No Such Thing As Dragons [Paperback]

Philip Reeve (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2009

This is a dragon story with a brilliant twist from multi award-winning writer, Philip Reeve. Ansel's new master slays dragons for a living. He says he's hunted the monstrous worms all over Christendom and has the scars to prove it. But is Brock just a clever trickster in shining armour? Ansel is sure there are no such things as dragons. So what is the man-eating creature that makes its lair in the crags of Dragon Mountain? Ansel and Brock must climb the ice face to discover the terrifying truth.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-8–Reeve explores a more "realistic" vision of classic dragon tales in his newest novel. Ansel is a mute boy who is callously sold by his father to be a servant to an itinerant dragon hunter who is happy to have someone who can keep his secrets safe. Brock truly has secrets, and before long he reveals to Ansel that dragons do not really exist, and that he is, in fact, a charlatan who preys on the fears of villagers. However, a book with this title surely has to contain a dragon, and inevitably, Ansel and Brock must face off against the real thing. There is some graphic description of horses and a human being devoured by the dragon. The creature itself is portrayed somewhat sympathetically, as Ansel realizes it is just an animal. The real story, however, is how in the course of this quest, the boy is able to find his voice, both literally and figuratively. This is certainly different from anything that Reeve has done previously, but is still shot through with his trademark imagination and feel for action. It will be eagerly devoured by young readers.Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

As he did in Here Lies Arthur (2008), Reeve explores the cracks between life and lore in this short but not simplistic novel. Ansel, a mute boy, becomes the assistant to the dragon-hunter Brock, who travels the land looking for superstitious rubes to trick into believing he is the champion they need to rid them of their dragon scourge. Of course, as Brock confides in Ansel, dragons simply don’t exist, and his ruse is to return with an old crocodile skull as evidence of his heroic feats. So, when they run into a real, live dragon, things get awfully terrifying awfully fast. What emerges is a naturalistic viewpoint that dragons aren’t evil, fire-breathing maiden stealers but simply hungry creatures trying to survive, handily outfitted with vicious teeth and killer instincts. Most refreshing is the honest take on courage as something that’s left over when fear strips away everything else. Although this is a more thoughtful treatment than typical dragon fare, it still has all the excitement of a thrilling adventure story that readers will be expecting. Grades 4-7. --Ian Chipman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (October 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1407115510
• ISBN-13: 978-1407115511
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mountains aren't meant to be climbed and there are no such thing as dragons, September 10, 2010

By 

J. Prather (IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No Such Thing As Dragons (Hardcover)

Phillip Reeve effortlessly spins his latest tale around disproving the above statement. The author is a master at writing stories that capture the true magic of fantasy, while at the same time rewriting all of our preconceived notions. This is a great adventure story with memorable characters, and has a rich descriptive tone rarely seen in children's literature.

Brock is a dragon hunter and Ansel is his squire. Of course, Brock really knows that there is no such thing as dragons and spends his life scamming poor villagers into parting with their money after he miraculously slays their dragons. Ansel is a mute boy sold to Brock by his father. They make for quite a pair; Ansel who is unable to speak and divulge Brock's secret, and Brock; a con artist who dreams of being a hero. Their journey up the mountain, where they encounter Else, the girl meant to be a sacrifice to the dragon, and their discovery that yes, there is such a thing as dragons make for a gripping tale filled with action.

The author includes lots of descriptions that go far in setting the mood and ratcheting up the tension. His use of language is beautiful without being overdone. Parents be forewarned that there are some gruesome scenes when a couple of the groups horses and one of the group members are eaten by the dragon. Perhaps my favorite part of the novel is near the end when Ansel is able to no longer see the dragon as an evil entity, but realizes it is just an animal. A fantastically well written novel that packs a lot of story into its mere 186 pages. This is a solid recommend for kids in grades 5-8 as long as they aren't overly squeamish.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars But If There Were..., September 4, 2010

By 

K. Coombs (Utah, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No Such Thing As Dragons (Hardcover)

Much as he did in his fictional debunking of the Arthurian legend, Here Lies Arthur, in No Such Thing as Dragons Reeve deals with con men and the origin of legends in the context of the realities of life in the Middle Ages. He gives us Brock, a knight in rusty armor who goes from village to village conquering dragons--or rather, the fear of dragons (as one of his more educated and cynical clients puts it). Somewhere along the way, Brock purchases a young mute boy named Ansel, who comes to believe the pseudo-knight's assurances that dragons aren't real.

Until at last they come to a little village high on the mountainside, where the sly villagers have already sacrificed a young girl to appease the dragon they claim roosts up on the icy peaks. Accompanied by another con man posing as a friar, the dragon-fighting team goes up the mountain, planning to pretend to vanquish the beast and then claim the spoils of victory.

To Brock's astonishment, there really is something up there. But here again, Reeve imagines what might be the real thing--not the sentient, romanticized creature of fairy tale fame, but a vicious and terrifying animal. The little group suffers as they confront the creature, even as they must battle the bitter wintry conditions on the highest slopes.

There's an adventure here, but Reeve seems just as interested in character, if not more so. He wants to know why Ansel is mute, and whether the boy will ever speak again. He wants to think about how a man like Brock might have good in him as well as ill. He wants to consider the fear of the villagers as well as their communal ruthlessness in response to that fear. He wants to show us unlikely feats of courage, although not precisely the ones you would expect. And that, more than the plot itself, is what makes this a very good book.

In addition, No Such Thing as Dragons offers us the joy of reading the work of a gifted wordsmith. Reeve's language is delicious. Then, as if Reeve weren't talented enough, he provides the interior illustrations for the book, too, elegant little pen-and-ink pieces that start each chapter.

I also like the way Reeve includes common tropes about dragons, but gives them his own spin, making, for example, their reputation for hoarding treasure more of a magpie characteristic than a human one.

Plus, the author does intense things with setting, using the snowstorms and glaciers, rockslides and freezing nights on the mountain to pummel his characters--and his readers. Like the dragon, the mountain is unforgiving and utterly inhuman, yet natural. The cathedral scene, with its evocation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and even King Kong, is another wildly successful use of setting.

No Such Thing as Dragons is a short book at 186 pages, but it's well worth it: a compact, well-told tale combining the best of historical fiction with a sprinkling of fantasy, besides touching on themes like freedom and even animal rights. Reeve gives us a story that feels entirely true, up to and including its (non-)title character.

Note for Worried Parents: This book is for middle grade readers, but it does have a couple of horrific descriptions of a man and a horse being devoured by a monster, also various scenes of peril, some hard-hearted villagers, and a couple of con artists. The overall message is one of kindness, courage, and hope, however, as exemplified by the main character, Ansel.

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Story, Starts Slow But Picks Up Halfway Through, February 1, 2012

By 

Nicola Manning (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No Such Thing As Dragons (Hardcover)

Reason for Reading: I read one book previously by the author, Fever Crumb, and enjoyed it. This one looked like it would make a good read aloud to ds.

Set in the middle ages of presumably our world, the book is immersed in a religious Catholic society, with both bad and good people, but a society who presumes there is a God. He can be found on all pages and while some characters use His name as a curse others use it as a cry for help. I really enjoyed being sat down in this society. We explore a real life event similar to St. George's infamous incident with the dragon, only when it comes down to just a handful of regular people, dragon fighting and maiden saving is not quite so heroic a deed as legend leads us to believe. Ansel, the mute, and Else, the offered maiden, are wonderful main characters who grow in character both in maturity and spiritually as does the at first, somewhat villainous Brock. Unfortunately, the antagonist is played by a Friar who is greedy, selfish and used his position and religion when it suits him best for his own purposes. The dragon is the foe and always is but he is not the protagonist anymore than a bear in the woods would have been.

The book starts off slowly and does take time for the story to settle in and the action to take grip, but once all the characters are on the mountain we were hooked and ready by the time the dragon made his first appearance. A few bits of gory scenes as a horse and man are eaten but nothing overdone. DS wants a sequel but I've told him we have to enjoy books that are just a story all by themselves sometimes. I'm glad it is a standalone and enjoyed it as a readaloud as well.