Wings of Fire

Starred review from June 28, 2010
This exemplary anthology, staffed by a host of award-winning authors, showcases every type of dragon: nature gods and mechanical beasts, intelligent companions, and feral ravagers of the countryside. The two original stories, Holly Black's "Sobek" and Margo Lanagan's "The Miracle Aquilina," are exceptional, as are many of the reprints, such as Anne McCaffrey's Pernese "Weyr Search"; George R. R. Martin's celebrated novella, "The Ice Dragon"; Peter S. Beagle's narrative poem, "Stable of Dragons"; Jane Yolen's Arthurian "The Dragon's Boy"; Naomi Novik's Temeraire tie-in, "In Autumn, a White Dragon Looks Over a Wide River"; Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg's urban fantasy collaboration, "The Dragon on the Bookshelf"; and Roger Zelazny's humorous "The George Business." The verbal magic of these stories will reignite draconian passion in even the most jaded fantasy reader.

October 1, 2010

Gr 9 Up- Wings of Fire is a successful book on many levels. It celebrates dragons in all their infinite variety with vigor and enthusiasm, tenderness, and sympathy. The stories range from classic fantasy to science fiction to steampunk, and the contributors represent a who's who of extraordinary talent: Peter S. Beagle, Charles De Lint, Roger Zelazny, Ursula K. Le Guin, Orson Scott Card, and on and on. Two original works by Holly Black and Margo Lanagan are included, along with stories tied to popular series like Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" and Naomi Novik's "Temeraire." Themes explored include sacrifice, honor, love, betrayal, family, etc. Many of the selections have adult language, violence, and sexual situations. The editors have pulled together an amazing work that does just what a great collection should do-it whets the appetite and makes readers ravenous for more.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

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