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Enchanted Forest Chronicles #4
Talking to Dragons
Always be polite to dragons!
That's what Daystar's mother taught him... and it's a very wise lesson—one that might just help him after his mom hands him a magic sword and kicks him out of the house. Especially because his house sits on the edge of the Enchanted Forest and his mother is Queen Cimorene.
But the tricky part is figuring out what he's supposed to do with the magic sword. Where is he supposed to go? And why does everyone he meets know who he is?
It's going to take a particularly hotheaded fire-witch, a very verbose lizard, and a badly behaved baby dragon to help him figure it all out.
And those good manners certainly won't hurt!
From the back cover of ISBN 0152046917 / 9780152046910
Length 06:38:09
That's what Daystar's mother taught him... and it's a very wise lesson—one that might just help him after his mom hands him a magic sword and kicks him out of the house. Especially because his house sits on the edge of the Enchanted Forest and his mother is Queen Cimorene.
But the tricky part is figuring out what he's supposed to do with the magic sword. Where is he supposed to go? And why does everyone he meets know who he is?
It's going to take a particularly hotheaded fire-witch, a very verbose lizard, and a badly behaved baby dragon to help him figure it all out.
And those good manners certainly won't hurt!
From the back cover of ISBN 0152046917 / 9780152046910
Length 06:38:09
7 pages, Audiobook
First published September 1, 1985
248 people are currently reading
8305 people want to read
About the author
Patricia C. Wrede
66 books4,010 followersPatricia Collins Wrede was born in Chicago, Illinois and is the eldest of five children. She started writing in seventh grade. She attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she majored in Biology and managed to avoid taking any English courses at all. She began work on her first novel, Shadow Magic, just after graduating from college in 1974. She finished it five years later and started her second book at once, having become permanently hooked on writing by this time.
Patricia received her M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1977.
She worked for several years as a financial analyst and accountant, first with the Minnesota Hospital Association, then with B. Dalton Booksellers, and finally at the Dayton Hudson Corporation headquarters.
Patricia finished her first novel in late 1978. In January, 1980, Pamela Dean, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Steven Brust, Nate Bucklin, and Patricia Wrede -- all, at that point, hopeful but unpublished -- formed the writer's group that later became known as "The Scribblies." Several years later, they were joined by Kara Dalkey. In April of 1980, Patricia's first novel sold to Ace Books. It came out at last in 1982, which is the year she met Lillian Stewart Carl (who introduced her to Lois McMaster Bujold by mail).
In 1985, shortly before the publication of her fifth book, she left the world of the gainfully employed to try winging it on her own.
Her interests include sewing, embroidery, desultory attempts at gardening, chocolate, not mowing the lawn, High Tea, and, of course, reading.
She is a vegetarian, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her cat Karma. She has no children.
Patricia received her M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1977.
She worked for several years as a financial analyst and accountant, first with the Minnesota Hospital Association, then with B. Dalton Booksellers, and finally at the Dayton Hudson Corporation headquarters.
Patricia finished her first novel in late 1978. In January, 1980, Pamela Dean, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Steven Brust, Nate Bucklin, and Patricia Wrede -- all, at that point, hopeful but unpublished -- formed the writer's group that later became known as "The Scribblies." Several years later, they were joined by Kara Dalkey. In April of 1980, Patricia's first novel sold to Ace Books. It came out at last in 1982, which is the year she met Lillian Stewart Carl (who introduced her to Lois McMaster Bujold by mail).
In 1985, shortly before the publication of her fifth book, she left the world of the gainfully employed to try winging it on her own.
Her interests include sewing, embroidery, desultory attempts at gardening, chocolate, not mowing the lawn, High Tea, and, of course, reading.
She is a vegetarian, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her cat Karma. She has no children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,032 reviews
December 31, 2017
3.5/5 strs
This is my third time reading this one, and I took down half a star. Not because it's bad, but because it's quite weak comparing to the first 3 books.
The characters are still good and the humor is still there - the whole plot is just so repetitive. I was getting bored a lot, especially in the middle of the book.
Also, the reunion of son and father wasn't very reunion like? I wish he would have at least hugged him.
I have always felt meh about this 4rth book. Not bad, not good - jus't didn't care that much about it.
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This is my third time reading this one, and I took down half a star. Not because it's bad, but because it's quite weak comparing to the first 3 books.
The characters are still good and the humor is still there - the whole plot is just so repetitive. I was getting bored a lot, especially in the middle of the book.
Also, the reunion of son and father wasn't very reunion like? I wish he would have at least hugged him.
I have always felt meh about this 4rth book. Not bad, not good - jus't didn't care that much about it.
My WEBSITE
My INSTAGRAM
My WORDPRESS BLOG
March 11, 2017
WOW WOW WOW... !
My feelings are just out of control after reading the last book of this series. Maybe that's because this is my first series I have ever completed OR maybe I am over happy after reading a series of 4 books because this is my biggest series I had ever started. I don't know the exact reason. Never mind, who cares! I just wanted a good series and I think I have read one.
Before saying anything else I must say this series is totally for children. Maybe some teens or adults will not enjoy this because some elements I felt were totally for children. But I also must say I enjoyed this no matter what.
The last book was totally unexpected for me. At first, I couldn't understand that I am reading a right book or not because this book started just like a proper story not like a sequel to the 3rd book. I think persons who haven't read its previous books will also enjoy this book. But if you have read its previous books, you will understand it better and things may get predictable for you.
▌BOOK'S INFO.▐
Chapters
--- 22
Narration
--- First Person
I really liked it. Actually, it's my favourite.
Setting
--- Enchanted Forest
One of the amazing settings I have ever read.
This forest is full of magic. Magic floats in its atmosphere. Every place in this forest changes its position after some time. To get the more info. on this forest you should start from the 2nd book. 1st doesn't contain much info. about it.
▌MAJOR CHARACTERS▐
Daystar
Bio
--- 16 years old, son of Mendanber and Cimorene (King and Queen of Enchanted Forest). He is also the narrator of this book.
My Feelings
--- This character was just amazing. I couldn't stop myself from reading just because of this character. I liked this very much. I will always remember this character.
Shiara
Bio
--- A fire-witch who doesn't know how to use her magic. But when she finds out: How to use her magic, I can't stop laughing.
My Feelings
--- She was also amazing but sometimes she became a bad-girl type, you know. Nevertheless I liked her. She was adorable.
A Dragon
Bio
--- Its gender was unknown because it was not old enough to define who is it.
My Feelings
---- It was sort of a funny character. I liked it and its comedy. It always wanted to eat every thing. I liked the scene how it entered the book.
The characters who were the focus of the previous books became the secondary characters in this book. But I did't hate hate that fact. Instead I liked how they appeared in this book.
▌OVERVIEW▐
[I think this book is a sort of retelling of a tale: 'Sleeping Beauty'. I kept feeling many references from that tale while reading. I haven't read that but I have heard about it many times that I think I don't need to read it. But if someone knows about a book totally on this tale you can tell me. I may get new things from that]
At the end of its previous book King of Enchanted Forest was captured by the Society of Wizards in some secret place in the Castle. And castle was surround by a shield, created by wizards, through which no one except for wizards can pass. Only King's Sword can break that shield which can only be handled by the right heir who was Daystar. That means only Daystar can free his father. Daystar was born at the end of its last book. So the story continues in this book.
This book takes place after 16 years of the previous book: Cimorene and Daystar live at the edge of Enchanted Forest. They encounter a wizard (Antorell, one of the villains of the previous books and also in this book). After melting him, Cimorene gives the King's Sword to Daystar and force him to go to the Enchanted Forest without telling him anything (for a reason). He goes and meets Shiara, who is escaping from wizards. Both are alone so they stay together and wander through the Forest. Eventually, Daystar finds his reason that Why he is in the Enchanted Forest and What he supposes to do? So, he free his father from the Wizards' trap. (that's obvious, not a big revelation I think)
How simple is that: But it's not. There are adventures in this book.
▌LESSONS FROM THIS SERIES▐
I don't have plans to follow them. *wink* hehehe...
- Always keep a handkerchief with yourself.
- Never take a shortcut.
▌THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE▐
--This book was very predictable for me. I almost guessed every part of this book except for the ending. That was little unexpected but didn't look that bad.
--Villains were same. This whole series have the same villains: Wizards. Villains should have changed. I didn't like this fact because neither the Protagonist did any thing to kill wizards permanently nor the Antagonist did any thing to get rid of melting by Protagonist in its previous books.
Regardless of its predictability, I liked how author wrote each scene in an excellent manner. I liked this fact in all of its books.
According to the facts I mentioned above, I would like to give:
***4.8 Bright Stars*** (round off to 5 stars)
▌BEST BOOKS OF THE SERIES GOES TO▐
1. Dealing with Dragons ◄
2. Searching for Dragons
3. Calling on Dragons
4. Talking to Dragons ◄
That's my personal thinking. Different people may have different thoughts about it.
Feel free to point out my mistakes in this review or my misunderstandings about this book if there are any. I would be happy to see that.
Thanks for you attention...^__^
My feelings are just out of control after reading the last book of this series. Maybe that's because this is my first series I have ever completed OR maybe I am over happy after reading a series of 4 books because this is my biggest series I had ever started. I don't know the exact reason. Never mind, who cares! I just wanted a good series and I think I have read one.
Before saying anything else I must say this series is totally for children. Maybe some teens or adults will not enjoy this because some elements I felt were totally for children. But I also must say I enjoyed this no matter what.
The last book was totally unexpected for me. At first, I couldn't understand that I am reading a right book or not because this book started just like a proper story not like a sequel to the 3rd book. I think persons who haven't read its previous books will also enjoy this book. But if you have read its previous books, you will understand it better and things may get predictable for you.
▌BOOK'S INFO.▐
Chapters
--- 22
Narration
--- First Person
I really liked it. Actually, it's my favourite.
Setting
--- Enchanted Forest
One of the amazing settings I have ever read.
This forest is full of magic. Magic floats in its atmosphere. Every place in this forest changes its position after some time. To get the more info. on this forest you should start from the 2nd book. 1st doesn't contain much info. about it.
▌MAJOR CHARACTERS▐
Daystar
Bio
--- 16 years old, son of Mendanber and Cimorene (King and Queen of Enchanted Forest). He is also the narrator of this book.
My Feelings
--- This character was just amazing. I couldn't stop myself from reading just because of this character. I liked this very much. I will always remember this character.
Shiara
Bio
--- A fire-witch who doesn't know how to use her magic. But when she finds out: How to use her magic, I can't stop laughing.
My Feelings
--- She was also amazing but sometimes she became a bad-girl type, you know. Nevertheless I liked her. She was adorable.
A Dragon
Bio
--- Its gender was unknown because it was not old enough to define who is it.
My Feelings
---- It was sort of a funny character. I liked it and its comedy. It always wanted to eat every thing. I liked the scene how it entered the book.
The characters who were the focus of the previous books became the secondary characters in this book. But I did't hate hate that fact. Instead I liked how they appeared in this book.
▌OVERVIEW▐
[I think this book is a sort of retelling of a tale: 'Sleeping Beauty'. I kept feeling many references from that tale while reading. I haven't read that but I have heard about it many times that I think I don't need to read it. But if someone knows about a book totally on this tale you can tell me. I may get new things from that]
At the end of its previous book King of Enchanted Forest was captured by the Society of Wizards in some secret place in the Castle. And castle was surround by a shield, created by wizards, through which no one except for wizards can pass. Only King's Sword can break that shield which can only be handled by the right heir who was Daystar. That means only Daystar can free his father. Daystar was born at the end of its last book. So the story continues in this book.
This book takes place after 16 years of the previous book: Cimorene and Daystar live at the edge of Enchanted Forest. They encounter a wizard (Antorell, one of the villains of the previous books and also in this book). After melting him, Cimorene gives the King's Sword to Daystar and force him to go to the Enchanted Forest without telling him anything (for a reason). He goes and meets Shiara, who is escaping from wizards. Both are alone so they stay together and wander through the Forest. Eventually, Daystar finds his reason that Why he is in the Enchanted Forest and What he supposes to do? So, he free his father from the Wizards' trap. (that's obvious, not a big revelation I think)
How simple is that: But it's not. There are adventures in this book.
▌LESSONS FROM THIS SERIES▐
I don't have plans to follow them. *wink* hehehe...
- Always keep a handkerchief with yourself.
- Never take a shortcut.
▌THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE▐
--This book was very predictable for me. I almost guessed every part of this book except for the ending. That was little unexpected but didn't look that bad.
--Villains were same. This whole series have the same villains: Wizards. Villains should have changed. I didn't like this fact because neither the Protagonist did any thing to kill wizards permanently nor the Antagonist did any thing to get rid of melting by Protagonist in its previous books.
Regardless of its predictability, I liked how author wrote each scene in an excellent manner. I liked this fact in all of its books.
According to the facts I mentioned above, I would like to give:
***4.8 Bright Stars*** (round off to 5 stars)
▌BEST BOOKS OF THE SERIES GOES TO▐
1. Dealing with Dragons ◄
2. Searching for Dragons
3. Calling on Dragons
4. Talking to Dragons ◄
That's my personal thinking. Different people may have different thoughts about it.
Feel free to point out my mistakes in this review or my misunderstandings about this book if there are any. I would be happy to see that.
Thanks for you attention...^__^
September 16, 2015
http://bookslifewine.com/r-talking-to...
3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars
Tamika,
I've put the entire review for this final book in the series below. Hope you enjoy (cause you know I only posted this for you, lol)!
NOTE: This review contains spoilers for the previous three (3) books in this series. Please read those books prior to reading this review.
Talking to Dragons is the fourth and final installation in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. It's been a fun ride and I'm a little sad to see it end.
I found Talking to Dragons to be a lot more fun than Calling on Dragons but it never lived up to the expectation set by the first two books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles .
Talking to Dragons stars Daystar as the MC and starts 16-17 years after then ending of Calling on Dragons. Daystar is the son of previous MCs Queen Cimorene and King Mendenbar but he does not know this. All he knows is that he was the son of a wonderful mother named Cimorene. One day a wizard showed up at Daystar's cottage - and in surprise he watches his mother melt the wizard! Afterwards, Cimorene comes to Daystar with a magical sword and sends him off into the Enchanted Forest with no instruction.
I really enjoyed Talking to Dragons but I found it...not as interesting. Wrede completely changed the tone of the series by making Daystar a boy, removing the gender role reversal theme* that the rest of the books in the series have. I was disappointed in that but I am glad that there is a male character in the series that young boys can relate to besides Mendenbar. There is a strong MC female character in the book - a fire witch named Shiara - but...she's a major PIA and nothing like the strong and capable Cimorene. Shiara is unbelievably rude (to everyone) and prone to either major attitude or tears at all times. When the reader meets Shiara, she can't do magic. Later she is able to perform magic but she has to be polite first. Instead of being happy that she can now perform magic (she was being chased by the magicians because she was unable to perform magic and thus unable to defend herself), Shiara gets a major attitude and starts bitching.
Daystar, on the other hand, is closer to the male equivalent of Cimorene (with a little less sense, lol) - but he's lacking...imagination? Personality? Curiosity? Maybe all three. Daystar is not really curious as to who he is. He's not too concerned that his mother randomly sent him into the forest with a magic sword. Daystar isn't particularly interested in most things - it mostly feels like the adventures in Talking to Dragons happened to Daystar instead with Daystar. Daystar basically takes everything that happens to him in stride with no real surprise.
Talking to Dragons was fun but it was also missing quite a bit of the whimsy of the previous novels, too. I would consider Talking to Dragons the most conventional and "canon-like" book in the series. Daystar is not an orphan or a farmboy but he's pretty close to the orphan farmboy trope. Daystar is given a magic sword and sent on an unknown quest. Almost everyone around him knows who/what he is before he does. The outcome of the "world" (the Enchanted Forest) is dependent on Daystar learning and doing specific things. As I said, very "canon-like."
All in all, I enjoyed Talking to Dragons (a lot more than Calling on Dragons!!) and I'm sad to see the series end. Regardless of any complaints I had about this book, I did enjoy my read. I also purchased the series omnibus - rereads will occur!
*Wrede wrote Talking to Dragons first, in 1985. The rest of the series - with gender themes - was written afterwards (1990, 1991 & 1993) and then Talking to Dragons was re-written and re-released.
3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars
Tamika,
I've put the entire review for this final book in the series below. Hope you enjoy (cause you know I only posted this for you, lol)!
NOTE: This review contains spoilers for the previous three (3) books in this series. Please read those books prior to reading this review.
Talking to Dragons is the fourth and final installation in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. It's been a fun ride and I'm a little sad to see it end.
I found Talking to Dragons to be a lot more fun than Calling on Dragons but it never lived up to the expectation set by the first two books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles .
Talking to Dragons stars Daystar as the MC and starts 16-17 years after then ending of Calling on Dragons. Daystar is the son of previous MCs Queen Cimorene and King Mendenbar but he does not know this. All he knows is that he was the son of a wonderful mother named Cimorene. One day a wizard showed up at Daystar's cottage - and in surprise he watches his mother melt the wizard! Afterwards, Cimorene comes to Daystar with a magical sword and sends him off into the Enchanted Forest with no instruction.
I really enjoyed Talking to Dragons but I found it...not as interesting. Wrede completely changed the tone of the series by making Daystar a boy, removing the gender role reversal theme* that the rest of the books in the series have. I was disappointed in that but I am glad that there is a male character in the series that young boys can relate to besides Mendenbar. There is a strong MC female character in the book - a fire witch named Shiara - but...she's a major PIA and nothing like the strong and capable Cimorene. Shiara is unbelievably rude (to everyone) and prone to either major attitude or tears at all times. When the reader meets Shiara, she can't do magic. Later she is able to perform magic but she has to be polite first. Instead of being happy that she can now perform magic (she was being chased by the magicians because she was unable to perform magic and thus unable to defend herself), Shiara gets a major attitude and starts bitching.
Daystar, on the other hand, is closer to the male equivalent of Cimorene (with a little less sense, lol) - but he's lacking...imagination? Personality? Curiosity? Maybe all three. Daystar is not really curious as to who he is. He's not too concerned that his mother randomly sent him into the forest with a magic sword. Daystar isn't particularly interested in most things - it mostly feels like the adventures in Talking to Dragons happened to Daystar instead with Daystar. Daystar basically takes everything that happens to him in stride with no real surprise.
Talking to Dragons was fun but it was also missing quite a bit of the whimsy of the previous novels, too. I would consider Talking to Dragons the most conventional and "canon-like" book in the series. Daystar is not an orphan or a farmboy but he's pretty close to the orphan farmboy trope. Daystar is given a magic sword and sent on an unknown quest. Almost everyone around him knows who/what he is before he does. The outcome of the "world" (the Enchanted Forest) is dependent on Daystar learning and doing specific things. As I said, very "canon-like."
All in all, I enjoyed Talking to Dragons (a lot more than Calling on Dragons!!) and I'm sad to see the series end. Regardless of any complaints I had about this book, I did enjoy my read. I also purchased the series omnibus - rereads will occur!
*Wrede wrote Talking to Dragons first, in 1985. The rest of the series - with gender themes - was written afterwards (1990, 1991 & 1993) and then Talking to Dragons was re-written and re-released.
September 4, 2021
Talking to Dragons is the fourth and final book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. The story goes back to its fractured fairy tale roots and is told entirely from the first person point of view of Daystar, Cimorene's son.
His mother always taught him to be polite to dragons. It's particularly good advice when one day his mother hands Daystar a magic sword and sends him into the forest on a quest with no further instructions than to seek out Kazul, someone who can presumably explain everything. At least Daystar hopes so.
According to a forward by the author, this story was written first in the quadrilogy several years before Wrede was persuaded to turn it into a series. I can see exactly what inspired the first chronological book and I devoured this title in 24 hours. While I still enjoy Cimorene's story best, this installment brought back all the things I loved about Dealing With Dragons and made for an enjoyable read.
Daystar is such a nice, polite and fairly clueless young man. He has a strong determination to do the right thing, even if he's not quite sure what that is. Daystar is joined on his quest by Shiara, a young fire witch who doesn't know how to use her magic, and a dragon who is trying to prove itself to the clan. It was a lot of fun hanging out with these youngsters and re-discovering the magic of the forest all over again from a fresh perspective. While the plot is not overly complicated, I kept cheering for our heroes and was delighted in meeting old characters again.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I know I'll be revisiting these books again in the future.
His mother always taught him to be polite to dragons. It's particularly good advice when one day his mother hands Daystar a magic sword and sends him into the forest on a quest with no further instructions than to seek out Kazul, someone who can presumably explain everything. At least Daystar hopes so.
According to a forward by the author, this story was written first in the quadrilogy several years before Wrede was persuaded to turn it into a series. I can see exactly what inspired the first chronological book and I devoured this title in 24 hours. While I still enjoy Cimorene's story best, this installment brought back all the things I loved about Dealing With Dragons and made for an enjoyable read.
Daystar is such a nice, polite and fairly clueless young man. He has a strong determination to do the right thing, even if he's not quite sure what that is. Daystar is joined on his quest by Shiara, a young fire witch who doesn't know how to use her magic, and a dragon who is trying to prove itself to the clan. It was a lot of fun hanging out with these youngsters and re-discovering the magic of the forest all over again from a fresh perspective. While the plot is not overly complicated, I kept cheering for our heroes and was delighted in meeting old characters again.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I know I'll be revisiting these books again in the future.
April 3, 2022
2.5/5 Stars.
Ranked 3rd of the four books I’ve read in the series. Much better than the third book. The first person narration vs the third person narration was kind of jarring and I wasn’t that big of a fan of it.
Ranked 3rd of the four books I’ve read in the series. Much better than the third book. The first person narration vs the third person narration was kind of jarring and I wasn’t that big of a fan of it.
September 9, 2025
This was still fun enough, but I absolutely preferred the first two books in the series over the final two
Read
August 20, 2018The weakest of the series (and, surprisingly, the first book written chronologically). Daystar doesn't have a lot of emotional reaction to anything much. Shiara is rather spectacularly selfish - I rarely dislike what would amount to a 'defiant underdog' character, but she's just not enjoyable..
May 27, 2024
I will never understand why the author named the kid Daystar, lol.
September 23, 2014
The first three books in the series are in 3rd pov, but this one is in 1st pov. This really makes the flatness of the characters stand out.
The main character has no thoughts. No signs of intelligence or life. The kid is a 16 year old boy scout who only shows the barest of hints of interest in the girl who is suppose to be his love interest [they end up together at the end yet it just feels forced as there isn't any flirting or romantic interest expressed in any other way etc throughout the book). He's super polite, careful, and just has no real substance (or flaws). He just simply isn't human or alive by any means.
What do I mean when I say that? Well, there is NO emotional response or thoughts or anything when at the very end of his journey he finds out he's a prince and meets his father, a king he just saved, for the first time. What happens? NOTHING. Like...eff you so much. He's just mild and accepting and goes along with everything. No response or feelings or thoughts etc. He's not happy, overwhelmed, or any realistic intense emotion upon seeing his father, a king, for the first time in his life. I hate you author.
The book revolves around keeping all of the information from the king's kid and sending him off into the woods. The girl that he runs into is useless and ill tempered. USELESS. She cries. Often. Over silly and stupid things. Did I say how often she cries? I need to emphasizes this here. The only thing she does through the entire series is either needs to be protected, chitchatting with the main character/stating the obvious, is merely there existing, crying, or some combination of those.
It's rather strange how suddenly Daystar at the very end of the book shows a high level of romantic interest in her [when until that point he showed no interest in her]. Sure, she's given a few cookie cutter 'But I helped roles', however they are rather forced. I have no idea why anyone would like her, or even want her. I'm assuming it's because he grew up in the middle of the woods with only his mom around and had no friends. That is probably the only reason why he could stand her.
That was too harsh, you say? Okay, I'll explain further why she's such a terrible character. At the beginning she's a witch who can't use her magic. Then she's able to, but with the limitation of only being able to do so after being recently polite. Instead of being happy about this, she complains and grumbles about it. At the beginning she is able to use magic 0% of the time. Her response to learning that she could use magic, but only after being polite/nice can be paraphrased by "NUOOOOO! This is the worst thing ever!" Yeah, this sort of person is pretty much universally hated.
She is a rude idiot. For no reason. It's just her typical temperament. What a catch, Daystar!
Last, but not least, there's the fact that there isn't any compelling reason for Daystar to go see the dragon or hang out in the dangerous forest [thus the entire book shouldn't have really happened]. He knows nothing, his mum just tells him to go and not come back until he knows why he was sent away and is given a sword. A few random strangers tell him to meet the dragon king and he does so...even though he knows the forest is incredibly dangerous and he believes that he'd be eaten as tasty dragon chow by the dragons. There is no good/understandable reason why he meets the dragon king. Just one stranger and then a lizard suggested it... Yeah, sure, that's good enough reason for me to risk my life too.
There was a 'fake*' [read: pulled out of your bum] reason to not tell the kid about the magic sword [because then wizard/enemies will find him magically if he knew], but why the hell couldn't he be told that his father was the king, asleep, or that he needed to be saved? That's compelling reason to risk your life and meet the dragon king.
The main character has no thoughts. No signs of intelligence or life. The kid is a 16 year old boy scout who only shows the barest of hints of interest in the girl who is suppose to be his love interest [they end up together at the end yet it just feels forced as there isn't any flirting or romantic interest expressed in any other way etc throughout the book). He's super polite, careful, and just has no real substance (or flaws). He just simply isn't human or alive by any means.
What do I mean when I say that? Well, there is NO emotional response or thoughts or anything when at the very end of his journey he finds out he's a prince and meets his father, a king he just saved, for the first time. What happens? NOTHING. Like...eff you so much. He's just mild and accepting and goes along with everything. No response or feelings or thoughts etc. He's not happy, overwhelmed, or any realistic intense emotion upon seeing his father, a king, for the first time in his life. I hate you author.
The book revolves around keeping all of the information from the king's kid and sending him off into the woods. The girl that he runs into is useless and ill tempered. USELESS. She cries. Often. Over silly and stupid things. Did I say how often she cries? I need to emphasizes this here. The only thing she does through the entire series is either needs to be protected, chitchatting with the main character/stating the obvious, is merely there existing, crying, or some combination of those.
It's rather strange how suddenly Daystar at the very end of the book shows a high level of romantic interest in her [when until that point he showed no interest in her]. Sure, she's given a few cookie cutter 'But I helped roles', however they are rather forced. I have no idea why anyone would like her, or even want her. I'm assuming it's because he grew up in the middle of the woods with only his mom around and had no friends. That is probably the only reason why he could stand her.
That was too harsh, you say? Okay, I'll explain further why she's such a terrible character. At the beginning she's a witch who can't use her magic. Then she's able to, but with the limitation of only being able to do so after being recently polite. Instead of being happy about this, she complains and grumbles about it. At the beginning she is able to use magic 0% of the time. Her response to learning that she could use magic, but only after being polite/nice can be paraphrased by "NUOOOOO! This is the worst thing ever!" Yeah, this sort of person is pretty much universally hated.
She is a rude idiot. For no reason. It's just her typical temperament. What a catch, Daystar!
Last, but not least, there's the fact that there isn't any compelling reason for Daystar to go see the dragon or hang out in the dangerous forest [thus the entire book shouldn't have really happened]. He knows nothing, his mum just tells him to go and not come back until he knows why he was sent away and is given a sword. A few random strangers tell him to meet the dragon king and he does so...even though he knows the forest is incredibly dangerous and he believes that he'd be eaten as tasty dragon chow by the dragons. There is no good/understandable reason why he meets the dragon king. Just one stranger and then a lizard suggested it... Yeah, sure, that's good enough reason for me to risk my life too.
There was a 'fake*' [read: pulled out of your bum] reason to not tell the kid about the magic sword [because then wizard/enemies will find him magically if he knew], but why the hell couldn't he be told that his father was the king, asleep, or that he needed to be saved? That's compelling reason to risk your life and meet the dragon king.
July 4, 2013
I loved the first two books in this series, but the third and this, the fourth, books, seem to be geared to a younger and younger audience. And while I love a good middle grade fantasy story, I felt this one didn't have the complexity within the plot or characters that I would have liked, and that MG readers can handle.
The main focus of this tale seemed to be to encourage politeness. And while I love that theme, it did feel a bit heavy handed at times.
For 16 years of age, I felt our protagonist wasn't as mature as he should have been. He was kind and smart, and very polite, but, to me, he *sounded* younger. I did like him! But, as a protagonist who will one day be king, at 16 I would have expected a wiser protagonist.
Also, so many times I felt that the actions of the characters were over described, or that Wrede was trying to justify an action, when either the explanation was already obvious, or when a different action really should have been taken.
And yet, overall, it's still a nice, quick read, with main characters who try to do the right thing. And I appreciate that it's nice that the tale isn't dark, or disturbing as some MG/YA books can be.
The main focus of this tale seemed to be to encourage politeness. And while I love that theme, it did feel a bit heavy handed at times.
For 16 years of age, I felt our protagonist wasn't as mature as he should have been. He was kind and smart, and very polite, but, to me, he *sounded* younger. I did like him! But, as a protagonist who will one day be king, at 16 I would have expected a wiser protagonist.
Also, so many times I felt that the actions of the characters were over described, or that Wrede was trying to justify an action, when either the explanation was already obvious, or when a different action really should have been taken.
And yet, overall, it's still a nice, quick read, with main characters who try to do the right thing. And I appreciate that it's nice that the tale isn't dark, or disturbing as some MG/YA books can be.
December 23, 2017
A very entertaining series of fantasy books for children - of all ages, as the familiar cliche says - that have many elements of classic fairy tales while the author offers us a hilarious parody of well-known myths, legends and fairy tales. Their way of writing is particularly interesting and is based mainly on the very clever confrontation between the heroes, each of which has something special. Surely in some places this humour is not particularly apt, there are some silly moments but in general the series maintains a good level, especially in the first two. So this series might not be a very great thing but are definitely four books that offer relaxation and put a smile in the face.
February 26, 2013
So even though this is chronologically the last book in the series, PC Wrede wrote it first - the first 3 are prequels. So as I was re-reading this book I kept thinking "why, this is really quite impressive the way that PC Wrede created such an elegantly seamless backstory to this book in the form of the first three books! And she's so effortlessly woven it into the details of this story when she didn't even really know what was going to be in them!" But then I got to the end of the book and there's a whole chapter that just explains everything that happened in the first three books. I don't know - maybe she added that later when they were published? But why? - anyone who had read them would already know what happened.
Anyway, this book is nice enough, although it does feel like the odd one out when I think of Dealing With Dragons being so in-your-face about Yes Princesses Can! but Cimorene and Morwen are relegated to very supporting characters in this one. I do wish Morwen and Telemain had just stayed friends instead of being neatly tied up at the end. They make good friends and the characterization of each of them through the series is very strong. And since we have such a good idea of who each one of them is, I can't imagine why Morwen would want to marry him. Or why he would want to marry her, honestly. Baffling.
Mostly I wish these books were longer. That would give PC Wrede more room to work things out so that they don't feel rushed. And also I'm just sad that I'm done rereading them already.
Anyway, this book is nice enough, although it does feel like the odd one out when I think of Dealing With Dragons being so in-your-face about Yes Princesses Can! but Cimorene and Morwen are relegated to very supporting characters in this one. I do wish Morwen and Telemain had just stayed friends instead of being neatly tied up at the end. They make good friends and the characterization of each of them through the series is very strong. And since we have such a good idea of who each one of them is, I can't imagine why Morwen would want to marry him. Or why he would want to marry her, honestly. Baffling.
Mostly I wish these books were longer. That would give PC Wrede more room to work things out so that they don't feel rushed. And also I'm just sad that I'm done rereading them already.
May 16, 2025
Daystar's mother, Cimorene, has given him a magic sword and sent him off to find adventure in the Enchanted Forest. He doesn't know where he is going or why, but he has been carefully taught to avoid danger and be polite to all the magical creatures he might meet. However, Shiara the fire witch has no intention of being polite to anyone, and she continually gets Daystar in and out of trouble. When they meet a young dragon determined to prove itself as a fierce fighter, Daystar and Shiara are plunged into an adventure that will lead them to the very heart of the Enchanted Forest.
An imaginative conclusion to the series! It was so fun to revisit all the old characters of the previous books from the fresh perspective of the new characters, meeting them for the first time, and discovering those quirky friendships all over again.
I love everything about this series!
To see the small instances of minor violence and magic in this book, check it out on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/talkin...
I do wish that the characters had a little more emotional depth and showed their emotions more. They are all so practical all the time. I think that Mendenbar might have at least hugged his own son after years of separation. They are all so stoic and sensible all the time, holding their emotions in.
An imaginative conclusion to the series! It was so fun to revisit all the old characters of the previous books from the fresh perspective of the new characters, meeting them for the first time, and discovering those quirky friendships all over again.
I love everything about this series!
To see the small instances of minor violence and magic in this book, check it out on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/talkin...
I do wish that the characters had a little more emotional depth and showed their emotions more. They are all so practical all the time. I think that Mendenbar might have at least hugged his own son after years of separation. They are all so stoic and sensible all the time, holding their emotions in.
May 30, 2023
Talking to dragons
It was sad to not have Cimorene but the book is full of adventurous and funny moments for Daystar, Shiara and the dragon, when they find the princess and the knight, that was especially funny.
SPOILERS
5 stars
It was sad to not have Cimorene but the book is full of adventurous and funny moments for Daystar, Shiara and the dragon, when they find the princess and the knight, that was especially funny.
SPOILERS
5 stars
May 7, 2019
I generally don't like time jumps, but I quite liked this book. Daystar and Shiara were very likable. After a weaker 3rd book, this one was back to the level of the first two books. I'm glad I re read this series from my childhood. It was a delight.
July 14, 2022
It absolutely does not surprise me to learn that this book was published before the rest of the series, because if I had read it first I too would have immediately wanted to rewind and learn about Cimorene's adventures. Sorry, Daystar, but your mom is cooler than you will ever be.
This is also a far more satisfying story if you already know what's going on, and who a lot of these people are. It still doesn't feel quite as tight as its prequels - the malicious fire witch and her invisible castle are just sort of brushed off and never relevant again - but it is fun to know who's about to show up before they introduce themselves. And it's always enjoyable to read about Antorell getting rek'd. He deserves it.
Dealing with Dragons is still my absolute, uncontested favorite of the quartet, but rereading all of them has been quite fun and rewarding, and despite my ongoing project to thin down my bookshelves, these four are getting a permanent home.
This is also a far more satisfying story if you already know what's going on, and who a lot of these people are. It still doesn't feel quite as tight as its prequels - the malicious fire witch and her invisible castle are just sort of brushed off and never relevant again - but it is fun to know who's about to show up before they introduce themselves. And it's always enjoyable to read about Antorell getting rek'd. He deserves it.
Dealing with Dragons is still my absolute, uncontested favorite of the quartet, but rereading all of them has been quite fun and rewarding, and despite my ongoing project to thin down my bookshelves, these four are getting a permanent home.
November 26, 2024
I'm really glad I read these in chronological order, and not published order... I'm quite sure I wouldn't have bothered with the other three if I'd read this first. It's just alot less fun, and more just a generic fantasy coming of age story... and not even a particularly good one.
Daystar was far less likeable than Cimorene et al, and Shiara was downright annoying. I'm happy to know how the story ends, but really there's no question that the story and characters in the trilogy (which are all just minor, undeveloped names here) are far more interesting than they are here.
2024 Update: I think I was a little harsh the first time... I still like this book the least (the author made a great choice focusing on Cimorene and Kazul and ignoring the Elves and Dwarves and such... it does have a nice happy ending though, and I have to say, seems odd it never continued. Overall, I'm glad I got nice copies of this series and read it again.
Daystar was far less likeable than Cimorene et al, and Shiara was downright annoying. I'm happy to know how the story ends, but really there's no question that the story and characters in the trilogy (which are all just minor, undeveloped names here) are far more interesting than they are here.
2024 Update: I think I was a little harsh the first time... I still like this book the least (the author made a great choice focusing on Cimorene and Kazul and ignoring the Elves and Dwarves and such... it does have a nice happy ending though, and I have to say, seems odd it never continued. Overall, I'm glad I got nice copies of this series and read it again.
June 24, 2015
I would have preferred that Wrede end this series with the third book...moving on to the second generation of characters is usually not as fun. For me, the motivation of the main character just didn't seem strong enough, and while I realize that this fantasy series is meant to be lighter in tone than some of its more dramatic counterparts, the characters' emotions were a trifle too understated for my taste.
November 6, 2016
Cimorene and Mendenbar's son Daystar must take the sword and save his father without knowing who he really is. A firewitch, tiny lizard, young dragon and others help him along on his journey. A wonderful ending to this series.
December 1, 2016
4.75 stars! Oh, I did so enjoy this conclusion, despite the fact I had to get used to the narration AND I did get a bit peevish about the way some of the things unfold. Still a great deal of fun though, and I loved the new characters a lot!
January 10, 2016
This book made me so so happy right when I needed it. It's hilarious, I love the new mc's and a new dragon and kitten! Will there ever be more??
July 8, 2017
That was quite possibly the most emotionally unfulfilling story I've ever read.
May 15, 2025
Don't effing read this. Excuse my French, but just like the last book, this one jumps around like a rabbit on crack. Except this rabbit is also on a trampoline! I realize it's a series, and you may want to read it, but my job is to discourage you as much as possible, cause it's.... eh. This story is narrated by Daystar, the 16 year old son of Queen Cimorene and King Mendanbar. However, I don't want to write more about the plot, because the continuity is so horrible, I thought I'd finished the book halfway through and it felt like the beginning at the end. Yes, I'm exaggerating. No, I don't care that I'm exaggerating, because that truly is how the book felt to me. Don't read it. Not unless you happen to enjoy going through a portal back to the beginning at random points throughout the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2025
The First will be Last
Talking to Dragons was the first novel of Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles to be written. Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, and Calling on Dragons came along subsequently as prequels.
Wrede was a shiny new author when she wrote Talking. Well, not entirely new: it was her third novel. But it was her first children's book, and she felt she didn't know what she was doing. In fact, as she describes in the Introduction, the book kind of just happened to her. She mentioned Talking to Dragons to a friend at a party as a good book title for which she didn't have a book. On the way home the first line "Mother taught me to be polite to dragons . . ." popped into her head. When she got home, she grabbed pen and paper -- this was long before booting ones laptop was a practical way to start writing -- and over the course of the next few weeks word just poured out of her onto the page. She began with no notion of a plot -- she herself writes, "Until somewhere between half and two-thirds of the way through the book, I didn’t know if I was going to have a story or just a lot of random incidents."
So, yeah, it turned out she had a story. Then along came Jane Yolen and the prequels.
Each of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles is a first-person story from a different person. In order they are Cimorene, King of the Enchanted Forest and Cimorene's eventual husband Mendenbar, Enchanted Forest witch and cat-lady Morwen, and finally (but really first) Talking, narrated by Cimorene and Mendenbar's son Daystar.
If you've read the first three books (and I assume you have -- if not, there will be spoilers) then you know what Daystar's problem is. His father Mendenbar, whom Daystar has never met, is immured in the King's Castle in the Forest. The only thing that can release him is the King's Sword, which Cimorene hid until Daystar would be old enough to bear it. Daystar knows nothing of all this.
I expected this, the fount of the entire series, to be the best of the four. It was not. As you might expect from Wrede's description of how it was written, the story takes some time to get into gear. For the first half it's just Daystar bopping around aimlessly in the Forest, and having random things happen to him. Eventually it catches, though, and there is a story with a dramatic ending.
The best book in the series, I think, is the first one. Cimorene, one of Wrede's favorite characters, is the beating heart of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. She's the point-of-view narrator of Dealing with Dragons, so that's the best of the four. Cimorene appears only briefly in Talking.
Blog review.
Talking to Dragons was the first novel of Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles to be written. Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, and Calling on Dragons came along subsequently as prequels.
Wrede was a shiny new author when she wrote Talking. Well, not entirely new: it was her third novel. But it was her first children's book, and she felt she didn't know what she was doing. In fact, as she describes in the Introduction, the book kind of just happened to her. She mentioned Talking to Dragons to a friend at a party as a good book title for which she didn't have a book. On the way home the first line "Mother taught me to be polite to dragons . . ." popped into her head. When she got home, she grabbed pen and paper -- this was long before booting ones laptop was a practical way to start writing -- and over the course of the next few weeks word just poured out of her onto the page. She began with no notion of a plot -- she herself writes, "Until somewhere between half and two-thirds of the way through the book, I didn’t know if I was going to have a story or just a lot of random incidents."
So, yeah, it turned out she had a story. Then along came Jane Yolen and the prequels.
Each of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles is a first-person story from a different person. In order they are Cimorene, King of the Enchanted Forest and Cimorene's eventual husband Mendenbar, Enchanted Forest witch and cat-lady Morwen, and finally (but really first) Talking, narrated by Cimorene and Mendenbar's son Daystar.
If you've read the first three books (and I assume you have -- if not, there will be spoilers) then you know what Daystar's problem is. His father Mendenbar, whom Daystar has never met, is immured in the King's Castle in the Forest. The only thing that can release him is the King's Sword, which Cimorene hid until Daystar would be old enough to bear it. Daystar knows nothing of all this.
I expected this, the fount of the entire series, to be the best of the four. It was not. As you might expect from Wrede's description of how it was written, the story takes some time to get into gear. For the first half it's just Daystar bopping around aimlessly in the Forest, and having random things happen to him. Eventually it catches, though, and there is a story with a dramatic ending.
The best book in the series, I think, is the first one. Cimorene, one of Wrede's favorite characters, is the beating heart of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. She's the point-of-view narrator of Dealing with Dragons, so that's the best of the four. Cimorene appears only briefly in Talking.
Blog review.
June 21, 2016
This series has been surprisingly wonderful! I still believe that the best book was the first one but the rest were equally magnificent. The books were light and chucklesome. Never once did I feel that things were slow or boring in all 4 books and I was glued to the spot reading. The story flowed effortlessly and managed to make perfect sense even with all the ridiculousness.
The last book takes place roughly 16 years after the third one. This time it’s Cimorene’s son, Daystar, we follow as he attempts to take the sword to the castle of Enchanted Forest. The familiar characters popped up as Daystar made his journey through the forest along with his companions. That particular twist was a bit unexpected for me. It added a tad seriousness to the easy-going nature of the story.
I was a little taken aback by the fact that this book was written before all others and it had to be readjusted as the last book in the series. In fact, I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it. It also explains why, when Daystar is told his parents’ story by them, it didn’t quite match what really happened in the first three books. What he was told was actually very different.
I’m not feeling the series-hangover yet but I will, I just know it. Suffice it to say, I adored these sweet and perfect books and Cimorene’s headstrong princess will always stay close to my heart.
P.S: Actual rating is not exactly 4 stars but close.
September 17, 2016
I loved the first three. While this one had great humour the protagonist seemed too shallow for my liking, and the denouement too trite. A super series overall, somewhat dragged down by this final volume.
August 27, 2016
When I first read the blurb about this book and realized it would be about Cimorene's son, I was worried. Then I started reading and it was also in the first person, which was another change. However, I quickly realized that I enjoyed this book even better than the previous three in the trilogy, though it didn't have so much of the new magical ideas and items as the other ones.
Daystar is now a teen and it's time for him to go help free his father, who has been magically bound his entire life. Unfortunately for him, while he knows a great deal about the Enchanted Forest and dragons, and even some about magic, he doesn't know that his mother is Queen or that he's a prince. He thinks they are relatively poor and his mother just knows a lot. Imagine his surprise when she shoves him off to have his adventures with nothing more than a sword she suddenly brings out of the forest.
Daystar is very sweet and things do happen to him despite his efforts to be polite and stay out of trouble. Shiara is very talented and strong, though I found her a bit annoying for much of the book. By the end she wasn't so bad, though. Their adventures mean that they run into many of the characters we came to know and love through the trilogy; those adventures are not recapped until the very end of the book. Daystar remains ignorant as people have to figure things out on their own when on a quest in the Enchanted Forest.
All-in-all it was a excellent wrap-up and ending to the series.
Daystar is now a teen and it's time for him to go help free his father, who has been magically bound his entire life. Unfortunately for him, while he knows a great deal about the Enchanted Forest and dragons, and even some about magic, he doesn't know that his mother is Queen or that he's a prince. He thinks they are relatively poor and his mother just knows a lot. Imagine his surprise when she shoves him off to have his adventures with nothing more than a sword she suddenly brings out of the forest.
Daystar is very sweet and things do happen to him despite his efforts to be polite and stay out of trouble. Shiara is very talented and strong, though I found her a bit annoying for much of the book. By the end she wasn't so bad, though. Their adventures mean that they run into many of the characters we came to know and love through the trilogy; those adventures are not recapped until the very end of the book. Daystar remains ignorant as people have to figure things out on their own when on a quest in the Enchanted Forest.
All-in-all it was a excellent wrap-up and ending to the series.
May 28, 2024
oh hm it's wild that this was written FIRST. I'm trying to imagine the experience of reading this without already knowing the stuff from the first 3 books. I guess you'd be more in Daystar's shoes and not appreciating some of the little hints of past characters.
I also think as an adult reading this--and one who LOVES Cimorene--it's hard not to just be like "hold on, Cimorene was just single momming it up for SIXTEEN YEARS while her husband was stuck in a time stasis that sounds like it was pretty traumatizing for him?!?" And like as a child reader of course you're meant to be in Daystar's POV and that's pretty standard fairy tale stuff so it's like oh sure whatever mom but IDK I was just so struck by that!!
also kind of disappointed that .
I think if Wrede wrote this now a lot of the gender stuff would play out differently butttt it is still a somewhat dissatisfying product of its time I suppose.
I also think as an adult reading this--and one who LOVES Cimorene--it's hard not to just be like "hold on, Cimorene was just single momming it up for SIXTEEN YEARS while her husband was stuck in a time stasis that sounds like it was pretty traumatizing for him?!?" And like as a child reader of course you're meant to be in Daystar's POV and that's pretty standard fairy tale stuff so it's like oh sure whatever mom but IDK I was just so struck by that!!
also kind of disappointed that .
I think if Wrede wrote this now a lot of the gender stuff would play out differently butttt it is still a somewhat dissatisfying product of its time I suppose.
June 7, 2024
When I read this series the first time probably more than 20 years ago I had no idea that this, the last book in the series was actually published first and was originally going to be a stand alone novel. I so enjoyed reading the author's forwards to the whole series as I read them this time around and finding out how the series came to be. Cimorene will always win my heart over Daystar but I do appreciate the way the reader learns about the world and this quest he is on at the same time as he does.
June 20, 2020
3.5 stars. A quick read that kept the pages turning. The theme of politeness running throughout was humorous, and the careful manner in which information was revealed added tension and interest. The climax was excellent.
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