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With the aid of King Mandanbar, Princess Cimorene rescues the dragon Kazul and saves the Enchanted Forest from a band of wicked wizards.Tags
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dylanesque Searching for Dragons and the Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle share an irreverent, light-hearted tone, a fun duo of interesting main characters, and a rich magical world (although I would say this is a stronger element in the Misadventures).
Member Reviews
I really cannot think of much to say about Searching for Dragons except that, just like the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, I found it very funny, utterly charming und highly entertaining. It has a different main character, Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest who turns out to be every bit as resourceful and unconventional as Cimorene was in Dealing with Dragons, and it will probably not surprise any reader, even the young ones this is chiefly intended for, that it does not take him long to run into her and they end up married by the end of the novel.
The path towards that end (during which we follow Mendanbar’s and Cimorene’s adventures to find the King of Dragons, meeting some familiar faces as well as several show more new ones along the way) seems somewhat straighter than in the previous novel, less twisted and less beset by distractions, but also slightly less quirky and whimsical (the latter quite possibly an unavoidable consequence of the former, “straightforward” being the natural enemy of “whimsy”). This is just a minor shift in the kind of enjoyment to be derived from this novel, though, not a decrease in its amount – Searching for Dragons is once again irresistibly charming, a huge pleasure to read and pretty much guaranteed to put even the most grumpy person into a good mood or elicit some giggles from even the most melancholy reader. show less
The path towards that end (during which we follow Mendanbar’s and Cimorene’s adventures to find the King of Dragons, meeting some familiar faces as well as several show more new ones along the way) seems somewhat straighter than in the previous novel, less twisted and less beset by distractions, but also slightly less quirky and whimsical (the latter quite possibly an unavoidable consequence of the former, “straightforward” being the natural enemy of “whimsy”). This is just a minor shift in the kind of enjoyment to be derived from this novel, though, not a decrease in its amount – Searching for Dragons is once again irresistibly charming, a huge pleasure to read and pretty much guaranteed to put even the most grumpy person into a good mood or elicit some giggles from even the most melancholy reader. show less
Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, has a problem: someone appears to have burned a large chunk of his domain, and he thinks it might have been the dragons. At the advice of a witch, he goes to see Kazul, the King of the Dragons. Kazul is missing, and Mendanbar and Cimorene set out to find her.
This is a delightful quest that expands on the world established in the previous book. Readers get to learn more about the Enchanted Forest and its magic, as well as meeting some of the colorful residents of the surrounding area. New characters Mendanbar and the magician Telemain are just as much fun as returning favorites. Readers who enjoyed the first book should pick this one up as soon as possible.
This is a delightful quest that expands on the world established in the previous book. Readers get to learn more about the Enchanted Forest and its magic, as well as meeting some of the colorful residents of the surrounding area. New characters Mendanbar and the magician Telemain are just as much fun as returning favorites. Readers who enjoyed the first book should pick this one up as soon as possible.
After reading the first book in this series, I was eager to start the second one, and it did not disappoint. Wrede weaves a convincing story that breaks the gender stereotypes of what a princess (and prince) should be like, and it really works. A solid installment in her Dragons series.
Continuing in the same style of a fairy tale that turns fairy tale tropes on their head, Searching for Dragons is the second book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. This sequel does exactly what I was hoping for. It takes what we already know of the Enchanted Forest and builds upon it. Only this time the story is told entirely from Mendanbar's point of view.
Dead zones have started appearing in the Enchanted Forrest and Kazul, King of the Dragons, has gone missing. Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, and Cimorene are determined to figure out what's going on.
Mendanbar is a decent protagonist. He's young and feeling a tad overwhelmed with running a kingdom so jumps at the chance to start his investigation if show more only so he can relax a little from his other kingly duties. The journey Mendanbar and Cimorene go on is rather convoluted and they meet some interesting characters along the way. I found it funny how they pointed out common sense solutions to some typical fairy tale problems, like the giant who is fed up with "Jacks" always stealing from him on a regular schedule.
