Dragon Physician

by Joyce Chng

Can Jixin succeed in a world of dragon racing run by powerful women? Can he fight the system and fulfil his dream of becoming a dragon rider? Or does he choose instead to be a dragon physician like his mother? Jixin finds his world suddenly changed when Lu Si, the scion of a Rookery owner, takes a shine on him. He is plunged straight into the lucrative world of dragon racing... Will his life change?

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Dragons

143 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2020

About the author

Joyce Chng (also spelled Ch’ng) lives in Singapore. They write science fiction and fantasy as well as YA and MG. Their short stories have appeared in The Apex Book of World SF II, The Future Fire and Multispecies Cities. Dragon Dancer (Lantana Publishing) is Joyce’s first picture book, celebrating dragon dancing and Lunar New Year; it was followed by Oyster Girl (Pepper Dog Press), a tribute to their grandmother and the hawker heritage in Singapore. For YA readers, Fire Heart is a fantasy book about swords and coming-of-age. They also write books for adults as J. Chng and urban fantasy as J. Damask. You can find Joyce at their website, or on X and Bluesky at @jolantru.

Reviews

[Farah Mendlesohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read.

It felt underdeveloped at times (too much off stage) and to be honest I didn’t really need the world changing adventure. For me all the best bits were the dragon vet bits. I’d be totally up for a sequel which was just stores about treating dragon ailments.

[JR Dabbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queer youths fight the system in this online (now complete serial). Oh and its about dragon riding with luscious details about that and the world they inhabit. For the young and young at heart.

[Runalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smart tale of dragons, rebellion with a very well delivered look at a trans relationship too


Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love most things dragon but not this book. The story had potential; unfortunately the author did not develop much of that potential. The characters were one dimensional and we hardly got to know the dragons. The book reads more like an outline for a novel. One of the major themes was the limits placed on people because of sexist role assignments but the society swiftly changed without much of an explanation as to why. The book lacked development as well as a good proofreader.