The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volumes 1-3: Boxed Set: Dragon's Blood, Heart's Blood, and A Sending of Dragons (Pit Dragon Chronicles)

Book Description

The adventures of young dragon master Jakkin Stewart are brilliantly chronicled in this epic fantasy--from his apprenticeship in Dragon's Blood, to his breathtaking escape with his beloved Akki in Heart's Blood, and straight through to their harrowing discovery in the third volume, A Sending of Dragons. Revered by devoted fans for more than twenty years, these first three volumes of Jane Yolen's fierce and fiery dragon tales are published together for the first time--in a handsome boxed set that's sure to win over legions of new admirers.

Customer Reviews:

Great reading.......2007-09-06

This trilogy was a really great read. I am hoping that the 4th book will show up soon. I was really involved with the story and the characters. You will enjoy these books!

great trilagy .......2007-07-10

it was a childhood favorit and still is good for a weekend of reading. Only problem was it ended to soon.

Phenomenal.......2007-03-26

Does anyone else remember the Storybreak show that used to come on after Saturday morning cartoons in the '80's? Every week, a different book would be turned into a half-hour animated special. It was a wonderful program, and my favorite was Dragon's Blood, the first book in Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Chronicles. So I got the books and discovered that they were vastly different from the cartoon. As much as I loved the cartoon, the books were far, far better. Amazing characters (oh, how I wanted to marry Jakkin when I was a teen!), including the dragons, an incredible world, and stories that made me gasp and cry and laugh. These are phenomenal books for all ages, something that can be read over and over. The writing is flawless and the books are simply perfect.

Great for teens.......2007-01-28

When I was a teen I would have rated this a 5. I'm older now, and my tastes have changed. Still a favorite, but not nearly as good as I remember. I still recommend it, but not as highly.

Into the Pit.......2005-09-22

Jane Yolen gave the old dragon legends a facelift in the Pit Dragon Trilogy, a trio of sci-fantasy novels set on a faraway prison planet. There's nothing fantastical or pretty about the world she creates here -- it's gritty, dusty, raw and very dangerous.

The action takes place on the planet of Austar IV, a miserable desert planet inhabited by drug-filled weeds, slave "bonders" and their masters, giant dragons, and deadly temperatures. The only real recreation is gambling on dragons who fight in the Pits.

In "Dragon's Blood," orphaned bonder Jakkin dreams of freedom, and has a secret plan to fill his bag with gold and free himself -- steal a new dragon hatchling and quietly raise it to fight in the pits. He finds an uncounted hatchling and spirits it away to the hills. But he soon learns that someone knows his secret -- the pretty Akki, an independent girl who is hiding an odd secret of her own. But even her help may not be enough to free Jakkin from slavery.

By "Heart's Blood," Jakkin has raised enough gold from Heart's Blood, and is now a free man and a dragon trainer. In theory, that is all he wants. But then he learns that Akki is in trouble, and becomes determined to save her, even though Heart's Blood has just hatched five babies. To help Akki, Jakkin will risk his life in the midst of bloodthirsty freedom fighters...

"A Sending of Dragons" is the bittersweet third volume of this trilogy. Jakkin and Akka have been physically transformed, so that they can communicate with the dragons. Now they are on the run from ordinary humans, and end up running into a lost tribe of degenerate humans, who also are bonded with their dragons... dangerously.

There aren't a lot of original dragon stories -- most are clones of Anne McCaffrey or J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Jane Yolen scratched all that, and creates an almost entirely new kind of dragon -- they're actually not the mythical creatures, but a type of alien lizards.

She also crafts an intricate political system, with terrorists and shady senators, and a dusty desert world where everyone is descended from prisoners (it resembles Australia in many ways). Akki and Jakkin are brought to life in their sensitivity and strength, and Yolen's writing brings the dragons to life. They seem almost like real creatures, animal but close to human beings.

With a fourth volume tentatively scheduled for 2006, it's about time to revisit the Pit Dragon Trilogy. For outstanding stories about dragons and the humans who train them, these books are among the best.

Heart's Blood: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume Two (Pit Dragon Chronicles)

Average customer rating:

A Booming Sensation
Blood Sight
Niq's (On Time) school project
Heart's Blood
Hearts Blood

Heart's Blood: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume Two (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Magic Carpet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 015205118X

Book Description

Jakkin risks everything--his freedom, his dragon, even his life--to rescue his beloved in this stirring sequel to Dragon's Blood.

