Wyvernwood

Dragonkin #1

by Robin Wayne Bailey

The time of the dragons has passed, and a New Age is coming—an age that will be dominated by a race called "Man." Wyvernwood, a deep and mysterious forest in the land of Engmar, is the last known refuge for the descendants of the great and majestic dragons that once ruled the skies; and with them have come most of the remaining mythological and magical creatures of the world—the unicorns, the manticores, griffins, basilisks and minotaurs. But there is no stopping the gradual encroachment of Men. It is clear to all the creatures of Wyvernwood that if they are to survive, a new home and refuge must be found. But where? Somewhere lost in the dangerous outer world, the prophecy says, are three ancient artifacts called the Diamond Dragon, the Glass Dragon, and the Heart of All Dragons. When the three are united once again, it is said, they will point the way to a new home. And who will dare to seek such a place? Harrow, Chan, and Dido are three young dragon triplets, two brothers and a sister, born of the same nest. Prophecy says that one of the three will rise to lead the dragons to a new home—but which one? • AN IBOOKS ORIGINAL! NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED!• Cover by illustrator Troy Howell of Redwall fame!• Robin Wayne Bailey is the bestselling fantasy author of the Brothers of the Dragon trilogy and Shadowdance.• Bailey was handpicked by Fritz Leiber to collaborate on his Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series of fantasy novels; the result was Swords Against the Shadowlands.• “Robin Bailey is an outstanding name in the field.”—Marion Zimmer BradleyAbout the AuthorRobin Wayne Bailey is the bestselling author of the BROTHERS OF DRAGON trilogy and SHADOWDANCE. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction

358 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2003

About the author

Robin Wayne Bailey is an American fantasy and science fiction author and is a past president (2005-2007) of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Robin also served as SFWA's South-Central Regional Director for nine years and has hosted three of SFWA's annual Nebula Awards weekends; two of those Nebula events were held in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri.

Bailey was one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Hall of Fame in 1996, which merged with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Enterprises in Seattle in 2004 to become part of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Robin continues to serve on its annual induction committee.

Bailey graduated from North Kansas City High School, and received a B.A. in English and Anthropology and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwest Missouri State University.

Reviews

[Pierre · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an unusual one among fantasy books featuring dragons as a character pov. The dragons here are shepherds for a host of fantastic creatures in a world whose magic seems to be waning. Most of these creatures are living peacefully in their last refuge, except for a few whose betrayal and scheming bring calamities on their fellows.
The dragons have some background that make them interesting as a whole, and some individuals stand out, but not to the point to make characters the main focus of interest. What I retain the most is the setup of the forest and surrounding world, painted vividly with a pleasantly written descriptions.
One thing disturbed me now and then though, it was non humans (not even anthro hybrids) taking human poses and gestures, like a bobcat gesturing their bethren to come with a paw.
Nice little tale overall.

[Lemurkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep in the wilderness is a special, secret place where dragons rule the skies and the mystical creatures we have come to forget still roam the woodlands. Fierce griffins, gentle minotaur, beautiful unicorn... This is the Wyvernwood, and it is the last refuge for these beautiful beasts.

But for how long?

For humans have come to the wood, bringing with them their axes and their fire. Destroying the homes of hummingbird and eagle and kidnapping a minotaur boy.

Only little Bumble, a hummingbird of poor memory but great courage (and vast appetite) witnesses their malevolence, and seeks help. In the form of beautiful Marian, the last unicorn. Together, with the help of the grey dragon artist, Ronaldo, they set up on a dangerous adventure that will lead them into the stronghold of man himself - themost dangerous monster of all.

And back at the Wyvernwood, things are not running smoothly. The cruel griffin, Gaunt, has ascended to the throne of ruler and he will stop at nothing to destroy the hold the dragons have over the leadership of the woods. With his schemes and poisoned mind, only darkness can insure.

Delightfully written and with characters both charming and sinister, I imagine this book, the first of a trilogy, would be enjoyed by many of my friends here. Even if the griffins are put in the role of "evil". I loved the characterisation (particularly little Bumble and "Daddy" the snake) and there is also a healthy injection of humour.

All in all, lovely - and well worth the 75% off price tag I paid for it!

[Indilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed the world building that came through with this novel - I've never read anything by this author and this is the first of a trilogy. It's been a long time since I've read anything that's strictly fantasy, dragon lore and all that jazz - so I found myself having a hard time getting into that mindset again. But that was a personal problem regarding my reading style, not anything against the writing or the book itself.

This story has wonderful characters in a lush environment - one that draws you in and keeps you interested. Fans of this type of story will see the general similarities to other stories in its genre, but the characters are well rounded and change throughout their stories. You feel for them and I like that about it.

While there are a few unanswered questions revolving around some of the characters, given that it is a series, most of the loose ends are tied up. I was very satisfied with the ending and the general happiness that became of all of it.

[MrsK Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragons, minotaurs, griffins... oh, my!

It is absolutely necessary for a normal every day routine in Wyvernwood, oh so Marina begins her tale from the old days... Her little Puck just loves it when she reads from Stormfire's Book or a tale is told about when the age of dragons was drawing near.

This series is promising. Not your typical fantasy, oh no, it is fantasy with a dash of old fashion humor. Every creature is delightfully detailed and emanating the most entertaining characteristics.
Enjoy Ronaldo, Marian, and Bumble...
MrsK

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with alot of good world building a little mystery to help me get invested however I just wished they went with a different plot then human's are evil and are the cause of magic disappearing. This cliche in fantasy and sci-fi is really annoying but thankfully it does have a good characters, lore, and a great story that helps it stand out besides having a cliche theme.

[Paulie Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book touched on a lot of different themes, and The dialogue was well written, the internal aspect of some of the characters really interested me, it really had a lot of hints at the character's experience of what happened in the story.

[Nobbynob Littlun · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would be a good choice to introduce a young reader to fantasy, but it lacks the nuance and excellent characterization that I'd come to appreciate in the other Robin Wayne Bailey books I've read. Kind of cheeseball, really. I'll be skipping the rest of the series.

[Rhiannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute little kids story about dragons in a magical forest with unicorns and centaurs, battling griffins. very straightforward.

[Kat Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit tacky at times, but still an enjoyable story with some twists and surprisingly exciting parts.

[Stacey Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book featuring Unicorn, Dragon, Griffin, and a cute Hummingbird.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this brings nearly all mythological creatures together and tells their story.