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Searching for Dragons The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Book Two Patricia C Wrede Books

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Searching for Dragons The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Book Two Patricia C Wrede Books

I've slowly been making my way through a long list of books I've wanted to read, thanks to the recommendations of a librarian friend of mine. She couldn't sing enough praises about "Dealing with Dragons", in particular for its excellently written main character. And after reading and loving the story, I instantly wanted to check out the subsequent sequels, and this new chapter in the "Dragons" saga didn't disappoint.

Picking up right where "Dealing with Dragons" left off, the narrative shifts focus and centers on Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest. One day, while exploring his kingdom, he's horrified to discover that sections of the forest have seemingly been burned away and destroyed with all its magic drained. Believing dragons to be responsible, he sets off to get some answers, and winds up meeting Princess Cimorene--the protagonist of the previous book who ran away to live with the dragons. Which, speaking of, not only are the dragons NOT responsible for destroying the magic forest, but Kazul, the King of the Dragons, has gone missing. Now, with Cimorene in tow, Mendanbar's mastery of magic will be put to the test as he tries to rescue Kazul and save his kingdom.

This story predates "Shrek" by a great many years, and does the "twisted fairy tale" much better. It doesn't rely on pop culture jokes and is instead funny just by the simple act of taking the usual fantasy clichés and messing with them. The smart and capable Cimorene is back and as great as ever, and it's interesting to see her from another character's perspective. Mendanbar is a young, but great king who's firm, but fair. He gives orders without coming off as spoiled or bossy, and he listens to other people's advice without going too far and just letting others make decisions for him. Both he and Cimorene have a great chemistry together, with both of them bonding over their similar views of bucking tradition and not following the stereotypical "fairy tale rules".

The only real downside is that there's no dragons to be seen throughout the whole story until the very end. It DOES make sense, considering the whole plot of the book is trying to find Kazul, but there could've at least have been SOME other dragons from the previous book appearing to help with the search. So if you're expecting a lot of dragon action like in the first book, you'll be disappointed. Thankfully, the lack of dragons is made up for by the brand new cast of characters that Cimorene and Mendanbar come across on their adventure. From a pair of bickering giants, to a frustrated Rumplestiltskin, to an overly technical and scientific magician, it seems not everyone in fairy tale land is happy with their traditional roles. But upon befriending Cimorene and Mendanbar, everyone just might find a clever way to turn their lives around.

So while this is its own, original story, if you like moves like "Shrek" or "Hoodwinked", and like seeing fairy tale tropes totally messed with, then this is the book for you, and if you liked the first story, then this sequel is just as good. I can't wait to read the next installment in the series.


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Searching for Dragons The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Book Two Patricia C Wrede Books Reviews

Did I like this one EVEN BETTER than the first one? Possibly.

It had less Kazul, which is sad because I like Kazul. And I was at first a little wary when the book opened from the perspective of someone other than Cimorene.

But all my doubts were unfounded! This entry is just as charming as the previous book.

Mendanbar is very likable, and his relationship with Cimorene very refreshing. They worked well together without unnecessary angst. They made a good team.

It was nice to see Morwen again, and Telemain an amusing addition to the party. The wizards were as devious - and as useless- as ever.

The little side plot where Cimorene and Mendenbar solve everyone's fairy-tale problems was clever, and injected an extra dose of humor into what is already a sweet tale. I especially appreciated that their interventions caused some unforeseen problems (like in the case of Wicked Uncle and nephew) but then solved them as well. Very neat plotting.
In the sequel to Dealing with Dragons, someone is stealing magic from the Enchanted Forest, prompting the King - Mendanbar to search out Kazul to find out if the King of the dragons knows anything. But when he finds out that Kazul has been dragonnapped, King Mendanbar and Princess Cimorene begin a quest to find out where Kazul is.

Told mainly from the point of view of Mendanbar, Searching for Dragons is a fun, quick read. Filled with malfunctioning magic carpets, giants who plan career changes, and dastardly wizards who would thwart Cimorene and Mendanbar in their quest, this book continues the whimsical spirit of the first.
As we learn from Patricia C. Wrede notes in her introduction for Searching for Dragons, the four books in her Enchanted Forest Chronicles weren't all written in order. Talking to Dragons - the fourth and final book in the series - was published in 1985, making it the first book she wrote in the series. Years later, either in 1989 or '90, Wrede had just submitted Dealing with Dragons - which, in chronological order, is regarded as first in the series - when her editor called to suggest that she write another book to serve as a bridge between Dealing with Dragons and Talking to Dragons because, then, hey, presto, we gots us a trilogy!

Wrede cranked out book 2, Searching for Dragons, only to realize that there simply was "too much middle to cover in one volume." Ergo, the third book, Calling on Dragons. And, now, we gots a quadrilogy! Quadrology? Wrede would later go back to Talking to Dragons and revise it so that its continuity meshed better with the three preceding novels. Anyway, that's some behind-the-scenes stuff for you.

Maybe some spoilers...

In Searching for Dragons, our viewpoint character isn't the indomitable Princess Cimorene, but, rather, the 20-year-old King of the Enchanted Forest, Mendanbar. He's an unassuming hombre, but don't presume he doesn't know how to handle his business of ruling a kingdom. It's important that we observe Mendanbar being sensible and smart and capable of wielding the full might of his kingly power - never mind that he'd inherited the throne just three years ago - seeing as how we suspect he'll soon run into Cimorene, a princess with a most discriminating taste who does NOT gladly suffer fools.

Mendanbar's big adventure starts with his simply pining for one day off. Accordingly, he sneaks out of the castle. As in tune as he is with the potent magic that shapes the underpinning of the Enchanted Forest, it's not too long before he senses a disturbance in his demesne. What's this? A tiny circular swath of his realm destroyed? Reduced to a wasteland of dead stumps and ash? And absent of the unseen lines of power that run the length and breadth of the Enchanted Forest? Just like that, Mendanbar's one day of playing hookie morphs into a Significant Quest.

His rambles eventually deposit him to the cave inhabited by Kazul, the King of the Dragons, and her princess, Cimorene. Except, nowadays, Cimorene prefers the title of Chief Cook and Librarian, which gives new readers a whiff of how practical and no-nonsense this apron-wearing princess is. Cimorene cautiously admits to Mendanbar that Kazul has gone missing. And when Mendanbar resumes his quest, Cimorene, who was about to set out to find Kazul, joins him. That is, once Mendenbar had used his magic sword to fix the plumbing issue in the sink. Of course, Cimorene wouldn't be Cimorene if she doesn't eyeball all of Mendanbar's extravagant motions with the sword and calls him out on it "Is your magic always that flashy?" Cimorene, keeping it real.

In Searching for Dragons, we renew acquaintance with Morwen, the no-nonsense witch with the nine cats, and we see Cimorene and Mendanbar meeting Telemain, the analytic, super-pendantic magician, for the first time. For those who keep track of the timeline, it's been a year since Kazul was crowned King of the Dragons (which you can read about in Dealing with Dragons). Searching for Dragons finds Wrede back in her playful groove. It's a sequel that's just about as fun and rollicking and packed with whimsy as Dealing with Dragons. I relished her droll observations "There is something backwards about climbing up six flights of stairs in order to get to a dungeon." Or "Do you have any idea how hard it is to persuade a plumber to come look at a dragon's sink?" She offers up skewed versions of familiar fairy tale tropes. I particularly enjoyed her twist on Rumpelstiltskin, and that sequence with the vacuous princess and the skeptical young dragon had me in stitches. Wrede's intro alerts readers that this story will be told from Mendanbar's perspective, and I was a little worried because I loved reading Cimorene's takes so much. And, yes, because she isn't the most main character, what we get here is a sort of diluted version of the Cimorene from Dealing with Dragons. Oh, we still get her bracing dose of common sense and she still has a bucket of soapy water and lemon juice handy for whenever the vile Society of Wizards acts up again. Hint they act up again. It was only a matter of time, really, considering that the wizards, for their foul behavior in Dealing with Dragons, had been banned by Kazul from accessing the Caves of Fire and Night which happens to be a primary source of ingredients for their spells. The Head Wizard Zemenar and his doltish son Antorell were never ones to turn over a new leaf.

This is a fun sequel. I don't so much enjoy episodic storytelling in which the hero goes from random adventure to adventure with a minimum of connectivity. And I dreaded that Searching for Dragons would be like that. But our two leads and their interplay and their colorful adventures kept me turning pages. There's not much in the way of romance; what there is seems pretty perfunctory. For what it's worth, Mendanbar easily proves himself worthy of Cimorene. In fact, he comes across as even more capable than Cimorene, which is an earth-shattering notion. I sort of resented that he has to interpret Telemain's often very technical musings to our girl. It's an unnecessary bit of dumbing down of our princess just to pump up our hero.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Dealing with Dragons (1990)
Searching for Dragons (1991)
Calling on Dragons (1993)
Talking to Dragons (1985, revised 1995)
I've slowly been making my way through a long list of books I've wanted to read, thanks to the recommendations of a librarian friend of mine. She couldn't sing enough praises about "Dealing with Dragons", in particular for its excellently written main character. And after reading and loving the story, I instantly wanted to check out the subsequent sequels, and this new chapter in the "Dragons" saga didn't disappoint.

Picking up right where "Dealing with Dragons" left off, the narrative shifts focus and centers on Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest. One day, while exploring his kingdom, he's horrified to discover that sections of the forest have seemingly been burned away and destroyed with all its magic drained. Believing dragons to be responsible, he sets off to get some answers, and winds up meeting Princess Cimorene--the protagonist of the previous book who ran away to live with the dragons. Which, speaking of, not only are the dragons NOT responsible for destroying the magic forest, but Kazul, the King of the Dragons, has gone missing. Now, with Cimorene in tow, Mendanbar's mastery of magic will be put to the test as he tries to rescue Kazul and save his kingdom.

This story predates "Shrek" by a great many years, and does the "twisted fairy tale" much better. It doesn't rely on pop culture jokes and is instead funny just by the simple act of taking the usual fantasy clichés and messing with them. The smart and capable Cimorene is back and as great as ever, and it's interesting to see her from another character's perspective. Mendanbar is a young, but great king who's firm, but fair. He gives orders without coming off as spoiled or bossy, and he listens to other people's advice without going too far and just letting others make decisions for him. Both he and Cimorene have a great chemistry together, with both of them bonding over their similar views of bucking tradition and not following the stereotypical "fairy tale rules".

The only real downside is that there's no dragons to be seen throughout the whole story until the very end. It DOES make sense, considering the whole plot of the book is trying to find Kazul, but there could've at least have been SOME other dragons from the previous book appearing to help with the search. So if you're expecting a lot of dragon action like in the first book, you'll be disappointed. Thankfully, the lack of dragons is made up for by the brand new cast of characters that Cimorene and Mendanbar come across on their adventure. From a pair of bickering giants, to a frustrated Rumplestiltskin, to an overly technical and scientific magician, it seems not everyone in fairy tale land is happy with their traditional roles. But upon befriending Cimorene and Mendanbar, everyone just might find a clever way to turn their lives around.

So while this is its own, original story, if you like moves like "Shrek" or "Hoodwinked", and like seeing fairy tale tropes totally messed with, then this is the book for you, and if you liked the first story, then this sequel is just as good. I can't wait to read the next installment in the series.