Review of The Book of Dragons Edited by Jonathan Strahan

Read for: Anticipated Release/ Netgalley/ Requested Review

Synopsis: "Scott Lynch, R.F. Kuang, Kate Elliott, Ken Liu, Todd McCaffrey, Garth Nix, Peter S. Beagle, and other modern masters of fantasy and science fiction put their unique spin on the greatest of mythical beasts — the dragon — in never-before-seen works written exclusively for this fantasy anthology compiled by award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan and with art by Rovina Cai!

Here there be dragons . . .

From China to Europe, Africa to North America, dragons have long captured our imagination in myth and legend. Whether they are rampaging beasts awaiting a brave hero to slay or benevolent sages who have much to teach humanity, dragons are intrinsically connected to stories of creation, adventure, and struggle beloved for generations.

Bringing together nearly thirty stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today — Garth Nix, Scott Lynch, R.F. Kuang, Ann Leckie & Rachel Swirsky, Daniel Abraham, Peter S. Beagle, Beth Cato, Zen Cho, C. S. E. Cooney, Aliette de Bodard, Kate Elliott, Theodora Goss, Ellen Klages, Ken Liu, Patricia A McKillip, K.J. Parker, Kelly Robson, Michael Swanwick, Jo Walton, Elle Katharine White, Jane Yolen, Kelly Barnhill, Brooke Bolander, Sarah Gailey, and J.Y. Yang — and illustrated by award-nominated artist Rovina Cai with black-and-white line drawings specific to each entry throughout, this extraordinary collection vividly breathes fire and life into one of our most captivating and feared magical creatures as never before and is sure to become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales."

My Review:  How could I not be excited about a book full of dragons, not to mention some of the top authors in fantasy and science fiction! While this was a pretty chunky book, the stories were pretty easy to read in single sittings. I loved the variety of genres in this book, I expected mostly high fantasy style books but there were a lot of sci-fi and urban fantasy style stories. There were also several poems scattered throughout the book. As with any anthology collection, there are going to be stories that suit you, some that blow you away and some that just don't work for you; but I have to say, overall I really enjoyed every story in this book! Even though the authors sometimes had to create a whole world and story within a few pages, each one felt so complete and satisfying. This book also featured several authors that I wanted to read but have been hesitant to pickup due to the size of their books, so it was a great way to see if their writing style works for me (and I can say, I am not going to hesitate any longer). Some of my favorites from the collection include La Vitesse by Kelly Robson, The Long Walk by Kate Elliott, Hoard by Seanan McGuire and The Nine Curves River by R.F. Kuang. This was a fantastic collection of stories and I am definitely going to be adding a copy to my shelves.

My Rating: This was a book I am very glad I took my time to savor, it took me nearly a month to read it with only reading a story a day or every few days.  It was one of my favorite anthology collections to date. I loved so many stories throughout this book and am excited to explore more works from several of the authors.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. The above is my honest opinion and review.

You can find out more about this book and the authors involved in the Goodreads Page or Website.

The Book of Dragons was released on July 7th, so you can obtain your own copy now in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or request it at your local library or bookstore.  It is also available in audio, which I did sample and it is great!