Dragon Mage

The Magic Books #7

by Andre Norton, Jean Rabe

Shy realizes that she is lucky to be taken in by her grandparents after her father dies–but life above an antique store in Slade’s Corners, Wisconsin is not exactly the place a teenage girl wants to be. One day while going through boxes of her father’s boyhood stuff, she comes upon a rare old set of dragon puzzles … all of which are missing pieces. Her grandmother recalls the fantastic tales Shy's father would tell about his travels to lands of dragons and adventure. She always thought that these fantasies were inspired by the puzzles Shy has found. Shy realizes that by mixing and matching the different sets she can complete a single dragon puzzle that combines all of the others. Upon doing so she is whisked away to ancient Babylon where she must continue the duties of her father’s legacy as a servant to the dragon and a savior of the world.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Young Adult, Fiction, Magic, Childrens, Science Fiction

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2018

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Nikky3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but at the same time it wiersly gave me a huge axiaty.

[Arliegh Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began reading Dragon Mage with my 5th grade grandson because it was the last in Norton's Magic series. This one is actually a sequel to Dragon Magic where a group of boys (consecutively) build a part of a dragon puzzle they find in a deserted house. Once each dragon is finished, the boy who put together that part of the puzzle is drawn into the past (each to a different place and time) and lives a bit of the life of someone else. We both enjoyed Dragon Magic (in fact, I had read it years ago without knowing it was part of a series and only bought the other books to bring my grandson up to the point where we could enjoy that one together. This last book, however, was a little too different from the others and he grew bored partway through it. (The daughter of one of the original puzzle builders finds the box in the attic of her grandparents' house. While some of the pieces are missing, she manages to put together a completely different dragon using the colors from all the ones her father and his friends built.) I must admit that this one was a bit tedious in parts (I also have to admit that I haven't much cared for any of the books that Norton did with a co-author. This one was with Jean Rabe.) It took place in Babylon and involved a lot of running away from bad guys.
When I finally realized that my grandson was too bored to finish the book together (and had moved on to some much more difficult series that were more captivating) I did the rest of the reading myself. It was a struggle to get through it but it had a great surprise ending that made up for all of the rest.
If you've read the Magic series or at least the prequel to this book, I would say you should read this one to complete the story. But maybe not if you are a preteen.

[MB (What she read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this to read when I saw it available on Kindle because the prequel "Dragon Magic" was a favorite from childhood. (I read that book so many times! Loved it.)

This one was hard to get into, and I finally forced myself to finish. (Weird, because ancient Babylon is such an interesting setting. Imagine seeing the Ishtar Gates in situ and walking around the Hanging Gardens!) However, I am much older and a different person now, life is busy, this was slow-going, and I couldn't relax enough to plug on with this. It took me a while to finish it. YMMV...

P.S. I really miss the Hilary Knight illustrations from Dragon Magic in this--they added so much to the reading experience. There's so much worthy of illustration in this--not just the setting, but Ulbanu and Nidintulugal. Children's chapter books SO benefit from great illustrators. I was lucky to have devoured many dual treasures (text + illustrations) back in the day.

What was your favorite illustrated children's chapter book? Share in the comments if you feel to.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely worth losing a LOT of sleep

I was afraid that the story would be out of date, but it was terrific! I loved the description of the Hanging Gardens. I need to see if I can find a book with pictures and descriptions. Also, before reading this I did not know why they were built. Such a great love story.

[JW Dillingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still Norton

This book may have to have been finished by the collaborator after Norton’s death, but it is still classic Norton in terms of plot and characters. Loved it and highly recommend to any and all Norton fans.

[Virginia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grand tale of adventure

A sweet but exciting tale of a young mage finding her power. Of traveling to another time and place and completing an important quest. A terrific collaboration.

[Natty · Rating 2 out of 5]

It didn't really resonate with me though not through any fault of the writing.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it when I was a kid. It is clearly meant for younger readers.

[Sheri Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a fun read.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A last taste of Andre's magic

Be aware, Norton fans, Jean Rabe has given us an extension of our ability to enjoy the magic of Andre Norton!

