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The Dragon Done It
MIXING SLEUTHING AND SORCERY CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. . .
Pity the poor plainclothes cop or private eye who has to solve a case which may involve not only femme fatales (who may not be quite human) but also death by black magic, evidence that may have been altered or planted by an itinerant sorcerer, and supernatural entities ranging from ghosts to vampires to dragons. Even when the detective is a master of sorcery himself, the dragon may have an unbreakable alibi.
Best-selling authors Eric Flint and Mike Resnick present a generous selection of stories from the intersection of mystery and magic by popular writers Neil Gaiman, Gene Wolfe, David Drake, Harry Turtledove, Esther M. Friesner, and more, including brand-new novelettes by Flint and Resnick themselves. The Dragon Done It is an exciting cross-genre volume that both mystery fans and fantasy fans will enjoy.
And so will dragons. . . .
Pity the poor plainclothes cop or private eye who has to solve a case which may involve not only femme fatales (who may not be quite human) but also death by black magic, evidence that may have been altered or planted by an itinerant sorcerer, and supernatural entities ranging from ghosts to vampires to dragons. Even when the detective is a master of sorcery himself, the dragon may have an unbreakable alibi.
Best-selling authors Eric Flint and Mike Resnick present a generous selection of stories from the intersection of mystery and magic by popular writers Neil Gaiman, Gene Wolfe, David Drake, Harry Turtledove, Esther M. Friesner, and more, including brand-new novelettes by Flint and Resnick themselves. The Dragon Done It is an exciting cross-genre volume that both mystery fans and fantasy fans will enjoy.
And so will dragons. . . .
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
About the author
Eric Flint
250 books873 followersEric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 16, 2013
A fun read--like a doughnut. Sweet and enjoyable while it's in your mouth, but not much substance and (maybe) bad for your health.
An anthology of mysteries and who-done-its with a fantasy/science fiction/fairy tale twist or connection. Several were "aftermath" or "behind the scenes" takes on other, well-known stories, two involving Sherlock Holmes and various nursery rhyme/fairy tale characters.
An uneven collection, the bane of anthologies. I especially enjoyed "The Skinflint's Specters."
An anthology of mysteries and who-done-its with a fantasy/science fiction/fairy tale twist or connection. Several were "aftermath" or "behind the scenes" takes on other, well-known stories, two involving Sherlock Holmes and various nursery rhyme/fairy tale characters.
An uneven collection, the bane of anthologies. I especially enjoyed "The Skinflint's Specters."
December 30, 2022
I'm not big on mysteries especially detective stories, but I love fantasy so when I was gifted this book I thought I might enjoy it. Unfortunately it was too heavy on the detective jargon, outdated language in regards to women and frankly unappealing plots and characters for my preferences. If it was high fantasy instead of low fantasy I may have enjoyed it. I found myself skimming and even skipping pages (which I have almost never done). Not for me, but perhaps others can enjoy it if detective stories are your thing.
February 5, 2019
Read this about 10 years ago when it was first published. I haven't read many comedy SF/F anthologies but this one's my gold standard. It's a terrific collection of comic stories which I enjoyed as much as Alex Shvartsman's Cackle of Cthulhu which I am currently reading. Odd both of my favorite comedy anthologies are from Baen. I barely read anything from Baen. Wonder if they have other comedy anthologies?
May 17, 2015
This is one of my all-time-favorite anthologies. It collects representative stories from classic series by the likes of William Hope Hodgson, Tanya Huff, Ron Goulart, Randall Garrett, and Resnick himself as well as terrific pieces by people like David Drake, Gene Wolfe, and Neil Gaiman. A few of the newer stories don't have much chance of standing out, but none of them are really bad. It's a good choice for fantasy -and- mystery fans.
March 20, 2020
The Dragon Done It is an anthology of 19 fantasy/mystery stories (or it's supposed to be). Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my hopes for it. In the introduction, Flint and Resnick wanted to put this together and in their own words they say that after they got several of their favorites, they decided to add three stories by women, and then filled the rest of the book with more stories by men. It's like they're a parody of themselves.
My favorite story here was Randall Garrett's "A Case of Identity," but that's primarily because I'd read it before in the Flint-edited collection Lord Darcy. Other favorites were Neil Gaiman's "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds," Laura Resnick's "Doppelgangster," Michael M. Jones's "Claus of Death," and Esther M. Friesner's "Gunsel and Gretel."
