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The Dragon in the Whites
A young Viking boy named Tryggvi is exploring an island off of the southern coast of Iceland when he stumbles upon an unusual stone. Left forgotten for most of his life, the stone sat in solitude... and waited.
Centuries later, a dragon is awoken from a long slumber and terrorizes the people of Maine and New Hampshire. Only the determination and resolve of a young man can save the people and put an end to the mythical tyrant. But will he be strong enough to take down the beast?
Centuries later, a dragon is awoken from a long slumber and terrorizes the people of Maine and New Hampshire. Only the determination and resolve of a young man can save the people and put an end to the mythical tyrant. But will he be strong enough to take down the beast?
- GenresFantasy
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 1, 2019
This is a unique take on dragon lore, one which even I, with my vast draconic experience, haven’t previously encountered. So, A+ for concept and originality!
The Dragon in the Whites is what I’d classify as “historical fantasy”: that is, it’s set in our world, and it draws heavily upon the history of our world (specifically Viking history), but there’s magic and dragons involved. If you’re a fan of fantastical elements being woven into the world we know and love, then this is the story for you.
It follows a young Viking boy named Tryggvi as he grows. The pacing of the first half threw me for a loop, because we would often leap forward in time (which I wasn’t expecting). Once I got used to the idea, the tale follows Tryggvi from boyhood to manhood to fatherhood and then, ultimately, to his death. Another somewhat surprising twist for me, but not to fear — Tryggvi’s story doesn’t end there!
Time passes in the mortal realm, and the once-great Tryggvi’s tomb is forgotten by the outside world. However, three centuries later, a creature emerges from an egg in the cave, becomes self-aware, and realizes that it is…a dragon. And in fact, this dragon is the spirit of Tryggvi reborn.
I liked this segment of the book best, and felt it was the most engaging. That may just be because I love dragons so much. Tryggvi as a dragon is interesting to observe, although he is conflicted and upset to find his human spirit reborn into a dragon (why, though? What could be better??), and hides himself away from the world for another span of time. This new time hop brings us into the “modern era” for the second half of the book.
The large and abrupt time hops sometimes left me feeling disjointed, but in general it wasn’t hard to follow the story. In the modern era we begin to follow young Liam Tryggvison, who (as you might gather from the name) is a descendant of Tryggvi himself. It was a little hard for me to suddenly jump from one MC to a different one half a book later, but we are still very much following Tryggvi’s story — albeit through Liam’s eyes.
Overall an interesting foray into historical fantasy for me, and a fresh take on dragons which I found fascinating and enjoyable. This is part one of a trilogy, so I gather Tryggvi’s story is still not over! 3.5 stars, rounding up to four stars for an original and stand-out take on the classic dragon theme.
The Dragon in the Whites is what I’d classify as “historical fantasy”: that is, it’s set in our world, and it draws heavily upon the history of our world (specifically Viking history), but there’s magic and dragons involved. If you’re a fan of fantastical elements being woven into the world we know and love, then this is the story for you.
It follows a young Viking boy named Tryggvi as he grows. The pacing of the first half threw me for a loop, because we would often leap forward in time (which I wasn’t expecting). Once I got used to the idea, the tale follows Tryggvi from boyhood to manhood to fatherhood and then, ultimately, to his death. Another somewhat surprising twist for me, but not to fear — Tryggvi’s story doesn’t end there!
Time passes in the mortal realm, and the once-great Tryggvi’s tomb is forgotten by the outside world. However, three centuries later, a creature emerges from an egg in the cave, becomes self-aware, and realizes that it is…a dragon. And in fact, this dragon is the spirit of Tryggvi reborn.
I liked this segment of the book best, and felt it was the most engaging. That may just be because I love dragons so much. Tryggvi as a dragon is interesting to observe, although he is conflicted and upset to find his human spirit reborn into a dragon (why, though? What could be better??), and hides himself away from the world for another span of time. This new time hop brings us into the “modern era” for the second half of the book.
The large and abrupt time hops sometimes left me feeling disjointed, but in general it wasn’t hard to follow the story. In the modern era we begin to follow young Liam Tryggvison, who (as you might gather from the name) is a descendant of Tryggvi himself. It was a little hard for me to suddenly jump from one MC to a different one half a book later, but we are still very much following Tryggvi’s story — albeit through Liam’s eyes.
Overall an interesting foray into historical fantasy for me, and a fresh take on dragons which I found fascinating and enjoyable. This is part one of a trilogy, so I gather Tryggvi’s story is still not over! 3.5 stars, rounding up to four stars for an original and stand-out take on the classic dragon theme.
June 23, 2021
So let’s start off by saying I liked this story. I think the concept is great however there were lulls here and there that made it hard to push through. I think there were storylines that the author was heading towards but didn’t see them fully to completion. I enjoyed the locations used in the story as someone who is very familiar with area. Overall it was a good read and I will check out the next book.
September 13, 2018
I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Baird at two separate book fairs, and luckily the second time around we had some time to chat and, best of all, trade books! I enjoyed Tim's first book immensely--I loved that his storytelling style was engaging and detailed without being tedious to read. It was a fantastic blend of fantasy and historical fiction, and all of the characters felt very real to the point that I was genuinely worried about their safety at times! Great job Tim, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to read your book (the sequel's next in my "To Read" pile)! Good luck with your writing career!
July 31, 2017
Read on my Kindle. This was an intriguing story about a dragon that has taken up the modern day white mountains as its home. The build up/background of how this came to be was a little slow, but in the end I think crucial to the story. Liam's tracking/hunting of the dragon in the second half of the book was exciting, and I couldn't bring myself to stop reading. I wish there was more closure at the end but I feel like that's a common complaint of mine... Awesome job Tim!
August 6, 2018
This book is amazing. Tim did an amazing job creating a story not only about Liam and the dragon but also about a young Viking boy. I loved the book and cannot recommend it enough if you’re looking for an awesome read set in New England!
January 23, 2021
Very well written and great use of genealogy! Loved how the author described a dragon as a real beast vs. a mythical and magical creature. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
February 16, 2022
An excellent book. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews