Make Way for Dragons!

Dragons Series #1

by Thorarinn Gunnarsson

An accident has opened the Way Between the Worlds--to a land where the mythical creatures of Earth are real . . . and headed our way! The great dragon Dalvenjah and her young dragonet are stranded in a strange new land--known to its natives as "California."

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

215 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

From Wikipedia: Thorarinn Gunnarsson is the pseudonym of an American author of science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Jenners · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I read the second book in this series, “Human, Beware!” a whole bunch of times in my teen years, but could never manage to find the other books in the series since my library didn’t have them. I can’t tell you how many used bookstores I looked in for YEARS to try to find the others but to no avail.

Fast forward to many years later, when I rediscovered that book on the shelves of my childhood home and realized that now, in this magical era of technology, I could order the other books on Amazon and have them at my doorstep in a jiffy. So, I just finished reading this, the first in the series, and I have to tell you that I read it with a huge smile on my face. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The author has a wonderful sense of humor and brings a certain kind of joy to her stories which I don’t think I can properly describe to you...but I really just have such a great time when I’m immersed in them.

I didn’t fall in love with this one the same way I did with the second book, but I think it’s just because I loved the characters in the second that much more. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of character overlap between the two, but I adored the young adult Jenny as a main character so very much (perhaps I’m a bit biased as my name is Jenny too!) more than the main characters in this novel.

I do have to say - what the heck is up with the jacket design on this series?! The front cover of this and the second in ABSOLUTELY NO WAY reflect anything that happens inside the book. I think maybe the marketing did this one a disservice. Oh well.

Regardless - I still loved this book. Not enough to give it the 5 star rating I reserve for my very favorite books of all time, but an extremely enthusiastic 4 stars. Would gladly give it the extra half if goodreads permitted it.

Now on to a reread of Human Beware, followed by Dragons on the Town for the first time!

[Bernadette Durbin]

You know how they say "don't judge a book by its cover"? This is a prime example of why they have that saying.

Look at that cover and envision the kind of book it's going to be. Pause a moment. Well, you're wrong. There are no skateboards, no palm trees, and the only reference to California of any kind is that it's vaguely set there, but certainly not in 1980s Southern California. (Maybe. It's a *very* vague setting, and I'm willing to bet that the author had never been in California, since the part that's in the mountains doesn't feel like California at all. To put it bluntly, none of the characters seem to be worried about fire, and yes, that worry goes clear back to settlements.)

If you're wondering, this is the story of the faerie dragon Dalvenjah, injured in our world while chasing a much larger, evil dragon. She needs a chance to recuperate before facing him again, and ends up enlisting the help of a human cellist named Allan. Standard early 90s portal fantasy fare, and fun.

[Katy Lohman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very light and entertaining, with an interesting story. It's been a while since I read it...should find and reread.