Jane Austen's Dragon Series
I have been MIA on here for these 3-4 months because of the Stay At Home Orders and everything being cancelled during the COVID19/Corona Virus Pandemic. We are all well or fairly healthy except for the occasional outbursts of frustration or make that rather frequent outbursts of frustration. It took me so long to wrap my mind around this new way of living that I couldn't write. I couldn't read. I couldn't focus. I couldn't plan or at least I didn't even know how to plan. I watched a lot of trashy television. I tried a few cleaning projects that failed miserably. My eldest is dreadfully behind in her school work because I hadn't been keeping up with all the changes as I should. Just so much uncertainty and unrest. I also ended up with extreme neck, back, and shoulder pain which I can only really attribute to stress. So here I am trying to make ANOTHER version of "normal". I was literally just getting use to my youngest daughter's Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis when *Boom* another bomb goes off.
I am thankful to be healthy, though, in one degree of pain or another. I am thankful to have a place to call home. I am thankful that my husband is keeping busy and still has a job (though it looks very different at the moment). But what does all that have to do with Jane Austen's Dragons?
Nothing, really, just that I am bringing back the joy I had started with when I pronounced the theme for this year. I will not let this virus win and take away my love of reading and books- hence let me get back on this horse or dragon, if I may be so bold, and ride it out.
I have created a Jane Austen Summer Reading List/Club to make up for all the missed time I spent wallowing in self-pity and all this unpredictability. I will post the complete list next week but for now I am starting with the Jane Austen's Dragon Series recommended by my fellow Jane Austen reading friend. The box set of three books is available for Kindle and paperback (although there are technically 5 books altogether in the series, I only have the first 3 so that is what I will be writing about).
I am not a frequent fantasy reader so I will be writing as I read especially to document the new words I am learning and so I will have something to talk about during our book club discussions.
In short this book is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice but with a twist of dragons. Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet, and Mary and few other characters are introduced as being able to hear and understand dragons. Elizabeth, as the eldest dragon hearer, is charged with responsibilities for the family dragon, Longbourn. Darcy comes into the picture because his families' dragon egg has been stolen and it is very dangerous if the egg were to hatch without a human to imprint on it. It would cause the peace between men and dragons to be severed.
Let us see how I get on, shall we?
So far I have learned about a creature called a Tatzelwurm which appears to be a cat faced lizard with similarities to weasels or ferrets. The tatzelwurm in the book is named Rumblkins.
The tatzelwurm in this story retrieves some eggs hatched by fairy dragons.
Elizabeth has her own fairy dragon named April.
The word Wyvern is used frequently so I looked up different kinds of dragons and discovered that a wyvern is more specifically a dragon with only 2 legs instead of 4. Here is a chart that I found handy.
The dragons in this book eat muntjac a kind of deer native to south Asia though the book seems to still be set in England, I believe.
Two fairy dragons hatch in the Bennett house- Phoenix and Heather, one has imprinted on Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and one on Mary.
The egg that has been stolen is of a fire drake.
Mr. Darcy is the keeper of a dragon kind called a cockatrice and his name is Walker.
He disguises himself as a falcon.
Walker thinks there is a lindwyrm in the territory- a lizardy kind of dragon- you can also refer back to the dragon chart above.
Elizabeth is beckoned by her father to tie his cravat. I am aware of what a cravat is which I learned about because my sister-in-law had a Regency themed wedding. But I was not aware of the different names of the knots.
Mr. Bennet prefers the Napoleon knot.
Elizabeth has a chatelaine which appears to be a kind of key holder or belt embossed with a dragon seal of the Order.
Mr. Bennet says the memorable line, "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."
As the plot thickened for the rest of the book I will now write some of the impressions I have on the story thus far. It is excellent use of creativity and I am enjoying it very much and learning new words.
What I have liked best so far is that Mary Bennet is a Dragon-Hearer. We get to see the author give Mary more of a role than in the original Pride and Prejudice. I have a soft spot for Mary and I always like to see what the author will do with her. Instead of Jane and Elizabeth having a close relationship it is Elizabeth and Mary.
I have also greatly enjoyed learning about different dragons and Regency words. If you think since I am Jane Austen fan that I would know all of this you are quite mistaken as I am more of a casual fan, but that is the point of this project- to become more acquainted with Jane Austen's era. If pressed I could probably name half a dozen more things that I have loved about the first set of three books titled Pemberely: Mr. Darcy's Dragon. But I will keep moving as I much more reading to do!
What I have liked least about this book is the jarring feeling one gets when it starts taking quoted scenes directly from Pride and Prejudice. It often feels unnatural and looses the flow of the story. It is not a great criticism, but one none the less. Also Pemberely's baby dragon speech is annoying. But personally I find baby speech annoying in general unless I actually have better context- so that is more of a personal criticism.
This book just reminds me of general fantasy novels, but I rarely read those but I am assuming many fantasy novels are similar to this especially those geared towards a more female audience. Nothing very specific that I am familiar with, though.
My favorite character? It is hard to say. I really like this very brave version of Elizabeth but she does have some weepy moments that aren't truly becoming. I should allow her some character weaknesses just once in awhile I think she tears up a bit too much. But I think I lack some sensitives so, again, another personal issue. I am enjoying Mr. Darcy- we get a lot more out of him in this story than the original. Fitzwilliam's jovial nature has also been a favorite of mine and that is not an exception here! The Gardiner family are truly charming in this series. I really enjoy the fairy dragons.
So far I am not liking Mr. Bennet, but I think he is being influenced or there is a mystery there that may change my mind. Mr. Collins is bothersome but, of course, he is a nice foil in the subplot. Longbourn, the dragon, is hard to take- demanding, selfish, and full of tantrums- but I guess he is what a dragon should be.
If I were making this book into a movie I would cast Emilia Clarke, mother of dragons herself, in the role of Elizabeth Bennett and Henry Cavill as Mr. Darcy. I have a couple of vague ideas for the rest but those two are a must for my imagination!
I didn't find a great quote that I can recall and I have not read other books by this author. I have read very few fantasy books in general as I stated before.
On to the second book: Longbourn: Dragon Entail by Maria Grace.
I have never heard of the tradition of Christmas pudding charms! There meanings- HERE & HERE
Lady Catherine de Bourgh decorates Rosings with ormolu dragons.
Elizabeth mentions playing a game called Buffy Gruffy. So I looked it up and found a blog post written by the author called "Games of Courtship"
A few new (to me) words:
harridan
ocher
gudgeon
They play the game spillikins- another name for the Pick up Sticks.
Fitzwilliam mentions the Tyburn Tree. I will need to read more on that.
I found a dragon site that might be helpful. And two more different dragon types mentioned:
A Zaltys in the kitchen at Rosings- a snake dragon.
Amphithere- a winged dragon
They play the card game Quadrille
In the third book, Netherfield: Rogue Dragon by Maria Grace, I didn't have to look up much at all. Most of the dragons and characters were established and since this particular book in the series was much more plot driven and felt faster paced I didn't want to spend too much time looking up stuff but I let the context drive the story.
Here is more how I pictured the lindwurm-
And the dragon from the East-
So now that I have finished the three books I can give a quick summary and my impressions!
Summary: ****Spoilers****
These three books are a retelling of Pride and Prejudice but with dragons. At first it sounds a little cheesy (sometimes it did feel that way when I couldn't picture things properly, but that may be my lack of imagination), but all in all these were entertaining and just good fantasy fun.
A select few in the Bennet household can hear dragons. In this world, dragon hearers as well as dragons are bound by the Pendragon Accords and the Blue Order keeps things in check. But an egg of a major dragon has been stolen. It belongs to Darcy. Of course, Elizabeth can not believe he would be so careless and judges him. But she, Elizabeth Bennet, is a natural with dragons. They all seem to think the world of her and she can easily persuade and understand them. Through a series of circumstances the egg is recovered and the dragon hatches. The dragon is named Pemberly and is able to imprint on Elizabeth so that dragons and man can continue to live peacefully. But the Bennet's family dragon, Longbourn will not allow Pemberly to stay in his territory and he makes Darcy take her away even though Elizabeth is caring for her and they have become very attached to each other. The end of book one is a sad good bye.
In the second book we have a lot things going on but the author does manage to tie it up pretty nicely. Elizabeth runs away to London after she has become frighten of Longbourn who has demanded her to marry Mr. Collins and she believes he is using draconic persuasion which is forbidden. Darcy is having the hardest time trying to balance his life with Georgiana who can hear dragons but is very afraid and intimidated by them and taking care of Pemberly who whines for "Her" meaning Elizabeth constantly plus his Aunt Catherine and her dragon Rosings and Anne de Bourgh and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam joins the scene. Through another series of circumstances Elizabeth is invited to stay at Rosings because Pemberly is absolutely distraught and will not eat because she misses Elizabeth so much. Mr. Collins shows up and tries AGAIN to propose but accidentally stumbles on the dragons' lair! In the end of the second book there is basically a conclave of dragons, judges and the Blue Order giving instructions on how to deal with a dragon breaking the accords and now Mr. Collins' knowledge of dragons plus the suspected nature of a rogue dragon in Netherfield. Mary agrees to wed Mr. Collins as she is best able to deal with him and he must be instructed in dragon ways and laws and secrecy. And, of course, Darcy proposes to Miss Elizabeth! What will happen next?
In the third book we get a lot more plot and action but I think I can summarize quickly. Elizabeth is charged to find the lindwurm on Netherfield. Darcy and Fitzwilliam are charged with finding Wickham and Lydia. Elizabeth helps dragons come to understandings, she helps one give birth (more specifically lay an egg), she and Mary find an antidote to dragon venom. Darcy and Fitzwilliam come back. There is a misunderstanding/arguement and Elizabeth is captured by the Netherfield dragon but she finds that Lydia has been being held captive and Wickham has died in an accident. There is a confrontation and a conclave and a wedding. In the end, fairy dragons for everyone- okay, I exaggerate, but any way....it was fun, adventurous, and creative.
There are two more books associated with this series which I am interested in reading but not for some time. I have a lot of summer reading already lined up and planned.
I got the feeling that the writing wasn't very polished and the repetition of the characters actions were a little annoying. Actions such as "she pinched the bridge of her nose" or "he wiped his hand over his face" or "she bit her lip" were constantly repeated so I felt like the author was a little limited in her showing her characters outward emotions but overall I enjoyed the adventure. I would have never taken the leap of moving Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from the ballroom or stately manors to caves and dragon lairs.
The book lengthens felt about right. I thought the transitions between each book were perfect.
If I had the chance to ask the author of these books a question I would probably ask her where she came up with the idea. It just seems a little wild and out there! I wonder where she got all her knowledge on dragons and what other books she has read fiction or nonfiction that inspired her.
I did find the author, Maria Grace, on Facebook and she has a website Random Bits of Fascination. So I could conceivably ask her a question in an email or over messenger.
I would recommend reading the Jane Austen's Dragons series if you don't take your fanfiction super seriously (because that is basically what this is) and if you enjoy fantasy and Regency and Pride and Prejudice. I think you would find them as adventurous and fun and creative as I did!
I am thankful to be healthy, though, in one degree of pain or another. I am thankful to have a place to call home. I am thankful that my husband is keeping busy and still has a job (though it looks very different at the moment). But what does all that have to do with Jane Austen's Dragons?
Nothing, really, just that I am bringing back the joy I had started with when I pronounced the theme for this year. I will not let this virus win and take away my love of reading and books- hence let me get back on this horse or dragon, if I may be so bold, and ride it out.
I have created a Jane Austen Summer Reading List/Club to make up for all the missed time I spent wallowing in self-pity and all this unpredictability. I will post the complete list next week but for now I am starting with the Jane Austen's Dragon Series recommended by my fellow Jane Austen reading friend. The box set of three books is available for Kindle and paperback (although there are technically 5 books altogether in the series, I only have the first 3 so that is what I will be writing about).
I am not a frequent fantasy reader so I will be writing as I read especially to document the new words I am learning and so I will have something to talk about during our book club discussions.
In short this book is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice but with a twist of dragons. Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet, and Mary and few other characters are introduced as being able to hear and understand dragons. Elizabeth, as the eldest dragon hearer, is charged with responsibilities for the family dragon, Longbourn. Darcy comes into the picture because his families' dragon egg has been stolen and it is very dangerous if the egg were to hatch without a human to imprint on it. It would cause the peace between men and dragons to be severed.
Let us see how I get on, shall we?
So far I have learned about a creature called a Tatzelwurm which appears to be a cat faced lizard with similarities to weasels or ferrets. The tatzelwurm in the book is named Rumblkins.
The tatzelwurm in this story retrieves some eggs hatched by fairy dragons.
Elizabeth has her own fairy dragon named April.
The dragons in this book eat muntjac a kind of deer native to south Asia though the book seems to still be set in England, I believe.
Two fairy dragons hatch in the Bennett house- Phoenix and Heather, one has imprinted on Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and one on Mary.
The egg that has been stolen is of a fire drake.
Mr. Darcy is the keeper of a dragon kind called a cockatrice and his name is Walker.
He disguises himself as a falcon.
Walker thinks there is a lindwyrm in the territory- a lizardy kind of dragon- you can also refer back to the dragon chart above.
Elizabeth is beckoned by her father to tie his cravat. I am aware of what a cravat is which I learned about because my sister-in-law had a Regency themed wedding. But I was not aware of the different names of the knots.
Mr. Bennet prefers the Napoleon knot.
Elizabeth has a chatelaine which appears to be a kind of key holder or belt embossed with a dragon seal of the Order.
Mr. Bennet says the memorable line, "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."
 |
| The "Superior Sisters" |
What I have liked best so far is that Mary Bennet is a Dragon-Hearer. We get to see the author give Mary more of a role than in the original Pride and Prejudice. I have a soft spot for Mary and I always like to see what the author will do with her. Instead of Jane and Elizabeth having a close relationship it is Elizabeth and Mary.
I have also greatly enjoyed learning about different dragons and Regency words. If you think since I am Jane Austen fan that I would know all of this you are quite mistaken as I am more of a casual fan, but that is the point of this project- to become more acquainted with Jane Austen's era. If pressed I could probably name half a dozen more things that I have loved about the first set of three books titled Pemberely: Mr. Darcy's Dragon. But I will keep moving as I much more reading to do!
What I have liked least about this book is the jarring feeling one gets when it starts taking quoted scenes directly from Pride and Prejudice. It often feels unnatural and looses the flow of the story. It is not a great criticism, but one none the less. Also Pemberely's baby dragon speech is annoying. But personally I find baby speech annoying in general unless I actually have better context- so that is more of a personal criticism.
This book just reminds me of general fantasy novels, but I rarely read those but I am assuming many fantasy novels are similar to this especially those geared towards a more female audience. Nothing very specific that I am familiar with, though.
My favorite character? It is hard to say. I really like this very brave version of Elizabeth but she does have some weepy moments that aren't truly becoming. I should allow her some character weaknesses just once in awhile I think she tears up a bit too much. But I think I lack some sensitives so, again, another personal issue. I am enjoying Mr. Darcy- we get a lot more out of him in this story than the original. Fitzwilliam's jovial nature has also been a favorite of mine and that is not an exception here! The Gardiner family are truly charming in this series. I really enjoy the fairy dragons.
So far I am not liking Mr. Bennet, but I think he is being influenced or there is a mystery there that may change my mind. Mr. Collins is bothersome but, of course, he is a nice foil in the subplot. Longbourn, the dragon, is hard to take- demanding, selfish, and full of tantrums- but I guess he is what a dragon should be.
If I were making this book into a movie I would cast Emilia Clarke, mother of dragons herself, in the role of Elizabeth Bennett and Henry Cavill as Mr. Darcy. I have a couple of vague ideas for the rest but those two are a must for my imagination!
I didn't find a great quote that I can recall and I have not read other books by this author. I have read very few fantasy books in general as I stated before.
On to the second book: Longbourn: Dragon Entail by Maria Grace.
I have never heard of the tradition of Christmas pudding charms! There meanings- HERE & HERE
Lady Catherine de Bourgh decorates Rosings with ormolu dragons.
Elizabeth mentions playing a game called Buffy Gruffy. So I looked it up and found a blog post written by the author called "Games of Courtship"
A few new (to me) words:
harridan
ocher
gudgeon
They play the game spillikins- another name for the Pick up Sticks.
Fitzwilliam mentions the Tyburn Tree. I will need to read more on that.
I found a dragon site that might be helpful. And two more different dragon types mentioned:
A Zaltys in the kitchen at Rosings- a snake dragon.
They play the card game Quadrille
In the third book, Netherfield: Rogue Dragon by Maria Grace, I didn't have to look up much at all. Most of the dragons and characters were established and since this particular book in the series was much more plot driven and felt faster paced I didn't want to spend too much time looking up stuff but I let the context drive the story.
Here is more how I pictured the lindwurm-
And the dragon from the East-
So now that I have finished the three books I can give a quick summary and my impressions!
Summary: ****Spoilers****
These three books are a retelling of Pride and Prejudice but with dragons. At first it sounds a little cheesy (sometimes it did feel that way when I couldn't picture things properly, but that may be my lack of imagination), but all in all these were entertaining and just good fantasy fun.
A select few in the Bennet household can hear dragons. In this world, dragon hearers as well as dragons are bound by the Pendragon Accords and the Blue Order keeps things in check. But an egg of a major dragon has been stolen. It belongs to Darcy. Of course, Elizabeth can not believe he would be so careless and judges him. But she, Elizabeth Bennet, is a natural with dragons. They all seem to think the world of her and she can easily persuade and understand them. Through a series of circumstances the egg is recovered and the dragon hatches. The dragon is named Pemberly and is able to imprint on Elizabeth so that dragons and man can continue to live peacefully. But the Bennet's family dragon, Longbourn will not allow Pemberly to stay in his territory and he makes Darcy take her away even though Elizabeth is caring for her and they have become very attached to each other. The end of book one is a sad good bye.
In the second book we have a lot things going on but the author does manage to tie it up pretty nicely. Elizabeth runs away to London after she has become frighten of Longbourn who has demanded her to marry Mr. Collins and she believes he is using draconic persuasion which is forbidden. Darcy is having the hardest time trying to balance his life with Georgiana who can hear dragons but is very afraid and intimidated by them and taking care of Pemberly who whines for "Her" meaning Elizabeth constantly plus his Aunt Catherine and her dragon Rosings and Anne de Bourgh and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam joins the scene. Through another series of circumstances Elizabeth is invited to stay at Rosings because Pemberly is absolutely distraught and will not eat because she misses Elizabeth so much. Mr. Collins shows up and tries AGAIN to propose but accidentally stumbles on the dragons' lair! In the end of the second book there is basically a conclave of dragons, judges and the Blue Order giving instructions on how to deal with a dragon breaking the accords and now Mr. Collins' knowledge of dragons plus the suspected nature of a rogue dragon in Netherfield. Mary agrees to wed Mr. Collins as she is best able to deal with him and he must be instructed in dragon ways and laws and secrecy. And, of course, Darcy proposes to Miss Elizabeth! What will happen next?
In the third book we get a lot more plot and action but I think I can summarize quickly. Elizabeth is charged to find the lindwurm on Netherfield. Darcy and Fitzwilliam are charged with finding Wickham and Lydia. Elizabeth helps dragons come to understandings, she helps one give birth (more specifically lay an egg), she and Mary find an antidote to dragon venom. Darcy and Fitzwilliam come back. There is a misunderstanding/arguement and Elizabeth is captured by the Netherfield dragon but she finds that Lydia has been being held captive and Wickham has died in an accident. There is a confrontation and a conclave and a wedding. In the end, fairy dragons for everyone- okay, I exaggerate, but any way....it was fun, adventurous, and creative.
There are two more books associated with this series which I am interested in reading but not for some time. I have a lot of summer reading already lined up and planned.
I got the feeling that the writing wasn't very polished and the repetition of the characters actions were a little annoying. Actions such as "she pinched the bridge of her nose" or "he wiped his hand over his face" or "she bit her lip" were constantly repeated so I felt like the author was a little limited in her showing her characters outward emotions but overall I enjoyed the adventure. I would have never taken the leap of moving Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from the ballroom or stately manors to caves and dragon lairs.
The book lengthens felt about right. I thought the transitions between each book were perfect.
If I had the chance to ask the author of these books a question I would probably ask her where she came up with the idea. It just seems a little wild and out there! I wonder where she got all her knowledge on dragons and what other books she has read fiction or nonfiction that inspired her.
I did find the author, Maria Grace, on Facebook and she has a website Random Bits of Fascination. So I could conceivably ask her a question in an email or over messenger.
I would recommend reading the Jane Austen's Dragons series if you don't take your fanfiction super seriously (because that is basically what this is) and if you enjoy fantasy and Regency and Pride and Prejudice. I think you would find them as adventurous and fun and creative as I did!
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