The Saint of Dragons

by Jason Hightman

Hardcover, 2004

Status

Available

Local notes

Fic Hig

Barcode

256

Collection

Publication

Eos (2004), Edition: First Edition first Printing, 291 pages

Description

After a lonely childhood at the Lighthouse School for Boys, thirteen-year-old Simon learns that he is descended from a medieval dragonslayer, and that his father needs his help to face the last of these evil monsters.

Original language

English

Original publication date

2005-07-26

Physical description

291 p.; 6 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
In a world very much like this one where dragons have evolved to be something like humans, the only thing standing between their treachery and humanity are the dragon fighters.

Simon St George has been going to a boarding school for years and suddenly his father turns up to tell him that he has a
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destiny as a dragon fighter and that his life is about to change forever. With Saint George as an ancestor he has a lot going for him.

An interesting story that blends myth and modern society and makes the story quite interesting but in some ways it seems to be a little lacking.
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LibraryThing member SamuelW
Tolkien’s The Hobbit meets Dahl’s The Witches in this inventive take on everybody’s favourite fantasy beast: the dragon! Entire chapters spent describing their appearances and habits, combined with splashes of tongue-in-cheek humour, make The Saint of Dragons a feast for the imagination.
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Readers could spend all day soaking up the world of different dragons that Hightman has created, as descriptions are delivered with colourful conciseness and no unnecessary padding. The more vibrant the reader’s imagination, the better this book will be.

Upon picking up The Saint of Dragons, readers need to be prepared to get right into it before making any judgements. The sad truth of this book is that it starts out in a pretty ordinary fashion, but then improves in just about every aspect. Characters go from boring to rich, fight-scenes go from dry and clichéd to relentless and original, and the quality of the writing, particularly the description, improves out of sight. It is a pity that Hightman takes time to accelerate to top speed, but, all the same, not a huge drawback.

The plot of The Saint of Dragons, (which consists of several seemingly individual stories with their own climaxes, each leading on to the next,) can be a little unrealistic at times. There are moments where everything is too easy and too convenient; for example, when the St Georges find a dragon coin, the woman they have rescued just happens to be a coin collector, (and able to read the language of dragons, and work magic spells as well!) The most unrealistic of these by far, however, is the ending. After spending entire chapters struggling against singular dragons, the St Georges are somehow able to dispatch the queen of all dragons in the space of about two pages, and escape virtually unscathed from a hall filled with every dragon on earth, on their horse which appears out of nowhere at just the right moment. Unrealism aside, however, this book’s plot is an absolute delight, creating potential for some rip-roaring battles.

Highly recommended for fans of Roald Dahl fantasy; The Saint of Dragons is a unique, cheeky tale bursting with original fun. Expect the unexpected, and read with an open mind.
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LibraryThing member 2wonderY
Panned! This comes off as a very amateur effort. I'm surprised it got published by such a good house. It followed the rules of exposition from a textbook outline, but failed at so many points to pull it off successfully. The author hasn't got the hang of exposition by the story unfolding, so he had
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to stop and explain and offer background every so often. Painful to read.
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Pages

291

Rating

(37 ratings; 3.1)
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