Dragons Can Only Rust: TSR Novel

I wish that more science fiction was written with this level of depth and literary quality. The fact that virtually no one has heard of it is tragic. The book's one great flaw is that it and its sequel, Dragon Reforged, should have been printed as a single book--this one ends very abruptly in the middle of things. It address the spiritual and religious questions raised by the prospect of artificial intelligence. The sequel is even better, but as I've emphasized, it's all one continuous story. Read this. It's good for you. And then recommend it to your friends. I hate the thought of this gem languishing in obscurity.

This is on of the most original books I've ever read. An emotional tale extraordinarily well told, both gripping and thought provoking. If you want some thing different from your run of the mill SF or Fantasy stories this is the book for you. Gonard the dragon, rejected by his creator as a failed experiment rebels against him when he tries to dismantel him for spare parts for his latest creation. Captured by the Authorities. He is placed on trial for murder. Gonard's only hope is to prove that he is truely alive, not just a machine. Banished along with Itsa a synical young Refugee from an asteroid colony, and the medtech an earlyer android creation of Gonard's master with questionable ethics, Gonard must find wether or not he has a soul. Gonard's character is laid out with such clarity that you probably find your self identifying with him, even asking yourself some of the same questions. The other characters are no less lucid and give you vivid feel for a truely stunning world. You must get both books to fully appreciate this story, but who cares they're both brilliant!

The story of a mechanichal dragon and its quest for identity and purpose. It takes you places you would never expect from a fantacy book about dragons. It takes the "what makes an android diffenrent from a man" story and explores it in an original and compelling way. The only down side is that it dosn't realy end and you need to read the second book to find out the dragons fate.

In actuality, I had picked up the sequel, Dragon Reforged, first. The cover was what captured my attention. After finishing the second-half of Gonard's journey I had to buy the first book, and learn how it all began. This is most-likely the very first story where the lead character is a dragon. The story-telling is superb. We learn about these wonderful characters...the dragon, the woman Itsa, and the android Medtech; their personal desires, and how each uses the other to attain a common goal. We learn about Life, and how it pushes one to become more than they are. I felt for Gonard more than any other character in literature, and as the reader, I learned that a dragon can still infuse me with that mystical sense of awe and wonder.

This is by far one of the greatest fansty books of all time, it challenges are preconceptions on dragons and makes us rethink fansaty as we know it.