Dragon Fairy Tales

Would you sell your soul to save your skin? The innkeeper's daughter dreams of a dashing knight and beautiful dresses, but her father marries her off to a lazy woodcutter. So she takes matters-and her husband's stolen guilders-into her own hands. Little does she know that greed is contagious and his disease has woken the dragon. Can she trick the dragon into leaving his treasure with her and taking back his scales or will this disease ruin even her modest home? With the second stand-alone Dragon Fairy Tale, D.C. Harrell can make you snicker, but don't take it too lightly. This dragon knows how to negotiate and when he seals a deal, he sears it in fire. If you like a slightly sarcastic medieval narrator, this is the magical woods for you.

Talk is not cheap! Stutter is the fourth of twelve sons and no one ever listens to him. So when he warns his brothers to stay on the serpent-blaze trail, they ignore him, straying into dangerous territory. Something is out there. It hunts them through the forest. Can Stutter talk them back to safety? In this third stand-alone Dragon Fairy Tale, D.C. Harrell weaves a world of power and spin. But beware the effects of dragonwear. According to Stutter's grandma, a cunning mind might prove useful in politics, but it interferes dreadfully with one's sleep. If you like clever heroes with just as much brains as brawn, this is the adventure for you.

Save the baby. Save the world. Tungel is pregnant, and the baby's father is absent. As her contractions escalate, way-drakes slither closer, scorching the furniture and threatening to set the house on fire. The fire dragons thirst for her baby's blood. Tungel must flee to the river or burn alive with the child. Her parents insist that she sacrifice the baby to save herself. She refuses, appealing to star magic and her beloved's promise to protect her. Will her lover arrive in time to stop this drake-take? With the fourth stand-alone Dragon Fairy Tale, D.C. Harrell wrings you out like a mop, but don't read it if you take your supergirls sanitized. This heroine's journey into young adulthood is a mess of mythical animals, afterbirth and blood-power. If you like stubborn heroines who fight through murky magic, then Drake Take is the wild water for your next swim.

Well behaved women seldom make handbags. Rohi hates handbags, but Mama insists she learn to handcraft one. First she must hunt a dragon; then fashion her own lady-case from its hide. But Rohi's convinced that following this tradition won't really help the family purse business stay afloat or satisfy her mother, much less herself. What she craves is respect, not pretty-pretty accessories. So she steals her uncle's airboat and navigates deep into the Erbwaters swamp. Will she earn the regard of a legendary dragon hunter or die trying to save the family business on her own? With the fifth stand-alone Dragon Fairy Tale, D.C. Harrell stokes your fire for freedom, but don't stray too close to the water unless you're willing to swim with the dragons. Do you like relentless heroines and a touch of romance in your dragon hunts? Then this is a coming-of-age adventure for you.

The bigger the hair, the stronger the stare. While her parents are fishing, Amma feeds her seven siblings and readies them for school each morning. She doesn't have time for intricate hairstyles, but Grandma insists that pretty locks, not an education, will impress potential suitors and stop the neighbors' gossip. When Amma's mother is killed by a pterodactyl-like targon on the Kongamato River, Amma drops out of high school to care for the family. Faced with dwindling resources, Amma must retreat to Grandma's tidy plans or brave the dragon that terrorized her mama. Will Amma trust to Grandma's tradition or believe her own eyes? Do you revel in the strange worlds of Nnedi Okorafor? Then this is the enchanted country for you.

Hunger, cunning, smart-talk, blood-power, tenacity, and cocky composure power the adventures of six everyday champions as they battle sea-serpents and cryptids, dragons and way-drakes. With the collected Dragon Fairy Tales, D.C. Harrell lures you through medieval forests and fetid swamps, African legends and Scottish highlands, but you'll burn your fingers on this treasure trove if you're seeking safe supergirls. These coming-of-age heroines defy expectations to stake their territory among dragon knights of the fantasy world. Can Innkeeper's Daughter trick the dragon into leaving his treasure and taking back his scales or will greed ruin her new home? Will Rohi hunt the Red drakonile or will she die trying to save her family from ruin? Can Fisherman's sons fill their bellies with monster meat or will they pay their own pound of flesh? Will Tungel wait for her lover to rescue their baby from the drake-take or will she save the child herself? Can Stutter talk his brothers back to safety or will they be consumed? Does Amma trust to targon-tradition or does she dare to believe her own eyes? Drink your "desire for dragons" and discover if you, too, can filch fire from a dragon and survive.