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    Dragon Champion
    Dragon Champion
    Dragon Champion
    Audiobook13 hours

    Dragon Champion

    Written by E.E. Knight

    Narrated by David Drummond

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    "Gray dragons are different, my son. It means you must be careful; your skin will be pierced more easily. But on the other hand, having no hunger for gems and gold will allow you to live in the Upper World and far from men."

    High in the mountains, deep in the safety of a cave, a brood of dragons is born. The four young ones are among the last of a dying breed-the final hope for dragons' survival. But hope shatters when a murderous group of slave-trading dwarves breaks into the cave, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

    Only young Auron, a rare scaleless gray dragon, manages to escape. Armed with nothing save wit, claws, and a boundless determination to survive, he seeks his kind. But to find other dragons-or at least discover who's killing them off-Auron will have to search a world of mercenary elves, vicious humans, and dangers of all kinds. Winning allies in the strangest places-and finding himself along the way-Auron embarks on the journey of a thousand-year lifetime.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 17, 2009
    ISBN9781400182008
    Dragon Champion

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    Reviews for Dragon Champion

    4/5

    138 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Yeah its a good book. Thank god he removed all the sex like in his vampire books and replaced it with the wholesome disemboweling and devouring of little girls.
    • 4/5
      This is a unique perspective. It's from the point of view of a dragon independent of his connections to the human world. There's no "rider", "bonded" or "keeper." While he may have friends among the various humanoid races, none have more influence than friendship. He's wild and yet he's not evil. He may eat humans when he's hungry, but he's happier to eat their sausages, cows and sheep. He's even happy to work with or for humanoids to earn his food if that's easier for him than hunting on his own. It seems that usually wild dragons are portrayed as uncontrolled, evil, greedy, or gluttonous. It's refreshing to see a point of view that gives the dragons credit for their own intelligence without requiring the intervention of humans.

      I did grade this at less than 5 stars because at times it seemed that E.E. Knight was telling stories just to flesh out the world - not because the characters would tell (or listen) to that story at that particular time.
    • 5/5
      The book was amazing but the audio cuts out at the end of every chapter and you loose half of the last sentence.
    • 4/5
      I love dragons. This was an interesting book told from the point of view of a dragon as he ages from a hatchling to a dragon who will probably be spoken above in history. The author created a rich world with multiple cultures, peoples, species, and a long history.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this epic adventure! I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
    • 3/5
      "Only the fittest are worthy" Overall Performance Story Would you try another book from E. E. Knight and/or David Drummond?Yes, I have plans to continue with EE Knights sequels in the future. The story was good and who doesn't love dragons and other mythical creatures.Would you recommend Dragon Champion to your friends? Why or why not?Yes, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Sci-fi Fantasy Epic Novels. Especially ones who have the potential to grow into a great series.What three words best describe David Drummond’s performance?Brilliant, Dramatic, and Clear-Worded.Could you see Dragon Champion being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?I feel this could be turned into a great Disney or Pixar animated movie easily. Any person involved in Hobbit or Lord of the Rings could voice over the characters easily.
    • 4/5
      This book starts out really really well, with everything from the point of view of the dragon and not the disney version of the dragon. That is not a slight against Disney. Later on in the book the character of the dragon changes and takes away a little of the enjoyment. There are five books in all so I will more then likely check out the rest eventually.
    • 3/5
      Summary: In Dragon Champion, E.E. Knight gives us a relatively standard high fantasy adventure story, with one big twist: it's told entirely through the eyes of Auron, a dragon. Auron is a gray dragon, scaleless and without the hunger for treasure that plagues other dragons. His lack of armor makes him more vulnerable, and less immediately impressive, but also more adept at blending into his surroundings. After a fierce battle for primacy immediately post-hatching, Auron is the only male offspring left to his parents, the champion of their clutch. He's bright and inquisitive, but his world is mostly limited to the confines of the cave in which he was hatched.All of that changes on the day his cave is invaded by murderous dwarves. Auron's parents are driven off or killed, and Auron must venture out into the world -- first with one of his surviving sisters, and then later alone. His first goal is survival, but a meeting with an elf maiden opens his eyes to the real problem: it's not just Auron's survival that's at risk, but the survival of his entire species. For dragon numbers have been decreasing for years, while the two-legged species -- elves, dwarves, blighters, and especially men -- have been increasing. Auron makes it his mission to find out why. Along the way, he makes some strange friends, faces some fierce and dangerous enemies, and must find a way to become the champion for which his parents named him.Review: There's a long tradition of animal stories in fantasy (although relatively few from the point of view of a strictly fantastical animal.) Their point is to show us the world through an unfamiliar set of eyes; by making the alien familiar, we are then forced to re-evaluate all of the elements we take for granted as unobjectionable. For this to work, we have to find a connection with our animal narrator, some common ground on which to build a base of sympathy. However, when a book opens with its protagonist disemboweling and eating his newly-hatched brother in a battle to the death, and when that same protagonist matter-of-factly mentions crushing the skulls of human children he's seized for a snack… well, let's just say that I found it somewhat hard to empathize with him.My lack of connection with the book's main character -- and thus, with the book itself -- may be a question of audiences. This book felt like it was aimed at 12-13 year olds. In and of itself, that's not necessarily a problem -- there's plenty of fantasy out there for mid-grade readers that can also be enjoyed by adults. However, Dragon Champion felt like it was specifically written for mid-grade boys, with lots of emphasis on the fighting and adventure aspects. Having never been a 12-year-old boy, I can't comment on how well they are likely to enjoy Auron's story, but I suspect many of them will love it. For me, however, it didn't quite make the jump into being a true crossover success.That's not to say that there weren't elements I enjoyed. Knight's world-building description is excellent. Even though he's using pretty standard fantasy elements and races, the way they interact felt new, and I really enjoyed seeing each species's perspective on the origin of the world and its current state. Some of Auron's adventures were also very interesting -- I particularly got a kick out of his brief sojourn with a wolf pack. (Also fun in this part was listening to David Drummond, who was otherwise quite good, try to narrate their howling dialogue.)The problem with single-protagonist stories like Dragon Champion is that their success is entirely dependent on how strongly the reader empathizes with the main character. When it works, it's great, and readers who empathize with Auron are likely to find Dragon Champion to be an exciting fantasy adventure story. For those of us who don't particularly care for Knight's leading dragon, however, it becomes very hard to stay involved in the story. 3 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Mid-grade and young adult fantasy fans who can't get enough dragons will likely love it; for older readers, I think reactions will vary depending on how much you like the main character.
    • 5/5
      This book wowed me. I had never thought that I would read anything with a Dragon as the protag, so it was very fresh for me, and very educational, since I am a writer, myself. Also, the world is concrete and perfectly formed, and the writing is magnificent.
    • 4/5
      Although apparently written as a young adult fantasy, Dragon Champion is advanced enough to stand on its own as a novel for fantasy fans of all ages.AuRon the dragon's journey from hatchling to fully fledged dragon is thoroughly enjoyable. Told from the mindset of a dragon, readers see the world through AuRon's eyes. This takes some getting used to, as dragons in E. E. Knights world have a different ethics system in relation to their hominid counterparts. AuRon's experiences cause him to question standard dragon thought processes, however, and his character is well developed by the novel's end.I'm looking forward to reading the remaining books in the series, which deal with AuRon's siblings and their journey in the perilous world.
    • 4/5
      Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight is the first book in the Age of Fire sequence. I'd seen Knight by an author I'm a fan of so I decided to give him a read. Knight is more known for his pulpy Vampire Earth books, but as I'm a fan of high fantasy I went with his new series instead. Dragon Champion has all the staples of High Fantasy going for it. It has elves, dwarves, and of course dragon's. It even has a dragon on the cover. ( Beautifully drawn by Paul Youll.) The protagonist is an orphan. Sounds cliche right? Well it certainly could be, but Knight take the cliche and turns it around. Perhaps not 180 degrees, but at least a sharp 90. The orphan protagonist is Auron, a rare scaleless gray dragon, and the story is told entirely from his viewpoint. It follows his life from an emerging hatchling to a full fledged dragon. Along the way he experiences loss, finds new friends, makes new enemies, and discovers what it is to truly be a dragon. The world building is very good. Knight sets sown several varied histories of the world, differing of course on which race is recording them. The creation mythologies are well layed out. He also does a fine job with characterization. For the most part his characters are very believable. The book sets a strong pace, but also gives the reader time to rest and reflect. All in all Knight does very well in this endeavor. He takes what could be a tired concept and injects it with new life. I very much enjoyed Dragon Champion and will be looking to pick up the soon to be released follow up Dragon Avenger. 7.5 out of 10
    • 4/5
      Excellent adventure story told from the view of the dragon hero. E.E. Knight's usual outstanding battle scenes mixed with a good story line and deep character development.