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The Dragon Of Cripple Creek (2011)

by Troy Howell(Favorite Author)

3.66 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0810997134 (ISBN13: 9780810997134)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Harry N. Abrams

review 1: My desire to read this book was three fold. One, the author was a Troy Howell-- a man I never recognized as an author but knew as that fantastic artist for the American 'Redwall' covers. Second, the story centered around a dragon. And three, it took place in Cripple Creek, the grownup arcade, the little tone alive with coin clinking and what sounds like 50,000 gameboys blasting at once. Suffice it to see I didn't enjoy my last trip to Cripple Creek, but it's a place I know, and so the book needed to be read.Like so many children's books, this one was mis-marketed. It's about a dragon and a child-- a combination deadly in the eyes of most high-and-mighty adult readers. This story could only go in the children's section. But I don't think it would appeal to young read... moreers. The descriptions are lengthy, the metaphors thick. The 8+ "target audience" would likely get bored before the 50th page (which is when we meet the dragon).This wasn't an exciting book. But nor was it terrible. It was like taking a stroll through a story rather than blasting through a thriller (a demand I find overrated in today's market). It had good characters and a fun premise. Troy Howell has a beautiful knack for imagery.
review 2: A cool American fantasy idea that gets a bit bogged down in the telling. Kat and her family have had a rough time of it. Her mom's in a coma, her dad lost his job, and now with her older brother the three of them are traveling cross country to California. Along the way they stop in a town where an old gold mine called the Mollie Kathleen gives Kat a tour of an underground world. While there, she unexpectedly gets separated from the group and meets Ye, an ancient dragon, the last of his kind. Taking one of his gold nuggets, Kat returns to the surface where her discovery sets off the greatest gold rush of the 21st century. I had a great deal of difficulty believing that the media would completely lambast a girl like Kat to the extent that they did in the course of this story. As for the plot, it meanders for quite a while, finally finding its footing at the end. A nice enough book, but it makes for a distracting read. - B less

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