[Kelly C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood returned

This book took me back to a time when I was first discovering reading just for the joy of it. Well written and fun.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I'd been able to read the first book before this one! This wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but kids seeking dragon adventure stories would probably not be disappointed.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the picture the author painted of ancient Babylon! I am not one to usually read fantasy type science fiction. I usually go for futuristic science fiction because of my horrendous lack of history knowledge and understanding, combined with the difficulty I have with odd names, but this book was easy to get into.

It did bother me a bit that of course the Asian kid knows martial arts, how stereotypical. Just didn't seem like great character development in that instance. It was also a little overdramatic at times which made it seem juvenile and corny. For example I think the phrase "to save dragon kind and perhaps mankind" was repeated a few too many times.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book.

[A. Nixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first third (or more) of this book in one sitting while waiting for a friend. It wasn't so much that I was enthralled but rather that I had nothing else with me to read. It was a pretty good story, well crafted and it really picked up in the last 50 pages but otherwise, I felt it was a little slow. There wasn't much about the story that even gripped me or made me want to keep reading. I haven't read the first book so perhaps that would have affected my enjoyment but at the moment, based on this book alone, I don't think I'll be picking up the first one.

Not my favourite and, normally, I do like dragons.

[Becky Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this book and will be looking for others by this author.

[Luis Odicio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now one of my favorite books and I will be looking to read the original book (Dragon Magic).

The story is good to say the least, the characters believable and the description and wonders of Babylon are breathtaking and magnificent.

Shilo's unexpected adventure gives her an (unwanted) opportunity to save the future of humanity. A young priest will have a crucial role in her survival and the last person she expected to see again will have an important role in her mission.

I won't say more than, this is a great book to read, I recommend it.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

A peculiar reading experience. Jean Rabe completed it after Norton's death, and it feels like more of a labor of love and a tribute to Dragon Magic than a book on its own. It lacks Norton's storytelling charm, and the historical factoids are intrusive. It reads a lot like a children's book, but is presented as a novel for adults. I suspect it would be a better book if it got a rewrite and was marketed for the 9 - 12 year old market.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shilo knows that she is lucky to be taken in by her grandparents after her Dad dies but it's hard to feel lucky when you're stuck in a town that has maybe 3 streets and a couple of stores. Then, she finds a wooden puzzle of dragons that her Dad had had as a child. When she puts one of the dragons together, she is transported back 2500 years in time to Babylon where she is drawn into a quest to rescue the dragons eggs and to save dragonkind and perhaps mankind in the process.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book all in all. I got sucked into in pretty quickly. I enjoyed the time travel aspects of it. I don't really want to spoil it so I'll just say that while it did wrap up rather quickly, I wasn't disappointed at all. I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of magical themed fiction. I can definitely see myself reading it again in the future, and also looking into other books by the authors. It really was a good book.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun plot, modern teenager thrown back in time and dragons and magic to boot. Unfortunately I didn't find it very engaging, there was almost no character development, the protagonist learned magic instantly, everyone is clearly friend or foe, etc. Perhaps it was for younger readers, though I didn't see anything to that effect.

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice trip to the past and the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon seen through the eyes of a lonely teenage girl. A nice tribute to Ms. Norton but doesn't quite have her flair for a gripping story.

[Leigh M · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read about half this book and just couldn't bear to waste more time on it. It did not read like any other young adult novel. It felt more juvenile (which is fine, just misleading) and I could not get into it. The poor character development and unimaginative mythology were major turn-offs.

[Mark]

I started this book, and it's fairly interesting, but I don't know about the morals it might be teaching pertaining to stealing and such, for a kids' book.

[penny shima glanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

another $1 bookoff find. ;)
Interesting read and I'd like to read Dragon Magic too. Anything with a lead character with a background like Shilo's will tug and my heartstrings.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read.

[Alicca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun and not easy to put down. I have not read Dragon Magic but now I feel the need to track it down after reading this.

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1982 grade B-

(Juvenile)

[Ulysses · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has second thoughts about reading fantasy.

[Virna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story with wonderful characters, I like it.

[Mick · Rating 2 out of 5]

M'eh. For young readers.