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    Searching for Dragons
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    Searching for Dragons
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    Searching for Dragons
    Audiobook5 hours

    Searching for Dragons

    Written by Patricia C. Wrede

    Narrated by Full Cast

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    The cast: an un-ordinary king, and an extraordinary princess, a couple of kooky giants, an overzealous magician, a loyal and helpful witch, and a host of evil and dangerous wizards.

    The instruments: a broken-down magic carpet, a leaking magical sword, and a few buckets of soapy lemon water.

    The problem: dragon-napping and magic-stealing.

    And so the story begins, one fine day while King Mendanbar is taking a casual stroll through the Enchanted Forest. . . . 

    "A refreshing romp."-Kirkus

    "[A] story that will delight fantasy fans. "-Booklist 
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 6, 2007
    ISBN9780739373019
    Author

    Patricia C. Wrede

    PATRICIA COLLINS WREDE was born in Chicago, the oldest of five children.  She attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she majored in biology and managed to avoid taking any English courses.  She began work on her first novel, Shadow Magic (1982), after graduation, though it took her five years to finish it.  Ms. Wrede enjoyed a successful career as a financial analyst, but she always made time to write.  Her published books now total more than a dozen.

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    Reviews for Searching for Dragons

    4/5

    925 ratings37 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, has a problem: someone appears to have burned a large chunk of his domain, and he thinks it might have been the dragons. At the advice of a witch, he goes to see Kazul, the King of the Dragons. Kazul is missing, and Mendanbar and Cimorene set out to find her.This is a delightful quest that expands on the world established in the previous book. Readers get to learn more about the Enchanted Forest and its magic, as well as meeting some of the colorful residents of the surrounding area. New characters Mendanbar and the magician Telemain are just as much fun as returning favorites. Readers who enjoyed the first book should pick this one up as soon as possible.
    • 4/5
      Another fun installment of this middle reader fantasy series. I like how the books are constantly poking fun of fairy tale tropes.
    • 4/5
      King Mendanbar of the Enchanted Forest finds a section of his forest has been burned away, possibly by dragons. A witch suggests that all is not what it seems. He goes on a quest to find out the truth. Upon meeting Princess Cimorene, he learns that the King of the Dragons, Kazul, is missing, so they set out together to look for her. The book is funny and great for kids. I enjoyed it as a 36-year-old, but I would have absolutely loved it as an 8- or 9-year-old. It has the classic tropes of a fantasy setting , but turns a lot of those tropes on their heads in ways that had me giggling and smiling all through the book. The magician Telemain gets a bit technical in his explanations of magical processes, which means one of the characters has to be the dumb one so that the author has a reason to translate it for her young readers. Unfortunately, the dumb one always seems to be Cimorene, which is a great disservice to her. She’s skilled with magic herself, for one thing, and she the Dragon King’s personal Librarian (and Cook) for another. Aside from this, I really enjoyed the book.This is the second book in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Wrede. I confess I have not read the first book in the series, but that certainly didn’t leave me lost when reading this book. The book was perfect for what I wanted: a novel that was short and fun that could help me pass the time on a boring day. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys fantasy. And Hey! Maybe start off with Dealing with Dragons.
    • 3/5
      Searching for Dragons: Book Two, Patricia Wrede

      &#9733 &#9733 &#9733

      This is a continuation of the story Princess Cimorene, Cook & Librarian to King of the Dragons, Kazul.

      Kazul has disappeared and Cimorene has decided to go search for her (yes, the King of the Dragons, Kazul, is a female). Just as she is setting out, Cimorene is confronted by King of the Enchanted Forest (which is dying) Mendanbar. Mendanbar is also searching for Kazul, as the Wizards have put a bug in his ear about the Dragons wanting to stage a war between them & the Wizards.....

      There are many magical and interesting characters: Telemain, the Magician (not Wizard); Morwena, the witch; Herman, the Dwarf (heir of Rumpelstiltskin); and a pair of Giants...... All help Mendanbar & Cimorene fend off the Wizards & find Kazul.

      This was an easy and very fast read..... I did not enjoy it as much as Book One.
    • 4/5
      fun story. funny too.
    • 4/5
      I liked the book alright, but I felt that it not being in Cimorene's perspective and there being very little of Kazul was a bit of a let down. I just wanted to see more of them. Overall it was well written and the plot moved along fine, but just not as great as the first.
    • 5/5
      Delightful story full of whimsical characters and situations that is fun for all ages. My kids grew up reading these books and are now adults but I just found them and listened to the audio again by myself at age 50. I think that makes them classics, by definition. At any rate they are top notch for the child at heart.
    • 3/5
      I love the story, but every time Telemain speaks I want to stick an ice pick in my ear. The other voice actors' performances are okay, though Cimorene just sounds angry and annoyed all the time.
    • 3/5
      As with the other books in the series, the writing is fantastic, but the performances are not very good...
    • 5/5
      It was read by a fantastic cast! i’m sorry to see it end.
    • 4/5
      And now a story from the Prince’s perspective – only he’s a king, King Mandanbar, the King of the Enchanted Wood. And even though everyone thinks he needs to get married, since he’s overworked, he absolutely refuses to have anything to do with princesses. Luckily for him, Cimorene is not your ordinary princess, and when she needs some assistance rescuing the King of the Dragons, Mandanbar gets the chance to get to know her. Solid and entertaining fantasy, with no cloying sweetness or condescending manners.
    • 3/5
      I could have sworn I reread the first book in this series earlier this year but if I did I guess I never recorded it. Oh well.

      Fun and self aware fantasy book.
    • 2/5
      In the second book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia Wrede switches from Cimorene to introduce a new character, King Mendenbar of the Enchanted Forest. It's pretty clear from the beginning why she creates his character — Cimorene must have someone to fall in love with! The villains are the same as in the first book; those dastardly wizards are now trying to steal the magic of the Enchanted Forest. This plot gets recycled over the next two books as well. Though they share many similarities, this installment is weaker than the first. While it's nice to explore the Enchanted Forest a bit and meet new characters, Wrede's male characters are either weak, passive, inept, fussy, or villainous. Mendenbar does things, but somehow he still comes across as passive and boring even in the midst of the action. Unfortunately it's probably the feminist slant to the series that makes Mendenbar and the other male characters so pathetic. Weak male characters do feminism no service; indeed, it's hard to see why someone like Cimorene would be interested at all in the ineffective and rather passive Mendenbar — even if he does have a magic sword. I enjoy fantasy parodies and humor, but the jokes here can't redeem the weak characterization and plot. No wonder I never revisited these books as a child after my first read.
    • 4/5
      I've done reading the whole series, so will copy these comments to 3rd and 4th book, too.

      Love the humor. Love the breezy adventure and endearing characters. Each book focuses on different folks, but the sequence events counts, and I do not recommend trying to read them as stand-alones. The ending of #2 is a bit worrisome, and the ending of #3 is a cliff-hanger, and #4 does have some intensity not necessarily suitable for the youngest readers. On the whole, they're clean and fun, I'd say fine for ages 9 up but if your younger child wants to read them you should also.

      Um, they're also not really memorable - they're probably best suited for people who like to reread books because there's a lot going on, but nothing heavy enough to make an impact on the reader's worldview. I know it's partly my fault because I read them so fast - but then, they were fast reads, and I couldn't help it.
    • 5/5
      This is the second episode in the Enchanted Forest trilogy. I really enjoyed this cute story of a non-traditional princess. In this episode she meets her match in the king of the Enchanted Forest. It was a sweet story, but still had the humorous twists on classic fairy tales I enjoyed in the last book. I wish the dragon, Kazul, had played more of a role in this one, because I like her dry wit, but it's still a great book. I've already got the third book on hold at the library.
    • 4/5
      Continuing in the same style of a fairy tale that turns fairy tale tropes on their head, Searching for Dragons is the second book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. This sequel does exactly what I was hoping for. It takes what we already know of the Enchanted Forest and builds upon it. Only this time the story is told entirely from Mendanbar's point of view. Dead zones have started appearing in the Enchanted Forrest and Kazul, King of the Dragons, has gone missing. Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, and Cimorene are determined to figure out what's going on.Mendanbar is a decent protagonist. He's young and feeling a tad overwhelmed with running a kingdom so jumps at the chance to start his investigation if only so he can relax a little from his other kingly duties. The journey Mendanbar and Cimorene go on is rather convoluted and they meet some interesting characters along the way. I found it funny how they pointed out common sense solutions to some typical fairy tale problems, like the giant who is fed up with "Jacks" always stealing from him on a regular schedule."They always do the same thing - come in, ask for a meal, hide, and then run off with a harp or a bag full of money the minute I fall asleep," Dobbilan said. "And they're always named Jack. Always. We've lived in this castle for twenty years, and every three months, regular as clockwork, one of those boys shows up, and there's never been a Tom, Dick, or Harry among 'em. Just Jacks. The English have no imagination."Their solution to his problem is quite practical. Mendenbar and Cimorene end up working well together.While just as charming and fun as Dealing with Dragons, I found myself missing Cimorene as the main pov character. This, of course, sets a trend. I wonder whose point of view the third book will be from.
    • 4/5
      In the second installment of the story of Princess Cimorene and the Dragons, her Dragon - who is now King of the Dragons - has disappeared and the King of the Enchanted Forest suspects the Dragons are somehow involved in the destruction of part of his realm. And what nefarious plans have the pesky wizards thought up now? After some initial suspicion - after all the King thinks all princesses are silly and wants nothing to do with them, and Cimorene has similar views about princes - the two team up for the search and restoration of the Enchanted Forest.

      This sequel is as much fun as the first part and introduces some other fairy tale protagonists from a new perspective.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book and did not want to put it down! It is a fantastic book filled with magic and a bit of romance thrown in. This book has a bunch of really interesting and fun characters that create humor and cause this book to be a really fun and enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      Told from the perspective of the King of the Enchanted Forest, we follow Princess Cimorene's storyline as they complete a quest. Still cute.Also, even in a fantasy realm, cats don't abide by the local laws of physics."The spell keeps itself up, we can't get in or out, and we don't have any way of getting rid of it.""Then how did the cat get in?""The cat's method of moving through the barrier is, in all probability, useless to anyone else."
    • 4/5
      I liked this well enough, simplistic though it was. Less witty dialogue in this one than the last, I felt. The magic was pretty interesting though.
    • 4/5
      I already have and have enjoyed books one (Dealing With Dragons) and three (Calling on Dragons), so of course I wanted to check out book two, Searching For Dragons. Our heroine from the first book, Princess Cimorene [Sim-more-reen] of Lindenwall, is a secondary character in this book. Our main character this time is a hero, Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest for the last three years. (Sorry, can't give you any help with his name's pronunciation. I've heard only the first book in audio.) King Mendanbar doesn't care about all that fol-de-rol with being a king, much to the distress of his steward, an elf named Willin. Willin wants all those protocol-filled parties they had during Mendanbar's stuffy father's reign. He also wants his master to get married, an opinion shared by the rude gargoyle in the king's study. Mendanbar decides the only way he's going to escape the nagging is to take a walk.The King of the Enchanted Forest always knows where he is in his kingdom. He can also pull the threads of its magic for his use. That's why discovering a dead spot is a shock. It's not a spooky place such as the blasted heath in H. P. Lovecraft's 'The Colour Out of Space,' but it's very disquieting. Imagine finding a big sore on your body you hadn't noticed before and you can't think how you got it. Worse, the new wasteland is near one of his favorite spots, the Green Glass Pool. Still worse, there's an annoying princess at the pool. No, it's not Cimorene. Her manner of speaking is enough to deserve the 'gag me' gesture.
    • 4/5
      What a lovely book! I very much liked Dealing with dragons, so I immediately bought all three sequels, but I wasn't sure they'd be as nice, since the novelty of it would be lost. But there was reason to worry, I really liked nr. 2 as well. These books are utterly charming. They read a bit as if they might be written for children, but in such a way that they are delightful as adults as well. I still love the practical princess Cimorene, who prefers to do something useful with her life. New in this book was Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest. Fortunately, he dislikes vacuous princesses whose goal in life is to be pretty and proper. It's nice to see a bit more about the Enchanted Forest in this book, and I also like the different ways of magic that are discussed here. The magician who speaks about magic as if it is science is hilarious at times. I hope the next two are as enjoyable as the first two!
    • 3/5
      Cimorene was much more mary-sue-ish here than in the first book, but it was still enjoyable fairytale fluff. Overall, not as good as the last book, but it still comes through on warm fuzzies.

      On the recording: again, very much aimed at 8-year-olds, which is fine except for how incredibly annoying the guy playing the Magician was. (Cross Barney Fife with Shaggy from Scooby Doo and cringe.)
    • 4/5
      Continuing my reread of the series. This book did suffer a bit from not having Kazul. But I like Mendanbar and he was a good counterpart to Cimorene.
    • 4/5
      The continuing adventures of the strong-willed Princess Cimorene but this time told from the viewpoint of a new character, the King Mendanbar of the Enchanted Forest. A simple and predictable but fun story.
    • 4/5
      Entertaining variation on the typical fantasy tale (though not as original as its predecessor), featuring a princess who does her own share of rescuing and a king who doesn't want to settle for the pomp and circumstances of royalty (or the silly princess that usually comes with it). I also appreciated the funny twists Wrede gives to other fantasy tropes in passing.
    • 4/5
      In this installment, Cimorene is on a quest to find Kazul. She recently disappeared after visiting relatives. Cimorene suspects the wizards have something to do with it. She will find an unlikely ally in Mendanbar, the king of the Enchanted Forest. The two join forces to uncover the latest plot by the wizards, but their adventures will bring them closer than either would have believed.
    • 5/5
      Princess Cimorene is back in this book. Once again her independent spirit comes out as she must battle wizards to find her missing Dragon friend. Another lite read, which introduces some male characters to the ensemble cast of good guys. It is a fractured fairy tale.
    • 4/5
      Something is burning holes in the Enchanted Forest and the King of Dragons has gone missing. A malfunctioning magic carpet, an enchanted sword, a magic-wielding king and a princess who's current official title is the Chief Cook and Librarian (for the King of Dragons). Oh, and there are wizards... and soapy lemon water - must'nt forget that!Wrede's follow-up to Dealing with Dragons is just as much fun as it was the first time around.
    • 2/5
      In the second book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia Wrede switches from Cimorene to introduce a new character, King Mendenbar of the Enchanted Forest. It's pretty clear from the beginning why she creates his character — Cimorene must have someone to fall in love with! The villains are the same as in the first book; those dastardly wizards are now trying to steal the magic of the Enchanted Forest. This plot gets recycled over the next two books as well. Though they share many similarities, this installment is weaker than the first. While it's nice to explore the Enchanted Forest a bit and meet new characters, Wrede's male characters are either weak, passive, inept, fussy, or villainous. Mendenbar does things, but somehow he still comes across as passive and boring even in the midst of the action. Unfortunately it's probably the feminist slant to the series that makes Mendenbar and the other male characters so pathetic. Weak male characters do feminism no service; indeed, it's hard to see why someone like Cimorene would be interested at all in the ineffective and rather passive Mendenbar — even if he does have a magic sword. I enjoy fantasy parodies and humor, but the jokes here can't redeem the weak characterization and plot. No wonder I never revisited these books as a child after my first read.