greymalkin's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book as a kid and just re-read it for the first time as an adult. It's still super-charming and holds up better than I thought. I don't think I ever read the other books in the series but this works perfectly fine as a standalone.
I'd forgotten about the science-y dwarves, and as a scientist I loved that even more as an adult. It was cool to have a different take on dwarves too, these were not smiths and miners only, but the same precise dedicated detail-oriented personality traits still applied. I also rather liked that Morgan LeFay as a villain was scheming and evil, but also did not torture or abuse Giles/David and seems to have actually raised a rather good "nephew" (given his gentle and open-minded temperament). In a more modern book or perhaps a YA book, he'd probably have picked up evil ways from his upbringing and become a secret villain. It was also good to have a model for non-toxic masculinity, where easily-frightened Gryfflet was not excluded from adventure because of his fears and was praised for his contributions, and it was clear that he and the dragon were great friends and open about that affection.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping and Murder
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