Have any of you seen this plot before?

[deliciously_naughty]

A couple of days ago, I was telling my boyfriend about a story I wanted to read to my class, but ran out of school year time to do so. The book in question is "Dealing with Dragons" by Patricia C. Wrede and the basic plotline is the misfit princess runs away and chooses to be a dragon captive (having a princess is a MINOR mark of status...like owning a really nice set of china or something) and hilarity ensues.

Boyfriend responds "You know, just once I'd like to hear of, or read a book where a dragon is being held captive by an evil princess/sorceress/etc and people have to go and rescue him/her".

BRIGHT LIGHT BULB appears above my head...AHA

Now, he kinda got the idea from playing D&D where it was suggested as a random quest plot. But I started thinking about children's lit, and YA fiction and even adult Fantasy and I can't really pull a title of story like it. I'm not an idiot and I'm sure that there must be a few...

But I'm thinking about writing a YA novel with this plotline...

Any thoughts, titles of books where it's already been done, etc?

Thanks
DN

 

[Quasimodem]

This is no where near 'dead on,' but I immediately thought of "The Dragon & The George" by Gordon Dickinson.

I'm not so sure about the part of the Princess - this was quite a while ago, and written for a juvenile audience - but the story followed a dragon who feared unprovoked, and unfathomable attacks from a George. (His term for a questing knight.)

I doubt whether this would impinge upon the turf you are carving out, but it but would demonstrate how a notable fantasy writer has handled a somewhat similar situation.

As I remember it, “The Dragon & The George” - and most of its inevitable sequels were a hoot!"

 

[Chicklet]

I *love* the "dealing with dragons" series! whoohooo for mentioning it !

I don't recall any stories done with the dragon being held prisoner, and like you say, even if they have been done there don't seem to be many out there (I think I would know of some)

SO, in short, I'll be your first reader!!

Chicklet

 

[MathGirl]

[BAny thoughts, titles of books where it's already been done, etc?
[/B]

Terry Pratchett, in "Men at Arms," "Fifth Elephant," and some other books treats the common swamp dragon as sort of a stupid, annoying, and helpless pet. I have an illustrated Pratchett book that pictures about thirty types of dragons. They all look silly.

I don't think that's what you were looking for, but not everyone takes dragons seriously.
MG

 

[Guest]

I'm always giving my niece books with girl-power themes (there's a great one about the princess and the frog), will get back to you on titles; but I don't think I've heard of this particular one. Perdita

 

[Guest]

what about the pug series?

Okay, my brain is mushy and I am too lazy to run downstairs and actually check the titles and authors of the books, but didn't the Pug the Magician series (Feist) have dragons captured in an alternate reality?

And then the Assassin series had dragons frozen in stone that had to be released to save the land from the evil magicians.

It seems like your story would have a totally different tone from these.

Sounds like a fun plot.

b

 

[Rainbow Skin]

I think of E. Nesbit and James Thurber doing variations on traditional fairy tales. Any simple idea has probably already been done, but as long as you don't think 'princess capturing dragon' is the sole idea, you've got ample scope to make variations on the old stories.

I often think of the princesses having sex and liking it.

 

[Quasimodem]

Something To Go On . . . .

When I read "The Dagon & The George" it was a paperback marketed under Boris Vellajo's artwork

See attachment.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Wrong author!

'The Dragon and the George' is the one I thought of, too, but if anyone is looking for a copy the author is Gordon R Dickson.

Alex

 

[deliciously_naughty]

Thanks guys, and if you hear anything (I'm going to talk to my third graders too...they're much more fluent in current kids literature than me) or have any other titles, please let me know.

Rainbow...yeah, princess capturing dragon isn't going to be the whole plot (just as princess captive of dragon isn't the plot of the dragons series by wrede) but that was the idea that got me pondering and going "hmmmmm"

 

[oggbashan]

Anne McCaffery's Dragon series is about interaction between men/women and dragons.

Terry Brooks "Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold" and sequels has dragons captured.

I don't think either have dragons needing rescue.

Og

 

[deliciously_naughty]

An additional thought...Tamora Pierce's Wild Mage series has a girl who is essentially babysitting a dragon and is accused of holding the dragon prisioner many times to both her and the baby's annoyance. Again, not what I'm thinking, but another angle that has been used.


Not that I have a strong set of characters or a basic plot in my head yet...

 

[Weird Harold]

Thanks guys, and if you hear anything (I'm going to talk to my third graders too...they're much more fluent in current kids literature than me) or have any other titles, please let me know.

I'll have to di around in some of my more obscure books, but I think I do recall a story where the Dragon is the one that needs rescuing from the princess. (The dragon captured her, but she turned out to be a nagging harridin and wouldn't go away when he released her.)

I'm also reminded of another twist on the Dragon & Princess theme -- The princess IS the dragon; shapechanged by an evil witch and capture/resued by the prince.

Robert Asprin does alot of that kind of twists on Fairy Tale Cliches -- the Myth series (beginning with Another Fine Myth) is full of twists and strange interpretations of standard fantasy themes.

Don't let the fact that it has been done before keep you from writing your version because there are far too few fantasies that don't follow the standard formula.

 

[deliciously_naughty]

I'll have to di around in some of my more obscure books, but I think I do recall a story where the Dragon is the one that needs rescuing from the princess. (The dragon captured her, but she turned out to be a nagging harridin and wouldn't go away when he released her.)

Now *that* sounds like a really fun read!


Thanks for the advice and support Harold

 

[Quasimodem]

I just remembered “A Case of Conscience” by James Blish.

Although to be brutally honest, these are not exactly dragons.

It all takes place on a far-flung planet populated by an intelligent race of large reptiles

The story involves four scientists who are sent there from Earth to determine to what use, if any, the planet should be put.

But this is getting way Off Topic! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

 

[Weird Harold]

Now *that* sounds like a really fun read!


Thanks for the advice and support Harold

Now that I think about it, I think that might be a short story in one of the Amazons! anthologies or one of several "fairy tales reinterpreted" anthologies I've got.

I'm not sure whether that's the same story that has the Prince who needs to be rescued from the Princess by the Dragon -- some of the twists get pretty outrageous as well as hilarious.

The series beginning with Kesrick: an adult fantasy by Lin Carter has several twists on fairy tale cliches (including dragons) as well.

About half of the 1400+ paperbacks on the shelf behind me are Fantasy (most of the other half are Science Fiction) so if there's been a twist on some fairy tale done before, I've probably got it somewhere. (including A Case Of Conscience, btw)

 

[snooper]

Anne McCaffery's Dragon series is about interaction between men/women and dragons.

There is at least one "baddy" who rides a golden dragon. However, these are the Pern series, not the Dragon series.

 

[Sabledrake]

Sounds vaguely familiar ... maybe something from the Comic Fantasy I or II, or maybe the Chicks in Chainmail series.

But, d_n, whether it's been done or not, go for it, because it hasn't been done the way you'll do it. And if you need a beta-reader, I'm working on a children's fantasy series myself and would be happy to oblige!

Sabledrake

 

[deliciously_naughty]

Sounds vaguely familiar ... maybe something from the Comic Fantasy I or II, or maybe the Chicks in Chainmail series.

But, d_n, whether it's been done or not, go for it, because it hasn't been done the way you'll do it. And if you need a beta-reader, I'm working on a children's fantasy series myself and would be happy to oblige!

Sabledrake

Thanks hon...I'll definitely get back to you on that.

 

[SlaveMasterUK]

when I was at secondary school I came across one or two variations of classic fairytale themes, although I don't remember the details of any of them. They are fun to write tho - I once wrote a short play as part of an activity day called "Naked Red Riding Hood", about a raunchy 18-yo who walks through the woods to visit her Gran wearing only a red cape, and accidentally gains the affections of a violent lumberjack with a big axe. Needless to say, a lone wolf comes to Naked Red Riding Hood's rescue in the end.

ax

 

[TheElvenWench]

ohhh! ohh! ohhh! Can I also volunteer to be a reader for these children's/YA fantasy books? I am ALWAYS on the lookout for fun fantasy for my fifth graders! (alliteration not intended) I have no writing ability whatsoever, but my editing skills are worthwhile.