Reviewed by Tim Case
TITLE - Bob the Dragon Slayer,
AUTHOR - Harry E. Gilleland, Jr.
PRICE - 2.30 (ebook), $8.95 (print)
GENRE - Fantasy
ISBN - 1411633156
PUBLISHER - Lulu
POINT OF SALE Lulu
Bob the Dragon Slayer is an Arthurian tale of a young peasant, named Bob, who, having acquired a sword named Bruce, sets about making a career for himself by, well, slaying dragons. He meets many interesting characters along the way, including a wizard named Stephan and a knight named Willie, and has many adventures roaming around the countryside on his horse, Spot. As Bob's career advances, a romance emerges, and Bob faces many unforeseen challenges, including, but not limited to the slaying of dragons. The book is written in the style of a great-grandfather relating this legend to his family after a thanksgiving day feast. It's language is simple, straight-forward, and tinged with a healthy dose of sarcasm and wit throughout. Often the language is repetitive and the story stumbles a little because of this, but overall this is a minor drawback to the tale.
The characters do come through as real people, and I found myself developing a fondness for each of them. Throughout the book, the author even manages to occasionally make some limited commentary on human nature. The fact that this commentary is limited is not a bad thing, as it ensures that the other-wise light-hearted story does not get bogged down in the complexities of real life, but still has a good time poking fun at them.
It seems the book is aimed mostly at a young audience, though there are certainly occasional asides that an older reader will enjoy. This book offers a funny and charming jaunt through Bob's life that would make excellent bed-time reading for
children up to about ten years old. The act of writing and relating stories to younger generations is a crucial one, and Harry E. Gilleland Jr. performs this feat quite well. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking for something sweet and simple to softly sweep their children to sleep with. This book really shows the usefulness of print on demand in allowing for the sharing of good stories, between friends, family members, or anyone of like mind to their tellers, and that's what this is all about.
RATING: 7/10
SEE ALSO:
10/10 Lulu
10/10 Amazon
9/10 Bookideas
6/10 Reviewcentre
8/10 Molly's reviews
AVERAGE RATING: 8.3/10
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