The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volumes 1-3

Pit Dragon Chronicles #1-3

by Jane Yolen

The adventures of young dragon master Jakkin Stewart are brilliantly chronicled in this epic fantasy--from his apprenticeship in Dragon's Blood, to his breathtaking escape with his beloved Akki in Heart's Blood, and straight through to their harrowing discovery in the third volume, A Sending of Dragons. Revered by devoted fans for more than twenty years, these first three volumes of Jane Yolen's fierce and fiery dragon tales are published together for the first time--in a handsome boxed set that's sure to win over legions of new admirers.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Childrens

478 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were my introduction into science fiction and fantasy, and they're great. They're gory and desperate and cruel and wonderful. You can imagine how after years of beginner chapter books and Anne of Green Gables, something like this was a smack in the face.

Yolen outlines a world that is TOTALLY unlike our own. The main character is a bonded slave, born into a situation he hopes to buy his way out of. Nobility isn't always rewarded in this series, and sneakiness sometimes turns out to be the winning move. Refreshing when you're ten and just starting to get exactly how unfair the world can be -- and it's nice to see that understanding reflected in a book.

Honestly, if your kid's shown any interest in this sort of book, leave the first one lying around and see if they'll bite. The worldbuilding is incredibly creative, the dragon aspect totally cool, and the writing's just flat-out great -- Yolen is quality whenever she writes, and this is a stellar example of writing for children who can handle getting their minds blown. Honestly, a favourite series. I'm going to have to rummage through my library and see if I still own them to take another pass.

[Chisa Puckett · Rating 2 out of 5]

First book was a pretty standard coming of age fantasy novel with dragons. I really enjoyed it.

Second book was sort of about politics but not really. It was meh.

Third book was about Jakkin being stuck underground with Murlocks.

If you want a book about dragons and them fighting in arenas, definitely read the first one. If you're okay with some mediocre politics thrown in, read the second book. If you want to read about two people climbing a mountain and ending up underground with a strange race of people, I judge you, but you can also read the third book.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

In truth, the ratings break down more like this:
Dragon's Blood - 4 stars
Heart's Blood - 3 stars
A Sending of Dragons - 2 stars

With each book, the scope of the story and the world broadened, but in the vast and vaster spaces of that world, the narrative power of the story lost more and more momentum. It didn't help that Jakkin goes from a savvy, naive, goodhearted teen to a stupid, impulsive, tantrum-throwing young man. No doubt the broader world is at work there, too, but it's no less unpleasant for all that.

I'm not sure I'll read the last book in the series, especially since it was written over 20 years after the originals, but I'm glad I got to know Heart's Blood and, through her, Jakkin...even if the course of the trilogy eventually betrayed them both.

[Raven2k360 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this series (then only 3 books) when I was a kid back in middle school -- I absolutely loved every page. I plan on going back through this series eventually, especially since there's a new book (as of 2009); we'll see if I enjoy it as much as an adult.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jakkin Stewart, a bonded apprentice working on a dragon farm, steals an egg and becomes a master when his dragon, Heart's Blood, becomes a champion fighter in the "pits;" however, Jakkin becomes embroiled unwillingly in planetary politics to rescue his girlfriend, Akki. Fleeing the secret police and saved by a dying Heart's Blood, the duo become more than human and commit to develop a new world on Austar IV.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good growing up story. The boy goes from being slightly whiny and self-centered to realizing there is a world out there, consequences for his actions, and that he has responsibilities to the rest of humanity. I liked the dragons and the complicated relationships people had with them.

[Gapeach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hunted for this book forever after I saw it on CBS story break when I was a kid. I love this series. The boy bonds mentally with the dragon. It's one of the best dragon series ever.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fondly recalled from my childhood, and I should have left them there... I still like the first book very much, but I never found 2 or 3, back then, and I wasn't wowed by them, now...

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. I'm really into dragons so it was good for me. Really liked the two main characters too - Jakkin and Akki.

[Dlora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these years ago and recently reread them to see if they were as good as I remembered--and they are! Jane Yolen does an excellent job creating a fantasy world where the native dragons have been bred to fight in the pits, which has become the basis of the world's economy. These slightly telepathic animals are wonderful characters in the books.

Austar began as a penal colony planet (think like Australia for England's criminal dumping ground years ago). The once criminals and prison warders have now developed a society where bond servants can earn their way to Master status and they have nurtured the dragons bringing them back from near extinction. Jakkin Stewart's plan to earn that freedom is to steal a dragon egg and raise the resultant dragon to win fights in the pits, which plan goes a bit awry but not completely.

Jakkin talks about becoming a man and yet his character doesn't change a lot in the books. Over the series, he wins his dragon, buys himself into the Master class, and moves into the political conflicts between the rebels of his home world and the elite off-world Federation. So he has the status and influence and goals of an adult, but he doesn't seem to have developed an adult maturity. Perhaps that had to do with the books being written for a youth audience.

The last book in the trilogy was copyrighted in 1987. I discovered Jane Yolen wrote a fourth in the series in 2009, Dragon's Heart. I want to read that one to finish out the story line and see if Jakkin finally grows up, in my estimation.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Pokémon except all the Pokémon are Charizard.
This book(s) started s...l...o...w...l...y and pretty much stays that way. If I hadn't got the three books together, I never would have made it to the second book.
The first story is about a boy whole is trying to train a dragon he stole (but otherwise a highly moral character) a newly hatched dragon to train it to fight. Great length is given to how dragon fighting is the only industry of a former penitentiary planet with a handful of plants and a handful of animals. A great deal is made out of dragons naturally wanting to fight and having harp teeth and claws but are vegetarians. I guess we are supposed to overlook this biological flaw because it is an alien planet.
The second story goes in a different direction. Politics isn't my favorite read but I thought something might actually happen. The different sides are explained so vaguely, that the reader doesn't know if it is evil off world government, evil local government or evil rebels. Turns out it doesn't matter.
The third story goes off in another direction where our hero meets some unknown cave people. The thread between this and the other two stories is barely visible.
This book(s) tries to be an epic fantasy while keeping a PG rating. There is drug usage but it's a bad guy--no wait, we should feel sorry for him because of his hard life. There is drinking and drunkenness, even among those underage. On this planet, women can only be doctors, cooks and prostitutes.

[Sandy Lender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently read this trilogy for my "year of the dragon" Dragon Book Reading Challenge after storying this SFBC edition on my TBR shelves for an embarrassing number of years.
Book 1: Dragon's Blood is a good "coming of age" story about Jakkin Stewart, although, if you read it carefully, you figure out the poor kid was manipulated into everything that he did. His master told Likkarn to make the "mistake" on the hatchling ledger to tempt Jakkin to steal the hatchling that was integral to the story...Akki and Likkarn were both watching him throughout...Akki was testing him with just about everything she did...the lad only "thought" he was filling his own bag.

Book 2: Heart's Blood gave Jakkin a bit more agency, although the character of Golden (a senator) and the rebels seemed to still be manipulating the poor kid.

Book 3: A Sending of Dragons put Jakkin in the wild and more or less forced him to create ways to get out of a hostage situation.

I don't think I can add anything to the synopses that other reviewers haven't already shared, but I will share that I loved the dragons. I very much loved the color communication of their telepathy. Jane Yolen made me love the dragons and I was almost disappointed in Akki taking three books (page 461 in my edition) to figure out the creatures were smart, not "just animals," and able to play practical jokes. The dragons of the Pit Dragon Trilogy were great!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, solid world and culture development, and a deep look at dragons, which I always find fascinating. Mythical creatures can come across as two-dimensional as the paper they're described on, but when the prose leaves you imagining the sounds, the heat, the smell, not to mention the texture of scales, you got me! I'm a kid again.

I decided to reread this when I saw my daughter had picked up a book called Plague of Unicorns by Jane Yolen. I guess I never read the second and third books in this omnibus -- I loved the first book but it was probably one of several I'd gotten in a batch from SFBC when that was a thing. I originally had this set aside for my daughter, but I'll have to hold it back for a bit due to some more mature themes and pretty serious tugs on the heart strings.

[Jacquelin Siegel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first three books of the Pit Dragon series. I enjoyed the first of the three, Dragon's Blood. The second, Heart's Blood, was not as good but gave a better view of the politics and social status of the world. The third, A Sending of Dragons, was just plain bad, dreary and dark. So, four stars for the first, three stars for the second and two stars for the third.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So that was a fantastic three books, a bit late updating that I have them read. Will need get the fourth soon

[Sara Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asher's review is 5 stars.

[Alex]

A childhood favorite.

[Amanda Kemphues · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite series from childhood!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg i want a dragon so badly and i need a jakkin in my life. Action and awesomely detailed descriptions of beautiful dragons, slow build romance, suspense, warm feelings. Its got it all

[Piper Pringle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most amazing dragon books I've read!!!


A major thank you to my sister Bella and the Bookstack for recommending this to me!!!

[Brian Jarsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent dragon tale.

[Ethan Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part 1 is ok; part 2 is disappointing; part 3 is more disappointing.

[Yvensong · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars overall

The first novel, Dragon's Blood, was a coming of age story. Our main character is fifteen, and feels ready to become a man. To do so, he follows the path that some have traditionally followed. He finds along the way that the path is not so easily followed as he thought it would be.

One of the things I enjoyed the most from this was how the author followed the path that writing teachers tell students, write about what you know. Yolen used the background history of Australia and turned it into an off-world tale, making the story palpable. This quickly moving story was an entertaining read with a wonderfully built up world.

The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that other than the MC, the other characters were a bit superficial and flat. Maybe that is because that is how the MC sees them? 4 Stars

The second novel, Heart's Blood takes our main character out into the world more, and soon he finds himself involved with the political situation that rules the planet. There is a lot of intrigue, albeit a bit confusing at times. Our MC's links to the dragons strengthen and he has to make some hard decisions about the world he lives in and his life.

This was a decent novel, with more well-done world building, and a quick enough pace to keep the reader interested. Same issue as book 1, though, is that our MC still doesn't seem to have any ability to see any depth in the other people in his life. 3 1/2 stars

The third novel, A Sending of Dragons, was a mixed bag for me. This was a much darker novel. Our MC gets to experience the darkest corners of man's nature, but again, he never seems to go beyond the surface. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a Young Adult Fantasy? 3 Stars

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten I already read these books until I started, and then I remembered almost immediately; I remembered loving it at the beginning, and then something int he middle had made me put the series down and never finish. I won't say specifically what it was so that it won't spoil the book, but I will say why, as a kid, I got so upset. This series isn't really meant for kids, even though it tends to get classified as a Young Adult book because of the age of the characters. This series is gritty and full of harsh realities...characters you really care about die before the series is over, and nothing is really glossed over in the rough life that Jakkin leads. The plant was originally set up as a prison planet, and you definitely still get that vibe, that these people remember their roots and never really went soft (the harsh conditions of the planet, sort of like Dune, helped insure that).

So the book was good, but for me, much better as an adult, when I could handle some of the stuff that happens later in the series. I don't necessarily always need happy endings for every part of the storyline, but as a kid, I sort of preferred them. And I will say I am still sort of disturbed by how quickly the characters seem to recover from some of the things that happen to them. However, the writing is still good and really pulls you in; I read this whole trilogy in two days because I just couldn't put it down. I'd definitely recommend the book, especially if you're looking for a grittier sci-fi/fantasy book.

[Brenna MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

These three books were in the upstairs of my childhood small-town library. I took them out almost every month during the summers of my teenage years, and read them raw.

I was inspired by all things fantastical, and these books were a lifeline to me in my childhood. Yolen does an amazing job painting the landscape and the attitudes of the people with her flow of writing.

The main character grows emotionally, socially, and personally in these books, and he is written to have a very dedicated heart to the things he believes in. There is many ethical debates within the three books, and the third book is definitely the most difficult to reason with, as the ethical debates with dragons reaches an all-time high. I appreciate that in the first book, Yolen lays out the groundwork for the fantasy world, naming everything and displaying the social conditions by using the main character almost as a pointing rod. What happens to him is simply the way things are in this world. The way Yolen writes is easy-reading and fun. The images come to mind still, almost a decade since I last read the books, from when I read the first book for the first time. These books will not be quick to leave your mind.

The first book is, of course, my favorite, because it introduces dragons and the planet’s land and way of life.

Read these books if you haven’t yet, you’ll be glad you did!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were some of the greatest books of my childhood. Ones I turned to again and again. I discovered the first one after it was animated for CBS' Saturday Morning Storybreak series. The cartoon had little to do with the book, but it drew me to the book all the same. And what a book! And the second, and the third, all wowed me. After moving to a town whose library didn't carry them, I had to buy my own copies, and then bought this boxed set a few months ago as a treat for myself (so new and shiny!).

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some books you can always come back to. Books that stir up something nostalgic or wondrous or exciting every time you pick them up, no matter how many times you've read them.

There is no question in my mind: Jane Yolen's three-book masterpiece fits snugly and perfectly into that category.

The fascinating twists and unique take on the idea of raising dragons continues to excite me. I've been reading and re-reading these books for more than a decade, and they never cease to deliver.

[CarolAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a Young Adult book that I bought for my grandson and he loved it and wanted me to read it. I really loved the dragons especially Heart's Blood but as for the content of the book, that was another matter. I can definitely see why a young teenager would be drawn to this novel. It was violent, dark and had some very bad guys to overcome. I could not give this a very high rating because of the ending. I just hate an ending that doesn't wrap things up.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

More favorites from my sword-and-sorcery phase during junior high. Imagine a scrawny, zitty earlier version of me up a backyard tree reading these books, with skinned knees and wearing a dragon's claw pendant, and you've pretty much got it. Sigh. I cringe a little looking back, but hey, loved that whole thing then...

[Qt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of these books was incredibly detailed, and really made the world seem convincing and real. The series is a bit more serious than many juvenile fantasies/sci-fi's I've read--not as light-hearted or funny--but very good. (By the way, these are more sci-fi than fantasy, really. The dragon aspect is the only fantasy part.)