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THE DRAGON CIRCLE: DRAGON BURNING by Craig Shaw Gardner

THE DRAGON CIRCLE: DRAGON BURNING

by Craig Shaw Gardner

Pub Date: Oct. 1st, 1996
ISBN: 0-441-00365-6
Publisher: Ace/Berkley

Wrapping up Gardner's trilogy (Dragon Sleeping, 1994; Dragon Waking, 1995) wherein an entire street full of families from suburban Chestnut Circle have been transported by a vast, ancient dragon to an otherworld of operating magic that's inhabited by contending wizards, warriors, cheerleaders, tree-beings, talking birds, etc. While the wizardly brothers Nunn and Obar indulge themselves in the same aimless tussling over possession of magic ``dragon's eyes'' that characterized volumes one and two, the more levelheaded of the suburbanites try and persuade everybody to cooperate, for now the dragon is awake and approaching and will burn the world to cinders unless they can deflect it. The subplots are much as before (the bad guys fight, hurt people, or kill them from sheer malice, and torment their children; the good guys calm things down and keep as many people alive as possible). Various other entities—Lawn gods, an Oomgosh, the dwarfish Anno—flit here and there but aren't given anything significant to do, while the loquacious Raven turns out to be God, sort of. And even for trilogy devotees, the non-ending will prove deflationary and disappointing. Enough gas to lift a zeppelin, but no substance whatsoever.