Here be dragons!

Overread

Overread

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Well I've got my reading bug back and I've got an itch for dragons in the story. So I was wondering if any here would be able to recommend any stories (by they shorter or long epic works) that contain the mighty fantasy dragon - and in more than a supporting role. Many have wise and deadly dragons that make what amounts to a show appearance, but often the majority of the story is not connected with the dragon at all.

Thus far I've read/dipped into the following:

Pern - got through book 1 but thus far haven't gone any further

Farseer Trillogy - and of course the rest of the series by Robin Hobb so got a good dose of her dragons already :D

The Dragon Quintet edited by Marvin Kaye - series of short stories which has given me the interest to seek out Mercedes Lackey's writings at some point


So as you can see there is some significant room to add some more dragon stories to the mix!
 
Depends what you're after Stephen Deas has two books currently out in his Memory of Flames series: Adamantine Palace and The King of Crags with the thrid out in shortly entitled The Order of the Scales.

Could be right up your alley. Hope it helps.
 
You may enjoy Naomi Novik's Temerairie series

1. Temeraire (2006)
aka His Majesty's Dragon
2. The Throne of Jade (2006)
3. Black Powder War (2006)
4. Empire of Ivory (2007)
5. Victory of Eagles (2008)
6. Tongues of Serpents (2010)

Set during the Napoleon wars. I've only read the first three was slightly disappointed with the third but not enough to stop me finishing the series.

I've recently started Robin Hobb's The Dragon Keeper first in The Rain Wild Chronicles. I'm still not sure about it though.
 
Try Buried Fire by Jonathan Stroud. http://www.jonathanstroud.com/books_buried.html

Deep in the English countryside, the unearthing of anothers, whose identities will be slowly revealed, offer Michael powers beyond his wildest dreams if he will keep their secret safe. Now he must choose: give up these awesome but devastating new abilities and help his family and friends banish the evil that lies beneath their fragile earth, or join the others in their crusade to protect their gifts and set the dragon free - a choice that may well destroy everyone Michael loves. Those with power will stop at nothing to keep its secret, while those without it need Michael's protection to survive. Buried Fire combines elements of fantasy and mythology in a spellbinding tale of good versus evil.

It's YA but JS is a brilliant writer and although this isn't as good as his Bartimaeus books, I'd still recommend it.
 
The Dragon Prince books by Melanie Rawn -
Dragon Prince
Star Scroll
Sunrunners Fire

Stronghold
Dragon Token
Skybowl

The dragon presence is probably not quite as high as you are looking for OR (or maybe it is I read them a long time ago), but I always felt the books were superb.
 
Ahh Nixie I knew that I'd forgotten something last night - yes indeed I've read and enjoyed Naomi's Temeraire series - though I've neglected to check release dates and not yet got a copy of book 6.

I'll also agree that I'm not quite sure where I stand on liking or disliking Robin's newest series. I think it might be that she wants to write the story but hasn't got the same drive that she had for her other series. I just hope that she does not fall into the Raymond Feist trap of writing only in one world "because it worked" and churning out substandard writing just to keep that aspect going.

It also reminds me that I've also read Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly as well (and been trying to get hold of a full series of the sequals, got a few, but ones missing).
 
To be honest you're not missing much with Tongue of Serpents, its slow, it doesn't accomplish much and to be honest felt more like a filler than anything else.
 
Aye I've read similar reports (sadly) but its one of the few series I have all in hardback so -- I gotta keep the collection going :)
 
Dragon Orb series, Mark Robson (dragons are intelligent and [mostly] helpful)
Dragon Bones & Dragon Blood, Patricia Briggs (dragons not big role but excellent duology)
The Obsidian Chronicles, Lawrence Watt-Evans (excellent - dragons very interesting)
The Enchantment Emporium, Tanya Huff (very little dragon in the story and really only until the end but a fun read)
Mistress of Dragons, Margaret Weiss (dragon society)
Joust, Mercedes Lackey (dragons are used for war and political power)

The Dragon Prince series mentioned above has dragons but they are very non-central to the story, mostly setting.

Ok, that's all that has popped into my head at first thought. There are many more. I'll come back as I think of them.
 
Just remembered a couple more:
E.E. Knight, Dragon Champion - all characters (barring some secondaries) are dragons. Story viewed through one dragon's perceptions. Very good series.
Eon Dragoneye Reborn Allison Goodman - dragons are central to the story but also mostly background/setting.
Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton - here again all the characters are dragons. This one wasn't to my taste (I had logic issues, I know, it is my own person demon) but is very highly rated.
 
Ah yes, Alison Goodman, her books have a seperate title in the UK, the first is :

Eon - Rise of the Dragoneye (also published as Two Pearls of Wisdom)
Eona - The Necklace of the Gods.

I really hate it when they do things like this. But alas not much a humble reader can do.
 
I was going to say "Dragonsbane" then saw you have it. :)

For another intelligent dragon, and rather different, try
"Tea with the Black Dragon" by RA MacAvoy.

It is set in the modern world, not medieval, but definitely fantasy and intriguing.

And if you are up for comic Fantasy, well, Pratchett's "Guards, Guards".

By the way, when you say you started with Pern book 1. Is this the original book 1, Dragonflight, or some of the later written prequels (which I think are not as good)?
 
Ahh many thanks for the suggestions dwn and for the UK titles drosdelnoch - I agree I do hate it when they mess around with titles from UK and US books.

Montero - I nearly always start a series in publication order since its normally the order "your supposed" to read them in even if the chronological order changes through the series (because often you still need to have read the books published before to pick up the little details and significances). So I did start with Dragonflight - I guess a part of me just didn't gel at the time with her style of writing and presentation. Considering her popularity (esp for her older titles) I'm sure I'll revisit her books again (I've got a copy of the second book somewhere around the place even).
 
Chronicles of the Raven by James Barclay. I think it is the second book in the trilogy, Noonshade, where there are some pretty epic dragon battles.
 
Katherine Kerr's Dragon Mage Series is well worth a read. Arzosah is the resident dragon and probably my favorate dragon of the genre.
You'll probably need to read the first 2 series to get all the back story needed, and unfortunately there's no dragons in either.
 
Gordon Dickson, the Dragon and the George? It's a series (9 books) but I don't know that I'd recommend any but the first.
 
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