Customer Reviews:

A Booming Sensation.......2007-01-27

As Jakkin and Hearts Blood become one of the most feared dragon fighters, something unexpected happens. A nuclear bomb goes off! Now the police are after him and his new girlfriend Akki. They have only one choice, trust in his Dragon and head for the hills. When reading Hearts Blood I was always in a sense of awe. Reading this book really shows how well Jane Yolen can write.

When Jane Yolen wrote Hearts Blood, she must have been in a perfect writing zone for the whole time. It seemed as though Jane's excellent writing skills were mirrored by her creative imagination. For example, the image of a feral dragon loaming the skies, made Jakkin's knees felt a tingling sensation, which was like being stabbed by a thousand needles in the leg.

The suspense of Hearts Blood is an exact image of the high quality writing used. When Hearts Blood tried to stop the police from reaching Jakkin and Akki, the pages seemed to be turning ever faster. However, when you found out Hearts Blood saved their life by sacrificing hers, you would almost have a tear come to your eye.

As the final page was turned, I was overcome by a sense of sadness, only to be overcome by a sense of happiness. This was because I knew there was a third book in the series A
Sending of Dragons. This certainly will have the same quality of this magnificent book.

Blood Sight.......2006-10-17

This book is the second book in the seris The Pit Dragon Chronicles.
Even thought i didn't read the first book, i found this book to be a pretty good book.It has a nice blend of Action, Adventure, and the occasional romance. This book shows the overall emotion, comprehension and the pure thrill of Dragons.Jakkin owns his own dragon named Hearts blood which fights in the Rokk.
Anyway this book is about the main character Jakkin, a stout fellow, who receives a note from Akki. Golden gave him the note, and knows where she might be. So Jakkin begins he search for her a the Rokk a major city in Austar. He fights with his dragon at the two pit matches. After she wins both, he goes bar to bar looking for Akki, and the rebel that Golden was going to send to Jakkin. A man comes and dies beside Jakkin in an ally, but not before leaving him a message. He goes to the nearest bar and tells the bartender his troubles. The bartender keeps him after, and the rebel cell comes in. Number 1, number 2, number 3 (Really akki), number 4 and number 5. They don't use names... Jakkin and Akki take a case to the pits, which is really and bomb. They leave before the pits come down.The wardens chase jakkin and akki because they suspect them of the crime. Also i will give away the ending. The dragon dies, and Jakkin and Akki get some power called "Dragon sight".

~Dragon force the band sucks~
~GO CHILDREN OF BODEM!~

Niq's (On Time) school project.......2006-01-11

Jane Yolen's "Heart's Blood" is an incredible read. Although I have not finished the book, it shows great promise towards the end of the book.
Jakkin (the main character) is an ex-bonder that won his freedom from a dragon that he stole. Heart's Blood (Jakkin's dragon) is a female "mute" dragon. She does not roar when wounded or in any pain. She has won 22 out of 24 fights. One of the greatest parts of this book and the other is the connection between them. They don't speak or use words but they send pictures or images to each other with colors showing their feelings. Then when Heart's Blood is in the pit fighting, the communication is phenomenal. I would recommend this book to anyone that read.
The book also has a background story that is very exciting. Jakkin has a childhood love that ran away from him to pursue her dreams. Akki (Jakkin's childhood love) has join the rebel's and from some reason needs Jakkin and his dragon's help. The story leads to Jakkin having to e captured by rebels to save Akki. Every page since the 1st story will have you hooked on Jakkin's life.
The overall view of this book is a very good one. I'm not one to e called a reader or even come close to liking reading. But this book and "Dragon's Blood" are amazing with the details. You can't set the book down because you yourself have a bet placed on the next pit fight that Jakkin is entering and you have to know if he wins. You will love this book as much as I do if you read it.

Heart's Blood.......2005-02-09

This is one of the best books I have ever read. This is the second book in a trilogy written by Jane Yolen called "The Pit Dragon Trilogy". I read the first book "Dragons Blood" which is also excellent. The book is very interesting and her descriptions of what is going on makes you feel like you are actually there. The author makes you feel so close to the people and the dragons and gives the dragons almost human traits. The main dragon in the book is Heart's Blood and when you read about her you almost wish you could have a baby dragon. The main character in the book is a boy named Jakkin and he has raised the dragon from an egg. They can read each others minds and have a very strong bond. The book has alot of things that keep you interested and on the edge of your seat. This book starts off a little slower than the first book but once you get into the story you can't put it down. Jakkin starts out as a master dragon trainer which is what he has always wanted. But when the girl that he loves, Akki gets into trouble he realizes that he has to give up everything to help her. He gets involved in a world that he knows nothing about and that is when the story gets exciting. This is a book that when it ends you feel like you are going to miss the characters. I can't wait to start the third book!

Hearts Blood.......2004-05-24

I think Jane Yolen out did herself and hit a homerun, with Hearts Blood, an extraordinary book. In this vivid storyline, a boy named Jakkin risks his life, his dragon Hearts Blood's life, and his dragons hatchlings life, to save his love Akki. The risk was being involved with the rebels who are against the republic and the republic send people down to the colony to keep everything in order but then the rebels exploded the side of the Major dragon pit called in the city of Rokk. The people from the republic think Akki and Jakkin did it so they flee. Will the republic find them or not, what will happen to Jakkin and Akki? read Hearts Blood to find out. I've read the whole series, and many of her other books such as; Devils Arithmetic, The rest of the Pit Dragon trilogy, Merlin, and Armageddon Summer. Her word choice was great because she uses words that you wouldn't normally know the meaning to, but when she uses them you do; such as, "Myriad of colors", and she is very imaginative in the ways she described the dragons.
I highly recommend this book to all young adults.

A Sending of Dragons: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume Three (Pit Dragon Chronicles)

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A Sending of Dragons
A Sending of Dragons
How Can You Have a Fourth Book in A TRILOGY?!
Not worth hearing about!
A flight of pure fantasy

A Sending of Dragons: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume Three (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Magic Carpet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152051287

Book Description

Jakkin and his girlfriend, Akki, discover a primitive cult that sacrifices dragons.

Customer Reviews:

A Sending of Dragons.......2006-02-16

I loved this trilogy. The first book was great. The second book was not quite as good as the first, but still a good read. The third was the same as the second. I think that a lot of questions were left unanswered in A Sending of Dragons, and there wasn't much of a resolution. I still recomend it as a great read.

A Sending of Dragons.......2004-09-29

The first book of the trilogy, Dragon's Blood, was, to put it simply, wonderful. I loved Heart's Blood's amusing antics, but she always held a rather mysterious thing around her. You never knew she was actually a girl, or a mute.

Then came the book Heart's Blood. I thought it would be good because, well, books usually get better, right? Pff. Heart's Blood could've easily lived. Easily. And the fact that there was rarely anything about the Hatchlings, it left me annoyed.

Then came A Sending of Dragons. Complete garbage. Too many things were left untied--Is Auicle related to Heart's Blood? What happened to her? The Hatchling? The Bonders? The pits? That freaky tribe? Nothing that really needed an answer was answered. Yes, the hatchlings' antics were rather amusing(Especially Sssargon's.), but they rarely appeared in the first place. So much more could've happened with the five--Maybe give the Tri more distinct personalities other then doing everything in unison, and echoing each other. Jakkin and Akki were too busy stuck in the cave with a bunch of half-witted people who killed Hendragons to become telepathic.

Basically:Read the first one for amusement, the other two only if you really want to finish the trilogy.

How Can You Have a Fourth Book in A TRILOGY?!.......2004-09-06

The first book was awesome! A bit slow at parts, but hey! It kept me interested. The second book I really read more as to finally get the conflict settled and all, but no, of course this is a Trilogy. When I saw how the second book ended, I should have realized it was getting cheep. I rally should have, but only one more book to the Trilogy, right? So I read, and just what was THAT?! I kept reading, just waiting for it to get better, for the conflict to be solved. And it NEVER CAME. Like the energizer Bunny, it kept going and going, without any real answer. In the end they are all acting like they answered a question, but they didn't. And a guy who was supposed to be dead was now, not dead. This reminds me just of how Dragon Ball Z lost its charm. But wait, have I said yet that this is supposed to be THE THIRD BOOK IN THE TRILOGY?! Then it says, "Coming soon~ the forth book!" Well sorry if I'm not leaping for joy. If the fourth book is any good at all, maybe it should just replace the third. Sorry for being harsh, but this book was not my cup of tea. Read the first book, and maybe the second book, then just make up your own little happy ending, okay? You'll be happier that way, and far less disappointed. Especially after they act like they uncovered some great secret in the second, and in the third it isn't anymore. *Sigh* Yolen is rewriting her own rules. Moral, don't read.

Not worth hearing about!.......2004-05-16

The first book in this series wasn't that bad. (I guess I just don't like Yolen's style). But then came the second book, which was pathetic. It was like Jane Yolen was struggling to finish the damned series. But oh, no, she didn't stop there. She made a the momma of crappy books. Want some real books? Read the Eric Nylund and William Dietz's Halo series (The Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike). Don't waste your crappy time on reading this book which sucks; big time.

A flight of pure fantasy.......2004-01-29

A truly spellbinding book. Yolen has out done herself with her Pit Dragon series. The last book was captivating and your hands will refuse to let you set the book down. The story of Akki and Jakkin continues, along with 5 not so little versions of the beloved Heart's Blood. This is a book for any true Yolen fan and dragon lover! Symbolism and wisdom underlay the breath taking plot which Yolen has written. I personally suggest this to anyone who has a love for fantasy novels, ages young or old.

Dragon's Blood: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume One (Pit Dragon Chronicles)

Average customer rating:

Dragon's Blood ... A Must Read!
Dragon's Blood
Thy Beauty
Dragon's Blood
Avoid. Avoid. AVOID!

Dragon's Blood: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume One (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Magic Carpet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152051260

Book Description

Dragons are trained to fight to the death, and two determined teens help free them in this spellbinding saga.

Training a dragon to be a fighting champion is the only way to freedom for fifteen-year-old Jakkin.

Customer Reviews:

Dragon's Blood ... A Must Read!.......2007-03-26

"I will fill my own bag" was a quote made several times by the main character, Jakkin Stewart. His "bag" was a pouch he kept hanging around his neck (like all the slaves) and it contained gold coins. Fifteen-year old Jakkin Stewart is a bond servant in Master Sarkkhan's dragon barns. Jakkin decided his only hope to earn his freedom is to steal a dragon to secretly train as a fighter. In the end--Jakkin did earn his freedom.

The author,Jane Yolen, was born in New York City on February 11, 1939 and raised in California, New York, and Connecticut. Her father was a teacher in history. She received her bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960 and a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1976. She has three children: Heidi Stemple, Adam Stemple, and Jason Stemple she also has several grandchildren. She was married to a computer scientist David Stemple from 1962 until his death from cancer on March 22, 2006.

The emotional impact the book had on me was it kept me in suspense throughout each chapter. If you enjoy stories about dragon adventures, this is a must read for you. It was full of action and suspense.

Dragon's Blood.......2007-01-22

Jakkin is a fifteen year old bonder (essentially a slave) whose father was a dragon trainer who was killed by a savage dragon in the wilderness when he was only a child. Jakkin's only hope for freedom is raising a prize dragon and gathering enough money to buy his independence. After a recent hatching, Jakkin steals an uncounted dragon from her mother and takes her to the desert and trains her into a pit fighter from a small oasis in the hills.
This book is extremely well written. It has intense description throughout the entire book. Yolen shows great imagination in every sentence and she used the dragons to a great extent to increase the entertainment taken from the book.
In her description of the planet Austar IV, Yolen left nothing out. How she explained the history of the place was superb.When Jakkin first took the dragon after hatching, she described how he snuck her out into the hills with great detail, down to the removal of his footprints from the shifting sands. Her description of characters is just as vivid, she describes Likkarn down to his blister weed stained eyes.
When you read Dragon's Blood, you can tell how imaginative Yolen truly is. How she had told how humans first came to inhabit the planet was obviously only her own. Her development of characters was great, even her dialogue was deep.
When Yolen chose to write a book revolving around dragons, she made a good choice. She has obviously done her research on the subject. She uses every bit of her knowledge to create a lifelike environment (or, at least as lifelike as dragons can be). The entire pit fighting dragons create an atmosphere that brings the book together, but it also throws you off for the next books.
This is an overall great book, and although this book was written for children, I think it is more suited for adult or young agult readers. Yolen's writing style is great, and I think almost anyone would enjoy her and her writing.

Thy Beauty .......2006-12-15

Dragon's Blood is written by Jane Yolen. The book takes place in the future on a planet called Austar IV. Jakkin, the main character, is a bonder which is basically a slave who tries to fill his bag with gold and become a master by filling their bag. Jakkin has friends and is well supplied with food and a bed. But that's not all that Jakkin wants. His dream is to have his own dragon. He knows the dragons that he takes care of by heart but those dragons are not his. Then one day he steals a hurt Hatchling and tries to train it. Life goes on and Jakkin's dragon gets older and bigger and is almost ready for the pits, a place where dragons play a fighting game. But what Jakkin was most worried about was keeping his dragon out of sight. Can Jakkin keep his dragon out of sight or will somebody find his dragon and do something bad to it?
I think Jane Yolen wrote this book because she wanted to tell everybody that big secrets are sometimes hard to keep away from people and sometimes you just have to give them away so you can live with out being worried all the time.

I think this book is filled with friends, enemies and secrets. It is one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read. If you like dragons and secrets [that are extremely big] this is the book for you!

Dragon's Blood.......2006-07-25

Jakkin is really into dragon's so he decides to steal one for himself. He realizes that raising a dragon is a lot harder than he thought. But he sticks to it and his dragon becomes great, to him anyways. He takes him to the pits where he meets the last person he wanted to meet at the time. Jane Yolen's Dragon's Blood would be great for teenager readers of either gender that are interested in fantasy books. I read this book because I thought the cover looked interesting. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I'm glad I did with this one!

Jakkin is a slave boy that works on a dragon farm. He loves dragons and wants one of his own. He decides to steal one from his master, Master Sarkkhan. He takes the hatchling into the desert to an oasis. Every night, before Dark After, he goes to the oasis and feeds his little hatchling. As the dragon grows, Jakkin starts to teach him about being a fighter. His friend, Akki, is the only one that knows about his dragon. She brings him books about training dragons and Jakkin teachs what he learns from them to his dragon. Akki helps him more and more and the other boys start teasing him about her. The dragon is soon bigger than Jakkin himself. The dragon is starting to become the rich red color that only the greatest fighters have and the color that Jakkin had been hoping it would be. A year goes by and the dragon is now bigger than the other dragons its age. Jakkin really want shis dragon to go to the pits and Akki surprises him with a registration form. Akki gets one of her friends to take Jakkin and his dragon to the pits.

Jakkin is just like any other of the bonder boys on the outside, but on the inside he is so much different. He actually loves the dragons and cares for them not just because he as to, but because he likes to. He is shy towards the girls, but acts normal around everyone else.

The setting is on the planet of Austar IV. Master Sarkkhan's farm is in the middle of the desert. The way they dress makes me think of Africa. It is mostly desert around them, but there are some mountains in the distance. There are some trees, which is unusual for the desert.

The theme of the story was that the dragons were in the center of everything. When Blood Brother was killed by Likkarn, everyone was sad and Master Sarkkhan was mad at Likkarn because he could have just stunned the best cock dragon he owned instead of killing him. Through out the whole book, Jakkin goes out every chance he can to visit his dragon and his life revolves around the dragon. Jakkin grew up with the dragons. His father used to train dragons, but was killed when he was trying to train a feral, wild, dragon. Then Jakkin went into slavery at Master Sarkkhan's farm and has worked with dragons ever since.

The story is told by a narrator, but is focused mainly on Jakkin's life. It is an adventure and fantasy story. Jane Yolen uses lots of description in this book. Every little thing is described in great detail. There is lots of dialogue in this book, but what the characters talk about is always interesting. The setting to this story is very important. If there as in oasis in the desert that no one knew about, then Jakkin wouldn't have had a place to raise his dragon.

I don't think Dragon's Blood had any weakness really. I would have liked Akki to stay with Jakkin, but when she went away, it made the story more interesting. Other than that, I think the book was fine the way it was.

I enjoy the book very much. It was very interesting. Jakkin was a great main character and really feel like I got to know him. I would certainly recommend this book. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the Pit Dragon Chronicles!

Avoid. Avoid. AVOID!.......2006-06-09

I think Jane Yolen made a serious misstep in writing this book. She aimed it for kids, but the world she created would have been perfectly suited for something more adult.

Austar IV is an ugly place filled with criminals set on doing ugly things to themselves and the dragons that they fight in arenas. Most of the descriptions the author paints for us makes you want to wince. Weeds that smoke and burn, hot desert with freezing nights cold enough to kill, dragon scales and tongues that cut and scrape, blood that eats though human flesh like acid.

The character names are annoying to say the least. Jakkin and Akki and any number others characters with multiple K's in their name. It isn't explained until near the end the reason why this is the case, and by the time it came down to it, I had a headache.

Again, I think this would have been a lot better as an adult book because then the author could have elaborated on her dusty dirty world and the sad people that inhabit it. Instead we are given half references to prostitutes and drug addiction that could have been put into a decent plot, but was just left hanging there.

The ending was pretty bad as well. The man Jakkin looks up too pretty much ties up all of the loose ends in the plot with a grandiose explanation. He reminded me of a James Bond villain, explaining his motives right at the end so that the viewer doesn't miss anything. Basically, the end was for a kid's book while the entire plot up until that point was good for adults.

This book was a disappointment after seeing so many good reviews.

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