Calling on Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book Three

by Patricia C. Wrede

Paperback, 2003

Call number

JF WRE

Publication

Sandpiper (2003), Edition: 1, 272 pages

Description

Queen Cimorene turns to her friends Morwen, Telemain, and Kazul for help when troublesome wizards make their way back into the Enchanted Forest and begin to soak up its magic.

User reviews

LibraryThing member atimco
Calling on Dragons is the third book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and this time King Mendenbar's magic sword has been stolen. But in order to protect the Enchanted Forest, Mendenbar must stay behind while Queen Cimorene sets out with their friends to retrieve the sword. The only thing is,
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she's pregnant.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the bad guys are just lame. Once more the wizards are hatching their nefariously inept plots, and once more they are melted only to reappear later. *sigh* I've seen this somewhere before — oh yes, in the first two books.

The one thing I liked about this one was how it doesn't end all happily ever after. It clearly sets up for the next book, but things don't work out so neatly this time and there's a price to pay. Love is costly. This one plot point rings true amidst a clangor of jokes and sarcasm.

The fun that is poked at fairy tales is amusing at times ("Mirror, mirror on the wall / I would like to make a call"), but ultimately this is another forgettable installment in a highly overrated series.
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LibraryThing member Narilka
A ha! I had been wondering whose point of view we'd be treated to next. Calling on Dragons, the third book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, is told from Morwen's point of view. The wizards are at it again, threatening the Enchanted Forest with their latest devious scheme. It's up to Morwen,
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Cimorene, a couple cats and Kazhul to figure out what's going on and find a way to stop them.

I like how each book is from a different point of view. Morwen and her cats are a great pick. You just knew in the first two books the cats were saying things and now we finally get to understand. It was worth the wait. The cats tend to steal the scenes they are in with their fun banter. Morwen is practical and efficient. I enjoyed her point of view and learning a little more about magic in this world.

Then there's Killer, the enchanted rabbit found eating in Morwen's garden at the beginning of the story. Good lord he's annoying! There was also less of the fairy tale aspect to the book, which was a shame. Even with less twisted fairy tales involved, I love Wrede's take on Rapunzel.

Between my two complaints, this entry didn't captivate me as much as the first two. It also ends unresolved. Still the story remains a nice, light read. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends.
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LibraryThing member sisterbooks
This book shows Wrede at her finest. I love the shift in POV during the whole series. A clearly fantastic book.
LibraryThing member kpickett
Mendenbar and Cimorene must save the day again. The wizards have stolen Mendenbar's sword and are slowly sucking all the life out of the Enchanted Forest. A pregnant Cimorene leaves her husband at home to rescue the Forest with the help of some old, Telemain and Morwen, and new friends, a rabbit
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turned blue flying donkey.
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LibraryThing member thc_luver6
Excellent! This series is really good! It has a bit of comedy, romance, adventure...not just girls will like this series.
LibraryThing member Wombat
This is the third book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

Once again the wizards are up to no good. This time King Mendenbar's magic sword has disappeared. A familiar cast of characters set off to retrieve it.

This story is told from the perspective of the witch, Morwen. Her interactions with her
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(many) cats are amusing. They can all talk to her (and each other) and have a range of amusing personalities. Ultimately, however, this book left me flat. We know these characters pretty well at this point, and we've seen their various personality quirks play off each other many times in the previous books. The quest includes some interesting adventures, but ultimately the book feels like variations on a well-worn theme.

My daughter (age 8 when she first read it) loved it.
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LibraryThing member incognito
Yet more fun, anachronistic fantasy! Third in a series, this one's definitely quirky, and I enjoyed the point of view character here immensely. The fire witch had me cackling, as well as all the magical mishaps. Only thorn in my side? The recurring 'bad guys.' They're so silly as to be entirely
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unthreatening, and haven't really been interesting since midway through the second book. I kept thinking, if they're this easy to thwart (and man, are they easy to thwart), how are they even still around? Despite that, still an entertaining read.
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LibraryThing member GoofyOcean110
Great series! So much fun!
LibraryThing member cecily2
I liked the book. But, although I didn't notice this when I first read the book, I don't think it is as well-done as the second book in the series (which, in turn, didn't seem quite as good as the first book).

Also, the cats were annoying; I don't know how Morwen puts up with them.
LibraryThing member simchaboston
A quick and pleasant read, though this seems to have more characters than the plot really needs (maybe there is a good reason witches aren't supposed to have more than one cat), and the rabbit was needlessly whiny and annoying. I did enjoy Wrede's humorous takes on Farmer McDonald, who grows magic
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crops, and Rapunzel (who was really Rachel and let down her chair instead of hair), and wish she would devote at least a short story to expanding on those.
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LibraryThing member Kernst
I gave this book 5 stars because it was the first Fantasy book I read and introduced me to the wonderful genre.
LibraryThing member renrav
Re-read of an old favorite. This continues the adventures of Cimorene and while I still love the series this is probably the weakest of the four. It sets up the last book but that's about it.
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
Not my favorite of the series, but still a charming and enjoyable story.
LibraryThing member anyaejo
This was light and fun and just what I needed! It plays with tropes SO well meaning young readers might not fall into them and older readers can enjoy a change of pace. It wasn't quite as funny as the first book to me but I still enjoyed Morwen's perspective!
LibraryThing member jguidry
Another humorous episode in the Enchanted Forest series. The humorous dialog and twists on classic fairy tale characters were all present. The highlight of this episode though is Killer--a rabbit magically transformed repeatedly due to his insatiable appetite. The narrator that brought his voice to
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life for readers did an excellent job. My main complaint about this episode was that Wrede seemed to leave the storyline unfinished. I know she was leaving an opening for the next book, but this one didn't wrap up the same way her previous books did. However, that just means I'll have to get my hands on the next book that much sooner.
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LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
I've done reading the whole series, so will copy these comments to 3rd and 4th book, too.

Love the humor. Love the breezy adventure and endearing characters. Each book focuses on different folks, but the sequence events counts, and I do not recommend trying to read them as stand-alones. The ending
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of #2 is a bit worrisome, and the ending of #3 is a cliff-hanger, and #4 does have some intensity not necessarily suitable for the youngest readers. On the whole, they're clean and fun, I'd say fine for ages 9 up but if your younger child wants to read them you should also.

Um, they're also not really memorable - they're probably best suited for people who like to reread books because there's a lot going on, but nothing heavy enough to make an impact on the reader's worldview. I know it's partly my fault because I read them so fast - but then, they were fast reads, and I couldn't help it.
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LibraryThing member BefuddledPanda
Not as good as the first two but still enjoyable. it's to be interesting reading the fourth one given how this one ended.
LibraryThing member foggidawn
The wizards are up to no good again, and this time it starts with a seven-foot-tall rabbit named Killer who ran afoul of the residual effects of a spell. The wizards have stolen Mendanbar’s sword, and Cimorene, Morwen, Kazul, and Telemain set out on a quest to recover it — along with a couple
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of Morwen’s cats and Killer, who seems to have an absolute genius for getting into magical mishaps.

There’s so much to love here. The interactions between characters are fantastic, the humor is delightful, and the plot moves briskly on through various twists and turns. This is my favorite book of the series, even though it does end in a whopping big cliffhanger. Read it, but have the sequel at hand.
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LibraryThing member dandelionroots
I don't think I've ever been embarrassed by a book's cover before... Still cringing about the rabbit/donkey character, although he was not the only cringe-worthy part of this tale. To be fair, this is not really my type of smut and I should probably stick to my dark & twisty lane. I'd already
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decided not to continue the series THEN got teased with a time loop in the next/final installment. Damn it, but I'm a sucker for time distortion.
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LibraryThing member mutantpudding
Bringing this down to 4 stars because while I still find these books highly enjoyable I wouldnt call them 5 stars anymore (at least for me).
LibraryThing member zjakkelien
Admittedly, this book had the same things going for it as its predecessors. Nice, capable heroine, lovely world, humor. I had a difficult time focusing on it, though (which might have been me), and I was rather annoyed at the talking rabbit. The cats, I liked. They were nice, and had interesting
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personalities. The rabbit was just plain stupid, and that didn't change after it started talking. He reminded me of Jar Jar Binks. Still, not a bad book, and the fourth one seemed promising again, so I'm definitely finishing the series.
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LibraryThing member FieryNight
Ought to become classics in children's fantasy, alongside Power of Three. Awesome books--young or old, though I count them as children's because they contain no adult content. Great stories though, filled with vibrant characters, and a new take on magic.
LibraryThing member jennybeast
I probably would have enjoyed this MUCH more as a paper book. The full cast audio version just really didn't do it for me -- between the annoying character voices and the stunted plot, it left me feeling restless and irritated. I kept thinking, ok, I know they said this is why they are doing x...,
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but why are they doing that? Ugh, Telemaine is speaking again. Really? Nine cats and they all need separate actors? And I hate the ending. I've never much cared for books that don't resolve within their own boundaries -- even series books, which I like, need to resolve the immediate action or adventure within the book or I get really cranky. Liked the first 2 books. May try to read the 4th.
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Awards

Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Children's Literature — 1994)
Minnesota Book Awards (Finalist — 1994)

Pages

272

ISBN

0152046925 / 9780152046927
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