Dragon's Blood

It's more than 200 years since humans settled the planet Austar IV in the Erato galaxy, and training and fighting the native dragons has become the planet's main claim to fame. Jakkin is a bond-servant, indentured to his master until he can fill the bond-bag that hangs around his waist, but Jakkin has a plan: steal a hatchling, teach it to fight, and use the profits to become a master in his own right. Of course, though he knows a little bit about dragons, he doesn't really know anything about teaching them to fight . . .

I found this a quick, engrossing read. I was expecting it to be a children's book, but it makes no bones about some of the rougher aspects of Jakkin's world (prostitution, drug use) and that places it more squarely in show more the YA arena. I'd recommend it to readers looking for something like Anne McCaffrey's dragon books. show less

The world Yolen created here is really interesting, and I think that's what grabbed me as a pre-teen. Austar IV is a former convict planet that is now one of the top recreational locations because of the violent and exciting sport of Pit Dragon fighting. Our protagonist, Jakken, is a bonder who works in a dragon nursery and dreams of buying his way out of bond by stealing a dragon and raising it to be a champion fighter.

It's a simple story at its heart, but rich with delicious detail and wonderful characters - both Jakken and Akki, the girl who first catches him and then helps him - are interesting and capable.

Something in this story makes it feel very relevant to adolescence - despite its fantastical setting, it's very much a coming of show more age story, and some of the details resonate strongly. Jakken experiences setbacks that feel, to him, insurmountable - but he manages to surmount them. He feels like he's fighting his upward struggle alone, but through the course of the book we come to realize that a number of people are rooting for him to succeed. And through the course of it, he learns a great deal about both responsibility and friendship.

The subsequent books aren't nearly as strong in my opinion - the themes shift rather sharply toward political hijinks and adventure - but this first volume remains very entertaining. show less

An early work by Yolen that features one of my favorite mythological creatures from childhood: dragons. Yolen has created a complex world in Austar IV, where the story takes place, that is like old school science fiction in its attention to the details that make an alternate planet, but the story itself is all fantasy. It reminds me a bit of the Pern series by McAffrey in its blend of fantasy and scifi and dragons, but the story is much more kid friendly.

The novel focuses on Jakkin, a young boy who works in a dragon nursery on Austary IV. In his society, some are masters and some are bonders; if bonders manage to fill the bag they wear around their neck with gold, then they can become masters themselves. Jakkin is a bonder, but he is show more determined to fill his bag. He thinks that he has found his chance the day he discovers an unaccounted hatchling and spirits it away to a hidden oasis, to raise as his own dragon.

See, in Austar IV, dragons are used for various means, but the most lucrative one is in the pits, where dragons fight against each other for vast amounts of gold. Jakkin wants that gold, but he also loves his dragon with a deeper bond than many other trainers, and wants to care for her. As he enters the bloody world of the pits, he meets mysterious Akki, who seems to be neither master nor bonder, and they set in motion plans that might free him once and for all.

As I mentioned before, I love dragons. More when I was a kid, but I still get a fuzzy little feeling inside when I read about them. This series is all about the dragons, and Austar IV is a fascinatingly complex world, with a unique political system and environment. The idea of dragon pit fights is new and intriguing, and the other characters are completely human. The tension in the story and the complicated relationships make this a page-turning read. show less

I mostly enjoyed this, though the "thee"s and "thou"s directed at dragons annoyed me. It didn't make even handwavium sense.

Also, the ending was nauseatingly pro-eugenics and pro-indentured servitude. ("None of that false compassion--picking a runt or one with an injured wing. You went right to the best." And nonsense about some people not being man enough to get out of their servitude?? Yuck, yuck, yuck.)

Dragon's Blood was a lot of fun especially the mix of fantasy with a little sci-fi; I particularly enjoyed the telepathic bond between Jakkin and Heart's Blood. While there was a hint of budding romance, it was by no means a dominant part of the story. Hopefully Jakkin's view of "master" will grow and change as he gets older and experiences more of his world; otherwise, I don't see him winning over Akki anytime soon. Most likely I would've rated a story like this five stars if I had read it back when I was 10 or 11 years old. But reading it now, I greatly appreciated it never talking down to the audience (young adults) or completely watering down aspects of Austar IV life like prostitution or culling. Although the slavery aspect was a show more bit glossed over. If I were reading this with my daughter, I'd definitely want to have a conversation about its heavier subtext.

4 stars

Note: This was my first book by Yolen. show less

Substance: A "convict world" some centuries after "mancipation", where the main entertainment is fighting dragons in huge "pits" (multi-story buildings). Gives gladiatorial status to the mildly sentient animals controlled telepathically by their human trainers. A boy steals a hatchling and raises it, so he can earn enough money to buy his way out of bonder (slave) status.
Mild romance and intrigue.
Style: Easy narrative flow, sanitized view of animal fighting culture with minimal violence , disguised immoraltiy.

Fantastic. Well written, lore-deep, and wholly entertaining. A unique prose style that feels engaging no matter what is going on.

My only complaints? The age of the character changes from the beginning of to the end... and goes backwards. Jakkin is said to be 16 at the beginning, and 15 at the end. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed Dragon's Blood, and have purchased the rest of the Pit Dragon Chronicles (as of Oct.4.20).

If you like dragons, and you like sci-fi, do read this book!