Dragon Rider is a fantasy novel featuring the quest of a dragon (Firedrake), a forest brownie (Sorrel), and a little boy (Ben), and the delightful assortment of characters they meet along the way. Firedrake, Ben, and Sorrel are off to the Himalayas to find the legendary Rim of Heaven, to seek a sanctuary for the colony of silver dragons that still exist in the world. The quest is thwarted by the evil Nettlebrand, an evil man-made golden dragon with an attitude problem and an army of spies, determined to destroy all silver dragons.
After reading Cornelia Funke’s The Thief Lord, I wanted to read Dragon Rider to find out if that was a fluke or if I really liked her style.
The verdict…
Dragon Rider is a bit lighter than The Thief Lord, perhaps because of its whimsy. Even the villains have some sort of entertainment value, and the dragon lore isn’t as complicated as say, Anne McCaffrey’s or even Christopher Paolini’s.
The characters are lovable, if not well-rounded. I think Funke kept in mind that kids can’t be overburdened with too much lore The dragons are whimsical, and totally uncomplicated. They’re just nice creatures who live on moonlight and seek to co-exist peacefully and anonymously on the earth. Ben is the simple boy with a grand mission, Sorrel is the feisty sidekick, and they meet a delightful band of characters along the way.
I think I’d have to say though, that The Thief Lord’s translation (Cornelia Funke writes in German) was better. I think there was a bit (just a bit) of a disjointedness in Dragon Rider that makes me think there were some things lost in translation.
It’s really a light-hearted book, with talking animals, lovable characters, a romp around the world, and Funke’s specialty: good, old-fashioned triumph of good versus evil. Yeah, the sort that makes you think the world is a much better place. It’s really great for kids, and well, it’s also a good pick-me-up for more jaded adults.
Cornelia Funke is certainly one of the better contemporary children’s book writers around, and her works have a classical feel to it that I rarely find in other children’s books.
***
My copy: trade paperback upgraded into a hardcover, mooched from the US
My rating: 4/5 stars
One thought on “Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke”