World Famous Comics: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volumes 1-3: Boxed Set: Dragon's Blood, Heart's Blood, and A Sending of Dragons (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volumes 1-3: Boxed Set: Dragon's Blood, Heart's Blood, and A Sending of Dragons (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
By: Jane Yolen Publisher: Magic Carpet Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Format: Box set Label: Magic Carpet Books Number of Items: 1 Publication Date: October 01, 2005 Reading Level: Young Adult
The adventures of young dragon master Jakkin Stewart are brilliantly chronicled in this epic fantasy--from his apprenticeship in Dragon's Blood, to his breathtaking escape with his beloved Akki in Heart's Blood, and straight through to their harrowing discovery in the third volume, A Sending of Dragons. Revered by devoted fans for more than twenty years, these first three volumes of Jane Yolen's fierce and fiery dragon tales are published together for the first time--in a handsome boxed set that's sure to win over legions of new admirers.
Great reading This trilogy was a really great read. I am hoping that the 4th book will show up soon. I was really involved with the story and the characters. You will enjoy these books!
great trilagy it was a childhood favorit and still is good for a weekend of reading. Only problem was it ended to soon.
Phenomenal Does anyone else remember the Storybreak show that used to come on after Saturday morning cartoons in the '80's? Every week, a different book would be turned into a half-hour animated special. It was a wonderful program, and my favorite was Dragon's Blood, the first book in Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Chronicles. So I got the books and discovered that they were vastly different from the cartoon. As much as I loved the cartoon, the books were far, far better. Amazing characters (oh, how I wanted to marry Jakkin when I was a teen!), including the dragons, an incredible world, and stories that made me gasp and cry and laugh. These are phenomenal books for all ages, something that can be read over and over. The writing is flawless and the books are simply perfect.
Great for teens When I was a teen I would have rated this a 5. I'm older now, and my tastes have changed. Still a favorite, but not nearly as good as I remember. I still recommend it, but not as highly.
Into the Pit Jane Yolen gave the old dragon legends a facelift in the Pit Dragon Trilogy, a trio of sci-fantasy novels set on a faraway prison planet. There's nothing fantastical or pretty about the world she creates here -- it's gritty, dusty, raw and very dangerous.
The action takes place on the planet of Austar IV, a miserable desert planet inhabited by drug-filled weeds, slave "bonders" and their masters, giant dragons, and deadly temperatures. The only real recreation is gambling on dragons who fight in the Pits.
In "Dragon's Blood," orphaned bonder Jakkin dreams of freedom, and has a secret plan to fill his bag with gold and free himself -- steal a new dragon hatchling and quietly raise it to fight in the pits. He finds an uncounted hatchling and spirits it away to the hills. But he soon learns that someone knows his secret -- the pretty Akki, an independent girl who is hiding an odd secret of her own. But even her help may not be enough to free Jakkin from slavery.
By "Heart's Blood," Jakkin has raised enough gold from Heart's Blood, and is now a free man and a dragon trainer. In theory, that is all he wants. But then he learns that Akki is in trouble, and becomes determined to save her, even though Heart's Blood has just hatched five babies. To help Akki, Jakkin will risk his life in the midst of bloodthirsty freedom fighters...
"A Sending of Dragons" is the bittersweet third volume of this trilogy. Jakkin and Akka have been physically transformed, so that they can communicate with the dragons. Now they are on the run from ordinary humans, and end up running into a lost tribe of degenerate humans, who also are bonded with their dragons... dangerously.
There aren't a lot of original dragon stories -- most are clones of Anne McCaffrey or J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Jane Yolen scratched all that, and creates an almost entirely new kind of dragon -- they're actually not the mythical creatures, but a type of alien lizards.
She also crafts an intricate political system, with terrorists and shady senators, and a dusty desert world where everyone is descended from prisoners (it resembles Australia in many ways). Akki and Jakkin are brought to life in their sensitivity and strength, and Yolen's writing brings the dragons to life. They seem almost like real creatures, animal but close to human beings.
With a fourth volume tentatively scheduled for 2006, it's about time to revisit the Pit Dragon Trilogy. For outstanding stories about dragons and the humans who train them, these books are among the best.
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