Customer Reviews

Searching for Dragons

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kazul, King of the Dragons is missing, and sections of the Enchanted Forest have been stripped of their magic and turned into dust. This can only be the work of those dastardly wizards. In Searching for Dragons, we unite again with the delightful Cimorene, princess--make that Chief Cook and Librarian--for Kazul, the newly selected King of the Dragons as she seeks once again to thwart the plans of the Society of Wizards to steal untold amounts of magic from the land, this time by attempting to start a distracting war between the realm of dragons and the kingdom of the bordering Enchanted Forest. Mendanbar, the young king of the Enchanted Forest, having discovered sections of his forest destroyed, heeds the council of a wise squirrel to seek the counsel of Morwen the witch. She insists that he meet with the King of the Dragons, before which meeting he encounters the head wizard Zemenar, who implicates the dragons in the destruction he has discovered. Boldly going to the Mountains of Morning, he encounters Cimorene, learns that Kazul is missing, and finds himself joining Cimorene in a search for the missing dragon. Along the way, they encounter a pair of giants, survive a wild ride on a faulty magic carpet, repulse an attack by a horde of snakes, meet up with a strange, loquacious magician, and finally unite along with Morwen to take on the wizards and rescue Kazul. This time, they need more than buckets of soapy water and lemon juice to defeat Zemenar's crew.

Wrede is a wonderful writer. She is especially good at closing every hole in the story--things mentioned even briefly early on are brought into play before the end, and the fact that I as a reader actually forgot about many of them along the way just makes me respect her talents even more. Her incorporation of fairy tale lore is brilliantly subtle, and her description of the magic practiced by Mendanbar, which is essentially a visual magic, is quite unusual and interesting. I think that young and old alike can find great enjoyment in this book--I myself believe that it is very important to retain at least a measure of the wonder and magic we knew as children, and fantasy such as this helps much in this regard. Do yourself a favor and read Dealing With Dragons first; you won't appreciate Cimorene nearly as much without knowledge of the first book. While you're at it, go ahead and get Calling on Dragons and Talking to Dragons, as well--if you read one, you will want to read them all.

What? Only five stars? I need more to do this series justice! Patricia C. Wrede writes marvelous fantasy. It's like "Mixed-Up Fairy Tales" or something, but funnier, more engaging, and ripe for repeat reading (After graduating from high school, I read the entire series for the third time in a matter of days). These are timeless tales. Even her NAMES are inventive. Cimorene, Mendanbar, Kazul, Morwen, Telemain, Daystar, Shiara...and let us not forget Zemenar and Antorell. The chapter headings induce chuckles immediately, simply by their existence. She writes in a style that incorporates intelligent fantasy with enjoyable humor. The characters are some you would like to know personally. And nowhere else have I seen as unique a discussion of magic in its many forms as in these four books. I did notice a trend of centralization. Dealing was Cimorene's book. Searching was Mendanbar's. Calling was Morwen's. Talking was Daystar's. I wish the series was not concluded, because I'd love to see Telemain's book. And perhaps Kazul's book could be somewhat of a prequel. Oh, and what about a book from Antorell's perspective? That would make for an incredibly funny story. The Enchanted Forest and its surrounding is a world I want to know about. Not many authors can create an entire world that entices the reader so greatly. But Mrs. Wrede has. Unlike the Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide series, which got progressively worse, each book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles compares to the original, as fresh and brilliant as ever. Needless to say, this series is one of the best ever. I have not really sampled a lot of the adult fantasy by Piers Anthony and Anne McCaffrey and such, but I doubt they can compare with the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. This is not mindboggling fantasy like the Lord of the Rings trilogy: this is fun. Oh, and remember: <points finger>..."Argelfraster."

I am a picky reader, especially when it comes to the standard fantasy cliches, like, romance, Dragons, and enchanted forests. This book is easily taken for granted-- a standard quest, with all the usual quest-hampering pitfalls. So how does Patricia Wrede turn it on its head and make this (and the other Enchanted Forest novels) some of the most well-written and engaging novels I've ever read? They appeal to everyone I've ever known who has read them, from my little sister to my much-older cousin. They even appeal to me, reading for the fifth or sixth time many years after I first picked them up. Particularly this one, which may be my favorite of the lot. Anyone who is interested in fairy tales, fantasy- and for that matter, anyone interested in reality- will have their socks knocked off their feet.

Cimorene is back, and this time there are more entertaining characters, more plot surprises, and more soapy lemon water! When King Mendenbar finds a section of his realm, the Enchanted Forest, suspiciously burned, he seeks Kazul, King of the dragons, for help in catching the culprit after helpful advice from the witch Morwen. When he gets there, however, he discovers that Kazul is missing, and he and the dragon king's Chief cook and librarian, Cimorene, embark on a journey to rescue Kazul, who is most likely in the custody of wizards. On the way, they come across a malfunctioning magic carpet, a highly technical magician, and many other new and interesting characters. The story is extremely well written and a ton of fun. A must read, the 2nd book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Searching for Dragons is no disappointment.

What? Only five stars?!? I need more to do this series justice! Patricia C. Wrede writes marvelous fantasy. It's like "Mixed-Up Fairy Tales" or something, but funnier, more engaging, and ripe for repeat reading (I just graduated from high school, and I just finished reading the entire series for the third time in a matter of days). These are timeless tales. Even her NAMES are inventive. Cimorene, Mendanbar, Kazul, Morwen, Telemain, Daystar, Shiara...and let us not forget Zemenar and Antorell. The chapter headings induce chuckles immediately, simply by their existence. She writes in a style that incorporates intelligent fantasy with enjoyable humor. The characters are some you would like to know personally. And nowhere else have I seen as unique a discussion of magic in its many forms as in these four books. I did notice a trend of centralization. Dealing was Cimorene's book. Searching was Mendanbar's. Calling was Morwen's. Talking was Daystar's. I wish the series was not concluded, because I'd love to see Telemain's book. And perhaps Kazul's book could be somewhat of a prequel. Oh, and what about a book from Antorell's perspective? That would make for an incredibly funny story. The Enchanted Forest and its surrounding is a world I want to know about. Not many authors can create an entire world that entices the reader so greatly. But Mrs. Wrede has. Unlike the Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide series, which got progressively worse, each book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles compares to the original, as fresh and brilliant as ever. Needless to say, this series is one of the best ever. I have not really sampled a lot of the adult fantasy by Piers Anthony and Anne McCaffrey and such, but I doubt they can compare with the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. This is not mindboggling fantasy like the Lord of the Rings trilogy: this is fun. Oh, and remember: <points finger>..."Argelfraster."

This book, along with the other three in the series, captured my full attention and did not let it go until I had read the entire 600+ pages in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I got it on a Friday and kept reading until my eyes would not stay open, I woke up Early Saturday and, well, read the entire thing. It is one of the absolute best books I have ever read with an original plot. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This is the second book in the Enchanted Forest quartet, and I recently finished reading it for the fourth time. The whole series is brilliant! King Mendanbar's casual stroll through his kingdom, the Enchanted Forest, leads to one thing after another when he discovers somthing seriously amiss. In trying to answer his questions, he meets the extremely practical witch Morwen, who sends him to visit King Kazul of the dragons. He instead encounters the King's resident princess, Cimorene, and reluctantly sets out with her to search for a missing friend. On their way, they meet the magician Telemain (whose sentences generally contain at least three 20-letter words), a giantess, Rumplstilskin's grandson, and many more unforgettable characters. Less fortunate meetings include several wizards, whose intentions are less than good. Add a leaky magic sword, a defective flying carpet, and eight buckets of soapy water with lemon juice. This is truly one of my all-time favorite books!

I am a lover of dragons, so of course this series caught my eye. After reading the first book, I decided to venture on and discovered the second book. I couldn't put it down after the first chapter. The characters were well thought out, the plot was excellent, and more than anything it made you feel as if you were right there with Mendanbar and Cimorene. That's another part I enjoyed: the romance was just enough to make it interesting, but not too much so that it clouded over the story. Also, Cimorene's dislike of Mendanbar in the beginning is very typical for this unlikely princess. Mendanbar, too, first thinks of Cimorene as one of the empty-headed princesses that he so loaths. I highly recommend this book to people even who are older than young adult. It will tickle your fancy for fantasy, and satisfy your reading itch.

"Searching for Dragons" is extremely enjoyable and witty. The plot is as follows: Cimorene the Princess-by-convention (as she wasn't born a Princess, she just works as a Princess) doesn't know where Kazul, her boss (also King of the Dragons) is. Kazul went on a trip, didn't come home on time, and now Cimorene can't find her. (The title "King" in this case is also a misnomer. A very witty misnomer, but still.)

Enter Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest. He's young, impetuous, ticks off his High Chancellor no end -- and needs a wife. He goes to Cimorene not for that -- that would be too easy -- but because he, too, wants to find Kazul.

As Cimorene and Mendanbar travel, they encounter many interesting people, do quite a few interesting things, and melt several obnoxious wizards. (The wizards reappear now and again, though, because the melt-job doesn't keep 'em down for too long.)

As they slowly grow to like, then love each other, there is much laughter, plenty of mishaps, and a great deal of interesting observations along the way. And a good time is had by all.

I'd definitely recommend this book for anyone above age nine or ten; it's funny, a fast read, and yet the ideas linger in your brain for quite some time. Cimorene is no pale flower; she's instead an in your face, passionate, modern woman, who makes wisecracks about other Princesses (mostly about their silliness, and about how poorly they've been educated). And Mendanbar isn't your typical King, either; he's in some senses a callow youth, although he's certainly intelligent enough and a strong magic user. (Cimorene keeps asking him why his magic is so flashy, which really made me roar. I kept wanting people to ask that years ago in fantasy novelizations.)

So, although this _says_ it's a Young Adult novel, and it indeed can be read and enjoyed by kids, I'd say the adults will probably enjoy it just as much if not more. I did.

Five stars. Highly recommended.

After meeting the irrepressible Cimorene, Chief Cook and Librarian to Kazul and formerly Princess of Linderwall, in Book One (Dealing with Dragons) of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, you can't help wanting to get to the rest of the quartet. The second volume begins with two problems. King Mendanbar of the Enchanted Forest notices his kingdom is being scorched away, apparently by a dragon. Going to consult the King of the Dragons, he meets Cimorene preparing to set out on a search for Kazul, who is missing. They decide they must join forces, even though Mendanbar is as phobic of princesses as Cimorene is of princes. On their journey they meet the coolest witch ever, a tech-geek magician, a bucking magic carpet, a leaky sword, a giant with a career crisis, Herman (formerly-known-as-Rumplestiltskin), and of course, wizards.

Patricia Wrede has written another tongue-in-cheek story incorporating familiar fairy tales with a clever twist. Her humor and details are dead-on as usual as expected by this thorough and thoroughly enjoyable author. You want to keep the next two books, Calling on Dragons and Talking to Dragons close at hand. I don't have any more to say because you can only do justice to these wonderful books by reading them - again and again!