I love dragons and reading stories where they’re featured heavily or are central to plot progression. Obviously ASOIAF is a classic example of dragons done well but I can’t seem to find any others that weren’t underwhelming overall.
I’ve also read the Eragon (meh) and Fourth Wing (awful) series. I’ve just started on The Poppy War, it’s been fine so far but I have a feeling it’ll be a while before we get to the dragons and even then idk how important to the story they actually will be. I’ve had Priory of the Orange Tree recommended to me too and will be reading that one next.
Sooo, are there any other GOOD books to add to my dragon reading list? I really don’t care for romantasy type stories and would prefer to avoid those if possible
Thanks!! 💕
by caleafornias
16 Comments
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. It’s a comedy of manners where everyone is a dragon. There are no humans. The book starts with the family eating their dead dad and having an argument over how much everyone got and other inheritance issues.
The Temperature series is good. Well written and has discussions by dragons about their politics/economy. I only listened to 1 of the series as an audiobook, but the narrator did a good job with the voices.
The Iron Dragon’s Daughter by Swanwick
The best dragon series, and one of my favourite fantasy series in general is the Dragonlance Chronicles (Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning). Then there are other spinoffs from the original trilogy with lots of Dragons too.
It’s been a long time since I read them but the Dregonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey might be worth checking out. She won quite a few Hugo and Nebula awards for various novels and novellas in the series. Dragons feature very heavily in the world as a core part of how society is structured and manages to operate.
You could try some older classics, like the Dragonlance Chronicles or the Deathgate Cycle – both by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Not focused on dragons as much as, say, fourth wing, but includes them in the world / mythology, and no romantasy crap, just old-school DnD style fantasy. Or Dragons of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.
the Temeraire series by naomi novik is great. think dragonriders of pern meets the napoleonic wars.
Oooo! Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. First book is His Majesty’s Dragon. It’s historical fantasy- set in the Napoleonic wars but there are dragons!
King Sorrow by Joe Hill.
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. The series focuses on the adventures of a scientist who studies dragons.
An older classic of fantasy literature: Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
‘Dragon riders of Pern’ might float your boat. It’s more science-fantasy but still good! Humans have colonised another planet but find themselves effectively pushed back to a medieval-style society by an alien threat and use bonded dragon pairs to fight back.
‘The lady Trent memoirs’ is one of the most unique dragon books I’ve ever met. Written to be a fictionalised autobiography of ‘dragon naturalist’, a person who had dedicated their lives to the study of dragons in a regency-like fantasy world.
When Women Were Dragons
It’s YA, but it’s Patricia C. Wrede, so lovely writing. Dealing with Dragons is the first book in the series.
The Earthsea series, by Ursula K Le Guin.
Side note– if you have small kids in your life, get them The Truth About Dragons. It’s about Eastern and Western mythology about dragons and celebrating a mixed race heritage. Stunning illustrations too.