Customer Reviews

The Saint of Dragons

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I liked the idea driving the plot - dragons exist in the modern world, and they live among us. However, the book failed to grab me, like I hoped it would. The dragons never really developed as a sufficiently scary threat, and the relationships between the main characters did not develop in a realistic way. I'll give it three stars, because it is by a first-time author.

Simon St Saint George is alone in the world. He has never known his parents and has been left at boarding school for years. His life is uneventful until one day a man claiming to be his father shows up at the school and kidnaps him. His father tells him all about his past and his mother. It turns out that his father is the last remaining dragon hunter and he has come to show Simon the dragon hunter way of life. The rest of the book is all about the adventures that he and his father have while trying to kill all of the dragons in the world.


The book moved at a fast pace. It was a real page turner. Hard to put down.



I would recommend this book to children ages 10-12 who enjoy fantasy type books.

I thought this book was ok. I did enjoy it, but I felt that both the plot and the characters needed more depth. HOWEVER-my 9 year old son and my 11 year old daughter both LOVED it. In fact, I only read it because they both recommended it and because they had enjoyed it so much. The book seems to satisfy the age level for which it was written- and isn't that the point?

I was one of those kept up til late at night polishing off The Knight of Dragons. In contrary to what other reviews have posted, I'd say the characters are nicely developed. Indeed, they are complicated, and they are viewed from Simon's point of view. Simon can not be expected to understand or like his father until much further into the narrative. And, as to the artist falling in love with the knight, well, indeed, love is anything but rational.
As to those who don't find the dragons scary enough, I'm from the school that finds the lurking danger is the worst. And a lot of the dangers are very adult in nature. The book has much to do with trust and betrayal.

If you are reading it solely to pick it apart, I'm sure you'll find a way to dismantle it. But you won't get the point of the book, that "dragons" are all around us, and we have to get past the armor we've put on because of life's disappointments to band together and defeat the vicious and amoral circumstances which surround us.

I am a big fan of fantasy, and especially books that have dragons in them. These dragons, as others have noted, aren't like your typical dragons that you find in fantasy books. I think the real difference about them is that they're not in the least bit scary. I couldn't get excited about this book for that reason. It seemed like there were a bunch of times when the main characters should have been toast, but they got away. I would not recommend that you read this!

I have to admit, I do buy books because the covers look cool. This one looked okay, but that's the only part of the book I enjoyed. This book reads like a story written by an adult for little kids. The best fantasy doesn't come across that way. The worst part was at the end, when the author got all preachy, with quotes that come across like "your future is your own, so make the most of it." Bleah. I'm going to read Harry Potter again, to make me believe that there is good fantasy for kids my age out there.

THE HARDBACK REVIEWS ARE GOOD, WHY AREN'T THEY HERE FOR THE SAME BOOK IN PAPERBACK? MAKES NO SENSE. I GOT ONE OF THE PAPERBACKS EARLY AND I THINK ANY KID BETWEEN 9 TO 11 OR 12 WOULD REALLY, REALLY ENJOY IT...SOME PEOPLE DON'T GET THAT IT ISN'T FOR OLDER KIDS.
IT HAS SOME OF THE BEST ACTION SCENE SET-UPS FROM ANY BOOK EVER WRITTEN--EVEN IF IT IS CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. YOUR KIND OF AMAZED THAT IT IS SO IMAGINATIVE AS YOU KEEP READING. YOU CAN HARDLY KEEP YOUR BREATH.
WHILE THIS MAY NOT APPEAL TO SOME, IT WILL KEEP ANY KID READING LIKE A MANIAC. THAT'S ALL.

I wanted to read something good before school started again, and picked up this book because my librarian, who usually recommends good titles, had said it might be good. She had recommended Artemis Fowl, and The Amulet of Samarkand, both of which I loved. This book was boring, however, and not funny at all. The jokes were all stupid, and I couldn't get myself to care about the characters. If you're looking for a good end of summer read, look elsewhere.

This book was suppose to be for teenagers but I'm 79 years old and enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed the magic and mythical characters. The author seem to have the knack of making everything feel so real, like you were actually there taking part in the action. I would recommend this book for any of my children and grandchildren.

... Dragons can be found in business, in politics; most are in charge of organized crime at the top levels. They can be found in every country on earth. Their men do their bidding now with knives and guns and bombs just like all criminals, but the Dragon has a special place in his heart for fire. They simply love fire, and can never get enough of it..."

Unlike the dragon in Christopher Paolini's ERAGON, the dragons in THE SAINT OF DRAGONS by Jason Hightman are very evil. They are not only bad, but they also have assumed certain human characteristics to help them blend into today's world. Therefore, trying to find them is not always an easy task. The last Knight of the Order of Dragonhunters, Aldric St. George, is determined to find the last dragon and save the world from its fearful hold. In order to do this, Aldric seeks out the son he had to abandon over 11 years ago.

Simon has no idea that he has "Dragonhunter" blood or that the poor-looking man who shows up at his boarding school, where he lives with the kindly lighthouse keeper and his wife, is really his father. As events unfold and Simon is caught up in a wild and dangerous adventure, he learns a great deal about both himself and the man he now calls "father." Simon tries to prove time and again that he is a warrior, only to place them in even more dangerous situations. In the end, however, it is Simon's trust, wits and cleverness that help save them. Simon St. George proves to be a true Dragonhunter after all.

The lovely Alaythia, who has magical abilities and is able to understand the dragon runes, shares their adventures. She also plays a major part in helping to fight the infestation of dragons, and eventually she lives with them --- continuing to study and hope for a way to communicate with the good dragons that might be left.

While all the dragons we meet in this story are truly evil, there is one dragon, the Black Dragon, who is won over by Simon's good heart. This powerful and ancient Black Dragon is the hope that somehow good dragons can once again be part of man's world. The exciting conclusion leads us to long for another grand adventure. Readers will be delighted to know that Hightman has more stories on the way. This is sure to be a successful series.

"Hope, after all, is the fire that burns forever."

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts