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Dragon #2
Dragon Steel
Returning to her underwater dragon kingdom expecting to be rewarded for capturing an enchantress, Shimmer and young Thorn instead must continue their quest to restore the dragon princess’s clan to its ancestral home. A tale of dungeons, sea monsters, and magicians, this sequel to Dragon of the Lost Sea "will lure even more readers to [Yep's] legion of followers." —V. "The novel's fast pace [and] exciting action sequences mark this as a tale sure to delight fantasy lovers." —The ALAN Review.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
3 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Yep
120 books295 followersBorn June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 27, 2011
I wish so much I'd known Dragon of the Lost Sea had sequels when I was a kid and it was my OMG FAVORITEST BOOK IN THE WHOLE WHOLE WORLD. I would have loved this so much back then. As it is, I enjoyed it, but... Well, it's written for a younger set than what I usually prefer to read. I worry I'm under-rating it - maybe my perspective is just skewed - but I thought the prose was a bit clunky and the friendship themes a little too on the hammer-to-the-head side. (Plus, I'm glad Shimmer's so loyal to Thorn and all, but where's your snarky edge from the last book, girl! What's with all the gushing over him! Just because you're bestest buds doesn't mean you have to turn into a burbling shmoop-monster.) I also thought the plot in this book wasn't as tight as the previous one's - it seemed to amble about kind of aimlessly until the very end.
It was still an enjoyable read, though, and I'm glad for the chance to continue a childhood favorite.
It was still an enjoyable read, though, and I'm glad for the chance to continue a childhood favorite.
September 17, 2017
Adventures and moral growth -- the literature of my youth.
May 18, 2023
A worthy sequel. Loved it.
January 25, 2025
Not as solid as the 1st one but still interesting!
June 15, 2025
Surprisingly a real page turner
August 25, 2013
PERSONAL QUEST TO FREE HER CLAN
This book, second in a series based on Chinese dragon lore, chronicles the struggle of a strong-willed dragon princess as she continues her quest to find, free her clan from submarine bondage and reestablish them on the beloved land. Not having read the first book in this series put me at a slight disadvantage, although each book stands more or less on its own. Including summaries of previous action, Yep plunges readers into immediate action and maintains an exhausting literary pace as his heroine, Princess Shimmer, defies common sense and a host of evil or malicious creatures of fantasy.
Shimmer is driven to prove her royal worth and rescue her clan-- enslaved at forges where the steel is fashioned which will adorn the dragons' claws. Instead of being welcomed back as a heroine of sorts, with the evil witch, Civet, tied to her back, Shimmer and her human companion, a boy named Thorn, are thrown into the dungeons of her usurper uncle. Later they receive a reluctant, recalcitrant ally in the form of a slave girl named Indigo.
The three make bold escapes--encountering many weird, magical beings in her quest. Questions of personal loyalty, honor, and the value of self-sacrifice are threaded in between the fast-paced pages. Despite the dedicated efforts of the heroic team the ending proves unsatisfactory, as there remains a great deal of work to be done before Shimmer can achieve her dream--thus earning a place of honor among her disgraced clan. A fast read for middle-school students.
(June 1, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Was this review
This book, second in a series based on Chinese dragon lore, chronicles the struggle of a strong-willed dragon princess as she continues her quest to find, free her clan from submarine bondage and reestablish them on the beloved land. Not having read the first book in this series put me at a slight disadvantage, although each book stands more or less on its own. Including summaries of previous action, Yep plunges readers into immediate action and maintains an exhausting literary pace as his heroine, Princess Shimmer, defies common sense and a host of evil or malicious creatures of fantasy.
Shimmer is driven to prove her royal worth and rescue her clan-- enslaved at forges where the steel is fashioned which will adorn the dragons' claws. Instead of being welcomed back as a heroine of sorts, with the evil witch, Civet, tied to her back, Shimmer and her human companion, a boy named Thorn, are thrown into the dungeons of her usurper uncle. Later they receive a reluctant, recalcitrant ally in the form of a slave girl named Indigo.
The three make bold escapes--encountering many weird, magical beings in her quest. Questions of personal loyalty, honor, and the value of self-sacrifice are threaded in between the fast-paced pages. Despite the dedicated efforts of the heroic team the ending proves unsatisfactory, as there remains a great deal of work to be done before Shimmer can achieve her dream--thus earning a place of honor among her disgraced clan. A fast read for middle-school students.
(June 1, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
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December 31, 2015
It took me a while to get to these (Dragon Steel, Dragon Cauldron, and Dragon War) after reading Dragon of the Lost Sea, because I wanted to collect all three of the remaining books before reading them.
Anyway, these continue the story of the dragon princess Shimmer and her human companion Thorn in their quest to restore Shimmer's lost ocean home. When Shimmer returns to the dragon High King for help, she discovers that her entire clan have been enslaved by him, and now she must save them all in addition to saving their home. Shimmer and Thorn pick up more companions along the way: the witch Civet, the human Indigo, and most wonderfully, the trickster Monkey, who narrates the last two books. I especially loved Monkey's narration, because he's funny and entertaining in his own right, but he also provides an outside POV on the books' key relationship, between Shimmer and Thorn.
All in all, although they skew a little younger than most of the children's and young adult books I read now, I really liked the series' blend of excellent characterization, great use of Chinese mythology, and fast-paced action.
Anyway, these continue the story of the dragon princess Shimmer and her human companion Thorn in their quest to restore Shimmer's lost ocean home. When Shimmer returns to the dragon High King for help, she discovers that her entire clan have been enslaved by him, and now she must save them all in addition to saving their home. Shimmer and Thorn pick up more companions along the way: the witch Civet, the human Indigo, and most wonderfully, the trickster Monkey, who narrates the last two books. I especially loved Monkey's narration, because he's funny and entertaining in his own right, but he also provides an outside POV on the books' key relationship, between Shimmer and Thorn.
All in all, although they skew a little younger than most of the children's and young adult books I read now, I really liked the series' blend of excellent characterization, great use of Chinese mythology, and fast-paced action.
November 22, 2013
The banished dragon, Shimmer, and her companion Thorn return to the underwater dragon kingdom, hoping to be rewarded for capturing a witch. Instead they are thrown into the dungeon. Not only do they have to escape, Shimmer must convince her clanspeople that she is capable of leading them back to their ancestral lands.
Maybe I should have read the first book. I didn't connect with the characters much.
Maybe I should have read the first book. I didn't connect with the characters much.
October 4, 2009
Wow! This was tremendous - definitely would be better to read this series in order, but I'm not complaining. This book was wonderful; deepening Monkey's character, and introducing Indigo. Very good commentary on friendship, courage, loyalty, love, importance of dreams and hope...
February 11, 2016
The sentence structure in these books makes them very difficult to read aloud, as I did to my children. But my kids enjoyed them anyway.
As the second book in the series, this book suffers from a bit too much preparation for what comes later, and not enough actual rising action.
As the second book in the series, this book suffers from a bit too much preparation for what comes later, and not enough actual rising action.
December 2, 2008
By far my favorite Yep book.
December 19, 2009
The first part started out a little slow, but then picked up really fast in terms of character development. I went from being ok with the series to really liking it. I wonder what will happen next.
December 15, 2010
This whole series was one of my pre-teen 'I don't what to read so I'll just read this again' fallbacks. I can still see the imagery of certain scenes. Great series!
June 27, 2015
Excellent tale of dragon abilities and alliances and of course the Monkey King
August 10, 2016
An excellent story. Mr. Yep certainly knows how to write engaging characters and weave an interesting tale!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews