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To escape to a magical world doesn't seem so special anymore, especially these days when fantasy is the stuff of gaming, literature, film, and almost every other form of entertainment. But Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider manages to be very literal about the escapism idea and still be one of a kind. Perhaps it's her unabashed passion for all things fantastical, evident in the way this book is brimming with magical creatures: fairies, elves, dwarves, brownies, and of course the fact that she chose for her main character the most magical creature of all, the dragon. One cannot help but sense that Dragon Rider is the work of Funke's inner child - a highly imaginative, brave, and affectionate child, a child who believes in magic enough to confess a desire to fly the world on a dragon's back. A group of dragons living in an abandoned valley in Europe learns that humans are headed for their hideout. Tired of moving from one habitat to another as humans seek to conquer all of the planet, they send Firedrake, a young silver dragon, on a quest to find the Rim of Heaven. It is a legendary place in the Himalayas said to be the only place where dragons are safe from human encroachment. Accompanying him is Sorrel, an ill-tempered, mushroom-loving brownie girl, and Ben, a homeless boy they find by a river.  
Together they fly over seas, deserts, and mountain ranges, along the way meeting friends of all kinds: an all-knowing djinn with a thousand eyes, fairies and pixies, four-armed brownies, and a generous sea serpent. They also encounter enemies in the form of giant basilisks, backstabbing mountain dwarves, and treacherous black ravens. Behind all these enemies is Nettlebrand, a much-feared dragon who highly values his solid gold scales and dreams of finding the Rim of Heaven himself, although he has desires of his own – domination of the fantastical animal kingdom, with a tasty meal of centuries-old dragons on the side. Perhaps the only fault of Dragon Rider is that it gets too simplistic and whimsical at some points. Her characters, although well-rounded and lovable, occupy the crowded extremes in the personality scale. Firedrake is all bravery and passion, Ben is all shyness and wide-eyed wonder, and Nettlebrand is like too many other antagonists – big and bossy, but with an inherent weakness that topples him in the end. The story is also a bit one-sided – Funke tends to dwell on her protagonists' emotions too much while leaving us with brash surface accounts of what the other characters are up to. Overall, however, Dragon Rider is a heartwarming and lovable story. It is less dark than her previous novels The Thief Lord and Inkheart – no thieves and gunmen here – but perhaps that's where its appeal lies. Hoodlum gangs and scarred faces with dark histories belong to suspense and thrillers, not in the children's fantasy section. In Dragon Rider, the magical mood stays with you even in the darkest scenes. You will certainly not love Dragon Rider for its depth and meaning, but for simply being a good and highly enjoyable read. |
