Book Review: "Dragon Rider" by Cornelia Funke

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Humans threaten the existence of the dragons, Firedrake goes off to find the hiding place of the dragons: "the Rim of Heaven". Along with him comes the brownie Sorrel, and the human boy, Ben. They gain new friends and allies, but have to contend with Nettlebrand, the golden one whose one desire is to kill all dragons.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS

Firedrake is the youngest of his clan of dragons. He alone decides to go off and find the rim of heaven. He seems less biased against humans than the other dragons, as he quickly goes to Ben's aide. He is rather brave and stubborn.

Ben is a young boy who lives on the streets. He is rather guarded about this aspect of his life. He is adventurous, eagerly wanting to go alone with Firedrake and Sorrel. He quickly wants to help his new friends, distracting some workers from where the dragon is hidden.

Sorrel is the brownie that comes along with Firedrake. She is grumbly and sarcastic, always complaining but willing to do anything to help, none the less. Often times her sarcastic lines provide humor in the story.

Twigleg is the homunculus who is sent to spy on Ben and his friends. Having been constantly abused by his master, Twigleg is unused to being treated so kindly by Ben. He quickly develops a softness for Ben, even though he tries not to.

Nettlebrand is the villain of the story. He is not an actual dragon, but instead a golden machine. He was created with the intent purpose of tracking down and killing the dragons. He is foreshadowed at the “golden one”. He can travel and communicate throw bodies of water.

Professor Bloomberg has an interest and knowledge of mystical creatures and because of that he is not taken seriously by his peers. He is willing to put himself in danger for his new friends and eager to learn about the dragons.

PACING

The pacing is decent. From the first two chapters, we learn of the threat and Firedrake goes off to the city and by chapter four we have met Ben. And by seven, Ben is leaving with them and they have acquired a map, really getting the adventure started.

EVERYONE HAS A ROLE- SPOILERS

An aspect I liked was how most every characters had a key role in the story. Right off the bat, Ben saves Firedrake, distracting some men so Sorrel can go warn him. It also turns out that only a human can ask a djinn a question, which means Ben is the only option.

Twigleg manages to free a caged Sorrel by picking her lock and sends Nettlebrand on a wild goose chase.

Greenbloom saves Firedrake from a basilisk with his knowledge and using a mirror.

Lola the rat uses her plane to reveal if Nettlebrand is in hiding, waiting for them.

You would think being a dragon, Firedrake would be overpowering, but even he has to be saved a time or two.

Even a seemingly unimportant dwarf plays a crucial part.

A WONDERFUL WORLD

One of my favorite aspects of the book is the variety of magical beings we get to meet. From elves and basilisks to sandmen and dwarves. We even see a Roc. And all of them have unique attributes, like the dwarves being helpless if you steal their hats and the elves running off if you insult them...alphabetically. This kind of originality sets Funke apart from many other writers.

DRAGONS AND THE MOON

It's set up in the story that dragon's get their strength from the moon. This later plays an important role in the story. Not only does this help us end the story and fix the problem, but it also reveals the folly of the missing dragons.

ROTTEN HUMANS

It is presented in the first chapter that humans are a threat to magical creatures and are despised. This could have easily been sprinkled throughout the whole book and preached. I have read quite a few books where the reader is lectured about how evil humans are and that they destroy the planet. It get's obnoxious, especially since the magical races can often live in ways humans cannot or have technology we have not yet attained. But luckily, it isn't overblown. So we get the idea, and move on. Although it would have been nice for Ben to stand up for humanity, and maybe have them admit that they might have been wrong about some of the humans.

FIREDRAKE

One thing I wasn't sure about, was Firedrake's personality. He is the youngest of his pack, but he doesn't seem naive or ignorant. He isn't biased against Ben, but never explains why nor points out to Sorrel why she is wrong about humans. Basically all of the dragons despise them. So why such a large shift from Firedrake? He didn't seem to disagree with his family at the beginning of the book. I wish he had been skeptical of Ben, and then surprised at his behavior. But there isn't much of an expression of doubt or shock. I felt like throughout most of the book, his personality was expressed by the affection of him nuzzling Sorrel and Ben. It's all over the book.

And we never discuss why he alone must go on this quest. There is no anger or argument in the beginning, it just seems the Firedrake doesn't put much thought into this quest. Only Sorrel comprehends the danger, which is fine. But the motivation is never really clear. Has he thought of this before? Is he restless? Does he get along with his pack? I just felt he was lacking.

BEN'S PAST

One critique I have is Ben's past...it's never expanded on. Multiple times in the book, by different characters, he is asked about his family. He says he never had one. So was he an orphan? What happened to his parents? Did he have a foster family or live in an orphanage. How did he end up on the streets? How long had he been there? I just wanted a shred of a story. But I never got it. I felt I could have felt closer to his character if I learned more about him.

PROPHECY OF THE DRAGON RIDER

It turns out there is an old prophecy of a dragon rider who once lived, and will come back as a boy. It turns out that boy might be Ben. I thought the history was kind of interesting, but another part of me feels like the whole “chosen one” and “prophecy” has been done to death. But it doesn't take up a huge part of the story and Ben does not dwell on it too much.

A NEW FAMILY - SPOILERS

Professor Greenbloom eventually asks Ben if he want's to be apart of the family, with his daughter Guinevere, and his wife, Vita. I thought this was sweet, as Ben couldn't live with the dragons. But I felt I would have understood Ben's desire for a family more if I had known more of his hardships of living in the streets and how long he had been doing so.

CLIMAX

The end of the story is not a knock-down, drag out fight. Instead it involves information we gained early, combined with new information. We learn about Nettlebrand's weakness and scheme to exploit it. I liked this because felt that everything came together decently in the end.

CONCLUSION

Funke creates an original world with magical creatures that have unique attributes found nowhere else. The large variety of creatures met really makes the story stand out. Sorrel and Twigleg have strong personalities, but Ben and Firedrake are lacking slightly. Ben because of his lack of a history, and Firedrake because of a lack of personality and motivation. I give “Dragon Rider” three and a half stars.

Book Review: "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Prosper and Bo's parents pass away their Aunt Hartlieb only wants Bo. So Prosper takes his brother and heads to the one place his mother told him all about, Venice. In the city he meets a group of kids that live by stealing and reside in an abandoned movie theater. Their leader is the Thief Lord, a mysterious boy name Scipio.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS

Prosper's one purpose is to keep his brother safe. It's important that his brother has nothing to do with any attempts at theft.

Bo loves exploring Venice and is happy as long as he is with his brother. But his growing admiration for Scipio may get him in trouble.

Scipio is the mysterious young man who wears a bird mask and brings the group various rare items for them to sale. Because of him they don't go hungry. But he may not be what he seems.

Hornet is a bookworm who takes the role of Bo's mother. She is also very fond of Prosper. She is blunt and forceful.

Victor Getz is the private detective who Aunt Hartlieb gets to find the boys. He is an odd person, who actually has a huge collection of beards so he can go into disguise.

PACING

The pacing is decent, because the story isn't laid out in a typical fashion. The goal isn't quite obvious. First we think it's keeping our freedom, then stealing an item, then it becomes something else. That helps push the reader along.

WHIMSICAL VICTOR

Oddly enough, my favorite character was not Scipio or Prosper, but Vincent the detective. I looked forward to his chapters the most. He was so odd and had a funny way of describing things. He never felt like a threat to the boys, and that was fine. There were other threats. So many of his reactions or views made me smile. It felt original.

TWISTS & TURNS

When reading the book, I wasn't quite sure where the story was going. At first, I thought it would be about the Thief Lord and his taking of a job. There's a revelation that destroys that idea. So then you think it's going to be about Prosper keeping Bo safe from his Aunt. But then the job is back on, but it doesn't lead to where I expected it too. I liked this aspect. Although near the end, it became more predictable.

EXTRA CHARACTERS

There are two other boys, Mosca and Riccio, who I don't really feel add to the story. The relationships are mainly between Bo, Prosper, Hornet and Scipio. They just aren't distinct enough for me to describe or important enough to the story to get a mention.

THE FATE OF BARBAROSSA

When the merchant Barbarossa impulsively uses the stolen item, he gets a horrible surprise. There is much time spent on fixing his problem. I knew almost immediately what this was going to be, although I had to wonder why I was supposed to care. This character was basically a jerk. Then I thought it was showing sympathy for Aunt Hartlieb, which would be kind of nice. But since we find out it all turned out terrible, I don't know exactly why it was so important, taking up multiple chapters.

THE FATE OF SCIPIO-SPOILERS

Turns out Scipio's father is a jerk and his home life is hell. So when he discovers the item that he was sent to steal could solve all of his problems, he takes it. He doesn't really think of the consequences. I kept expecting this to be undone somehow. The idea of running away didn't seem like a victory. I would rather Scipio had reconciled or stood up to his father. But I suppose this wasn't really possible, as the man was painted as rather two dimensional in his evil characteristics.

RECONCILIATION-SPOILERS

I wanted more scenes with Scipio and Prosper near the end. But instead we just see Scipio go off and get a job. It felt lacking to me.

CONCLUSION

Funke creates some likable characters, in the enchanting world of Venice. And their fondness for each other feels real and the adventure they get drawn into feel original. Even though I am less than happy with the ending, I would still give “The Thief Lord” three and half stars.