A Natural History of Dragons (Fantasy/SF Novel)

A Childhood Passion. A Soulmate. An Expedition. Dragons. Scientific Discovery. A Mystery. Ancient Ruins. Smugglers.

Imagine being a young girl with a passion for science in an age where young girls are expected to be prim and proper, preparing to become the perfect wife. Now, imagine that passion is for studying dragons. The recently released, A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan is a memoir, told by an old woman, of how a forbidden childhood passion turned into a life-long career. Needless to say, the book is part fantasy, but it is also mixed with a good dose of mystery, some science, some adventure, and a bit of a love story.

Briefly, we meet Isabella at age seven when she is dragon-crazy, like many young girls are horse-crazy. She embalms a “sparkling,” a very small dragon, a symbolic beginning. In her early teen years, she dresses up as a boy in an effort to go on a dragon hunt. The results are almost fatal. She then goes through a grey phase where she gives up all things dragon and attempts to be the perfect daughter. Once she turns 16, her parents expect her to find a husband. Her sympathetic father hires a matchmaker, who makes a list of suitable candidates with extensive libraries that they would willingly share with their prospective wife. During a side trip with her brother to a menagerie, Isabella sees a dragon exhibit, where she meets Jacob, who happens to be on the list. He falls in love with her passion for science –well, really dragons. They marry. After a heartbreaking event, Jacob fully realizes his wife’s love of dragons. Isabella manages to convince Jacob to let her go with him on an expedition to study dragons. Something proper ladies just do not do. Once they arrive at their destination, they are confronted by mysteries. What has happened to their contact, who was supposed to meet them? Why are dragons, which normally ignore people, attacking them? Finding the answers will forever change Isabella.

I keep on using the word “beautiful” to describe A Natural History of Dragons. Yes, it has a strong female character. Yes, it has plenty of action and a well-developed mystery. Yes, it has likeable characters. But, what I experienced was a young woman with a passion, that ultimately brought her fulfillment but not without some major heartbreak. I’ve put this novel on my list of worthy award nominees for 2014.

Musings and Meditation: Reflections on Science Fiction, Science and Other Matters (Book)

Science Fiction Magazines. Cave Paintings. A Dinosaur Heart. Y2K. Golden Age. The New Wave. Writing Science Fiction. Language Translation. The End of the World. Awards. Conventions. Monomyth. Nostalgia. Great Writers. Calendars. Interesting Science. 

Musings and Meditation: Reflections on Science Fiction, Science and Other Matters by Robert Silverberg is a coffee break, bedtime read, waiting for the bus type of a book. Don’t expect to sit down and read it straight through. It consists of 75 essays that Silverberg wrote between 1995 and 2010 primarily for Asimov's Science Fiction magazine and, in a few cases, book introductions. Most of the essays are four pages long, and they are loosely grouped by topic, which helps the ole brain navigate a bit easier from essay to essay.

As I went from essay to essay, I had different reactions. Sometimes I was bored. Sometimes I was taking notes. Sometimes I wondered why the heck an essay was in a book that was aimed at Science Fiction readers. Sometimes I was practically yelling “Now this makes sense!” For example, when I was reading the Hugo winners, I confess, I just didn’t get some of the books. Now I understand that they were part of the New Wave writing movement. I found out a lot about Science Fiction magazines. One of my favorite pieces of information was that Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics actually originated with the editor John Campbell. I scribbled a whole list of books, short stories, and authors to add to my reading list. I enjoyed the information for aspiring Science Fiction writers. I felt a little thrill when I saw references to some of my favorite authors. If I knew someone who liked Science Fiction as much as I do, I would definitely buy them the book for the holidays.