Dragon Bike: Fantastical Stories of Bicycling, Feminism, & Dragons

Bikes in Space #6

by Elly Blue (Editor)

From the great, winged, fire-breathing lizards of the west to the wise, flying serpents of the east, dragons play a powerful role in our myths and imaginations. In these fourteen stories and one comic, bicyclists encounter a diversity of dragons, whether foes or friends, hoarders or helpers, powerful symbols or terrifying and very real beasts. Instead of stereotypical tales of heroes saving helpless princesses from cruel beasts, these stories are populated by empowered people facing complicated dilemmas and fantastical quests.

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Dragons, Fiction, Short Stories, LGBT, Science Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2020

Reviews

[Ed Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story collections based around a theme can turn out very badly. Luckily this one doesn't. Of course I don't live every story, but there enough that I like that I can recommend the book.

All the stories contain at least one bicycle (real), one dragon (not necessarily real), and feminism. (Don't be scared by that word. Here it basically means the stories have more female characters than male ones.)

I particularly liked:

The story by Gretchen Lair about a girl in temporary foster care. Her dragon seems to be imaginary.

"Wyvern" by Phil Cowhig about a bicycle messenger in London. Her dragon is a corporation experimenting with an A.I.

The story by J. Rohr. is also about a bike messenger, but this time the dragons are real fire-breathing monsters.

I think I preferred Bikes Not Rockets, but this is also a pleasant way to spend some time.

[Teatum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just. I want to read every single one of these again. I want to read more from each of these authors. I'm just sad it's over. I loved how each of them took the "dragon" and "bicycle" prompt in extremely different ways. It's also a study in how to write AFAB, queer, nonbinary characters and it was beyond refreshing.

Read more offbeat publications.

[Yj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragons and bicycles and lesbians oh my!
A fun and unique collection of short stories all with different takes on dragons and bicycles. From a dragon who is a bicycle to a dragon that makes bicycles to a pet dragon to a predator dragon.
As with any short story collection there are going to be stories you love and stories that aren’t your thing.
Happily with this collection there are more to love than not.

[Taru Luojola]

Antologia novelleja, joiden yhdistävät tekijät on mainittu jo kirjan alaotsikossa. Novelleja on kaiken sorttisia korkeafantsusta avaruusskifiin ja hyperrealismiin, mutta päällimmäiseksi vaikutelmaksi antologiasta jäänee kuitenkin tietynlainen lämminhenkisyys. Omia suosikkejani ovat Monique Cuillerierin The Sound of Home, Phil Cowhigin Wyvern ja J. Rohrin Slow Burn, Steady Flame.

Antologiassa on myös oma novellini, minkä vuoksi pidättäydyn tähdittämästä. 1800-luvulle sijoittuva Beasts of Bataranam ei ole lämminhenkinen, ei skifiä eikä fantsua, mutta siinä nuoret karanneet orjat näyttävät plantaasinomistajalle, mistä kana pissii.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5

A fun collection. The authors have a good batch of creativity to combine bicycles and dragons. A few of the stories are silly, a few a bit simplistic. Bicycle Art and The Dragon's Lake were quite good. But Wyvern was head and shoulders above them all. It left me craving to know so much more.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon Bike, edited by Elly Blue:

This is one of a series of anthologies that collect feminist fantasy and science fiction stories that have to involve bicycles. It's a very interesting concept and produces some fun stories. This collection all also involve dragons, and I was impressed by the huge range of approaches, based on this strange combination of criteria.

There were classic fire-breathing dragons, metaphorical dragons, machine dragons, paper dragons, and many more. I loved discovering how the dragons and bicycles would appear in each story, and most of them were masterfully constructed and beautifully told. There's always at least some range of quality in an anthology, but I enjoyed all the stories in this one.

Great concept, well executed.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Women Bike Book Club. Is available on Hoopla, which I didn’t anticipate at all.

It’s a collection of short stories about bikes and dragons and with a special focus on stories of women and non-binary people. I remember the call for stories and regret not sending something in, but considering the quality of these stories, my writing would have been outshone.

If you like fantasy/sci fi short stories, you’ll probably like this collection.

[Dakota Sillyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting and diverse collection!
As promised, it delivers a smattering of fantastical tales involving bikes, bad ass dragons, and even more bad ass ladies.

The prompt leads to some really inventive story telling. The first two stories in the collection are probably the most memorable, but I enjoyed all them!

[Francesca]

was one story that I hated the ending of (sorry Kate MacDonald) but even then I understood the message being put across. all of the other stories were great and would love to read more by this collection of authors.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

hit-or-miss stories, but cute theme and positive messages

[Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few standout stories, but also a few that I didn't really care for. For me, the concept was cooler than the execution.

[Kc · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overall good collection with a few exceptional bangers.

[Juniper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some hits, some misses. Overall, surprisingly solid.

[Sarah Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the cover. Dragon Bike is full of short stories combining bikes, dragons, and strong female protagonists. I liked some short stories better than others. Favorite stories include: Witchcanix; The Sound of Home; What is a girl without a Dragon?; The Dragon's Lake; Wyvern