Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick


2009 Alex Award Winner!

Wow is a good word to describe this adult fantasy novel. Dragons are metal beasts who need half-human pilots (think airplanes) and there is a strange combination of modern things mixed in with fantastic elements. Will is an orphan (what main character isn't in a fantasy novel?) who ends up being sucked into the life of a dragon who crashes in their town. Will becomes the dragon's lieutenant, which means that he has to do the evil work. After escaping the dragon's clutches, Will goes on an adventure and runs into all sorts of interesting characters. What makes this fantasy different from the others? I like reading about Muhommad Ali and doing taxes in a world of ogres and fairies. It works. I had to read this one slowly because I was afraid I was going to miss something!

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