Dragon Dance

Rating:
Summary: Did John Christopher Get Bored With Writing This Trilogy?
Review: This is the last book of the "Fireball" trilogy.

Don't get me wrong, I have been a huge fan of John Christopher most of my life. I started with The Tripods and The Prince In Waiting trilogys, and later on I read "The Guardians" and "Empty World" and my respect for this author did not diminish.

Likewise I read "Fireball" and "Newfoundland" (the first two books of the trilogy) and got very into the story. Two boys find themselves on a parallel earth with the Roman Empire still ruling Britain in 1981 A.D which takes them prisoner. But I don't think this last book was as good as its prequels.

Now "Dragon Dance" tells of Simon and Brad being kidnapped by Chinese slave-traders (along with Red Indians in California whom they were staying with). They're taken to China, which turns out to be more industrialised than any other country on this frightening primitive "If" world. The two of them once again have to use their wits and knowledge of their own science to escape, defeat enemies and change this world for the better. Maybe.

As I said I do think this was a very good fascinating concept for a trilogy, but the last book was not as good. The writing and events often indicate the author was eager to get the story over and done with, and so the events and some of the dialouge don't seem to have been "perfected".

Also I must say it's a bit unrealistic in parts i.e. the two friends help the inhabitants of this other earth manufacture weapons and technology quite quickly. And, without giving too much away, at the end they meet a strange magic man who can possibly show them a way home. But he turns out to be someone from our history who I find hard to believe would have been born in this alternative timeline, let alone have the same name, even if his Buddhist meditation kept him alive all these centuries!

While I do recommend you read this book to find out what happens to our heroes, I caution you to not be too disappointed by it. I was told I am the first one to review this book and I can see why.