“The odds are fifty-fifty,” says the blond anecdote about her chance of meeting a dinosaur in the street. Those who read the book by American author Tui Sutherland will perfectly learn the habits of even rarer animals – dragons and, if necessary, find a common language with them. But what is the point of the book “Dragon Saga”? Is it just to entertain readers?
What does the book “The Dragon Saga” tell us about?
As is useful for a work with the title “The Saga”, this is not one, albeit very voluminous book, but a whole book series. The Dragon Saga is set in a fantasy world with three moons, subtly reminiscent of our Earth, which the human race never took possession of. The land of Pirria and its environs is inhabited by another ambitious and restless race, the dragons, while the humans and higher animals that emerge as the story progresses remain in the shadow of the narrative. Like humans, intelligent dragons create states, weave intrigues, wage wars, and fall in love. Like the dragons of Chinese mythology, the dragons of Tui Sutherland’s world embody the forces of the elements and at the same time wield magic that can reshape continents, avert the eyes of the enemy and mislead even your closest friends and associates.
The point of the book “The Dragon Saga.”
“If you take a classic coming-of-age novel, mix it with the books of Dumas and Druon and season it with a good dose of magic and the ability to create unprecedented worlds, you get “The Dragon Saga,” say fans of this impressive “series,” which is read with pleasure by both teenagers and adults who have not completely parted with childhood. Most often the name “Dragon Saga” refers to the opening five-volume series “The Prophecy of the Dragonborn,” which not only initiates an inquisitive reader into the history and geography of Pirria and other fictional continents, but also tells of the maturation of five young dragons belonging to different races, who swore to stop the cruel war between the warring dragon tribes. Together with the young characters, the reader learns to understand who is an enemy and who is a friend, to believe in themselves and in their powers and to find their way in a colorful and full of dangers world, which resembles our Earth in the era of myths and legends and at the same time strikingly different from it.
Analysis of the book “The Dragon Saga “
Both readers and those who have managed to wade through the entire gigantic book series have referred to The Dragon Saga as “Machiavelli for the young.” Indeed, these books educate observation, memorability and resourcefulness and give an excellent lesson in the art of intrigue, helping to survive though in the restless Italy of the Renaissance, though in the world of dragons torn by thousands of years of enmity. At the same time the cunning combinations woven by the heroes of “The Dragon Saga”, ready to use not only force for victory, but also pretense and sometimes outright forgery and deception, are dedicated, as in the major works of the famous Italian diplomat, to the great goal – to stop the war not to life but to death and joining forces with all the dragons for the healing of the wounds inflicted by their enmity to the world. Especially since from time to time winged “Romeo and Juliet” are born among dragons, capable of faithfully and ardently loving each other, despite the laws hostile to the lovers and curses from the closest of kin.
Also, “Dragon Saga” gives a lesson in entertaining biology and entertaining science in general, willy-nilly making you wonder how possible in reality created by the writer’s inexhaustible imagination world. Are there seasons on a planet with three moons, what will be its climate and fauna? From what ancestors came the magical dragons, and how do they get along with the relatively few humans, nicknamed “thieves” by the arrogant lords of Pirria? Will dragons eventually show the same abilities and ambitions as people, won’t they want to reject usual magic for the sake of science and rational thinking, and will they create a civilization in the usual sense of the word, capable to embrace the thought of the entire visible and invisible world and enter the vastness of Space? One can speculate on this fascinating subject endlessly. It is not for nothing that Touya Sutherland prints book after book and has even published several coloring books for children who want to color the world of dragons with their own imagination. In addition, a series of graphic novels not yet translated in Russia are dedicated to the world of Pyrria.
The story of the creation of the book “The Dragon Saga”
The writer herself, who began her career as an author of novellizations of famous movies and an editor in a book publishing house, says that since childhood she liked to continue her favorite stories. The world of fabulous dragons fascinated her with its unpredictability, and the dragons themselves – the impulsiveness, rapid change of moods and at the same time the ability to create, not inferior to people. It was on the basis of the hundreds of books read by Touya Sutherland was born the idea of “The Dragon Saga”, which reminds sophisticated readers a colorful kaleidoscope of the already read their works. And yet in the patterns of this dynamic world can be looked into endlessly, the more so because the writer has devoted almost ten years of work on the “Dragon Saga” and is not going to stop. And fans of the book series give her no peace, time and again reminding: “Write more about dragons!
The Dragon Saga” book title
So, the meaning of the name of the fantasy “series,” which has already surpassed “Lord of the Rings,” “Harry Potter” and “The Witcher” combined, allows for no ambiguous interpretation. It is a fascinating multi-volume, not inferior in brutality of conflict and branching intrigue of the Scandinavian sagas and modern examples of epic fantasy. And at the same time the main characters of the narrative – dragons, and people loom on the sidelines of the world of dragons, causing the latter a minimum of interest. Of course, not counting the situation when people busy with their own survival steal their goods from the giant intelligent lizards.
The Problematics of The Dragon Saga
Like the elements from which they are born, dragons are as fiery as flame, as changeable as water, and sometimes as cold as ice. And yet the questions that trouble intelligent lizards are the same ones that trouble humans, who have to determine their behavior in unpredictable and dangerous circumstances. Should one trust the voice of intuition, revealing secret thoughts to a new friend, or is it better to hide them for fear of a possible trap? What is more important – to assert their own self, or to direct the ambitions and talents to help others? And how to stand up for what is right, if your relatives and friends have a different opinion and see you as an incorrigible crank, if not a dangerous madman?
What does “The Dragon Saga” teach you?
So, this multi-volume series not only entertains the reader, but also gives him a lesson in the struggle for life, and at the same time the ability to find loyal friends and defeat the cunning intrigues of enemies, including foes who lurk under harmless and even friendly disguises. This book also teaches you to measure yourself against objective circumstances and to be able to control yourself, even if you are torn by fiery feelings and thoughts that are about to burst forth like magical dragon flames.
Explanation of the ending of “The Dragon Saga”
There is no definite ending to this ongoing series-the ending remains open. If we consider the ending of the five-volume Prophecies of the Lost Lands, it seems that a dragon belonging to the Silkworm tribe with a distinctly Chinese name Xin and his tribesmen will be forced to enlist the help of dragons from other continents to defeat the cruel tyrant Queen Wasp and heal the ravaged world disfigured by her warriors and servants.
