On the trail of dragons forgotten, an intrepid illustrator and reporter journeys from Europe through the Middle East and finally to Saigon in search of the dark caverns and mountaintop perches where the elusive winged serpents dwell. With the gift of seeing the invisible, our explorer friend records each encounter in a journal of gorgeous, fully painted artwork, capturing every majestic and fearsome visual detail of the scaly behemoths, and accompanies his findings with snippets of local lore as evidence that these hidden beasts continue to shape the world in ways we may never expect!
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26 reviews for In Search of Lost Dragons
4.3out of 5
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★★★★★
SMM –
Beautiful artwork, but the story loses something in the translation and ends up quite disjointed. Still, get this book to stare for hours at the beautiful dragons!
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
A+
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
Book Review by: Sharon Powers.
Like many little girls, I loved to read about dragons in stories. As an adult my fascination, admittedly, has dimmed a bit–it happens to all of us as we grow into adulthood and responsibility. However, I found my excitement with dragons rekindled when I read a story about a blue egg delivered to a young boy; the boy bonded with the dragon, Saphira, and he became a dragon rider. [(Eragon) 2]
I was at a Barnes & Noble on the publication date of another one of Christopher Paolini’s books, saw a stuffed Glader [2] sitting on top of a stack of books, and grabbed it–it was the last one! I still have the golden dragon–it is on guard duty at my house–so trespassers and prowlers, BEWARE! Guard Dragon, on duty! OK. Enough of my lame jokes….
The only other dragon items I have in my home are (1) a pop-up book about dragons that was given to me as a gift. It is a beautiful book that I pull down off the shelf from time to time to enjoy, and (2) a few very fine Oriental yixing clay teapots and cups (see the photo, just below) [4] given to me as gifts because of my love of tea. No. I do not have a dragon collection with statues and such, but I have liked reading stories about dragons. One of the most famous series of books I read was Anne McCaffrey’s the Dragonriders of Pern series. Additionally, a few other notable dragons with whom I have crossed paths include: Smaug, an awesome dragon in The Hobbit; and, of course, anyone keeping up with George R.R. Martin’s, Song of Ice and Fire will know about those famous dragons–even appearing on TV in an HBO series.
Then there are the dragons in the Harry Potter Series (including Norbert); How To Train Your Dragon; the Temeraire Series: A Novel of Temeraire–about a great black dragon called Temeraire (the name came from the famous warship, H.M.S Temeraire, dubbed, “The Fighting Temeraire” after service in the Battle of Trafalgar.); The Dragonlance Chronicles; Saint George and the Dragon; and even Puff the Magic Dragon. SHORT BOOK SYNOPSIS:
As we open the pages of this journal we enter the world of Elian Black’Mor and Carine M. A first journal entry begins in Brittany and an “Unexplained Disappearance of an Anti- quarian in the ‘Marshes of Hell.'” The journalist places the newspaper clippings of the disappearance, photographs, pen and ink washes, and full color renderings, including a marked map, in his journal along with entries and notes detailing every experience in search of the lost dragons.
As the journey progresses to different locations, each one provides a look of very distinct stories about lost dragons, along with a peek at strange guides and guardians, strange ship rides and experiences. But none are stranger than the journalist; you see, the journalist has a gift of “seeing the invisible”! The journey takes the journalist “from Europe through the Middle East and finally to Saigon.” [1]
In the end, the journalist ponders the journey and, unsettled, worries that it wasn’t more than a “daydream.” And just the way the journalist recorded the fantastical journey around the world in search of lost dragons, will the “intrepid” journalist choose to “preserve” the dragondreams like the journal–by fleeing reality? Which will the journalist choose? MY FAVORITE QUOTATION:
Dreamtime The creature awaited me at the entrance of a long crevasse that crossed the width of the glacier. I followed it to the city of the dragon people… Like a ship drifting in a becalmed sea, the top of the budding stood in the first light of a misty polar morning. «So comes snow after fire, and even Dragons have their ending.» [1]
Such a poignant and wonderful statement of the journalist’s feelings, perhaps summing up the whole of the journey. Coming full circle to the realization that dragons are no more. The very thing that prompted the beginning of the journey in the first place. And, like the cold and snow that puts out fire, the dragons have gone in the way of a calm, cool ending.
Another great example of the detail included in the book. The left page looks like a brown paper with slightly frayed edges, typewritten, signed, stamped and taped to the journal along with the envelope (below the document) and its stamps. Also, shading around the edges add to the realistic 3-D experience for the reader. Additionally, the artwork, done in washes with drips of ink (or wash) at the top of the page; the script is legible (except for the tiniest of words), also making the journal look and feel like a real journal. Note that this page is typical of all book pages. [1]
We find out at very end of the book, that the journalist has doubts about the journey taken. Was the search for something noble, terrible, and beautiful, all a “daydream”? So…does this help us to understand the end of the book, the journal, and the journalist, any more? Do you think the cold crevasse and the “misty polar morning” is Death?…or is it the end of a dream? And back to the original question, will the journalist choose to “preserve” the dragons by staying in the dream? I think you will have to read the journal yourself to make this determination. All I can say, further, is that I absolutely loved the twist this puts on the journalist’s story. Well done!
WHAT I THINK ABOUT THE BOOK: Since I am an ARC reader for this book, from NetGalley, I received this book recently in exchange for a review of it (See the NetGalley Disclaimer, below). Well, when I downloaded my e-book to begin reading, I was flat-out amazed! I opened the first pages and couldn’t put it down. I kept turning pages, turning, turning, staring at the book. Mesmerized by its beauty. I examined every page. The surprising amount of detail simply entranced me. It is the most beautiful, most well crafted, written, detailed book it has ever been my pleasure to read. In fact, I was so taken with the book, I purchased a hardcover edition for me to keep in my collection of wonderful books.
The superlatives are NOT an exaggeration. Just take a look at the photographs I took of the book to see for yourself. I included as many photographs in my blog post, today, as I could, just because they are so beautiful and I want you to see what a fantastic job the authors and the DYNAMITE team (publishers) did to bring this book to market.
A word about the publishers: Dynamite. I have many, many, books by Dynamite publishers. Every single book I own has a sturdy, beautiful cover, many of them with dust jackets; the pages are securely placed between the hardcover so as they will not fall out. Dynamite Publishers are my favorite publishers, ever.
OK. Back to what I think about this book. What I said in the paragraph, just above this paragraph, is also true of this book, In Search of Lost Dragons. That is to say, the hardcover book has a sturdy, hard cover and the pages are securely attached.
These two things on my own personal checklist, are very important because I have purchased books that have not had securely bound pages. The pages fell out and the book was ruined. You can see some examples of this by clicking on the link to a post I did of one hardcover graphic novel book with pages that fell out. Click, here or here. (no hyperlinks available on Amazon)
Finally, while I have already mentioned the general beauty of the book and the amount of detail the pages hold, I have not mentioned the artwork, specifically. Some of the artwork are like the one, here, just to the right–a watercolor with notations at the bottom. Other works included appear to be pen and ink, pen with washes, full color illustrations that could be electronically produced, done with pastels, or perhaps with artists paint and then photographed.
Again, I cannot emphasize enough just how beautiful is the the whole book. Individually, some of pages are just stunning. But in any event, each and every page holds entertaining and eye-catching images.
NetGalley Disclaimer: MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
This book is simply wonderful. I recommend this book to all ages of reader. I think, though, that adults would better appreciate the detail and amount of work that has gone into the creation of this book.
MY RATING OF THIS BOOK: It probably comes as no surprise to you, if you that I loved the book and have no qualms about telling you that it is the best, most detailed book I have ever seen. The entertainment factor is very high, as well. So…given all that I have told you, above, I rate this book 5.0 stars out of 5. [5] Thank you for joining me this week as we were privileged to become acquainted with this beautiful book, In Search of Lost Dragons by Elian Black’Mor and Carine M. I loved showing you this book, and hope you consider getting a hardcover copy for yourself. Also, please don’t forget to read a few minutes every day, its good for your mind and your spirit. I also want to thank you for taking time to consider all that I’ve presented to you, today. Your time is precious and want you to know that I appreciate you spending a little time here to consider possible reading material. You won’t go wrong with this book.
Please join me, again, next week as we take a look at a totally different book. One I’m sure most of you will enjoy. So…
Until next time… [6] …many happy pages of reading.
[1] REFERENCES/SOURCES [1] “In Search of Lost Dragons.” [Elian Black’Mor and Carine M.] amazon.com. Retrieved 02-27-15. [2] “Eragon: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 1.” amazon.com. Retrieved 02-28-15. [3] “Brisingr: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 3.” amazon.com. Retrieved 02-28-15. [4] “Yixing Teaware.” sevencups.com. Retrieved 02-28-15 [Primarily, zisha pottery is also called yixing–taken from its place of origin: Yixing, Jiangsu Province, China–is a very unique pottery with a highly porous surface that takes on the flavors of the tea that is brewed within it. For more on this wonderful pottery, see this websight: sevencups.com.] [5] “Return to Mateguas Island.” lindawatkins.biz. Retrieved on 02-28-15. [6] “Flowers: White Roses.” fanpop.com. Retrieved 02-22-15.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Lola –
This is a book I was rather excited for ever since seeing it on someone’s youtube channel (forgive me I don’t remember who’s). It’s meant to be the journal of a french explorer who goes looking for dragons and finds them. It’s filled to the brim with gorgeous artwork that is meant to depict his travels and it’s the art that really does capture the eye of the reader.
The story itself is slim and fleeting and a hard to follow. Part of this I want to blame on the translation, not because it was a bad translation, but because things are often lost this way and in a book where every word really counts if even one meaning is lost it can be difficult to appreciate it. Another problem was the set up of the book, which didn’t really make it easy to understand how much time was passing or when things were written. Only every once in a while would something be dated making it hard to figure out if things were meant to be done in chronology or not. Additionally, while the dragons are incredibly pretty to look at I would have loved to see some pictures of the people because I couldn’t picture anyone and that was getting on my nerves, to be completely honest.
Overall, I don’t really recommend buying this book since it’s pretty expensive. If you can, check it out from your local library to enjoy the absolutely stunning art and somewhat interesting story. I think I spent most of my time with this book just petting the pretty pictures and that was worth the time invested even if it wasn’t worth the money.
review originally posted on […]
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Israel Leon –
Excellent book
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
This was a beautiful book, I expect the print edition was even better than the digital copy that I received. The ‘story’ follows a traveler and his journey of discovery. The story isn’t important, and of course it is just mostly a journal about the dragons, interesting facts. I actually gave up on the reading part, as it was pretty superfluous, and focused on the art, the type of dragon the art was displaying. That was all that mattered here. I mean with drawings like these: It’s hard to not just sit and stare. This would be a great coffee table book for us fantasy geeks or just people who like some good art and sketches.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Angelya –
Yes it sure did. Interesting story in the book with freaking fantastic artwork of the many different dragons. A must read for dragon lovers!!!
SMM –
Beautiful artwork, but the story loses something in the translation and ends up quite disjointed. Still, get this book to stare for hours at the beautiful dragons!
Amazon Customer –
A+
Amazon Customer –
Book Review by: Sharon Powers.
Like many little girls, I loved to read about dragons in stories. As an adult my fascination, admittedly, has dimmed a bit–it happens to all of us as we grow into adulthood and responsibility. However, I found my excitement with dragons rekindled when I read a story about a blue egg delivered to a young boy; the boy bonded with the dragon, Saphira, and he became a dragon rider. [(Eragon) 2]
I was at a Barnes & Noble on the publication date of another one of Christopher Paolini’s books, saw a stuffed Glader [2] sitting on top of a stack of books, and grabbed it–it was the last one! I still have the golden dragon–it is on guard duty at my house–so trespassers and prowlers, BEWARE! Guard Dragon, on duty! OK. Enough of my lame jokes….
The only other dragon items I have in my home are (1) a pop-up book about dragons that was given to me as a gift. It is a beautiful book that I pull down off the shelf from time to time to enjoy, and (2) a few very fine Oriental yixing clay teapots and cups (see the photo, just below) [4] given to me as gifts because of my love of tea. No. I do not have a dragon collection with statues and such, but I have liked reading stories about dragons. One of the most famous series of books I read was Anne McCaffrey’s the Dragonriders of Pern series. Additionally, a few other notable dragons with whom I have crossed paths include: Smaug, an awesome dragon in The Hobbit; and, of course, anyone keeping up with George R.R. Martin’s, Song of Ice and Fire will know about those famous dragons–even appearing on TV in an HBO series.
Then there are the dragons in the Harry Potter Series (including Norbert); How To Train Your Dragon; the Temeraire Series: A Novel of Temeraire–about a great black dragon called Temeraire (the name came from the famous warship, H.M.S Temeraire, dubbed, “The Fighting Temeraire” after service in the Battle of Trafalgar.); The Dragonlance Chronicles; Saint George and the Dragon; and even Puff the Magic Dragon.
SHORT BOOK SYNOPSIS:
As we open the pages of this journal we enter the world of Elian Black’Mor and Carine M. A first journal entry begins in Brittany and an “Unexplained Disappearance of an Anti- quarian in the ‘Marshes of Hell.'” The journalist places the newspaper clippings of the disappearance, photographs, pen and ink washes, and full color renderings, including a marked map, in his journal along with entries and notes detailing every experience in search of the lost dragons.
As the journey progresses to different locations, each one provides a look of very distinct stories about lost dragons, along with a peek at strange guides and guardians, strange ship rides and experiences. But none are stranger than the journalist; you see, the journalist has a gift of “seeing the invisible”! The journey takes the journalist “from Europe through the Middle East and finally to Saigon.” [1]
In the end, the journalist ponders the journey and, unsettled, worries that it wasn’t more than a “daydream.” And just the way the journalist recorded the fantastical journey around the world in search of lost dragons, will the “intrepid” journalist choose to “preserve” the dragondreams like the journal–by fleeing reality? Which will the journalist choose?
MY FAVORITE QUOTATION:
Dreamtime
The creature awaited me at the entrance of a
long crevasse that crossed the width of the glacier.
I followed it to the city of the dragon people…
Like a ship drifting in a becalmed sea,
the top of the budding stood in the
first light of a misty polar morning.
«So comes snow after fire, and even
Dragons have their ending.» [1]
Such a poignant and wonderful statement of the journalist’s feelings, perhaps summing up the whole of the journey. Coming full circle to the realization that dragons are no more. The very thing that prompted the beginning of the journey in the first place. And, like the cold and snow that puts out fire, the dragons have gone in the way of a calm, cool ending.
Another great example of the detail included in the book. The left page looks like a brown paper with slightly frayed
edges, typewritten, signed, stamped and taped to the journal along with the envelope (below the document) and its
stamps. Also, shading around the edges add to the realistic 3-D experience for the reader. Additionally, the artwork,
done in washes with drips of ink (or wash) at the top of the page; the script is legible (except for the tiniest of words),
also making the journal look and feel like a real journal. Note that this page is typical of all book pages. [1]
We find out at very end of the book, that the journalist has doubts about the journey taken. Was the search for something noble, terrible, and beautiful, all a “daydream”? So…does this help us to understand the end of the book, the journal, and the journalist, any more? Do you think the cold crevasse and the “misty polar morning” is Death?…or is it the end of a dream? And back to the original question, will the journalist choose to “preserve” the dragons by staying in the dream? I think you will have to read the journal yourself to make this determination. All I can say, further, is that I absolutely loved the twist this puts on the journalist’s story. Well done!
WHAT I THINK ABOUT THE BOOK:
Since I am an ARC reader for this book, from NetGalley, I received this book recently in exchange for a review of it (See the NetGalley Disclaimer, below). Well, when I downloaded my e-book to begin reading, I was flat-out amazed! I opened the first pages and couldn’t put it down. I kept turning pages, turning, turning, staring at the book. Mesmerized by its beauty. I examined every page. The surprising amount of detail simply entranced me. It is the most beautiful, most well crafted, written, detailed book it has ever been my pleasure to read. In fact, I was so taken with the book, I purchased a hardcover edition for me to keep in my collection of wonderful books.
The superlatives are NOT an exaggeration. Just take a look at the photographs I took of the book to see for yourself. I included as many photographs in my blog post, today, as I could, just because they are so beautiful and I want you to see what a fantastic job the authors and the DYNAMITE team (publishers) did to bring this book to market.
A word about the publishers: Dynamite. I have many, many, books by Dynamite publishers. Every single book I own has a sturdy, beautiful cover, many of them with dust jackets; the pages are securely placed between the hardcover so as they will not fall out. Dynamite Publishers are my favorite publishers, ever.
OK. Back to what I think about this book. What I said in the paragraph, just above this paragraph, is also true of this book, In Search of Lost Dragons. That is to say, the hardcover book has a sturdy, hard cover and the pages are securely attached.
These two things on my own personal checklist, are very important because I have purchased books that have not had securely bound pages. The pages fell out and the book was ruined. You can see some examples of this by clicking on the link to a post I did of one hardcover graphic novel book with pages that fell out. Click, here or here. (no hyperlinks available on Amazon)
Finally, while I have already mentioned the general beauty of the book and the amount of detail the pages hold, I have not mentioned the artwork, specifically. Some of the artwork are like the one, here, just to the right–a watercolor with notations at the bottom. Other works included appear to be pen and ink, pen with washes, full color illustrations that could be electronically produced, done with pastels, or perhaps with artists paint and then photographed.
Again, I cannot emphasize enough just how beautiful is the the whole book. Individually, some of pages are just stunning. But in any event, each and every page holds entertaining and eye-catching images.
NetGalley Disclaimer:
MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
This book is simply wonderful. I recommend this book to all ages of reader. I think, though, that adults would better appreciate the detail and amount of work that has gone into the creation of this book.
MY RATING OF THIS BOOK:
It probably comes as no surprise to you, if you that I loved the book and have no qualms about telling you that it is the best, most detailed book I have ever seen. The entertainment factor is very high, as well. So…given all that I have told you, above, I rate this book 5.0 stars out of 5.
[5]
Thank you for joining me this week as we were privileged to become acquainted with this beautiful book, In Search of Lost Dragons by Elian Black’Mor and Carine M. I loved showing you this book, and hope you consider getting a hardcover copy for yourself. Also, please don’t forget to read a few minutes every day, its good for your mind and your spirit. I also want to thank you for taking time to consider all that I’ve presented to you, today. Your time is precious and want you to know that I appreciate you spending a little time here to consider possible reading material. You won’t go wrong with this book.
Please join me, again, next week as we take a look at a totally different book. One I’m sure most of you will enjoy. So…
Until next time…
[6]
…many happy pages of reading.
Sharon.
_________________________________________________________
[1]
REFERENCES/SOURCES
[1] “In Search of Lost Dragons.” [Elian Black’Mor and Carine M.] amazon.com. Retrieved 02-27-15.
[2] “Eragon: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 1.” amazon.com. Retrieved 02-28-15.
[3] “Brisingr: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 3.” amazon.com. Retrieved 02-28-15.
[4] “Yixing Teaware.” sevencups.com. Retrieved 02-28-15 [Primarily, zisha pottery is also called yixing–taken from its place of origin: Yixing, Jiangsu Province, China–is a very unique pottery with a highly porous surface that takes on the flavors of the tea that is brewed within it. For more on this wonderful pottery, see this websight: sevencups.com.]
[5] “Return to Mateguas Island.” lindawatkins.biz. Retrieved on 02-28-15.
[6] “Flowers: White Roses.” fanpop.com. Retrieved 02-22-15.
Lola –
This is a book I was rather excited for ever since seeing it on someone’s youtube channel (forgive me I don’t remember who’s). It’s meant to be the journal of a french explorer who goes looking for dragons and finds them. It’s filled to the brim with gorgeous artwork that is meant to depict his travels and it’s the art that really does capture the eye of the reader.
The story itself is slim and fleeting and a hard to follow. Part of this I want to blame on the translation, not because it was a bad translation, but because things are often lost this way and in a book where every word really counts if even one meaning is lost it can be difficult to appreciate it. Another problem was the set up of the book, which didn’t really make it easy to understand how much time was passing or when things were written. Only every once in a while would something be dated making it hard to figure out if things were meant to be done in chronology or not. Additionally, while the dragons are incredibly pretty to look at I would have loved to see some pictures of the people because I couldn’t picture anyone and that was getting on my nerves, to be completely honest.
Overall, I don’t really recommend buying this book since it’s pretty expensive. If you can, check it out from your local library to enjoy the absolutely stunning art and somewhat interesting story. I think I spent most of my time with this book just petting the pretty pictures and that was worth the time invested even if it wasn’t worth the money.
review originally posted on […]
Israel Leon –
Excellent book
Amazon Customer –
This was a beautiful book, I expect the print edition was even better than the digital copy that I received. The ‘story’ follows a traveler and his journey of discovery. The story isn’t important, and of course it is just mostly a journal about the dragons, interesting facts. I actually gave up on the reading part, as it was pretty superfluous, and focused on the art, the type of dragon the art was displaying. That was all that mattered here. I mean with drawings like these: It’s hard to not just sit and stare. This would be a great coffee table book for us fantasy geeks or just people who like some good art and sketches.
Angelya –
Yes it sure did. Interesting story in the book with freaking fantastic artwork of the many different dragons. A must read for dragon lovers!!!
john heckels –
The pictures are amazing, beautiful book!