Public reader discussion about The last dragon in the WeRead Catalog by Dan Totheroh.
By marginglimmer
Does anyone know if the rest of her last dragon series has been translated into English (or already published in English)? I just learned about the other books and I’m honestly really bummed that I can’t read them.
By WanderingOwl2003
I read these about a year ago, but I remember feeling like the vibe changed a lot from one book to the next. Like the first one was this suburban-ish fantasy where the clay dragons are actually alive. The second one went heavier into the fantasy side—more lore, and it turns out the family from the first book has dragon blood or something like that. After that I can’t even remember which one(s) it happens in, but things kinda spiral. There’s this big reveal that dragons are related to thought creatures, which somehow connect back to the whole “pure consciousness” thing that made the universe. Then it turns into this looming apocalypse style war between “evil” thought beings and “good” thought beings. Meanwhile the main guy has kind of ascended into a thought being walking around in human form, and his girlfriend is left raising their kid as a single mom because he’s off doing thought-being stuff. And yeah, there are polar bears and squirrels involved too, which… I don’t know, it just added to how chaotic it felt. I think I stopped around the middle of the fifth book. I tried to push through, but it was genuinely hard to keep track of everything happening at once. I’ve never actually tripped, but it felt like that kind of “what is going on” overload. Has anyone else read the series? Did you like it, or did it just come off pretentious and I’m the one who took it too seriously?
By cardWolf
Every time I bring up Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series (seriously, one of my favorites), it feels like nobody I know has even heard of it. I’m kinda curious—what book/series do you wish more people knew about so you could actually talk about it with someone?
By Crimson_Goose
I thought the movie was pretty good. The visuals are honestly gorgeous, and the story felt fun and interesting too, especially with the Southeast Asian culture stuff. I was also glad it was a new Disney animated movie and not another remake or sequel. That said, I’ve seen a few people complain that it feels kinda rushed, and that Sisu (the dragon) looks a bit like Elsa from Frozen. I’ve also come across some controversy about most of the cast not being Southeast Asian in origin. To be fair, maybe it’s not Disney’s top-tier animated film, but it’s still enjoyable overall. If you’ve watched it, did you end up liking it? Edit: Also, the little con baby is super cute. She might be the most adorable Disney sidekick I’ve seen.
By draft_ribbon
I just finished *Rage of Dragons*, and yeah, it’s a really good read, but the dragons show up way less than I expected. I’m basically trying to find books where dragons are a major part of the story—more frequent, and actually interesting characters, not just background stuff. A few I’ve enjoyed are: *The Year of Rogue Dragons*, *Eragon*, *Merlin’s Dragon*, *The Last Elf*, *Temeraire*, *Fourth Wing*, and *Dragonlance* (the original series + *The Lost Chronicles*). I shared this looking for recommendations somewhere else and only got one reply, so I’m hoping to get more traction here.
By hiddenDeer60
I honestly can’t even remember how many dragon rider books I’ve already gone through. But now I’m craving something a bit different—dragons that feel like an actual force of nature, not pets or basically fancy horses. Like, they can be mean/villain-y, or they can be cool and friendly, or even just neutral. I don’t mind. The ones I’ve read that kinda match that vibe: - The Bloodsworn Saga - The Dagger and the Coin - The Memoirs of Lady Trent Edit: Thanks for all the replies! A bunch of these look perfect, and I added most to my TBR. I’m probably gonna start with Seraphina or Tooth and Claw, then grab something darker after that. Thanks again
By cipherSail937
Because the series order isn’t listed with numbers, I’m kinda just going off the titles: The Fire Within; Icefire; Fire Star; The Fire Eternal; Dark Fire; Fire World; The Fire Ascending. I mainly wanna talk about the Last Dragon Chronicles though—those books shot right up to be my all-time favorite, and I honestly look forward to every new one. I’ve only read up through The Fire Eternal so far. They’re a fun ride for pretty much any age. No matter where you are in the story, it still keeps you hooked as the series goes on (from kid-reading it to adult-you still being into it). There’s a really engaging storyline and this super detailed world, plus a theme that makes you feel like you’re constantly discovering stuff. That kind of thing doesn’t happen in a lot of novels. And every time I reread, I feel like I notice something I didn’t catch before, and the whole worldbuilding just clicks more and more. Chris D’Lacey is seriously good with words—he’s one of the reasons I keep trying to write stuff that feels even a little like what he does.
By annotationDuck6
Can anyone suggest books where dragons are actually a big part of the story? Not just them being some random “big bad” in the background—like, dragons as main characters or at least really important side characters. Also, side note: I loved The Inheritance Cycle when I was younger, and I think I’ve been trying to find that same kind of vibe ever since. If anyone has recommendations, I’d really appreciate it.
By AcarusBrisk
I grew up on Spyro the Dragon, and it was such a fun little 3D platformer with goofy jokes and really cool worlds. After that, I was basically set for life with dragons. I don’t know why, but they’ve never really let me down. I got hooked on Harry Potter and all the dragon stuff, then Dragon Age did its thing, and Eragon—maybe I read that partly because it felt like something a girl I had a crush on would like, but either way it made dragons seem so amazing. Then around the start of high school, I kinda fell off the fantasy train and switched to Star Wars books. They’re okay, but no dragons, and I felt *deprived* for a while. I’m back now though, and I’m seeing all these takes about dragons being “played out.” People are like, “when will fantasy move past dragons?” and “they should be replaced,” and then there’s always that comparison to Mushu from Mulan, like dragons should just give up. Some of that is definitely made up, but the general vibe is: “too many dragons.” Meanwhile I’m over here like… no? Give me more fire-breathing winged lizards and I’m good forever. Throw in a lightsaber and I’m basically unstoppable. Anyway, I’ll list what I’ve read since Harry Potter and Eragon that actually had dragons: - Wizard’s First Rule, by Terry Goodkind. That’s it. So yeah—my question is, you guys keep saying dragons are everywhere and tired, but you also made it sound like the genre could be way bigger than that. If you’ve got recommendations, I want books with dragons. Not just goofy ones either—I'm expecting the good stuff. If you’re still reading and you can survive long posts, I’d love to hear which books have the best dragons and what they’re like. Thanks :)