"They always do the same thing - come in, ask for a meal, hide, and then run off with a harp or a bag full of money the minute I fall asleep," Dobbilan said. "And they're always named Jack. Always. We've lived in this castle for twenty years, and every three months, regular as clockwork, one of those boys shows up, and there's never been a Tom, Dick, or Harry among 'em. Just Jacks. The English have no imagination."
Their solution to his problem is quite practical. Mendenbar and Cimorene end up working well together.
While just as charming and fun as Dealing with Dragons, I found myself missing Cimorene as the main pov character. This, of course, sets a trend. I wonder whose point of view the third book will be from. show less
Dead zones have started appearing in the Enchanted Forrest and Kazul, King of the Dragons, has gone missing. Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, and Cimorene are determined to figure out what's going on.
Mendanbar is a decent protagonist. He's young and feeling a tad overwhelmed with running a kingdom so jumps at the chance to start his investigation if show more only so he can relax a little from his other kingly duties. The journey Mendanbar and Cimorene go on is rather convoluted and they meet some interesting characters along the way. I found it funny how they pointed out common sense solutions to some typical fairy tale problems, like the giant who is fed up with "Jacks" always stealing from him on a regular schedule.
"They always do the same thing - come in, ask for a meal, hide, and then run off with a harp or a bag full of money the minute I fall asleep," Dobbilan said. "And they're always named Jack. Always. We've lived in this castle for twenty years, and every three months, regular as clockwork, one of those boys shows up, and there's never been a Tom, Dick, or Harry among 'em. Just Jacks. The English have no imagination."
Their solution to his problem is quite practical. Mendenbar and Cimorene end up working well together.
While just as charming and fun as Dealing with Dragons, I found myself missing Cimorene as the main pov character. This, of course, sets a trend. I wonder whose point of view the third book will be from. show less
And now a story from the Prince’s perspective – only he’s a king, King Mandanbar, the King of the Enchanted Wood. And even though everyone thinks he needs to get married, since he’s overworked, he absolutely refuses to have anything to do with princesses. Luckily for him, Cimorene is not your ordinary princess, and when she needs some assistance rescuing the King of the Dragons, Mandanbar gets the chance to get to know her. Solid and entertaining fantasy, with no cloying sweetness or condescending manners.
Entertaining variation on the typical fantasy tale (though not as original as its predecessor), featuring a princess who does her own share of rescuing and a king who doesn't want to settle for the pomp and circumstances of royalty (or the silly princess that usually comes with it). I also appreciated the funny twists Wrede gives to other fantasy tropes in passing.
earching For Dragons delivers just as much joy and adventure as the first book in the Enchanted Forest series. It’s a quick middle grade novel with a lot of formulaic elements, but hey, if it works don’t fix it, right? This quick book was a fun listen and as with Dealing With Dragons… it made me bemoan that I somehow missed this quartet when I was younger.
While we are already familiar with Princess Cimorene from Dealing With Dragons, we now have a new principal character: King Mendenbar of the Enchanted Forest. Mendenbar is a busy man! He’s finally gotten a quick break between elf drama and yet another giant war to kick up his feet and relax for a minute. But he’s the King of the Enchanted Forest… something suspect is always show more bound to happen! In this case, something fishy is going on and it appears that the dragons are attacking the forest… or does it?
From their first encounter, Cimorene and Mendenbar have great chemistry. Not so much romantic chemistry as that they’re complimentary characters. Their banter works really well and helps keep the journeying aspect of the story light and flowing. The minor characters – new and old – are all interesting and put a little bit of the spin on traditional fairytale characters.
It’s important to remember that Searching For Dragons was released thirty years ago. It’s easy to look at some of the elements of this book and call them cliche or overdone… and important to recall that Wrede did them long before many others. I still think the whole thing is delightful, even if the ending was a bit cheesy. Still, I have every confidence that books three and four will bring just as much adventure and individual character shine as the first two did.
This is a great novel for middle grade readers. While it actually does stand alone (rare in a series!), I still recommend reading Dealing With Dragons first so you can get Cimorene’s backstory as well. I enjoyed this one, and would certainly keep it on my shelf or buy it for the younger readers in my life! show less
While we are already familiar with Princess Cimorene from Dealing With Dragons, we now have a new principal character: King Mendenbar of the Enchanted Forest. Mendenbar is a busy man! He’s finally gotten a quick break between elf drama and yet another giant war to kick up his feet and relax for a minute. But he’s the King of the Enchanted Forest… something suspect is always show more bound to happen! In this case, something fishy is going on and it appears that the dragons are attacking the forest… or does it?
From their first encounter, Cimorene and Mendenbar have great chemistry. Not so much romantic chemistry as that they’re complimentary characters. Their banter works really well and helps keep the journeying aspect of the story light and flowing. The minor characters – new and old – are all interesting and put a little bit of the spin on traditional fairytale characters.
It’s important to remember that Searching For Dragons was released thirty years ago. It’s easy to look at some of the elements of this book and call them cliche or overdone… and important to recall that Wrede did them long before many others. I still think the whole thing is delightful, even if the ending was a bit cheesy. Still, I have every confidence that books three and four will bring just as much adventure and individual character shine as the first two did.
This is a great novel for middle grade readers. While it actually does stand alone (rare in a series!), I still recommend reading Dealing With Dragons first so you can get Cimorene’s backstory as well. I enjoyed this one, and would certainly keep it on my shelf or buy it for the younger readers in my life! show less
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Author Information
42+ Works 41,491 Members
Patricia Collins Wrede is an American fantasy writer, born 1953 in Chicago, Illinois; she is the eldest of five children. She graduated from Carleton College in 1974 with a BA in Biology. She earned an MBA from University of Minnesota in 1977. She finished her first book in 1978. She is a full-time writer. She is a vegetarian and lives in show more Minneapolis, Minnesota with her three cats. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Searching for Dragons
- Original title
- Searching for Dragons
- Alternate titles
- Dragon Search
- Original publication date
- 1991
- People/Characters
- Mendanbar; Cimorene; Kazul; Morwen; Telemain; Willin (show all 14); Zemenar (Chief of the Society of Wizards); Antorell; Gypsy Jack; Dobbilan (a giant); Prince Rupert; Dizenel (wizard); Xinamon (wizard); Queen Alexandra
- Important places
- Enchanted Forest; Mountains of Morning; Flat Top Mountain; the King of the Enchanted Forest's castle; Morwen's house, the Enchanted Forest; Mendanbar's study with the carved talking gargoyle in his castle (show all 14); the Green Glass Pool, Enchanted Forest; King Kazul's cave in the Mountains of Morning; Dobbilan & Ballimore's giant castle on Flat Top Mountain; Herman's house among the pine trees, about halfway from Flat Top Mountain to the dragon Falgorn's cave; 'Gypsy' Jack's house on wheels; the Crystal Falls by the tunnel leading to the back entrance of the Cave of Stone Icicles, Enchanted Forest; the Cave of Stone Icicles, Enchanted Forest; Fire-Flower Meadow, Enchanted Forest
- Dedication
- I would like to thank the
RIGHT HONORABLE WICKED STEPMOTHERS'
TRAVELING, DRINKING, AND DEBATING SOCIETY
--Caroline, Ellen, and Mimi--
for kindly granting their permission for use of their Society in this book,... (show all) and for allowing me to inflict them with a Men's Auxiliary. - First words
- The King of the Enchanted Forest was twenty years old and lived in a rambling, scrambling, mixed-up castle somewhere near the center of his domain.
- Quotations
- 2015 ebook omnibus intro:
Like its predecessor, Dealing with Dragons, this book is one I never intended to write. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Morwen shook her head, picked up her broomstick and her paint can, and followed.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Fantasy, Fiction and Literature, Tween, Kids, Teen, Young Adult
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ8 .W92 .S — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
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- Reviews
- 62
- Rating
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- 5 — English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew
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- ISBNs
- 26
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- 8