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Dragon Forged
All Orna Ironheart wants is to take over her father’s forge when he retires, but things aren’t so simple for young dwarven women in the town of Stonehaven. Firstly, they can’t inherit and own property or businesses, and secondly, Orna’s expected to marry a most unsuitable boy – her da’s apprentice Immig.
Yet when a dragon is sighted, and Orna’s da embarks on a foolhardy quest to kill the beast and capture its treasure, Orna just knows this is going to spell disaster.
Despite the odds stacked against them, Orna and her friend Dani set out on the menfolks’ tracks, and their journey across a perilous marsh, through a gloomy forest, and up a precipitous mountain has them realise that even two dwarven girls might just be their people’s only hope when a dragon’s fury is unleashed.
Yet when a dragon is sighted, and Orna’s da embarks on a foolhardy quest to kill the beast and capture its treasure, Orna just knows this is going to spell disaster.
Despite the odds stacked against them, Orna and her friend Dani set out on the menfolks’ tracks, and their journey across a perilous marsh, through a gloomy forest, and up a precipitous mountain has them realise that even two dwarven girls might just be their people’s only hope when a dragon’s fury is unleashed.
144 pages, Paperback
Published December 3, 2022
2 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Nerine Dorman
73 books240 followersNerine Dorman is a South African author and editor of science fiction and fantasy currently living in Cape Town, with short fiction published in numerous anthologies. She is a contributor to the Locus Award-winning Afro-Centered Futurism in Our Speculative Fiction edited by Eugen Bacon (Bloomsbury, 2024). Her novel Sing down the Stars won Gold for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2019 and The Percy Fitzpatrick Award for Children's and Youth Literature in 2021. Her YA fantasy novella, Dragon Forged, was a finalist in the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature in 2017, and she is the curator of the South African Horrorfest Bloody Parchment event and short story competition. Her short story “On the Other Side of the Sea” (Omenana, 2017) was shortlisted for a 2018 Nommo award. Her novella The Firebird won a Nommo for “Best Novella” in 2019. In addition, she is a founding member of the SFF authors’ co-operative Skolion.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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December 7, 2022Well, duh, I wrote it, so I read it. Won't rate it because that's not how I roll.
But if you like dragons, dwarven lasses saving the day, high adventure, and quests, then this one might well be for you.
But if you like dragons, dwarven lasses saving the day, high adventure, and quests, then this one might well be for you.
June 22, 2023
Review originally published on JamReads
Dragon Forged is a young-adult fantasy novel, written by the South-African author Nerine Dorman; a great story about breaking the genre stereotypes with big doses of fun and humour, pretty much similar to what Pratchett did in Equal Rites or in the Tiffany Aching series, using one of those fantasy races that tend to be ignored: dwarfs.
Orna Ironheart just wants to take her da's forge once he retires, but dwarven young women in Stoneheart are not supposed to receive an inheritance. To add salt to the wound, she's expected to marry her father's annoying apprentice, Immig; Orna is not taken seriously despite being a really competent blacksmith due to her genre.
When a dragon is sighted, menfolk from Stoneheart decide to embark on a foolish quest to kill the beast and retrieve its treasure; Orna is sure it's going to be a disaster. In the company of her friend Dani, they will start their own quest following the menfolks' tracks, and decide to have their own adventure.
Orna and Dani will travel in their own quest, proving their own independency and their ability to sort out problems; even when the menfolk fall under the spell of a witch, they manage to rescue them. And after our pair of heroines reach the dragon's lair, they will soon realize they are the only hope to save Stoneheart from the fury of a dragon.
The plot is kinda a gender-bending retelling of the classical fantasy quest story, using an underrepresented race as dwarves, that usually are just painted as men. In the end, Dorman is writing a novel about breaking genre molds, a critic of how women are pigeonholed in certain roles just because of their birth, even when they might be more prepared than their masculine counterparts.
Personally, I found this novel to be really fun, something that you can knock off in one afternoon, and while this length was good, I think it could have benefitted from a longer plot, as we could have explored much better some situations, instead of going so quickly over them.
Dragon Forged is a great novel, perfect for those that are looking for more books that could be compared to Discworld; a standalone that will make you laugh and have a great time.
Dragon Forged is a young-adult fantasy novel, written by the South-African author Nerine Dorman; a great story about breaking the genre stereotypes with big doses of fun and humour, pretty much similar to what Pratchett did in Equal Rites or in the Tiffany Aching series, using one of those fantasy races that tend to be ignored: dwarfs.
Orna Ironheart just wants to take her da's forge once he retires, but dwarven young women in Stoneheart are not supposed to receive an inheritance. To add salt to the wound, she's expected to marry her father's annoying apprentice, Immig; Orna is not taken seriously despite being a really competent blacksmith due to her genre.
When a dragon is sighted, menfolk from Stoneheart decide to embark on a foolish quest to kill the beast and retrieve its treasure; Orna is sure it's going to be a disaster. In the company of her friend Dani, they will start their own quest following the menfolks' tracks, and decide to have their own adventure.
Orna and Dani will travel in their own quest, proving their own independency and their ability to sort out problems; even when the menfolk fall under the spell of a witch, they manage to rescue them. And after our pair of heroines reach the dragon's lair, they will soon realize they are the only hope to save Stoneheart from the fury of a dragon.
The plot is kinda a gender-bending retelling of the classical fantasy quest story, using an underrepresented race as dwarves, that usually are just painted as men. In the end, Dorman is writing a novel about breaking genre molds, a critic of how women are pigeonholed in certain roles just because of their birth, even when they might be more prepared than their masculine counterparts.
Personally, I found this novel to be really fun, something that you can knock off in one afternoon, and while this length was good, I think it could have benefitted from a longer plot, as we could have explored much better some situations, instead of going so quickly over them.
Dragon Forged is a great novel, perfect for those that are looking for more books that could be compared to Discworld; a standalone that will make you laugh and have a great time.
May 20, 2023
This is a gorgeous homage to Tolkien's dwarves. It's a little bit frothy, very funny and full of lovely adventures.
It's engaging and well written. My daughter plans to read it next!
It's engaging and well written. My daughter plans to read it next!
April 22, 2024
So much fun! There were some really lovely Easter eggs hidden within, and even one tugging my brain but hasn't pulled loose yet. The 2 friends complemented each other well. When 1 was down the other lifted them up, and vise a versa.
Want to Read
January 5, 2024This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.
A dwarf lass with a looming betrothal she’s less than thrilled about works into the night on a new style of shield her father doesn’t think she has any business making.
This seems like a fun YA fantasy that maybe skews young, but not with its prose or competent dialogue. It starts with a good focus on its MC and her problems and ambitions.
She’s excited about her work at the forge. She has a vision! Though it hardly seems a vision that her family supports her in. They’re more interested in marrying her off, and to a bit of a lout.
This leads with its character and personal conflict from the get to. It’s clear, and steadily developing, and the world detail of big fire breathing salamanders burning half her friend’s beard off gave me a good laugh.
Our dwarven female MC is smart, tough, and has her own idea about how her life should go. The story seems simple for the moment, and effective. This is quite short, but seems like a nice, fun read. I’m in.
A dwarf lass with a looming betrothal she’s less than thrilled about works into the night on a new style of shield her father doesn’t think she has any business making.
This seems like a fun YA fantasy that maybe skews young, but not with its prose or competent dialogue. It starts with a good focus on its MC and her problems and ambitions.
She’s excited about her work at the forge. She has a vision! Though it hardly seems a vision that her family supports her in. They’re more interested in marrying her off, and to a bit of a lout.
This leads with its character and personal conflict from the get to. It’s clear, and steadily developing, and the world detail of big fire breathing salamanders burning half her friend’s beard off gave me a good laugh.
Our dwarven female MC is smart, tough, and has her own idea about how her life should go. The story seems simple for the moment, and effective. This is quite short, but seems like a nice, fun read. I’m in.
September 9, 2023
This was a well written novella about two dwarf friends going on an adventure to save their village from a dragon. I especially liked how the author wove events from their daily lives into the plot. I would've enjoyed a longer novel, especially to see how they continued their crafts, may be another adventure or two, visiting places of interest, etc.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews