Book Review: The Dragon Business by Kevin J. Anderson

"The Dragon Business" by Kevin J. Anderson is a romp of a read. It's subject matter is the standard dragons and damsels seen in a much more comedic light. You start the book with King Cullin and his son, Maurice. King Cullin is hailed as a dragon slayer, but he fears his son will aspire to much less. So he means to tell him all about 'The Dragon Business'.

'The Dragon Business' is a con pulled off by Cullin and his friends Reeger and Sir Dalbry where Sir Dalbry offers his dragon slaying skills against a fake dragon created by Reeger. It's a lucrative con, but it runs into a problem when all of a sudden there is a real dragon involved. But before you get to the real dragon, you get a real princess, Princess Affonyl. She really doesn't want to be a princess, she was just born into the role. And as part of the role, she's been forced into an arranged marriage with a disreputable Duke Kerrl. Just at the time that Cullin and his group make it to her kingdom, she stages a dragon of her own to escape to freedom. It was all done very well with chiseled out dragon claw marks and a fantastic explosion.

Cullin and his group eventually find Affonyl and draw her into their game. That's when the real dragon rears its ugly head. Along with the real dragon come real knights to try and subdue it. That doesn't go quite according to plan. The dragon eats all but Sir Dalbry of the group of knights and Cullin manages to dispatch the creature after it's been made dull and slow by overeating.

For his good deed, Cullin is given the hand of a princess (not Affonyl) and finds out he really isn't cut out for being a prince. How he eventually becomes king is not covered, but Maurice is suitably impressed by the story of his father's life.

Reeger turned out to be my favorite character, he's a pragmatic cynic who deep down has a soft heart and great loyalty. He doesn't smell very nice or have good manners, but he is true to himself and his friends.

Pick up a copy of The Dragon Business on Amazon HERE