yolen keeps it interesting with plenty of details and interesting characters. Her dragons are particularly good -- they're intelligent but still animals, with individual personalities and strengths. Hey, she even uses them as a curse source. ("Fewmets!")

Jakkin is a nice, solid hero, your basic good kid who does something mildly wrong in an effort to free himself. He's not so much a hero as he is a human being who tries to help others, be they dragons or other people. His fellow bonders -- including a vindictive old junkie and the mysterious Akki -- are also nicely done, although relatively little time is spent on the other bonders.

"Dragon's Blood" is a solid start to a solid sci-fantasy trilogy. Yolen takes the old cliches about dragons and whips them back into shape. Excellent for dragon fans.

I've always liked fantasy movies; Labrynth, Dark Crystal, Legend, Neverending Story; but I haven't thought much of most fantasy books. I did read A Wrinkle in Time and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child but overall I haven't had much of an interest. My husband talked me into reading this one. He told me it was more of a children's book but the story was good and kept moving (I've found that most fantasy books stall out before the story gets good.) I really enjoyed this book. It opened the door for a lot of other fantasy books that I would never read. I never would have picked up Harry Potter if Dragon's Blood hadn't been so good. I never thought I would enjoy a story about training dragons. I really came to care about all the characters and enjoyed the way Jane Yolen gave the dragons so much personality without making them humans in dragon costumes. This is a great read for any age.

I remember when I first read "Dragon's Blood" and the rest of the books in this series about seven years ago. I loved them dearly then and I love them even more now. There are some things that I missed the first time, but now that I am older I caught more and there is nothing that has taken away from the enjoyment of these books. I would suggest that anyone who loves dragons and wishes them to be real read this fantastic series. I find them appropriate for pretty much all ages (Parents, there is some mention of prostituion so you may want to discuss this with your children first) and they will be enjoyable to all fantasy lovers.

My favorite thing about _Dragon's_Blood_ was the character of Akki. She is great! This book made me anxious to read the sequel, Heart's Blood, and I hope she features more in that one and we get to find out more about her. Another thing I like about this book is that it is not aimed toward little kids. It would be just as interesting for teenagers or even adults--Jakkin is fifteen. (In fact, parents should be warned that it may be inappropriate for young children because of references to prostitution.) The futuristic world is believable and engaging. At first you will think it is stupid the way EVERY character has a double K in their name, but don't worry, that is explained later. (Although I hope it will be explained more fully in Heart's Blood.) All in all, a good book, but I think the sequel will be even better.

I first read this book when I was in sixth grade, and I am currently in tenth and still love it! I am an avid reader and of all the books I've read, this is my favorite. I've read and re-read this wonderful book so many times, I have the first paragraph of the first chapter memorized! Jane Yolen is an amazing author, and her characters seem like real people you can relate to. Believe me, if you love dragons, this is the book for you.(and the next two books as well) :0)

This novel (and the series to a lesser extent) really is a classic of the genre. Whilst it is certainly written as young adult literature (8-15, by my reckoning, depending on the individual's reading skills), I've just reread the series and throughly enjoyed it (age 20). This is a well developed story that is concise and very clearly written; it focuses on the ambitions of a young bonded servant and his attempts to secure freedom for himself with the help of the pit dragon Heart's Blood that he steals and raises alone in the desert. Yolen's pit dragons are a marvellous, very natural addition to the dragons of fantasy literature. The issues she touches on, such as freedom and maturity, are complex issues but she deals with them in such a way as to make them accessible even to children. The issues and plot are also well contained within this novel - though the series is good, the first is a stand out and can certainly be read as a stand alone. The subsequent two novels get increasingly more complex and adult-geared and the thread of the story actually becomes obscured. Dragon's Blood on its own is an absolute champion!