Red Dragon Codex by R.D. Henham (Rebecca Shelley)

Red Dragon Codex
by R.D. Henham

Middle Grade Fantasy
256 pages, hardcover
Target Reader: Ages 9-12

Mirrorstone
978-0786949250
Release Date: January 8, 2008



From the publisher:

Dear Reader,

In my cozy library alcove, I never realized the peril that could befall a traveler in the mountains -- or even a quiet villager, minding her own business. Then I read Sindri Suncatcher's A Practical Guide to Dragons and I just had to find out more about dragonkind.

In my research, I discovered this true tale of an evil red dragon who plots revenge, kidnaps a seer, and sets a young boy named Mudd on a rescue mission. I hope you find as much thrilling enjoyment from it as I did.

Your humble servant,
R.D. Henham
Scribe in the Great Library of Palanthas

The Dragon Codices chronicle adventures with each of ten dragons of Krynn. From the fiery, evil red dragon to the playful copper, each dragon's tale is unique. Sindri Suncatcher, narrator of A Practical Guide to Dragons, shared these tales from his travels with library scribe R.D. Henham.

Mudd lives a peaceful life in his small town, tinkering with the mill and any mechanical devices that he can find. But his peaceful life soon changes when, out of nowhere, a red dragon attacks, burning the town and kidnapping Shemnara, the village seer. Only one clue is left behind--a cryptic note telling Mudd, "Seek the silver dragon."

This series of Dragonlance books for middle grade readers was inspired by A Practical Guide to Dragons by Lisa Trumbauer. The codices are written by fictional character, R.D. Henham, "a scribe in the great library of Palanthas. In the course of transcribing stories of legendary dragons, the author felt a gap existed in the story of the every dragon: ordinary dragons who end up doing extraordinary things. With the help of fellow scribes, R.D. had filled that gap with the Dragon Codices." There will be a total of ten books, one for each color of dragon. Cute idea and I think it will be well received by its intended age group.

The entire series is written under the pen name, R.D. Henham, but the authors vary from book to book. This particular dragon codex was written by Rebecca Shelley, who I met at a writers conference in March. She is very nice.

Mudd and his sister, Hiera, race to find a key to open a door that will lead them to the silver dragon, who will hopefully help them rescue their friend and teacher who was kidnapped by the evil red dragon. They are aided on their journey by a young dwarf named Drakecutter (who seeks to save his father's life by retrieving a magical ax stolen by the red dragon), Iroden (a possibly enchanted elf who seeks to be returned to his natural state), and Kirak (who may or may not be human).

I liked the basic plot and storyline of this book. I thought it had a lot of potential but I felt the characterization was a little weak. There needed to be more foreshadowing of the characters' attributes—for example, partway thought the book, Mudd decides he needs to break into a library. We suddenly discover he's got a passion for picking locks and carries lock pick tools with him everywhere. This should have come out much earlier in the story.

Also, the author (or perhaps the editor/publisher) is part of an evil group of people determined to delete all the irregular verbs from the English language. (This is a pet peeve of mine and I can rant about it for several minutes at a time without taking a breath.) When I read that the dragon dived (DOVE), and leaped (LEAPT) and pleaded (PLED), it's worse than fingernails on a chalboard.

I rate this book a 3.75 out of 5. Perfect for 4th though 6th graders, but older teens and adults will find it a little lacking in depth.

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Age Appropriate: Middle graders will love it.

Writing Mechanics: Needed a tighter edit.


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