Wrede, Patricia C. Calling on Dragons (1994). 244 Pages. Scholastic. $3.95*
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Book Three
Because this is the third book in a series, there are very likely to be spoilers for the first two books. Proceed with caution.
It is purely by accident that King Mendanbar discovers that his sword has been stolen by wizards, allowing them to once again steal the forest’s magic. The bold theft is what will lead our familiar (and not-so-familiar) cast on yet another adventure to save the forest. With the sword out of the Enchanted Forest, however, Mendanbar must remain at home to be the focus of the protection spell. This means that Cimorene must lead the party, and Mendanbar is by no means happy about it.
In Calling on Dragons we see their adventures from Morwen’s point of view, which means that we get to hear what her cats are actually saying for the first time. They lend a comedic edge to the book which it would otherwise have been missing. (And it gives us some insight into cat romance). Killer, the six foot tall talking blue donkey-rabbit who blunders into more and more difficult and stupid situations. He makes things funny, but can at times be very annoying.
We see a lot more of the world outside the Enchanted Forest or Mountains of Morning, mostly due to the adventure. Telemain speaks in magical technical gibberish, and Kazul stops him. Morwen is practical, Cimorene equally so. Killer is silly, and the cats are funny. There is also a very entertaining scene with a cranky magic mirror. This book, like the others, will have you laughing and enjoying yourself.
The Quick Version:
As I have said on other books which are the third in the series; it’s more of a bridge than a stand-alone book. The story begins, but does not conclude, and has a rather severe cliffhanger at the end. It is still good, is still very entertaining, and in a lot of ways is my favorite book in the series. It gets a 4.5 out of 5 because of the cliffhanger.
If you want to read it, pick it up on Amazon or though Swaptree.
__________________________
* This is the price on the old edition which I received used.
Yea, that cliffhanger is one of the worst. I remember having to get the 4th one ASAP. I forgot about Morwen’s cats though. I guess I should reread the third one. Too bad the whole series is at my parent’s house.
LikeLike
It’s too bad you’re so far away, or I’d let you borrow them. Maybe your mom could mail them for you? (Or you could get them through the library)
LikeLike
I love Morwen’s cats! I always wished we had been able to see more of her cats – Trouble and Scorn were around for most of the book, but the others seemed fun too. Sigh.
LikeLike
While the others were very fun, we would have had a lot more dumb to wade through– Fiddlesticks seems at least as dumb as Killer.
LikeLike
Mm, true. But maybe Miss Eliza, and Jasmine, and Murgatroyd the gangster cat – I thought they were fun. 🙂
LikeLike