smbdoll
Member
|
A New Take on Dragons
E. E. Knight brings a new tale of dragons, and a new perspective.
by Stormfyre
Dragons: the most overused fantasy literary figure to date. Thousands of authors have tried to incorporate these powerful creatures in a novel way. I am sorry to say that out of a supposed example pool of a thousand authors, all of them except one will fail to utilize dragons originally. The most successful authors that I can think of off the top of my head are Anne McCaffrey, Jo Walton, Christopher Rowley, Naomi Novik, and the main focus of this article, E. E. Knight.
Ahh, Wordsmith McCaffrey, the one who started the dragon-riding fad. We will never forget her telepathic, telekinetic, and time-traveling drakes of Pern. Of all the dragon writers, she is the master of incorporating them into a science fiction/fantasy hybrid which no other books have even come close to matching. Recently, she has passed the torch, pun intended, to her son Todd, who continues to weave the masterful tapestry of Pern.
And who can forget Jo Walton, whose one-hit wonder Tooth and Claw casts dragon protagonists in a Victorian drama, where dragons feed on the remains of deceased ancestors to show their respect. She was one of the first pioneers into telling a tale from the view of a dragon protagonist, and launched the writing industry in a new direction. Sadly, after her innovative novel, she did not continue down that vein, and we never heard from her Victorian dragons again.
Bazil Broketail, warrior dragon, is a completely new angle on these powerful creatures. In the series, now ended, Christopher Rowley spun a plot of sword-bearing, wingless drakes fighting alongside humans, and set the stage for military dragon-fighting that would become an inspiration for writers to come.
Indeed, it seems as if the military-dragon angle rubbed off on Naomi Novik when she crafted the Temeraire series. Relatively new onto the writing scene, Novik's series combines both McCaffrey's and Rowley's styles and ideas, giving her dragons wings and (sometimes) fire, but maintaining their military appearance and ability as they fight each other in aerial combat during the age of Napoleon.
But the author I am talking about tonight, the one for whom I have the utmost respect, is E. E. Knight. McCaffrey, Rowley, and Novik are great authors, but they failed to focus satisfactorily on the dragons' point of view. Most of their novels focus as much, if not more, on the relationships between the humans than those between the dragons, casting the dragons as side characters in their tales. Jo Walton, although she attempted to use dragons as the main characters by casting her story fully with dragons, removed the dramatic effect that the inclusion of other races would have created. By making her dragons overly human, she effectively writes a Jane Austin story with human-like dragons. E. E. Knight, on the other hand, is able to both cast dragons as his main character and maintain the interaction with the other races of the world, such as dwarves, elves, and humans.
The Age of Fire is an ongoing saga chronicling the lives of three dragon hatchlings as they grow into adulthood. Having seen their parents slaughtered, the hatchlings must learn to survive in a world where their kind has been hunted almost to extinction. Each of the three books chronicles the journey of one of the three dragons as they struggle to grow strong. The (so far) trilogy, soon to become a quadrilogy, is not written linearly. Rather, the first three books follow the growth of each hatchling in approximately the same timeframes, although each additional story seems to further the timeline a little more than the last. Although the paths of the three hatchlings do not cross once they are forced to separate, the consequences of their actions often appear in subsequent novels. Although I do appreciate Knight's reminders that the other dragons are still existing as I read each book, I sometimes find it frustrating that he often does not fully develop the passages where the other dragons are mentioned, leaving an incomplete and unsatisfying taste in my mind.
However, I do praise Knight's brilliant use of perspective, which reveals much about each dragon as the story progress. The Copper hatchling’s story is the last to be told, and in the first two novels Knight portrays the Copper as a conniving, thieving villain who causes the death of his parents. Yet the third book fully explains the temptations and motives behind the Copper's actions, portraying them as what the Copper thought was a clever plan that quickly spiraled out of control. It is revealed in the third novel that the Copper did not intend for the death of his parents, and thus we can partially forgive the naive innocence of a young mind, even pitying the suffering that the Copper experiences. Betrayed again and again and plagued by guilt, the young Copper, nameless, grows bitter towards the world around him. Intimidated and miserable, the Copper strives to survive in a world that seems to reject him over and over. Many of us can relate to his cynicism, and that is what makes him such a powerful character.
The other dragons, however, are equally powerful characters, and the first and second books chronicle the lives of Auron and Wistala, a scaleless Grey male and a Green female. One is driven by justice, the other revenge. Knight's storytelling ability is powerful enough that we can relate to each one, feeling the sense of courage that imbues Auron's heart(s), sympathizing with the anger that Wistala feels against those who butchered her parents and sister.
Perhaps Knight's most powerful tool is his realism. Other views have called The Age of Fire a "bloody, unsentimental fairy tale." And indeed, that's what it is. The violence that occurs throughout the books is a constant reminder of the reality in which the dragons are growing up. Instead of appearing grotesque and sadistic, the gore and pain actually enrich Knight's unforgiving world, lending vibrant color to what would otherwise appear as a sappy happily-ever-after children's story.
Through these three books, Knight has woven a vivid tapestry of life from three dragons' perspectives, and I believe will continue to do so in the fourth book. He is the first author I've seen who has successfully told a tale from the viewpoint of dragons while still including the races that inhabit their world. I eagerly await the fourth installment of his brilliant saga.
***
Okay, so rewind a bit. It's been almost a year since I wrote this article. Dragon Strike has come and gone, and I eagerly pounced on it, expecting more of the masterful storytelling that Knight brought me in his first three books. I was to be sorely disappointed.
Apparently, it would seem that Knight is brilliant at introducing a new world and universe, but fails to deliver at his story's conclusion. Which is not to say that it's necessarily a BAD thing, but rather that he had built up so much expectation for his fourth book that whatever he put out simply did not convey the necessary satisfaction I was desperately needing when the last installment came out.
Now, I will admit that I am a very harsh critic the further into a series I go. Granted, Dragon Strike might not be as bad a book as I make it out to be. However, I will give you my (brutally) honest opinion on the last book.
So, the series begins with the separation of the three hatchlings, each of the first three novels following their lives. The fourth, as expected, contains the reunion of the three and the challenges they face thereafter. You'd think that after what the Copper did, Auron and Wistala would like to have his guts for dinner. I'll leave you to find out for yourself what happens if you decide to read it, but it's enough to say that I felt Knight sort of weaseled his way out of killing off any of them simply because the structure of his entire fourth book depended on them all making it out alive in one fashion or another.
The content of the fourth book felt like it should have been split into at least two books. While reading it, I felt that Knight had rushed through most of the details regarding a world that should have been lovingly developed in all its glorious beauty. He had enticed us with this wonderful view of a tapestry that held so much potential, only to quickly breeze through it in the fourth book, leaving split ends and tattered edges wherever I looked.
The ending left me with a strange feeling in my gut, as it was a little nonsensical and didn't really tie in with what the other three books were about. Perhaps this is linked with my dissatisfaction at his lack of background development. I felt there could have been chapters and chapters interwoven through his book about the new dragon society that the Copper cultivated, but the amount of description Knight did of that could be summed up in about a page.
The ending left me with a sick feeling in my gut, as it was a little nonsensical and didn't really tie in with what the other three books were about. Perhaps this is linked with my dissatisfaction at his lack of background development. I felt there could have been chapters and chapters interwoven through his book about the new dragon society that the Copper cultivated, but the amount of description Knight did of that could be summed up in about a page.
All in all, after I finished the fourth Age of Fire book, I thought to myself, "Wow...Knight must have REALLY wanted to just get this over with." Rumors are there may be further sequels. I have no idea how he's going to pull that off, as the end of the fourth book seemed like a pretty adamant conclusion. Besides, I haven't a clue how he's going to salvage the butchering of the world in which the Copper, Auron, and Wistala live.
< Message edited by Eukara -- 4/7/2009 11:56:11 >
|
Printable Version
Icon Legend
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread
