Black Dragon Codex

Dragon Codices #3

by R.D. Henham

What happens when an evil black dragon becomes your ally?

Snatched from the street by a young black dragon, Satia seems destined to end her life as a snack. But her position as a menu item quickly changes when her black dragon captor runs into two young red dragons and a wanna-be Dragonlord. In a quick twist of events, the black dragon is transformed into an ordinary teenaged boy. Always one step ahead of their pursuers, Satia makes a bargain with her captor: her life in exchange for her help. But now she must live up to her end of the bargain. With no magic and only the strength of two humans, how will Satia outwit the Dragonlord and his minions?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Dragonlance, Young Adult, Fiction, High Fantasy, Middle Grade

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2008

About the author

R.D. Henham is a pseudonym of Rebecca Shelley.

Reviews

[EvanS_E2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Dragon codex was a pretty good book. I can tell by the cover that the dragon in the book was going to be bad but it was the exact opposite of what I thought. It turned out that the dragon was good. This really explained to me that you shouldn’t judge something from its cover. I also needed to dig deep into the book to find out the theme. One of the theme of this book is the topic of Mother’s love to their next generation. One of the things I can really relate to is that I have had the problems the dragon has and my friends have always helped me. This can lead to another theme. Sometimes in life, friends will be there to help you. This book is a very different stories about dragons. While other books are about good dragons, most books from this series are about bad dragons. I would recommend this book for others who like dragons and stories about friendship.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another stand alone offering in a Dragonlance series that is meant for the younger audience. In this one, a young black dragon is stuck in human form. His mother has been captured and he attempts to rescue her with the assistance of companions he would not usually associate with.

This was a nice one off adventure in this world. It is a self contained adventure that doesn't have any major repercussions in the overall story arc. The highlight of this book series is that each book has a moral message and this one continues that tradition. This book's message was that different races can work together to achieve a goal. It was a nice mixture of dragons, humans, gnomes, and ogres. I enjoyed the bond between the two main characters even though one could see it coming from a mile away. There is also plenty of battles to keep the pace going throughout.

I have enjoyed this series and I am surprised it isn't more well known. They aren't earth shattering fantasy offerings but they accomplish their goal. They entertain and provide a nice moral message and are a wonderful read for the younger audience.

[Anthonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, plot, characters, and time frame. i enjoyed reading this book. A must read for all fantasty lover everywhere. A great book for kids.

[Ehryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh, I love this book. It’s definitely a comfort read for me because there are some plot twists that get me every time! I read the book first when I was younger, and ever since I’ll pick it up for a classic “fantasy read”. I just love the unconventional characters and the friendships they make along the way. I also love how these characters are morally grey or “bad” but they have good intentions. The main character, Satia, is my favorite! She’s spunky, a liar, a thief, and she doesn’t gain a moral high ground. She’s wonderful!

[drywyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't very well put together, the other books were better. There was also a part where a paragraph was repeated twice due them not rereading the book and double-checking their writing.

[ALEXANDER SIMMONS · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite part is when the guy gets bit in half.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really an interesting novel in the codex series. Young Septimus fails at taking the most magical item on Krynn he flies away. In his flight from the city he snatches Satia, a thief on the streets of Gwynned. Septimus flies back to his cave with her only to discover his mother is fending off vicious attackers. When she gets captured she turns him human to keep him safe. When Septimus realizes he doesn't have the power to get his mom back on his own he turns to Satia for help. He makes a deal to return her safely to her home if she helps him. She eventually accepts and they go on the most exciting adventure ever with some of the most interesting characters ever.

I really found that Septimus' attacking style was really funny. However when you are a human and attack a big redish lizard like thing like that... I was surprised when it worked. Septimus is also a really funny character. He reminds me of me and my friend so much. He is inexperienced in how humans fight or their way of thinking. Though he may seem heartless he really does feel emotion that is later revealed as he is forced to trust more people in order to save his mother.

There were more very intriguing characters like the over haughty Thordane who thinks it will be an easy victory with Nox and Septimus. I really think if he was known more we wouldn't be guessing about the small details. Nox is another character that really shows a big form of human emotion of love for her son. She seems like she'd be a great mom if you were her black dragon spawn. When I read this and saw there were two red dragons I though there was going to be a very nasty dragon fight but there wasn't.

Overall I really loved the book, it showed a lot of confusing things on the world but in a way easy to understand. It's a fantastic story for any lover of fantasy. I think that the codex series is really boosted in this book. It makes you wonder what dragons next.

I rated this book 4 out of 5

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Dragon Codex is another highly interesting book in the Dragon Codex series. Once again, we have a chromatic dragon as the star of this book. In this case, his name is Septimus and he is a young black dragon. His mother has been captured by a Dragon Highlord and Septimus is determined, with the help of his friends, to rescue her.

I found the young Septimus to be an exceedingly fascinating character. Here we have an immature dragon that has been transformed into human form, but not by his own power. Because of this, he does not have any of his dragon magic. Septimus often forgets that he is not in dragon form and attacks his enemies as if he were still a dragon. I found this to be quite entertaining.

The other characters in the story are well-developed and I found that I liked reading about all of them. I enjoyed that Ree Sousbee had the Ogre King, Zargut, and four of his ogres working with Salia and Septimus. I had to laugh out loud when Zargut saves Mosango's life and then Mosango knights the Ogre King. Man, was that ever funny. An ogre knight.

I found it to be too bad that we really never get to know Thordane, the bad guy in the story, very well. The two red dragons, Vex and Beset, are rather stupid creatures and I really had hoped that Septimus would be able to fight them in his dragon form. Unfortunately, that didn't occur, but it would have been something to witness.

Overall, Black Dragon Codex is a wonderfully appealing book with a fantastic story. Any young reader who enjoys fantasy tales will absolutely love this book. It is the perfect addition to the Dragon Codex series. I cannot wait to find out what happens next in Brass Dragon Codex. It should be exciting.

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.

[Marco Giannotti · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the third installment of the series the main character (whom's name is Satia) she must engage on an adventure that may lead to her demise at the end or die right here right now. Satia strings herself into a web of lies that she must use to her advantage to gain insurance and the trust of her new and rather dark companion, Septimus. The story is action-packed and suspenseful, it makes you want to keep on reading.

The author did a very good job on this piece. She brought some several strong emotions and questions that bring some people down to rock bottom in the world. Very descriptive in the actions that went on throughout the story but not so much on the characters. The characters also developed rather swiftly which doesn't seem practical to me.

I feel that the best audience for this book would be ages fourteen and up as it has some graphic content, large complicated words, and strong emotions that younger audiences most likely wouldn't be able to comprehend. The person who likes adventure and magic who doesn't mind stopping to ponder the book would very much enjoy this book.

Overall this was a great quality book and all i could have wished for was for it to be longer.

[Faten · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister has a theory that all book with dragons are cool.
I tested that theory true.
The book was great. His story of the dragons and his questionable alliance with his human friend.
The magic, the spells and the fantasy world were fanciful and appealing.
There was only one tinnie-tiny inconvenience -and I only noticed that due to the fact that I'm a detail Nazi- which was that throughout the book, Satia, the heroine, never ate in about the 4 days that the story took. It isn't a big deal; many people can go longer without food, but the problem is, she never complained. She said she hadn't eaten in three days, and the next day she expressed that "she wasn't hungry". She didn't even show any weakness or light-headedness. Which reminds me, she broke a rib and moved and fought with no apparent pain!
Minor details, but I don't mind them. I loved the book.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from the Dragon collection,but I think the first in the series is still the best so far. This book focuses on Black Dragons which are on the evil side of the dragon family. A young teenage girl who is more able to be a thief then a heroine, finds herself helping a young boy who just happens to be really a dragon. A nice adventure story with funny parts, intense parts, and even some LOTR themes, I think most preteen readers of fantasy will enjoy this book.

[Chase Rotz]

10-31 pg.25- A dragon is looking to get a magical chalice so that he can prove to his family that he is not weak. While at the auction his slave out bides him. He becomes enraged and morfes out of his human form (witch he made with magic) into his orginal dragon form to try to get the chalice but failing grabs a human and flies back to his home.< The way that he seems to have problems with getting respect from his family relates to me in the way my parents react to me.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better dragon codices, I would say. Septimus the black dragon needs to save his mother from an evil Dragonlord, and so enlists the help of a their off the streets, Satia, who lies and says she is a princess. This is a pretty good, standard adventure with well developed characters. I liked that this was about an actual evil dragon, not a "good" evil dragon. Overall a good, solid book to read.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great dragon book for young fantasy readers. The story moves very fast and is on a high 3rd or higher reading level. Fun, full of excitement, and is a very campelling read. I cannot keep these books in the library.

[Giulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one the better of the two I've read from the dragon codexs, as the story is better and more well-structured and interesting. Still, the series overall doesn't appeal much to me as its all too simple. This will be the last book I read from it.

[Julia]

never climb or jump from a high building.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sean got this book for Christmas from his cousin. So, I actually read it first. I liked the other two books much better then this. I did not enjoy it at all.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think any child between the ages of 8-14 will find these interesting and fun to read.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far great book, you'ed think so too. With evile dragons, muderous villans and a girl that may fool them all and save her life! this is a book you just can't put down!

[Logane]

This rocks...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting adventure that will appeal to young fantasy readers (grades 3-6 is my guess). Well developed characters, plenty of action, and a good dose of humor.

[Raechel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute YA book about a thief meeting a black dragon.

[Andreoletti Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a fun read. The way they described the dragons as fierce warriors controlled by humans made for a gripping tale.

[Caden · Rating 5 out of 5]

this shows that black dragons aren't so evil.

[Critter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. It was a lot of fun and a really great adventure.

[Crysta S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it!!