The Last Tsar's Dragons

May 1, 2019

The mother-and-son writing team (The Last Changeling) here collaborate on another work of fantastical fiction, this time based on the Russian Revolution. Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra have much to disagree about: treatment for their ailing son, her reliance on the mystical monk Rasputin, and the barn outside the palace full of imperial dragons. The tsar considers the dragons his children, useful for terrorizing peasants and keeping order. The tsarina respects their power but is easily misled into thinking the tsar's dragons killed her most-trusted adviser. Neither monarch is aware that rebel forces have raised dragons of their own and are ready to change the balance of power forever. Told from the viewpoints of characters both fictional and historical, the story easily conveys how well-known figures, including revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, would respond to a fantastical crisis. VERDICT This brief, inventive genre crossover is recommended for fans of Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" series and those who enjoy dragons in their world history.--Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 20, 2019
The monk Rasputin, Jewish revolutionary Bronstein, Tsarina Alexandra, and an unnamed bureaucrat share narrative responsibility in this fractured tale of a very alternate Russian Revolution. The Tsar owns black dragons, which he uses to terrorize the countryside. In an attempt to spark Lenin’s revolution, Bronstein raises his own brood of red dragons. As Alexandra and the bureaucrats become more disillusioned with Rasputin’s self-importance, the Red Terror takes to the skies, bringing death in its wake. This expansion of Yolen and Stemple’s short story (from The Dragon Book) relegates the dragons to an undercurrent. While they remain a powerful metaphor for the proletariat and serf classes, their physical presence is diluted across the larger human cast. However, the familiar events are still made more intense by their fantastic underpinnings. The weight of the historical events is eased by the anyman bureaucrat, a masterful encapsulation of the court into an individual. History buffs and dragon fans will enjoy this mix of reality and fantasy.

May 15, 2019
Mother-and-son writing team Yolen and Stemple's first book for adults explores the period right before the Russian Revolution?but with the fun addition of dragons, which serves to heighten the conflict between the political strife and the Russian court. Alternating narrators give insight into the various historical figures, including the uniquely enjoyable Rasputin, and the relationship between the Tsar and Tsarina adds an emotional element. The dragons present a challenge to the revolution, but the enemies of the crown, whether revolutionaries or not, may have a way to defeat the beasts. The melding of historical fiction and fantasy with a known and important moment in history creates a thought-provoking, creative novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

April 15, 2019
Master fantasist Yolen (How To Fracture a Fairy Tale, 2018, etc.) and her son Stemple collaborate on a novella that merges dragons with the Russian Revolution. Cycling among the points of view of the last tsar, Nicholas II, his wife, the tsarina Alexandra, the notorious Grigori Rasputin, Leon Trotsky, and an unnamed court official, the story tells of the downfall of tsarist Russia and the rise of the revolution--but if you think you know the story, think again. Because in this Russia, the tsar sends out flights of black-scaled, fire-breathing dragons to harass his enemies, especially the Jews, and Leon Trotsky (known in the book by his birth name, Bronstein) has managed to secretly raise an army of his own dragons--these are red and fighting for the revolution. Despite the high stakes, the story feels quite intimate as it leads us to gaze on each player in turn: the tsarina, a foreigner to her husband's country, plagued with worry over her ill son and believing that only Rasputin can save him; Rasputin himself, driven by his madness, lusts, and ambition; Bronstein, who struggles to keep hold of the weapon he has given to the revolution; and our nameless court dignitary, whose hatred of Rasputin drives much of the action. The dragons themselves are never afterthoughts--their effect on the characters, even when they are not present, worms its way into nearly every scene--but they are also not the players of the drama. Like the impending revolution, their presence simply hangs over the characters with the shadow of brutal, impersonal violence. Where the characters end up is not surprising--we know the history, after all--but getting there is delightful, carried along by crisp, tight prose and the authors' marvelous imaginations.

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