HEROIKA 1: Dragon Eaters

Heroika 1 Dragon Eaters with its fantastic writing and characters makes this one of the most interesting fantastic books ever. I'm glad to have received it to offer my review.

What does it mean to be a hero? This book sets out to tell us, using dragons as its heart. There were so many interpretations and presentations that I was equally wowed by all of them. A wonderfully imaginative book with many incredible takes on an old tale, making it feel fresh and exciting..

Great book. A must read!

This was an interesting collection. The variety of narrative, time and space represented kept me engaged more or less throughout. I don't know that I would pick up it's like again, but lovers of myth and dragon lore are definitely likely to enjoy the read..

Heroika - Dragon Eaters. Edited by Janet Morris.
The Perseid Press.
347 pages pre-publication edition.

Okay, I admit it. I'm really fascinated by dragons.

This yearning developed even before I found out that I was born under the astrological sign of the dragon; which believe it, gave me a real aha! moment or two.

I have also collected dragon art, figurines, etc. out of a love/hate relationship with a personage that, for me, the smaller, and much more "controllable, dragons in my collection represented.

I worked through, balanced that relationship, and donated the collection, but my fascination with dragons and their lore has not changed.

Defying astrological warnings though, I impudently fell in love with and married a Rabbit. Thus, in my dotage, I have plenty of time to agree to read and review fine books, such as this one, free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

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This unpublished edition is a treasure trove. The title and book description grabbed me first, I mean how can it not? Insert Drum roll: The Dragon Eaters.

If you enjoy fantasy, dragon myth, adventure, strong heroes, and heroines, vengeful gods, as well as loyal steeds, and eve faithful canines ...then there is plenty of fulfilling action and pathos contained within the chapters of this book.

Where myths and descriptions might contradict, in that each telling often claims to be the origin of and/or the real and true account of this or that, it was all the more an interesting read to discover the lore differences and similarities represented by the talented array of contributors.

Although each story is written by a different author, of course the common thread that runs among all the stories are the destructive, magnificent, malevolent, and often fearsome embodiments of dragon craftiness, strength, fierceness, and ultimately tastiness.

The book's title is literal. Have you ever wondered what happens later, (after the happily ever after part), to defeated dragons?

Well, within these pages you will find dragons both loved and hated. Some are placated and then bled for droughts of libation, but most are inevitably and heroically conquered and then skewered, roasted, boiled, smoked, salted, and otherwise served to vanquishing gods, stalwart warriors, and relieved, celebrating townsfolk.

The unpublished edition contained no listing of story origins or chapter descriptions other than title and author. However this did not affect my ability to enjoy the offerings.

My imagination found enough similarities to help me differentiate and link several fictional cultures to likely historical counterparts.

Heroika - Dragon Eaters is thoroughly enjoyable, but not a book likely to be read in one sitting as it is 300 + pages overflowing with detailed courageous missions.

As stated at the beginning of this review, this is a treasure trove; and these 35 stories are ones to be savored.

Each story stands alone, and thus can be enjoyed over time, then delightfully reread with leisurely pleasure.

'Dragon Eaters' is a collection of 17 original short stories which all have 1 thing in common: dragons. Each story written by a different author which also means not every story will fit your style, but in the end you'll be satisfied to read different viewpoints on dragons and humanity, their co-existence in every day life.

Those dragons are good and bad, fly and swim, eat or are been eaten. Prepare yourself for a wonder journey along with your favorite dragon.

I'm not normally a huge fan of collections by different authors, but, having read this book I cannot say that any longer. This was an excellent collection, all with something to offer that was good quality and enjoyable to read. I can say that I am a fan of dragons, and as such I tend to be a little more picky when it comes to stories with dragons in them. This read left me with such a good feeling, it was as though I just finished a meal prepared by a Michelin Starred Chef. I received an ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A collection of short stories is always harder to review than a novel because each story has different strengths and weaknesses. Heroika engaged me more than I expected, however, as usually I enjoy stories where the dragons are the good guys and on the side of righteousness rather than being defeated in every story. The characters in the majority were strong enough that I was rooting for them.

My favourite story was Against the Sky Tomb of the Earth Kings by M. Harold Page. This story had many aspects of fantasy included: ghosts, dwarves, dragons and flying castles to name but a few. It was the classic tale of someone getting caught up in something far beyond them but becoming determined to save the day regardless. There wasn’t as much focus on the dragon as on the other fantastical elements and the clash of characters between Lazward and the Duchess gave the story some entertainment.

In fact, if I think about it, all of the favourites followed this pattern. A group of people determined to see a mission through because it meant protecting those they loved, regardless of the consequences. They were the stories with the obvious lessons and morals.

My least favourite was The Old Man on a Mountain by Jack William Finley. Not because the writing lacked any quality but because the whole story seemed pointless. It recounted an old battle and a man’s desire for revenge – all very well and good. But the man literally died metres away from his victory of old age and a few injuries. There was no message of will power overcoming anything, just the idea that you could fall short of your dreams at the very last hurdle.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting premise. A lot of the stories involved Gods – whether fantasy ones or ones with roots in our culture – and their battles against the beasts. A lot also involved teams of desperate men overcoming great odds, and we all know that makes a good story.

If you like dragons or are interested in the different takes authors have, then I would recommend this book as one to read.

An excellent anthology of dragon tales in which the dragon does not come off best. All well-written, by excellent authors. My only (fairly small) reservation is that, despite the varied historical and fantastic settings (I particularly liked the one featuring Roland and Holger Dansk), a faint feeling of satiation with all things draconian creeps in towards the end. I note that this is called Heroika I. Would it be too much to hope that Heroika II deal with some other aspect of fantasy heroism?