Product Description

Firedrake, a young dragon, receives a frightening warning one night: Humans are planning to destroy the valley in which he lives! All the dragons must flee. Their only refuge is a place above the clouds called the Rim of Heaven --- which may not even exist. Firedrake boldly volunteers to go ahead first. As he embarks on his journey, he meets Ben, a runaway boy. Together, the boy & dragon make their way toward the Rim of Heaven, all the while running a step ahead of Nettlebrand, a monster who will stop at nothing to hunt down Firedrake. Their quest will truly become an adventure like no other.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26144 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 528 pages

Amazon.com Review
It's a fantasy, it's long, and it's got dragons in it. Dragon Rider is bound to be another hit book from Cornelia Funke! Ever since the popularity of bestselling fantasies The Thief Lord and Inkheart went global a few years ago, legions of fans have demanded more books from the German author than she can reasonably hope to write each year. So, re-discovering this hefty, earlier novel from 1997 was a logical development--and her keenest readers will devour it as before.

Aimed at slightly younger readers than her previous novels, despite its massive five hundred pages, Dragon Rider is about a brave young dragon called Firedrake who embarks upon a dangerous journey to the Rim of Heaven in the Himalayas--a magical place where silver dragons can rest easy, free from the threat of destruction by mankind and their only hope of sanctuary. The key to its location is a map rendered by a rat who is a master cartographer.

Firedrake is joined on his quest by Ben, an orphaned boy, and Sorrell--a wise-cracking Brownie that is an odd, but ingenious, grumpy kind of fairy. Their journey is not a straightforward one by any means. Created by an alchemist called Petrosius Henbane in 1424, Nettlebrand (a malevolent creature covered in impenetrable gold plates) is their biggest threat--he is intent on destroying them. Nettlebrand is aided by Twigleg, a homunculus who has stowed away in Ben's bag and who is feeding reports on their progress back to his master.

Their exciting encounters are many... It is easy to forgive the narrative's excessive length when readers are gorging on such a wonderfully inventive and readable story from an author who has her readers in the palm of her hand on every page. (Age 9 and over) --John McLay

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–Young Firedrake is the only dragon to heed a warning from his colony's senior resident: return to the hidden city at the Rim of Heaven, or suffer imminent discovery and destruction by humans. Accompanied by a feisty Scottish brownie, an orphaned boy who becomes his dragon rider, and a large group of other supporters, Firedrake fulfills an ancient prophecy and safely returns to his ancestral home. Occasional black-and-white illustrations show many of the book's more exotic characters, a plus for young readers who may not know the folklore from which the creatures are drawn. The omniscient point of view follows each member of this ensemble at length, providing the tale with humor and action but also preventing the main characters from fully developing. The company survives encounters with a basilisk, a djinni, a roc, and a sea serpent, as well as an ongoing threat from Nettlebrand, a malevolent being intent on destroying them. Although each of these confrontations is interesting, the sheer number of episodes, the lack of strong central characters, and Nettlebrand's blustering inability to actually hurt anyone make for a story with much less dramatic tension than Funke's outstanding novels, The Thief Lord (2002) and Inkheart (2003, both Scholastic). A well-known author will assure the book's popularity, but the overlong plot is forgettable.–Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Dragons, Scottish brownies, dwarves, and other fantastic creatures team up with the requisite orphan boy in this first of Funke's novels for children. Pitched to a younger audience than either THE THIEF LORD or INKHEART, this is the tale of silver dragon Firedrake and his search for a safe haven for dragonkind at the Rim of Heaven. The one-dimensional nature of the characters challenges the narrator, and Brendan Fraser brings a whimsical interpretation to this overlong, mean-dering story. His playful reading makes for some hilarious moments but is sometimes just too silly. Also, his blus-tery voicing of Nettlebrand increases a major problem with the book--the villain never seems malevolent, just nasty and annoying. Though not Funke's best, this light fantasy will nonetheless engage young listeners, who will surely enjoy the many magical creatures and the variety of voices employed by Fraser to give them life. S.G. 2005 ALA Notable Recording © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Great kid fantasy
This is one of my favorites of Ms. Funk's works. She brings the tone of severity down a notch for a fantasy that is adorable and kid-friendly, but still containing all the right ingredients for one exciting story. Maybe it's a little cliche, but it's the classic story we all like: nice dragons fighting against evil monsters with great, quirky characters and mystery and intrigue. Funk even goes a little high fantasy with good ol' fashioned prophecies and ideas.

Still, in the end, it's a sweet, charming, and exciting story that drew me right in more than many of her other novels did.

Great Imagery
I have never been a reader of high fantasy. I listened to this book on tape. The acting and voices of Brendan Frazier were more entertaining than any movie.

I enjoyed the length of the story. It was just right.
The dragons are leaving their home after many years of safety. Man has come to their valley, and it is no longer safe.

Firedrake, the silver dragon, sets out to find the Rim of Heaven. He has his trusty furry brownie on his back. When they land in a human town with high rises, they pick up a human boy, who has no home. They encounter danger from humans, and many creatures along the way. They are also shown great kindness in the form of a rat who has given them a map, a genie with 1000 eyes who will only speak to humans, and a professor, a dracologist, and a sea creature who gives them a ride. They have gone quite a way on their journey, before realizing they have a stowaway. Twigleg is a tiny man in human form, born in a test tube. He is also a spy for the golden dragon, Nettlebrand.

Nettlebrand, the golden dragon, has been formed by a human alchemist to be a dragon killer. Nettlebrand is following the dragon, in hopes that he will lead him to the Rim of Heaven so the golden dragon can eat the other dragons. Nettlebrand has already eaten all of Twigleg's brothers and his own maker.

Nettlebrand is so large and so powerful that all other creatures and even dragons fear him. He is unable to fly, since his golden armor is so heavy. Nettlebrand has become king of the water.

Will the silver dragon ever reach the Rim of Heaven? Will the boy be safe among the creatures who are trying to destroy the dragon? Will the golden dragon destroy the last of the silver dragons?

I enjoyed this story of The Dragon Rider very much. It is a great imaginative tale, of courage and friendship. I will look for other books in this series.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
Author of the magical adventure series:
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

Excellent story!
(I am typing this for my 8 year old son)....Dragon Rider is a very good book! I started reading it and couldn't put it down. My favorite character is Twigleg, because he always helps Ben. The story was very interesting. I recommend this book to kids who like to read about magical creatures.