Dragon and Soldier

Dragonback #2

by Timothy Zahn

Jack Morgan 14 aka Montana enlists with youngest trainees for Whinyard's Edge mercenaries, hired by Parprin daublite mining colony humans from "Agrist claim-jumpers", who in turn employ Shamshir mercs. Honorable warrior-poet Draycos 30ish hides as 2D tattoo on Jack's back, and encourages noble values while their space-ship Uncle Virge continues the tradition of his late selfish Uncle Virgil, con artist. Recruit Alison is expert, already has militia experience - and secrets. Somehow, the duo must track down who attacked Draycos' scout ships before the refugee ships arrive to be ambushed.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dragons, Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Space Opera

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Timothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he became a professional writer. He and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon. They have a son, Corwin Zahn.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the first, this book may be targeted at "Young Adults," but it reads well for adults also. This second entry was better than the first, and the first was good. Book two did not have a slow moment. It hung together well. The ending was very strong.

When the first book ended, it left one major issue open. That issue is left open on this one also and probably won't resolve until the end of the series (book 6). This one added to the development of the story, so left additional storylines to complete later in the series.

Again, no swearing, no "adult" situations, etc. Just good clean fun . . .

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

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As a Writer...


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[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got caught up in the plot of this book and enjoyed it much more than the first book in this series. The story was much more intriguing and Jack wasn't as annoying as he was in the first book. I think the plot also moved more smoothly too, which in my opinion helps a lot. The majority of the plot revolved around Jack trying to get information out of the computer system of a mercenary group that he has to join as a recruit. Even if he is just 14 years old. The plot moves swiftly with lots of sneaking around, thrills and chills, suspicious characters and even a few scenes that made me chuckle. There's also a nice message in here about not leaving anyone behind. Jack often relies heavily on his dragon because he's not very good at being a soldier and that makes the story much more interesting too. He often has to face his fears in here. Oddly enough the one thing that seems to scare him the most is the woods at night. Jack definitely has some character growth in the story.

I admit now I'm more curious than ever about what's going on in the bigger plot. This book introduces a new suspicious character - I won't say who - but now I'm wondering who this person is working for. It's obvious they were also after information. Maybe the next book will give more clues because now I really want to know!

And in case anyone is interested, I actually read this whole book in one sitting. Once I started I just didn't want to put it down. The story is definitely a mystery, a very good one too.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent YA action-adventure, that I'd missed back in the day. Library had the ebook, so I read it on a whim. Pretty good, really, but very short, and (of course) ends on a cliffhanger, with a teaser for the next. Who knows, I might read on.....

[Benjamin Espen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon and Soldier follows the same pattern as Dragon and Thief, the first volume in the Dragonback series. Jack and Draycos get into sticky situations, and then scrape by on Jack’s thievery, Draycos’ bravery, and sheer pluck. In the first volume, Draycos helped clear Jack’s name of a crime he did not commit, and in return, Jack now feels honor bound to help Draycos find the organization responsible for shooting down the K’da’s ship and killing all of his shipmates.

Since the only lead they have is the make of the fighters that downed Draycos’ ship, and the dragon’s hunch that pirates would have been less professional while a planetary defense force would have had more ships, Jack decides to infiltrate one of the Orion Arm’s many mercenary groups in order to steal their intelligence on their rivals.

With this plan set in motion, we get a chance to see how seedy the Orion Arm really is. Virgil took pains to inculcate a me-first attitude in Jack after his parents died, and here we start to get an idea of why. In the first book, Jack’s prime antagonist was the Braxton Universalis corporation. It isn’t too hard to see huge corporations as wicked, but in the Dragonback universe, even the little corporations are heartless too.

The mechanism that Jack uses to infiltrate the Whinyard’s Edge mercenary organization is their practice of indenturing teenagers as cannon fodder. In theory, Internos, the confederation of the human worlds, opposes this. In practice, the individual worlds do as they like as long as the money is good. The money is apparently very, very good.

Whinyard’s Edge isn’t interested in providing much training to their new recruits, but fortunately for Jack, Draycos is the inheritor of a [very] proud martial tradition, and he can make up for some of the shortcomings in Jack’s accelerated short course in soldiering. Jack also gets a few pointers from a female recruit, Alison Kayna, who is set up to be an ally, an enemy, a love interest, or maybe all three somewhere down the line.

This was a pretty good adventure. Jack and Draycos learn how to work together, and we get a good setup for the continuation of the series, even if neither Jack nor Draycos can catch a break. I look forward to seeing more of their world.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Draycos are searching for information from a mercenary group, so Jack joins the group as an indentured soldier, hoping to sneak into their computer systems. After only ten days of training, Jack and his fellow teen soldiers are sent into battle. Things appear to be safe enough on the edges of the war and Jack is given sentry duty, but betrayal and danger are lurking in the shadows. Only Draycos, a poet warrior of the K’da, can help Jack to escape!

I love the nonstop action in this book! And it’s not just about blowing things up and guns and chase scenes either. It has all those things, but there’s also a puzzle aspect to how the characters interact with one another and there is new information that is revealed in shocking plot twists. It really kept my attention. It’s such an exciting plot!

Especially loved seeing how Jack and Draycos have a closer and more trusting relationship in this book. They get into some very sticky situations where there’s no time to explain and they just have to blindly trust the other person, and that level of faith in another person is truly special. I just love their friendship!

I also really enjoyed the exploration of deeper themes of morality in this book since Jack and Draycos have such different philosophies about life. They have some really engaging discussions, and it was interesting how Jack begins to question the selfish worldview that he previously had embraced.

I love all the characters, the plot, the themes, the writing style! Everything about this book is just so delightful. I can’t wait to read more from the series!

[Saar The Book owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 2 in the Dragonback series and it wasn't dissapointing at all. The story picked up where the first book left an open ending and this one was an open ending also. Normally I don't like open endings, but this one makes you want to read the following books. The characters are evolving and I get the feeling that Drayco's is slowly changing Jack and reducing the influence that Uncle Virge/Virgil has on Jack. Jack is only 14, but higly skilled and Drayco's is a helpful addition that makes Jack look to things differently.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that the preliminaries our out of the way, this one was a better novel, getting straight to the action, and being a far more interesting plot. Jack and Draycos inflitrate a mercenary company with the intent of stealing their info on other groups so they can try and track who set up the K'da. They end up on a world where two different groups are fighting for a mine and no one's quite sure who the good guys are. We also get the introduction of a new potential bad guy in Alison, a girl mercenary that seems to have a hidden agenda... or maybe she'll be a love interest. It's pretty unclear so far (which is a good thing)

Great character development with Jack Morgan(Montana).. they're doing a great job balancing his upbringing as a thief and wanting to be good and follow the 'warrior ethic'.

My only complaint is the main plot took a back seat, but as a fun adventure with a boy and his dragon, you can't really miss.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You’re innocent until they absolutely prove otherwise. And for ten minutes after that, too.”

Good story, consistent with the high tone set in the series opener, Dragon and Thief. Jack makes bone-headed decisions typical of a fourteen year old. Zahn, having saved the reader the apparently-mandatory Hogwarts school experience in the first tale lays it on us now.

“You know, Darycos, for being such a clever poet-warrior, you’re kind of slow on the uptake sometimes.”

(Sorry I don’t have more quotes: read the ebook version on a trip. Highlighted quotable sentences, but my cell phone has done the u-boat routine since.)

[2Due · Rating 5 out of 5]

The back of these books say "Ages 10 an up", but it's honestly for all ages. Very well written and truly respects the intelligence of its readers, never talks down to nor overexplain simple concepts, a thing that so many other books for older audience should learn from.
Characters have really good chemistry and I liked a lot how Draycos shows to be a bit fed up with his host, but still keeps calm and has an immense patience since Jack is technically a kid and how Jack gets humbled and learns a thing or two, still keeping a sharp mind.
They manage to work really well together in rough situations.
Although Uncle Virge will remain my favorite, he's a perfect counterbalance to Draycos and I love their bickering. Yet they both want to keep the kid safe and they showed to be able to work together for Jack's sake.

This second book is very military focused and offers a good plot, I only wish it had a bit more sci-fi themes despite the aliens and the vehicles, something like a different alien environment, odd trees, odd animals, but I guess that's not the focus of the series. Still enjoyed it a lot.

[papasteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to leave this series for a time, not because I don’t like it—there is a lot to like here. But with six books in the series I’m afraid I don’t have the commitment to stick with them straight through. I’ll come back another day and read a couple more, you can be sure about that.

[Kodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As quick and fun a read as the first - maybe even more fast paced!

[Tobias Halpern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just as good as the last book, with characters conflicting as Draycos and uncle Virge go toe to toe. In this great addition to an epic saga, jack must infiltrate the whinyards edge mercenary group to find information, but with the kda arrival impending, jack and draycos are faced with many setbacks. After enlisting, they are pulled into a war, where they must face conflicting loyalties. Then, they meet Alison kayna, who seems to have her own agenda. If you liked the first book, then you have to read this one. this book is 276 pages long.

[Stephan van Velzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like I'm reading one of the Dragonback books a week now. That's an easy accomplishment. These are wonderfully light and super easy to read. They also provide a lot of fun and excitement.

In this second installment, all the elements I mentioned in my review of the first book are still present—multiple story lines, extensive travel through a well-fleshed-out galaxy, and page-turner pacing. In addition, however, the characters have become much more fleshed out. The protagonists are moving out of their stereotype roles into something more believable, with their own quirks and flaws, as well as a lot of charm.

The best thing about Dragon and Soldier is definitely its position in the larger whole of the story. There's so much foreshadowing. So many minor characters are introduced briefly with a clear promise of revisiting them in future books. I especially love the fact that these two books each provide a very contained story, yet are very much part of a series-wide story arc.

So far, I'm really enjoying the Dragonback series. Timothy Zahn proves once more that he's one of the best science fiction authors out there, whether he's writing for adult Star Wars geeks, or fluffy teens.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this!

Soo, so much! I read the first one forever ago, and loved the concept. I'm fascinated by where Zahn is taking this series...

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Urletele shontinilor şi K'dailor muribunzi din sala motoarelor se înteţeau. Draycos îşi astupă urechile ţuguiate cu labele, doar‑doar s‑or opri, dar fără folos.
Acum putea să‑i vadă pe cei prinşi acolo – fapt curios, căci el însuşi se afla sus, în centrul de comandă de pe Havenseeker, adică hăt în cealaltă parte a navei. Prin globul de navigare se întrezăreau aparate de zbor necunoscute, eliberând bine ştiutele raze violete ale Urgiei ce măturau în trombe pântecul navei lor. Urgia era tot mai aproape de el, tot mai aproape… mai aproape…
Se trezi cu o smucitură ce‑l făcu să zgârie stratul subţire de plastic de pe podea.
— Ai visat urât? îl întâmpină un glas blând.
Draycos clipi pentru a alunga ultimele crâmpeie de coşmar. Prin întunecimea camerei zărea patul îngust fixat în peretele opus al micuţei cabine. Noul său tovarăş, Jack Morgan, stătea rezemat pe‑un cot, cu părul complet răvăşit.
— Da, îmi cer iertare că te‑am trezit.
— Nu‑i problemă, spuse Jack căscând. Îşi trecu mâna prin păr, dar nu izbuti să‑i dea o formă cât de cât firească. Mă bucur totuşi că nu erai pe spatele meu când ai început să tresari. Ce‑a fost de data asta?
— Acelaşi vis, rosti Draycos, arcuind coada într‑un gest de supărare specific K'da.
În mod curios, adormise lipit de spatele lui Jack, în obişnuita lui formă bidimensională. Oare când căzuse la podea şi devenise tridimensional din nou? în timp ce visa?
— Am revăzut nimicirea avangărzii noastre.
— Ai văzut din greşeală şi ceva însemne pe navele alea de vânătoare Djinn 90? – de data asta se băgă unchiul Virge în discuţie.

[Kristi Drillien · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 / 5)

In an attempt to help Draycos, the dragon-like symbiont that uses him for a host, track down who killed his people, Jack enlists as an indentured soldier for a mercenary group. After meager training, he's placed into a perilous situation, along with other soldier children, and must stay alive while also trying to find the information Draycos needs.

The unlikely duo of the boy trying to overcome his con-artist upbringing and the noble poet-warrior of a morally superior race is one of my favorite things about this series so far. But the plot in this book, though I didn't think I'd care much for the soldier aspect, was also intriguing. When it became evident that there was more going on than met the eye, I speculated about what might be going on. In the end, it might not have been quite as exciting as I expected, but there were a couple of revelations that still made for a great ending and left me with a desire to read more.

I appreciate Zahn's writing style worldbuilding, maybe more so because it's meant for teens, so it's not too dry or serious. The overarching story set up in the first book and continuing in this one definitely makes me want to know what's going on. I look forward to continuing this series!

[Brian Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why wouldn't a young thief decide to infiltrate a mercenary company by going undercover as a recruit, if it might get him access to information he needs? Oh, maybe because the mercenary company he is joining seems to want cannon fodder more than they want to keep the recruits alive -- and might have some unpleasant secrets of their own. It's a good thing that the thief, Jack, has an ace up his sleeve -- or, more truthfully, a dragon "tattoo" on his back. The tattoo is an unusual alien life form named Draycos, who is himself a soldier, but has the ability to shift between a 2d tattoo-like form and a 3d "dragon" form; he and Jack have formed a partnership trying to save Draycos's entire race from a genocide.

The author does this sort of light weight action series really well; I've never been particularly disappointed. The writing is very tidy, only hinting at the broader universe they live in. As I mentioned in the first book, this feels particularly YA-focused, in part because of the main character's age and maturation, but also because it tries to avoid deaths while enjoying combat/action scenes.

[Alexander Silvius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the concept, but it was boring (Sorry Zahn). This does not reflect my opinion of his other works which are mostly fantastic. Almost every author writes some duds, including me (articles I've written elsewhere). This might deserve a 3 or 4 star rating for the intended audience: YA. But I sensed a preachy undertone about the use of child soldiers and maybe if he had developed that line a little more clearly and made it about that very thing, it might have been a better story, but it would not have worked for the Dragonback series as a whole anyway... Overall, it stopped me from continuing the series.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack decides to enter mercenary service in an attempt to access their computers to find out who attacked the ship that his Dragon partner Draycos was on. Draycos was the lone survivor of an attack on the scouts of the refugee fleet that was planning to settle on an uninhabited planet. The attacking ships had the "Death" technology of the enemies the fleet was running from, but as Jack discovered in the last book, the ships were manned by humans and others acting presumably as mercenaries. So his solution is to randomly enlist in a mercenary group, hoping that this will lead him to who is responsible for the attack.
YA, but a decent read.

[annapi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack joins a mercenary outfit in order to access their computer data for information about the mercenaries who attacked Draycos's people. Entertaining enough, but the reading level is really for young teens or pre-teens, so there were a few eye-rolling moments and a need for suspension of disbelief. At least this was a fairly short book. This series is beginning to look like what I suspected it would be - a series of action adventures strung together with no real resolution of the major story arc until the very end, likely designed in the hope of a TV or movie deal.

[Yovo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of one of my other favorite series -Animorphs.

The book built more on the theme of the first book, where Jack has to decide what kind of person he wants to be while also facing the reality of being a child soldier. I think it did a pretty good job of describing war while also not including all the gory details - it's on the level of the early Animorphs books in terms of violence.

This book also introduced some more characters I'm sure we will be seeing as the series progresses. None of the newer characters stick out to me as a new favorite, but maybe that will change.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good thing Jack has Cracks with him or else he wouldn't be alive for this second book!

I am really enjoying these books about the boy and the Dragon. Jack is only 14 years old so he is allowed some slack, but he is really an obnoxious character. This book had a lot of artwork in it and I still don't know what is going on. The girl, Kayna, is very suspicious and I think she is ready to cause trouble. I am so ready for the third book!!6

[Ashley Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't as good as the first book. This one was a little too 'young' for me(as in young adult). If I were still in my teens I might not have noticed how juvenile a lot of the elements in the story was. Other than that, the story was entertaining and fun to read.
I finished reading it so it couldn't have been too bad.
I love Timothy Zahn's work so I might try the third to see if it gets better.

[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our protagonist duo gets themselves into a mercenary group to try and get some data. What could go wrong?

Being the second part of the dragonback series, it makes me wonder how long the series is, as they are still trying to identify the group that attacked the K'Da-Shontine ship.

The philosophy clash between the Uncle and the Dragon is starting to get on my nerves. Jack seems to be handling it well, though it's changing him slowly.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly great seriss

Many of the elements have analogues in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, but matched with YA science-fiction. Jack's age also reminds me of the awesome science-fiction series The Last Legionary, written by Canadian author Douglas Hill and published during the late 70s and 80s..

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting … with Some Reservations

Lots of action and some decent character development, but the overall storyline is disconcerting with its juvenile lead protagonist. Jack has more deficiencies than I would expect for the lead protagonists and the AI Uncle Virge is mostly just annoying.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading for young teens

Good action. Very little actual violence despite this one being about infiltrating a mercenary group for intelligence on the dragons enemies. Lots of interesting twists to the story and engaging characters make it a decent read for adults looking for a sci figure equivalent of a beach read.

[Timelord Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I continued this... Text-to-Speech quality of the "right" books with Voice Dream continues to amaze me... it makes errors, but has decent intonation and narration ability with normal words...

I love a good boot camp story, and this mostly didn't disappoint... love to see the characters evolve from their interactions with one another... and to see where the story is headed...

[Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This installment really helped develop the Dragonback world and characters. I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as the first book, but that's mostly because I prefer a good heist movie to a war movie any day. Still a solid read, though!