Dealing with Dragons” is an hilarious, almost farcical fantasy that takes place in the kingdoms neighboring the Enchanted Forest. It is a world with knights and dragons, princesses and wizards and all manner of magical creatures and traditions. It is the tale of Cimorene, a princess, the seventh and youngest daughter of the king of Linderwall.

          Cimorene is a princess unlike any other princess in this world. She is not content to fill her head with manners and embroidery and inane traditions. She tries to study magic, or fencing or Latin but as soon as her parents discover each infraction, they order it stopped. None of those studies are fitting for a princess. None of the studies befitting a princess capture Cimorene’s interest. She learns them, but she is bored and frustrated. When a betrothal to a neighboring prince is planned, she resists. She doesn’t want to marry the bubble-headed prince just because it is fitting. Her parents, even her fairy godmother, are adamant. She will marry Prince Therandil.

          As she mulls over the problem, a nearby talking frog offers advice. Run away. Cimorene follows that advice, going to the dilapidated gray house the frog directs her to. There she finds dragons.

          After a rather frightening encounter, smoothed over in part by her princess training, she is taken in by one of the dragons. Her parents can’t complain. Being captured by a dragon is fitting for any princess. It comes with its own frustrations, though. Her father, compelled by tradition, offers her hand in marriage to the knight who can rescue her from the dragon.

          In the midst of hilarious attempts to discourage ever-increasing numbers of knights, including Prince Therandil, from rescuing her, Cimorene stumbles into her own adventure. In the process, she discovers an interesting way to best a wizard, makes several interesting friends and uncovers a dire plot against the dragons.

          This was a fun, whimsical story. I found nothing objectionable to my faith. It was silly and humorous at places, with some oddly jumbled permutations of fairy tale lore, but it was all light-hearted fun, not sarcastic or acrimonious.

          There was a clear understanding of right and wrong and the good guys clearly won the day. There is some light-hearted poking fun at tradition, which some might find offensive, but I thought was handled with just the right touch. Even though Cimorene balked against following tradition and all the”fitting and proper” education she had to endure, there are several times her knowledge and training aided her. There were just as many times she used the knowledge she had gained from her brief time spent studying not-fitting-for-a-princess studies. For me that illustrated the point that, while tradition and proper behavior is important, blindly following said tradition is unwise.

          The only complaint I really have, and it’s not much of one, is related to the villains. Throughout this book and even the entire series, all wizards are portrayed as evil and deceitful. There is one short section in the last book of the series that intimates there were some wizards not in on the nefarious plots, but it is a minor, almost missed side statement. This seems a bit one-sided and unrealistic, but it fits in this story-world. This same story-world presents most princesses as bubble-headed, dragons as noble, witches and magicians as good (they are different than wizards) and cats as helpful.

          All in all, “Dealing with Dragon” and its companion books, “Searching for Dragons,” “Calling on Dragons” and “Talking to Dragons” are fun forays into the fantasy land of The Enchanted Forest and its neighboring kingdoms.

         Fortune”s Fool by Mercedes Lackey (ISBN-13: 978-0-373-80266-1 or ISBN-10 0-373-80266-8) is another story from the 500 Kingdoms and is published by Luna, an imprint of Harlequin in 2007.

         Like the previous 500 Kingdom stories (one of which I reviewed), Fortune’s Fool is set in a fantasy land that has a magical force called The Tradition that nudges (or pushes) people toward well-known story-paths. The hero and heroine of Fortune’s Fool both come from families who have learned to, if not manipulate The Tradition, at least to influence it to the benefit of their respective kingdoms.

         Sasha’s great-grandfather, while he was still a Prince, procured the help of a Godmother to teach him, made a bargain with a dragon for the needed dragon blood and set about learning all he could about The Tradition. He taught his family that there always needed to be a Scholar, one who studied The Tradition and could predict and guide the family so that they and the kingdom prospered.

         Katya and her Sea-King family also knew of and used The Tradition to aid their kingdom. As magical creatures, mer-people were even more at the mercy of The Tradition. Katya’s father, while still a Prince, determined that they would instead control The Tradition. One such tradition he changed was the one that mermaids would sing sailors to their death. He sent out bards singing songs depicting an alternate story for mermaids, that said sailors merely forgot their One True Loves, at least until the One True Love managed to break the spell. And, soon, because of “seeding” The Tradition this way, that story became prominent.

         Both Katya and Sasha are the youngest in their families, seventh daughter and seventh son. According to The Tradition this was the position of Fool. Both families used this to their advantage. Sasha appeared foolish on the surface, but in reality went about singing songs that manipulated The Tradition and bringing prosperity to his kingdom. Katya, seemingly insignificant to those who bothered to notice her, slipped in and out of the Drylanders and the Sea Kingdoms, watching and listening and bringing reports back to her father, the Sea King of one of the most prosperous and benevolent sea kingdoms.

         Katya and Sasha meet and fall in love while on their many wanderings. Unlike many romances, this is really just the beginning of the story. When Katya is kidnapped by a djinn intent on gathering magical power and taking over neighboring kingdoms, Sasha begins his search. Both face many perils as they struggle to defeat the rising evil surrounding them.

         Mercedes Lackey creates a wonderfully detailed and believable fantasyscape. Her stories are a joy to read, with one exception. Physical intimacy is, while not casual is at least common in the land of the 500 Kingdoms. Sasha and Katya indulge in several explicit encounters. It is refreshing to learn that Sasha is a virgin, but both Katya’s and Sasha’s attitudes in that area are off-center of what is considered moral to a practicing Christian. Fortunately, the bulk of the intimate encounters occur in one short section, about halfway through the story. If you are so inclined, you could easily skip over those scenes. The rest of the story is an enchanting adventure and romance that you might well enjoy. I did.

         Today is a “guest reviewer day.” That’s when I send you to read another’s review of something I’ve read. Enjoy!

         Several months ago I made a remark to someone that I thought the Harry Potter series was one of the most Christian stories I’ve ever read. In terms of illustrating truth in an emotionally powerful way, it succeeds better than many books written specifically for the Christian reader. The themes of good vs evil, of redemption and forgiveness, of sacrifice and honor and the power of love are threads throughout the series. The last book brings them all to a very satisfying conclusion.

         One day I will expound on that, but for now I’ll refer you to another reviewer who says something similar. (You might also want to follow the links that reveal her growth of opinion.)

         Let me know what you think!

         “The Charmed Sphere”, ISBN 0-373-80203-X, was written by Catherine Asaro and published by Luna, an imprint of Harlequin Books in 2004. Asaro has published several other books with Luna, “The Misted Cliffs,” “The Fire Opal” and “The Dawn Star.”

         “The Charmed Sphere” is set in the fantasy kingdom of Aronsdale. In this kingdom mages rule alongside the monarch. In fact, it is traditional for the most powerful eligible mage to marry the king. That is the reason Della No-Cozen, Shape-Mage Mistress of Castle Suncroft is scouring the countryside. To find a budding mage to train who will also marry the heir of the throne. Chime appears to be that mage.

         Chime reluctantly accompanies Della back to Castle Suncroft and begins her training. Soon after, another mage is discovered and joins the lessons. The two girls struggle, each in different ways, to master the intricacies of using shapes and colors to produce spells. During that time, a long-lost heir is discovered, the kingdom is threatened by a growing evil in the north and Chime marries Muller, the disinherited heir.

         The rest of the story reveals the growing threat from an alliance with the bitter, grasping king to the north and a malignant and corrupted mage. This evil mage has apparently been brutally abused and tortured because of his powerful mage abilities. He lashes out at those he sees as responsible for his fate. The northern kingdom’s monarch uses this to set in motion a plan to conquer Aronsdale.

         Chime, Muller, Jarid, the returned heir and king, and Iris, the mage who found and later married him prepare to meet this growing menace. They attempt to uncover and defeat plots, both inside and outside the castle. This struggle is mirrored by their personal struggles to understand and control their individual powers. Each of them is powerful, but something about them is different and defies known and accepted information and practices. As they grapple with their inner battles, they secure a trust and alliance with each other that allows them to ultimately defeat the threat to themselves and Aronsdale.

         Because this fantasy world is radically different from our own reality, it may seem difficult to compare it to Christian norms. However, the emphasis on personal integrity and responsibility is compatible with Christian principles. There is little that is objectionable and much that is laudable in this story. The importance of compassion and forgiveness is emphasized, as is the need for seeking the motive underlying the action. The need for responsible development in the use of skills and talents is another important concept. The awareness and lessons learned about wielding magic are especially appropriate for a practicing Christian. One such lesson, that when a spell is used which causes pain or damage to another, the wielder is hurt in proportion to that damage, is a theme that runs throughout the entire book.

         The one possibly objectionable portion of the story is when Chime and Muller become physically intimate. While done tastefully, with nothing explicit written in any of the love scenes, this is a clear violation of the Christian command for purity in sexual matters. Within the context of the story, it must be admitted, this action is condemned as wrong by those in authority, if not by Chime and Muller.

         All in all, “The Charmed Sphere” is a fascinating, exhilarating adventure of love, intrigue and personal discovery. For the Christian who enjoys romance in fantasy lands, this book has much good to offer. Enjoy!