One of the big drawbacks I found in an anthology like this (heavily themed) was the similarities and lack of trope-subversion. Eight of the 19 stories involve a noir-ish "I was a private eye, see, just waiting in my office, see" (and 5 of those 8 literally had the added "and a dame walked in, see."). It got rather old, even if the private eyes themselves were different (ish).
The humor was also really hit or miss, like Resnick's "The Long and Short of It" or Drake's "The Enchanted Bunny." Two unusual stories I'll mention here were Kirtley's "The Black Bird" which was a bit trippy and Gene Wolfe's "The Detective of Dreams" which was too Christian and literary for me.
I was surprised at one inclusion, though--David Drake's novella "The Enchanted Bunny" was in no way, shape, or form a mystery; it was simply a portal fantasy.
My favorite story here was Randall Garrett's "A Case of Identity," but that's primarily because I'd read it before in the Flint-edited collection Lord Darcy. Other favorites were Neil Gaiman's "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds," Laura Resnick's "Doppelgangster," Michael M. Jones's "Claus of Death," and Esther M. Friesner's "Gunsel and Gretel."
One of the big drawbacks I found in an anthology like this (heavily themed) was the similarities and lack of trope-subversion. Eight of the 19 stories involve a noir-ish "I was a private eye, see, just waiting in my office, see" (and 5 of those 8 literally had the added "and a dame walked in, see."). It got rather old, even if the private eyes themselves were different (ish).
The humor was also really hit or miss, like Resnick's "The Long and Short of It" or Drake's "The Enchanted Bunny." Two unusual stories I'll mention here were Kirtley's "The Black Bird" which was a bit trippy and Gene Wolfe's "The Detective of Dreams" which was too Christian and literary for me.
I was surprised at one inclusion, though--David Drake's novella "The Enchanted Bunny" was in no way, shape, or form a mystery; it was simply a portal fantasy.
October 20, 2016
No dragons were harmed in the making of these fantasy mysteries.
Sherlock Holmes, meet Alice and the Cheshire Cat. My brain hurts.
* Sherlock either shows up or is referred to in several stories.
* A few stories feature multiple universes.
* Magic can be scientific, mystical, or fairy-tale, author's choice.
* Hard-boiled gumshoes make their noir way through several stories, mostly starting with a dame walking into the room.
* No fantasy is complete without at least one visit to the circus.
The cover led me to expect a shape-shifitng dragon, but nope.
Stories were originally from 1910 to 2008 - 2 new stories were written for the collection.
Sherlock Holmes, meet Alice and the Cheshire Cat. My brain hurts.
* Sherlock either shows up or is referred to in several stories.
* A few stories feature multiple universes.
* Magic can be scientific, mystical, or fairy-tale, author's choice.
* Hard-boiled gumshoes make their noir way through several stories, mostly starting with a dame walking into the room.
* No fantasy is complete without at least one visit to the circus.
The cover led me to expect a shape-shifitng dragon, but nope.
Stories were originally from 1910 to 2008 - 2 new stories were written for the collection.
March 11, 2018
Was way too old fashion for me. I guess I have read really weird books lately.
July 22, 2019
Review and stars only for "This Town Ain't Big Enough" by Tanya Huff.
Everyday life for Vicki, now a vampire.
Everyday life for Vicki, now a vampire.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
August 16, 2022
A few fun stories, but I found the book tedious and difficult to finish. This isn’t my favorite literary genre, and I am certain this affected my rating. Not a book I would read again.
March 7, 2023
one or two decent stories, rest is pretty crap
January 6, 2025
"short stories, good collection"
March 20, 2014
Fantasy-mystery crossovers have enjoyed increasing popularity, and I had high hopes for this anthology of short stories, advertised as humorous in nature. This is a solid but not remarkable anthology; there aren't any real duds, but none of the stories stand out in my mind as especially memorable, though Esther Friesner, as ever, delivers a highlight with twists upon twists ("Gunsel and Gretel").
There is definitely a bias towards noir here, especially in the first half of the book, which is specific enough that the stories start to feel a bit repetitive. I wonder why the noir offerings weren't spread out more evenly, because we also get some entertaining Sherlock Holmes takes - I'm particularly fond of "The Adventure of the Pearly Gates" by Mike Resnick, which is set in heaven - and some well-realized historical tales. Another unusual offering is "Fox Tails" by Richard Park, which features an eastern setting.
Overall, this collection was decent, but not exceptional. Some of the stories, I wouldn't classify as mysteries. Some of the humor was of the broad, silly type I have trouble with - it takes me out of any tension. Other examples were quite clever, though, but this isn't a humorous anthology as a whole. Worth reading, but don't run out to get it.
There is definitely a bias towards noir here, especially in the first half of the book, which is specific enough that the stories start to feel a bit repetitive. I wonder why the noir offerings weren't spread out more evenly, because we also get some entertaining Sherlock Holmes takes - I'm particularly fond of "The Adventure of the Pearly Gates" by Mike Resnick, which is set in heaven - and some well-realized historical tales. Another unusual offering is "Fox Tails" by Richard Park, which features an eastern setting.
Overall, this collection was decent, but not exceptional. Some of the stories, I wouldn't classify as mysteries. Some of the humor was of the broad, silly type I have trouble with - it takes me out of any tension. Other examples were quite clever, though, but this isn't a humorous anthology as a whole. Worth reading, but don't run out to get it.
January 25, 2012
Favorites in this anthology:
-The Long and Short of It by Mike Resnick makes me desperately want to find EVERY John Justin Mallory story and devour them. Great read and it made me smile!
-Dead Wolf in a Hat by Graham Edwards was a cute story. The names cracked me up and the plot mechanisms were interesting.
-Doppelganster by Laura Resnick was too funny- and a genuine mystery to boot.
-Gunsel and Gretel by Esther M Friesner put a whole new spin on the good witch and the bad Hansel and Gretel. Loved the homosexual witch.
-The Adventure of the Pearly Gates by Mike Resnick was hilarious. What would happen if Sherlock Holmes died? Find out here.
-The Witch's Murder by Dave Freer and Eric Flint was the best "solid mystery" of the bunch. I was surprised at the end- which doesn't happen often.
Story that confused me and was just plain odd:
-The Detective of Dreams by Gene Wolfe was odd. I'm thinking that it is some kind of convoluted Jesus story- but hell, I don't know- like I said- confusing.
Genuine great anthology with every story being clever, fun and interesting.
-The Long and Short of It by Mike Resnick makes me desperately want to find EVERY John Justin Mallory story and devour them. Great read and it made me smile!
-Dead Wolf in a Hat by Graham Edwards was a cute story. The names cracked me up and the plot mechanisms were interesting.
-Doppelganster by Laura Resnick was too funny- and a genuine mystery to boot.
-Gunsel and Gretel by Esther M Friesner put a whole new spin on the good witch and the bad Hansel and Gretel. Loved the homosexual witch.
-The Adventure of the Pearly Gates by Mike Resnick was hilarious. What would happen if Sherlock Holmes died? Find out here.
-The Witch's Murder by Dave Freer and Eric Flint was the best "solid mystery" of the bunch. I was surprised at the end- which doesn't happen often.
Story that confused me and was just plain odd:
-The Detective of Dreams by Gene Wolfe was odd. I'm thinking that it is some kind of convoluted Jesus story- but hell, I don't know- like I said- confusing.
Genuine great anthology with every story being clever, fun and interesting.
December 23, 2012
Once I adjusted to the fact that I'd incorrectly interpreted the word Dragon in the title to mean "stories with dragons", I enjoyed most of the stories. Of course Gaiman's "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds" - have read in other collections, and always like it. Also liked Adventure at the Pearly Gates - as a Holmes fan, I approve. The Enchanted Bunny was a great...science fiction fairy tale?
My favorite was A Case of Identity - also somewhat science fairy, with theory of magic fitting in with theories of other things more traditionally science. This story could have been the entire book, actually, or others from this author and theme. Not often you can fit priests, magicians, psychopaths and smuggling into a single story.
The last two were...odd? Good but unexpected theme of faith and religion. I figured out Detective of Dreams fairly quickly and while good, it seemed out of place.
Only one dragon, I think, and he was not at all interesting. I'm over it, mostly, but in the future will be more cautious about judging a book by its title and cover when dragons are involved.
My favorite was A Case of Identity - also somewhat science fairy, with theory of magic fitting in with theories of other things more traditionally science. This story could have been the entire book, actually, or others from this author and theme. Not often you can fit priests, magicians, psychopaths and smuggling into a single story.
The last two were...odd? Good but unexpected theme of faith and religion. I figured out Detective of Dreams fairly quickly and while good, it seemed out of place.
Only one dragon, I think, and he was not at all interesting. I'm over it, mostly, but in the future will be more cautious about judging a book by its title and cover when dragons are involved.
March 2, 2014
Pity the poor private eye (or official investigator, for that matter), who has to solve a case which may involve death by black magic, evidence that may have been altered or planted by an itinerant sorcerer, and supernatural entities ranging from ghosts to vampires to dragons. Even when the detective is a master of sorcery himself, the dragon may have an unbreakable alibi. Best-selling authors Eric Flint and Mike Resnick present a generous selection of stories from the intersection of mystery and magic by popular writers Neil Gaiman, Gene Wolf, David Drake, Harry Turtledove, Esther M. Friesner, and more, including Flint and Resnick themselves. The Dragon Done It is an exciting cross-genre volume that both mystery fans and fantasy fans will enjoy. And so will dragons.
April 24, 2013
An eclectic mix of genre-blends. The anthology does fill a bit of the void of Fantasy-Mystery stories, but in a sporadic way. Some of the stories worked well for me and some of them very much didn't, and it tended to be the the stories riffing on something else (a fairy tale, a public domain work, etc) that didn't. I feel like the editors got too caught up in presenting a variety of styles and types of stories rather than picking enough really great stories to fill the size of the book they wanted. Your mileage may vary.
The stories that really made the book worth reading for me: "This Town Ain't Big Enough" by Tanya Huff, "Fox Tails" by Richard Parks, and "The Enchanted Bunny" by David Drake.
The stories that really made the book worth reading for me: "This Town Ain't Big Enough" by Tanya Huff, "Fox Tails" by Richard Parks, and "The Enchanted Bunny" by David Drake.
May 18, 2012
A fun collection of fantasy/paranormal mysteries that, like any short story collection, is a mixed bag. My favourites all took characters/myths that we are already deeply familiar with and played around with them, and the only story that actually had a dragon in it was one of my least favourites.
The stand-outs are:
The Long and Short Of It
Dead Wolf in a Hat
The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Doppelgangster
Gunsel and Gretel
The Adventure of the Pearly Gates
I now have some new writers to seek out more from, which I'm always grateful for.
The stand-outs are:
The Long and Short Of It
Dead Wolf in a Hat
The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Doppelgangster
Gunsel and Gretel
The Adventure of the Pearly Gates
I now have some new writers to seek out more from, which I'm always grateful for.
July 3, 2012
An anthology of fantasy-based short crime stories and mysteries, this book delivers strongly on its topic and very much fulfills expectations. Nothing too deep here (though I think a few try), and the lighthearted ones were definitely the most enjoyable.
I read this book at a good spot in my reading chronology: After coming in off of a long read, a collection of short, light-hearted stories was exactly what I was looking for. Also: I got it electronically and from Baen Books’ Free Library, so it was easy on the budget as well.
4 of 5 stars.
I read this book at a good spot in my reading chronology: After coming in off of a long read, a collection of short, light-hearted stories was exactly what I was looking for. Also: I got it electronically and from Baen Books’ Free Library, so it was easy on the budget as well.
4 of 5 stars.
November 30, 2008
This was a collection of 'fantastic' mysteries, or in other words, mysteries involving magic in some way. Like most anthologies, this had some great stories and some average ones, and some I didn't like at all. The best story was one about Ebenezer Scrooge, which was very timely. I also liked the Neil Gaiman story about Humpty Dumpty (did you know he was pushed off that wall?). Worth reading for those two stories alone, but there were several you could skip.
October 2, 2014
The first few stories were typical hard boiled detective in magical earths. Too silly for a book's worth. Then there were stories more to my liking, most of which I hadn't read before. I didn't "get" the Gene Wolfe story though.
August 22, 2011
Anthology of fantasy noir. Mostly good stories with a couple superior tales and a couple that just didn't work for me. A better than average collection.
March 5, 2015
Some of the stories were really good, some not so much.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews