Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.25 You Save: $12.74 (85%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Dragon Rider
Book Review: Dragon Rider
Summary: 5 Stars
Dragon Rider
Cornelia Funke
N.Lee
Period 3
The book Dragon Rider is about a dragon named Firedrake who wants to go to the Rim of Heaven which is in the Himalayas. They went on a journey with two friends, Ben and Brownie. They go on a journey, flying over states, oceans, countries, and discover some other mystical creatures and something in his past. On their way they met a scientist, elves, fairies, rats, and dragons. One dragon known as the "Golden One" hunts them until they reach the Rim of Heaven. They barely escape from the "Golden One" the dragon who is the villain in a few battles. Will they reach to the Rim of Heaven?
What I like about the book is that the characters are interesting. For example I like Twigleg, who was a traitor to the "Golden One" and the female dragon that was very brave. I did not think these characters will turn out to be like this because the summary does not explain these kinds of characters. The story is very clear and makes sense. Another part I like is that it is fantastic, hilarious, and adventurous. This is considered fantasy since there are dragons, dwarves, elves, brownies, fairies, basilisks, and the Loch Ness monster in the ocean. I think this book was hilarious because some of the things are the opposite of what we expect like the professor who believes in the winged-horse Pegasus, unicorns, the tooth fairy, and even killed a basilisk. This is based on this quote "My search for the winged- horse, Pegasus. I've discussed rare minerals with dwarves, the flavor tree bark with trolls, fairies and fiery salamander." The characters' attitudes are also funny, for example the brownie was always hungry and mad. In this quote "Hey! Hey there you are. You've no idea how awful I feel MY tummy's churning as if I'd eaten a death cap mushroom." These characters, descriptions, and events made the book one of my favorites, on the other hand there were some things I dislike.
What I disliked about the book is that it is too long for a good adventure. The story mentions too much about traveling and focuses less on meeting the new characters. For example meeting the female dragon was only two paragraphs in length. I really wanted to know about her.
My favorite and least favorite part were these following events. My favorite part is when Firedrake meets a female dragon and battled side-by-side, and they defeated the "Golden One" with blue fire. That was the ending and it made the story more exciting. My least favorite part was in the beginning because I had no idea what happened at first. There was a rat, many dragons and caves, I had no idea what was going on. Overall the book is a really a good lovable book even though there were some things I dislike. This is a very good book I hope you will like it.
Book Review: A Wild Ride
Summary: 5 Stars
Cornelia Funke has written a mesmerizing novel, filled with magical creatures and unforgettable characters. The dragons, concerned by humans invading their valley, seek a place where dragons can live in peace. The Rim of Heaven is one such place which has been heard of in ancient tales, however none of them truly know if it even exists. Firedrake, who is convinced that the Rim of Heaven is real, sets out to search for it with his friend Sorrel, a brownie ( cat- like appearance) with a big attitude. And so, their journey begins. Their main objective at first was to find Gilbert Graytail, the white rat with a talent of map making. This is where their journey has an unexpected twist; they coincidentally meet a young boy named Ben who is thrilled to join them in their search for the mysterious Rim of Heaven, which Gilbert says is possibly located in the Himalayas. It is ironic that Firedrake is trying to find an ancient place to avoid contact with humans, yet he is accompanied by a young human. Along the way, they continue to meet new companions who aid Firedrake, Ben, and Sorrel on their travels. Other magical creatures, both friend and foe, that they encounter include mountain dwarves, sand elves, sandmen or camel riders, brownies, enchanted ravens, fairies, the blue djinn, extraordinary rats, sea serpents, basilisks, a homunculus, and their worst enemy yet -- Nettlebrand-- the Golden One. Nettlebrand, the golden dragon with perpetually cold and indestructible scales, covets to be the supreme dragon. He aims to hunt down and destroy all of the remaining dragons. It is discovered later that Nettlebrand was the creature that attacked the dragons on the sea shore, thus resulting in the their flee to the Rim of Heaven. Although his golden armor is too heavy for him to fly, Firedrake can only fly at night, as the silver dragons rely on the moonlight for energy to live. The quality of his scales and his unique ability to teleport through water gives him an advantage over Firedrake and his companions. As Nettlebrand draws nearer and nearer, friendships will be tested, betrayals are suspected, but the hope of discovering the Rim of Heaven will bind them together until the end. They will find that they are a part of an ancient prophecy that only they can fulfill.
Although the characters and creatures in the novel are fictional, Funke's captivating writing brings them to life. Each word contributes to an almost real image in the reader's mind. The array of her evocative words mesmerize the readers, pulling them into the novel. With each trial the characters must face, the reader grows more attached to them. This mind- blowing and magical journey is enough to interest even the most skeptic of readers. (465)
Book Review: The Dragon's, the Dragon Rider's, and the Brownie's Journey
Summary: 5 Stars
Firedrake is a silver dragon who is in trouble. Actually, his whole herd of dragons is in trouble. They live in a valley that is always cold and rainy. They are trying to stay away from humans and an enemy of theirs. Humans are going to flood the valley. Everyone is too scared to leave because of the dangers out in the world. The oldest and wisest dragon of them all, tells them to fly to the Rim of Heaven. He is too old to make another journey, so he is going to stay in the valley. Firedrake wants to go, but nobody else does. He takes his friend Sorrel, who is a furry animal about the size of a 10-year-old human child. She is called a Brownie. They try to convince the others to go too, but they just hide in their caves. So Firedrake and Sorrel set off. Dragons can only fly when the moon is up. So when daylight comes, they have to land. Firedrake is over a huge city when the sun rises. He has to land. He lands in a dirty garbage filled canal. He keeps swimming until Sorrel spots an abandoned factory. He gets out of the canal, squeezes through the door, and is in a human building for the first time in his life. They find a human boy, named Ben, in there. They take him with them, because of some chaos in the factor. Sorrel doesn't like it. "Here we are trying to avoid humans, and then we bring one with us!" Firedrake brings Ben along anyway. They buy a wonderful map from a pure white rat. They fly a night and land in a patch of yellow. Yellow means "DANGER." Sorrel thinks that it means "Safe place to rest." Nettlebrand, the Golden One, sees them there. He hunts Silver Dragons. He decides to follow Firedrake with a spy. He wants Firedrake to lead him to the other dragons so he can hunt again. They seem to have vanished. His spy is a manikin. He is just a few inches tall. He usually cleans Nettlebrand's armor. He rides a crow and follows them. You have to read the book to find out if Firedrake leads the Golden One to the other silver dragons!!! I loved this book because it had a lot of suspense. It also had foreshadowing. It hinted that their was going to be trouble when Firedrake landed in the yellow. It also hinted that Firedrake was going to go to the Rim of Heaven, when the others were too scared. It showed that the others were scared of everything. I think that people who like fantasy, dragons, and a great adventure should read this book because it has all of those and more!!! This is a five-star book because it has a great adventure and is long and exciting!Book Review: a great fantasy novel
Summary: 5 Stars
"Seek the Rim of Heaven!" This request starts the mystical journey of Firedrake the dragon, a young boy named Ben, and their furry brownie companion, Sorrel. In the book Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, we follow the trio's incredible expedition across the world to find the Rim of Heaven.
We are introduced to the magical dragons in a peaceful valley in Scotland. After an observant rat discovers humans are planning to move into the dragons' home, she rushes to convince the dragons to find another dwelling. The dragons believe that if they are discovered by humans, they would be captured and sent to zoos, or killed and placed in museums. Slatebeard, the oldest dragon, proposes that one dragon search for the Rim of Heaven, a rumored utopia where they would be protected from humans. Daring Firedrake agrees to search for this mythical place and he is joined by an elf-like brownie, Sorrel.
On their journey they befriend a young human boy named Ben whose place as the dragon rider becomes a significant part of their quest. The trio also encounters fascinating individuals, including exploring rats, dwarfs, a human professor, and a tiny manikin whose deceptive behavior could prove to be very unfortunate for the dragons.
However, every great quest has its antagonists. Nettlebrand is the lord of water but he has the shape of a dragon. Covered in shimmering golden scales that make him immune to all types of weapons, Nettlebrand's one wish is to discover the Rim of Heaven and destroy all of its dragon inhabitants.
One of the themes of Dragon Rider is the challenge of growing up. This theme is generally centered on precocious Ben. When we first meet Ben he is living alone in an old, unused factory, but as the story develops, Ben grows too. He learns about courage and devotion to his friends. He also must discover how to make difficult decisions that will affect the creatures he has learned to love.
This exciting book is definitely one of a kind. It is overflowing with amazing and enchanted characters that hold your attention throughout the entire novel. Throughout Dragon Rider, there are an abundance of unexpected twists and it is very hard to put it down once you start reading it. I would recommend this fantastic novel to anyone who enjoys reading about an incredible journey packed with magical and mystical creatures and places.
Book Review: Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
Summary: 5 Stars
In Dragon Rider three unlikely companions, Firedrake, a dragon, Sorrel the brownie, a catlike creature that loves to eat mushrooms, and Ben, a homeless boy, embark on a dangerous journey to find a land that might not even exist. The story begins when Rat, a friend of the dragons, brings bad news of humans to the dragons' cave. " `I've got bad news, if you want to know. Extremely bad news...' " Firedrake, one of the dragons, sets off with his brownie friend Sorrel to find "The Rim of Heaven" a sacred place where it is believed the dragons could live in peace forever. Soon along their journey they come across Ben, an orphaned, homeless boy who desperately wishes for a journey. Ben soon joins the group and gets to ride on Firedrake's back along with Sorrel on the way to find The Rim of Heaven. Along their journey, they receive help from many unexpected places and people, like a rat mapmaker, a seaserpent, and a scientist. Although they receive much help to reach their destination, trouble lies ahead for Firedrake, Ben, and Sorrel. Will they make it to The Rim of Heaven?
This exciting fantasy is set in magical lands hidden in places like Europe and Africa in fantasy times when dragons and magical creatures lived around the world. I thought Dragon Rider was a very exciting and thrilling book. The author, Cornelia Funke, did a fantastic job on Dragon Rider using such realistic descriptions of characters. They were so well described that you would think Cornelia Funke lives with such creatures. Her style of writing makes the book a very fast read, and the book is the type of book you won't be able to put down. If you enjoy fantasy novels, you would love reading Dragon Rider since the book is filled with many fantasy creatures and the plot is very exciting. A book I would compare Dragon Rider to is The Shade's Children by Garth Nix. Both books are very fast pace and thrilling throughout the whole story. Dragon Rider stands out from all other fantasy books since there are many creatures that are very original in the book, ones that Cornelia Funke made up. This book is very similar to other books Cornelia Funke has written like Inkheart since all her books are very detailed and imaginative. If you enjoy fantasy books, or even if you don't, you would enjoy reading Dragon Rider.