What do you think?
Rate this book
Dragonfield and Other Stories
Stories deal with dragons, kings, outlaws, dream weavers, an alien poet, a frustrated musician, a water spirit, mermaids, demons, and an enchanted dove
241 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
24 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Jane Yolen
971 books3,233 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 10, 2018
The best part about Jane Yolen is that she wrote about 70 other books or collections so there is a lot more to enjoy!
December 31, 2014
A lovely, if a little depressing collection of fairy tales.
Some based on old tales others of her own creation but all well written and capturing the attention.
Yolen doesn't seem to need the happy ending that such tales usually have but they are fun and the little poems interspacing them interesting.
Some based on old tales others of her own creation but all well written and capturing the attention.
Yolen doesn't seem to need the happy ending that such tales usually have but they are fun and the little poems interspacing them interesting.
June 11, 2020
I found this book to be enchanting and nostalgic. I really adore Yolen’s whimsical and evocative writing style, and found the stories sad, touching, and beautiful. Some of the story themes and motifs did get repetitive, and a few felt unfinished. But so many were mesmerizing. I am very glad to have stumbled across this book.
September 15, 2020
In 1986, I joined the Navy. On my first and only duty station, a friend loaned me a copy of "Dragonfield."
An avid reader of fairy tales, for many years, I was impressed by Ms. Yolen's ability to tell new fairy tales, as moving and intriguing as the collected works of the Grimm brothers.
The title story, with its clever young protagonists, stood out as exceptionally good.
An avid reader of fairy tales, for many years, I was impressed by Ms. Yolen's ability to tell new fairy tales, as moving and intriguing as the collected works of the Grimm brothers.
The title story, with its clever young protagonists, stood out as exceptionally good.
October 6, 2019
Fine fairy tales
As only Jane Yolen can spin, entertaining, intriguing and imaginative. A truly unique and delightful read. Loved every single one.
As only Jane Yolen can spin, entertaining, intriguing and imaginative. A truly unique and delightful read. Loved every single one.
June 6, 2020
I think I kept this one just because Jane Yolen is such a good author. Short stories aren’t my favorite usually.
January 4, 2025
Jane Yolen excels at short stories
August 8, 2017
I’m going to be honest here. As much as I love fantasy, I’m not overly familiar with many fantasy authors, especially the ones whose books I find in mass market paperback at my local used bookstore for three dollars. I had never heard of Jane Yolen in my life which, actually, was a bit of a shame. I rather enjoyed this book. I was first lured in by the title Dragonfield because, well, I adore dragons. If I see the word “dragon” in a book title and it doesn’t sound like the book is about killing dragons (trust me, there’s a whole story to that stipulation), there’s a very good chance that I’m going to read it.
And that’s why I read this one. That being said, there… weren’t actually that many dragons? I one-hundred percent understand using the title of one smaller work within the book as the header for the entire collection; I do the same thing with my own poetry collections. I had been lured in with the promise of dragons and, while the “Dragonfield” story was really good, I expected more. However, the fact that this book is a short story collection means that it’s almost impossible to not enjoy in some capacity.
Even if I was slightly let down by a lack of dragons, the rest of the book more than made up for it. As it turns out, Yolen has a wonderful way with words that I didn’t quite expect. I was really impressed by her storytelling. The writing style, coupled with the length of each story, made it easy to blow through anywhere from five to ten in one sitting, so I had a lot of fun reading this one. The writing style especially hooked me. I got this incredible fairy tale feeling every single time I opened the book to read, which I did as often as I could manage. My favorite story out of the book was “Dream Weaver.”
The only reason it didn’t get higher than three stars is that I couldn’t help but feel let down. It’s my own problem that I had expected more dragons, but with a name like Dragonfield, it was hard to not expect more. Other than that, I absolutely recommend this book if you’re looking for something fun and easy to read without having to commit to one single story.
And that’s why I read this one. That being said, there… weren’t actually that many dragons? I one-hundred percent understand using the title of one smaller work within the book as the header for the entire collection; I do the same thing with my own poetry collections. I had been lured in with the promise of dragons and, while the “Dragonfield” story was really good, I expected more. However, the fact that this book is a short story collection means that it’s almost impossible to not enjoy in some capacity.
Even if I was slightly let down by a lack of dragons, the rest of the book more than made up for it. As it turns out, Yolen has a wonderful way with words that I didn’t quite expect. I was really impressed by her storytelling. The writing style, coupled with the length of each story, made it easy to blow through anywhere from five to ten in one sitting, so I had a lot of fun reading this one. The writing style especially hooked me. I got this incredible fairy tale feeling every single time I opened the book to read, which I did as often as I could manage. My favorite story out of the book was “Dream Weaver.”
The only reason it didn’t get higher than three stars is that I couldn’t help but feel let down. It’s my own problem that I had expected more dragons, but with a name like Dragonfield, it was hard to not expect more. Other than that, I absolutely recommend this book if you’re looking for something fun and easy to read without having to commit to one single story.
August 9, 2016
Before jumping into this book I had a wonderful encounter with its author, Jane Yolen, at the Blind Poet in Edinburgh. I'd resolved myself to not buying a book that night and was holding strong until Yolen stepped up to read from this collection. I was mesmerized and, of course, had to buy a book!
Dragonfield, my friends, did not disappoint. Yolen's stories are simultaneously poetic, parodic, quirky, fantastic, and realistic. The collection both recalls well known fairy and folk tales and forms them anew. Simply, and most importantly, Dragonfield and Other Stories gave me great joy as a lover of fantasy and of storytelling.
While it's difficult to pick a top story, I did have some favorites ... I loved the main character and voice in "The Thirteenth Fey" and just flew through "Dream Weaver" even though it is about the longest tale in the book. And "The Corridors of the Sea" was wonderful in its difference but still connectedness with the rest.
Happy I made this discovery (or joyful, at least, that it came to me!) whilst in Scotland and excited to read more from Jane Yolen!
Dragonfield, my friends, did not disappoint. Yolen's stories are simultaneously poetic, parodic, quirky, fantastic, and realistic. The collection both recalls well known fairy and folk tales and forms them anew. Simply, and most importantly, Dragonfield and Other Stories gave me great joy as a lover of fantasy and of storytelling.
While it's difficult to pick a top story, I did have some favorites ... I loved the main character and voice in "The Thirteenth Fey" and just flew through "Dream Weaver" even though it is about the longest tale in the book. And "The Corridors of the Sea" was wonderful in its difference but still connectedness with the rest.
Happy I made this discovery (or joyful, at least, that it came to me!) whilst in Scotland and excited to read more from Jane Yolen!
August 12, 2016
A collection of stories about dragons other fairy tale characters. Written by the fabulously-prolific and imaginative Jane Yolen. While some of the characters and situations will be familiar to fans of traditional fairy tales, Jane Yolen always has a fresh, original twist that makes readers sit up and take notice.
October 17, 2014
Jane Yolen is a grande dame of fantasy, and if you read in the genre you probably already know whether you like her stuff. I do, very much, so I found this short fiction collection utterly delightful. This is the stuff of traditional fantasy--selkies and king's sons and river-maidens and, yes, dragons--rendered by a master of the genre who is still writing at the top of her game.
November 14, 2015
One of my favorite books that I return to read even after years pass by. I first read this 20 years ago, and I still find myself lost in the fairytales and stories. It is a collection of short stories and poems, primarily based in fantasy and sci-fi.
August 1, 2015
Wonderful, magical, elegant
January 25, 2016
If you are familiar with fairy tales, mythology and legends, these short stories build upon those old tales and will not disappoint a reader. They are bittersweet, sad, hopeful and very human.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews