Dragon (fantasy series)

Lore & Background

Laurence Yep had already written several books including the Newbery Honor novel Dragonwings by 1980, when he decided to adapt Chinese mythology into a fantasy form. He chose a folktale about the Monkey King capturing a river spirit who had flooded a city, initially conceiving it as a picture book. However, questioning the river spirit's motivations led his outline to expand from eight to 800 pages, requiring a series. The story evolved to involve the Monkey King pursuing the river spirit, renamed Civet, into 'our reality', taking several normal children from our universe into theirs. After completing several drafts, Yep realized a special pair—a dragon and her boy—stole every scene, leading him to restructure the series around Shimmer and Thorn.

Reader's Guide

The Dragon series represents Laurence Yep's sustained effort to bring Chinese mythological elements into Western fantasy literature, a goal he had held since selling his first science fiction story at 18. Yep 'tried to stay true to the spirit' of the myths without keeping their exact details. The series was written over twelve years, with each book picking up where the previous left off. Yep wrote the books simultaneously with other works, such as Dragon of the Lost Sea alongside The Mark Twain Murders. The character Shimmer, described as 'opinionated, arrogant, and has a quick temper', became so independent that Yep noted he had 'never written about a character quite so independent, even demanding'. This immersion in the dragon character sometimes caused strain with his wife, fellow author Joanne Ryder, as the 'dragon' in him would emerge. The series concludes with the restoration of the Inland Sea and Shimmer assuming leadership of her people.

Did You Know?

• Yep had always wanted to adapt Chinese mythology into fantasy since selling his first science fiction story at 18.
• The series began as an eight-page outline that ballooned to 800 pages.
• The series is primarily told from Shimmer's perspective throughout, including the third book, Dragon Cauldron.
• Dragon of the Lost Sea was published in 1982, while The Mark Twain Murders was published in 1963.