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I, Dragon #1

My Name is Simon

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A tyrant. A curse. The realm’s true king… isn’t human. Six-year-old Simon is heir to the Morgenwraithe throne. Or at least he was, until his deranged mother murdered his father and placed an unbelievable curse on the young boy. Trapped inside the body of a dragon, Simon must flee the castle and try to survive in a kingdom where the scaly beasts have been hunted to near extinction.

When the boy-turned-dragon learns he can take human form once a month, he begins making allies. As the years go by and a vicious lord takes control of the kingdom, Simon has one chance to break the curse and save the realm… but at what cost?

My Name Is Simon is the first book in the I, Dragon series, a set of captivating fantasy novels. If you like fast-moving plots, suspenseful sword and sorcery tales, and dragons galore, then you’ll love Nathan Roden’s fantasy with finesse.

Buy My Name Is Simon to experience the grown-up fairy tale today!

Contains a sneak peek of RebellionI, Dragon Book 2

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2017

326 people are currently reading
530 people want to read

About the author

Nathan Roden

21 books8 followers

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5 stars
114 (44%)
4 stars
75 (29%)
3 stars
48 (18%)
2 stars
13 (5%)
1 star
8 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
113 reviews
April 25, 2020
Good Story

I enjoyed the book. Fair warning ⚠️ it just ends. No resolution at all. Yes, I will get the next book. 4 stars for no ending.
Profile Image for Victor Salinas.
107 reviews2 followers
March 5, 2020
Disappointing !!

This story line is difficult to understand the plot is unbelievable I really just give up because the author is like forcing the main characters into unbelievable situations in order to make the story line flow but all it does is destroy the credibility of everything else's along with the world put around the main character .I really had high expectations for this book but I could not get pass the first three chapters I tried but got frustrated with the silly stuff the author crafted around the story line .
Profile Image for Rakeela Windrider.
72 reviews12 followers
March 28, 2023
Despite occasional errors and ubiquitous paragraph formatting anomalies, this was very easy to read. I found the pages flying by in a way that usually correlates with a deeply enjoyable book. This was not a deeply enjoyable book. I enjoyed it more than not, but I don't think I'll be keenly interested in going back to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not turned away from the book. I'm still curious to read farther into the series, but only curious. Not eager.

One thing that stood out to me about the book is that the villains are wicked, wicked people. If I do return to this book, it will be to read again about the deeds of evil people. I found the villains to be both believable and more horrible than I'd imagined. I cannot write about such people myself.

One thing that disappointed me was that
3 reviews
December 27, 2023
I found the idea of this book interesting. A boy turned dragon. However: the grammar! Help is needed. Also, the sentences were so choppy in places I felt I like was reading from a first grader’s English book. (You know, sentences like this: See Sam. See Sam run. He is afraid. Sam picks up a broom.)

As for the story line it was hard to feel much for the characters. The situations felt forced (for the sake of action and flow maybe?) The choppy sentences just made the connections harder to grasp.

I’m not sure I will finish the series. Between the grammar issues, words randomly placed in sentences making them make no sense, and choppy writing I just don’t have enough love for the characters or the plot to care what happens.

Three stars because, well I’m just not sure why. I’m being nice, perhaps.
498 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2017
A curse makes a 6 year old a Dragon and kills his parents, the King and Queen

Simon is a very excited to go to his 6th birthday and his naming day. Simon's mother the queen goes crazy and kills his father, herself , and he turns into a Dragon. Simon is now 18 . He has a friend who found him and helps him named Boone. Simon is in love with his younger brother, the King's bride. As in all fairy tales, we have a witch, and an evil Uncle Sterling, who does not want to give up the rule and is a very bad caregiver of the country. Well-written storyline with well-developed characterization. Adult readers due to violence.
266 reviews3 followers
August 14, 2017
Great World building from the beginning. This story caught my attention and had to keep reading.

Four stars because there were some editing errors, I feel a good beta reader would have done this book wonders.

A little boy gets turned into a dragon, the prince of the Kingdom, then his mother and father are killed. Even knowing he is their prince, the people of the kingdom try to kill him because dragons are not liked. Eleven years past, he makes two friends, and then a third, and know it is time to fight for his kingdom, and free his people from his sadistic Uncle who rules for his younger brother until his seventeenth name day.

I got so caught up that I had to go out and the second book, I think there is a third after that and I will be picking it up too if the writing stays as good as this one.

Magic, dragons, kingdom in peril and love. Excellent combination, the descriptions were great while not being over whelming. Pick it up if you love epic fantasy, you must not miss this one.
128 reviews2 followers
December 12, 2017
Good

I really like me the story line the things I never like in a book are back of sufficient editing. Words misspelled, words used incorrectly and an off word inserted into a sentence that makes no sense. Although this book is not the worse I have read there are places it is not a smooth read requiring a stop and reread to fully understand. If not for those places I would have given it at least a 4 star rating.
1,744 reviews15 followers
June 28, 2025
A shapeshifter by magic is Simon. Only he doesn’t control the magic, it controls him!

The change has made him an outcast- even worse, an enemy to be hunted. Killing is not in his nature but he must kill to eat, to survive.

Then he discovers more than the need to reform the kingdom from the top down. Now there is even more pressure for him to succeed.

Then the story ends.
Profile Image for Tammi.
81 reviews
September 8, 2018
Very imaginative

Very good book. I really want to read the next one at this immediate moment. It held my attention at all times. It was very descriptive and inspired my imagination. I was p!pleasantly surprised.
2 reviews
September 28, 2018
Keeps you guessing what next.

Simon is but a child when cursed. He is gentle of heart. Even though he is a dragon, he can not kill a living thing. Is this his doom or will it save him and his realm?
Profile Image for Rich.
38 reviews
October 22, 2021
Good start of great friendships

Curses, power struggles, sacrifices and a people in need of hope. And their hopes begin with a dragon. Good development of characters and the start of an entertwined plot with great possibilities.
Profile Image for Nikki.
367 reviews5 followers
dnf
November 23, 2021
DNF
This story left me feeling detached. It started with a prologue when Simon is 6. I thought his young age might to the issue, but 12 years later, the story still felt completely detached from the characters. I just didn't care enough to keep reading.
Next.
5 reviews
June 9, 2017
Great book

I enjoyed the story line. The characters were well developed with a great story line. Excited to start the second book in the series.
475 reviews4 followers
February 14, 2018
Great story

I couldn't put this book down. I read most of the night, went to sleep and then got up and finished it. Fantastical start the sequel.
330 reviews2 followers
March 20, 2018
Great Start

Starts with an excited 6 year old and ends with a maturing young man. The growth of a dragon with the mind of a human. Excellent writing and characters.
1,383 reviews8 followers
June 5, 2018
A dragon and a damsel, a megalomaniac behind the throne, and a sorceress - but there are also faithful friends in the mix. Drama, tension, adventure and heroes - a great combination.
Profile Image for Mary Ann.
2,746 reviews11 followers
December 3, 2018
A curse dooms the future king to live as a drgon all but one day in 28. There always seems to be someone willing and scheming to profit by greed and selfish ways.
Profile Image for Patricia A.Bunn.
230 reviews4 followers
June 18, 2019
Great Book

Great Book I know that you will find this out I love it
Thank You For Letting Me Read This Book I love 💘
I love 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘
Profile Image for Ron.
743 reviews2 followers
August 5, 2019
Great Story

P!entry of action and adventure along with a lot of humour make this a great read. Would definitely recommend this book
1 review
July 24, 2025
It was interesting enough to make me purchase the next book to see what happens next. Whoever edited this book should probably look for a new job, because they did not edit very well.
Profile Image for Jess Crafts.
278 reviews62 followers
December 22, 2017
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I found it while browsing on kindle unlimited and it sounded interesting but I had never heard of it before.

Simon is the son of the king but on the day he is supposed to be sworn in as heir on his sixth birthday his father is killed and he is cursed. Turned into a dragon in a kingdom that hates the creatures, and only turns back into a boy one day a month with the full moon. He runs and has to try to find allies and stay safe.

I was pleasantly surprised. It's a really good story, the plot is exciting and the characters are great. The only thing I would say is that the writing could have been much better. There wasn't anything wrong with it but it just didn't bring me into the story. I was being told what happened rather than feeling it. Perhaps with a little more editing i would have felt more of an emotional connection with Simon rather than just having him telling us the events. But, I have to say, the dialogue was a shining light and made up for this. It really carried the book. I especially loved the friendship between Simon and Boone. And this is pretty much completely shown through dialogue.
Profile Image for Jason Hubbard.
Author 16 books13 followers
December 5, 2016
A six-year-old prince is turned into a mighty terrifying dragon, and the first thing he does once he comes of age is to rally an army against those who cursed him and usurped his throne. Actually, that last part doesn't happen, although I imagine it could. True, dragons in this fantasy world are rightfully feared and hunted, but at a few times in this story people hear Simon the cursed dragon talk, and that changes their impression of him almost instantly. A dragon as a fearsome beast is one thing, but a talking dragon who thinks like a man is something else.
Exempting a few bits of plot convenience, the story is well thought out. My biggest problem with it is that it's too formulaic, too predictable. The cast-out king who becomes a reluctant hero to take back his kingdom is a pretty familiar one. A few story elements acting like monkey wrenches could have livened things up and made for great adventure and drama, but the "adventure" just ends up being so-so.
My second-biggest problem is the author's use of italics. I know that each author has his/her own writing style, and there's usually nothing wrong with that, but I believe italics should be used sparingly. A single word in italic is meant to stand out and have special emphasis, and an entire sentence in italics either signifies what a character is thinking or that the character is shouting at the top of his lungs. But Roden uses italics all over the place, emphasizing so many words unnecessarily and to indicate a sentence that's being whispered (while words that are shouted are in boldface). If Roden wants to stick with his usual style, then so be it, but it's not my preference, and I found it a little distracting at times.
This review is based on a complimentary copy of the book.
Profile Image for Tina.
408 reviews2 followers
October 31, 2016
OK, so it's your 7th birthday and the King is getting ready to announce that you will be the next king... Then all hell breaks loose. Your father is killed, your mother kills herself and a witch turns you into a dragon. Not the best experience, I'm sure. You're evil uncle takes over until your little brother is ready for the throne (age 17), but will the little brother ever be ready? The uncle has given him a wife and is hoping for another heir so he can be in control for another 17 years, after he kills the King. What's your job as a big brother? What else, save your brother and fall in love with his wife... Oops, that wasn't supposed to happen.
This is a very interesting story of pain and deceit. I appreciated the way Mr. Roden fleshed out the characters and made the scenes come alive. I went through all the range of emotions on this one. You can't help but feel the Simon's pain. He's driven out of his kingdom and forced to hide in caves alone. He only has 2 real friends, his brother's wife and Boone, a boy that helped the boy dragon survive in the world.
There was that one thing that really bothered me, cliffhanger!! I hate cliffhangers! You just get into the story and it ends. Then you have to sit, like a good girl, and wait until the next book is out. (Although I know it's in the works)
2,259 reviews6 followers
October 17, 2016
I felt sorry for Simon. Through no fault of his own, since six years old, he has been cursed into the form of a dragon, and hunted by his younger brother, and his evil advisor. His weak brother has assumed the throne, and is married to the woman Simon loves. Even if Simon breaks the curse and gets his throne back, he still can't have his true love. I am rooting for Simon, and that his goodness will prevail.
23 reviews
November 12, 2016
I dragon book 1

I can't wait for the next book in this series.when is the next one due out.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great read about dragons.
62 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2017
This book was great!!! It only took me a couple days to read because I almost couldn't put it down except I had to go to work each day. I am very excited to read the rest of the series!
Profile Image for Priscilla Robinson.
Author 2 books21 followers
August 20, 2017
I'm not one for cliffhangers but this book was great and it has a quest so it doesn't feel like the author is breaking down one book to drive me crazy. The storyline amd plot kept me engaged from the first to the last chapter. Look forward to see Simon taking his rightful place.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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