Saturday, February 23, 2008

The Saint of the Dragons by Jason Hightman

Dragons were feared and hunted in the time of St. George, but are believed to be extinct. Instead, they have merely adapted to the new, modern environment and continue to spread their evil amongst humans. Simon St. George is a thirteen-year-old boy who has no memory of his parents and has lived at an elite private boys school since he was very young. Suddenly, a ragged-looking man appears out of nowhere, claiming to be his father and spirits him away, plunging him head-first into the family dragon hunting business. Due to unusual circumstances, Simon and his father are the last dragon hunters of their lineage; unfortunately, things are about to get even more unusual and no one else can stop the dragons' plot. Along with Alaythia Moore, an artist who gets swept up in their adventures, they travel across the seas looking for clues and a way to save the world.

I have to admit that I'm personally not a huge fan of the 'evil dragon' plot, but the author builds an intriguingly plausible scenario in this book. The characterization is fairly good although the relationships between the characters are a bit forced. Additionally, the author relies on the relationships to drive much of the plot which makes it a bit repetitive; the constant fighting between father and son, in particular, tends to get old. Overall, this book has an interesting premise, but the story is somewhat lacking. It is definitely geared toward younger teens and those readers may enjoy it more. It isn't a bad book if you're looking for something with a real-life 'modern' storyline, but readers who want a more sophisticated writing style (or who are easily annoyed by characters who keep making the same mistakes) should probably pass this one over.


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