A Natural History of Dragons: Excerpt and Giveaway
You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .
All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.
Marie Brennan introduces an enchanting new world in A Natural History of Dragons.
enclosed by a dome of glass panels that let in the afternoon sunlight. We stood
on a walkway that circled the room’s perimeter and overlooked a deep,
sand-floored pit divided by heavy grates into three large pie-slice enclosures.
those enclosures were three dragons.
myself entirely, I rushed to the rail. In the pit below me, a creature with
scales of a faded topaz gold turned its long snout upward to look back at me. From
behind my left shoulder, I heard a muffled exclamation, and then someone having
a fainting spell. Some of the more adventurous gentlemen came to the railing
and murmured amongst themselves, but I had no eyes for them — only for the
dragon in the pit.
heavy clanking sounded as it turned its head away from me, and I saw that a
heavy collar bound its neck, connecting to a thick chain that ended at the
wall. The gratings between the sections of the pit, I noticed, were doubled; in
between each pair there was a gap, so the dragons could not snap at one another
through the bars.
slow, fascinated steps, I made my way around the room. The enclosure to the right
held a muddy green lump, likewise chained, that did not look up as I passed. The
third dragon was a spindly thing, white-scaled and pink-eyed: an albino.
Swargin waited at the rail by the entrance. Sparing him a glance, I saw that he
watched everyone with careful eyes as they circulated about the room. He had
warned us, at the outset of the tour, not to throw anything or make noises at
the beasts; I suspected that was a particular concern here.
golden dragon had retired to the farthest corner of its enclosure to gnaw on a
large bone mostly stripped of meat. I studied it carefully, noting certain
features of its anatomy, comparing its size against what appeared to be a cow
femur. “Mr. Swargin,” I said, my eyes still on the dragon, “these aren’t
juveniles, are they? They’re runts.”
beg your pardon?” the naturalist responded, turning to me.
might be wrong — I’ve only Edgeworth to go by, really, and he’s sadly lacking
in illustrations — but my understanding was that species of true dragon do not
develop the full ruff behind their heads until adulthood. I could not get a
good view of the green one the next cage over — is that a Moulish swamp-wyrm?
— but these cannot be full-grown adults, and considering the difficulties of
keeping dragons in a menagerie, it seems to me that it might be simpler to
collect runt specimens, rather than to deal with the eventual maturation of
juveniles. Of course, maturation takes a long time, so one could –”
that point, I realized what I was doing, and shut my mouth with a snap. Far too
late, I fear; someone had already overheard.
Marie Brennan is a former academic with
a background in archaeology, anthropology, and folklore, which she now puts to
rather cockeyed use in writing fantasy. She lives in the San Francisco Bay
Area. In addition to many short stories and novellas, she
is also the author of A Star Shall Fall
and With Fate Conspire (both from Tor
Books), as well as Warrior, Witch, Midnight Never Come, In Ashes
Lie, and Lies and Prophecy. You
can find her online at SwanTower.com.
