05/20/2019
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. (June)
Praise for The Last Tsar’s Dragons
“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 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.”
—Kirkus
“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.”
—Booklist
“A dark and disturbing alternate history, laced through with symbols and secrets.”
—Emma Bull, author of The Chronicles of the Borderlands
“This one is vivid, gripping and actually riveting, as the Red Danger takes a whole new meaning here. Loved it.”
—The Book Smugglers
“In essence, Yolen and Stemple create new origin or ending tales for key people of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. The dragons, though a real part of the story, are also a metaphor for power, and the story becomes as philosophical as entertaining.”
—Grasping for the Wind
“To include dragons in the Russian Revolution seems like the kind of inspired idea that, in lesser hands, could not possibly live up to a reader’s expectations; but Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple take that idea and soar with it, spinning a tale of alternate history that is both wondrous and sublime. The book is elegant, quotable, and at the end, I simply wished for more.”
—James A. Owen, author of Here, There Be Dragons
“History buffs and dragon fans will enjoy this mix of reality and fantasy.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Everything’s better with dragons . . . We should be grateful for the whims of creative fate because The Last Tsar’s Dragons is a well-written, clever novella that’s worth your time.”
—Elitist Book Reviews
“Glorifies no one, poking fun at the characters in a style that reminded me a bit of Bulgakov. The authors are clearly masters of their form.”
—Shoreline of Infinity
“A subtle blend of historical veracity and counterfactual dreaming.”
—Asimov’s SF
