Pemberley: Mr. Darcy's Dragon Audio Book Review
If you've ever thought that Pride and Prejudice is ALMOST the perfect story, but what it really needs is dragons... then this is the book for you.
Does a single, stand alone novel count as a fandom?
You may not know this, but Pride and Prejudice is a favorite story of mine. My all-time most beloved version of the story is the 2005 Keira Knightley version, but I also enjoy the A&E version with Colin Firth. I enjoyed the youtube show The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I even enjoyed the version where they added zombies.
Well… I might have found a new favorite version of this story.
Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon was a delightful blend of a much-loved classic and well-thought-out fantastical elements that were woven into the story so seamlessly I almost forgot that Pride and Prejudice had ever been anything BUT a story about dragons.
The author does a phenomenal job of weaving the lore of dragons into this story without in any way detracting from the period feel of the original book. The story of Pride and Prejudice is all there and intact, but now with a dragon in every box!
Enter a world in which family holdings and the laws of inheritance are exceedingly important, because most estates have a resident major dragon ensconced somewhere on the grounds. The estates are named after these dragons, which adds a neat touch. These dragons can only be seen and heard by certain people who possess the "gift" of being able to hear dragons. Thus, we get a reason for why Elizabeth gets along better with her father than most of the other people in the family (and Mary, who can also hear dragons, gets a more important role in this story than Austen gave her). Thus, who can inherit the land must be balanced by these major dragons having a human "Keeper" who can help attend to their dragons' needs.
Lizzie stares at a decidedly bleak future in which she must marry her cousin, the odious Mr. Collins (seriously, every time I think “nobody could make a worse version of Mr. Collins than that” someone comes along and DOES it!) who is not only completely deaf to dragons, but he is also impervious to their powers of suggestion! While she is willing to do her duty, said duty begins to look more and more intolerable the more time passes.
Enter Mr. Darcy. The all-important egg of a major dragon (and a noble one at that) has been stolen from the grounds of Pemberley, and Mr. Darcy must find it before it hatches. If a major dragon hatches without being able to imprint on a human, it will become "wild" and uncontrollable and cause mayhem and death. This will not do. The egg must be found before it hatches, or Mr. Darcy will be forced to slay the dragon and forever be outcast from the society and presence of dragons, a fate worse than death to one who can hear dragons.
I loved everything about this first installment of the story. I loved the additions of the dragons, the lore that the author created for her dragons, the way that the dragons themselves interacted with the story in ways that made sense and often made me go, "Ahhhh!"
I loved the characters.
Elizabeth, with her unique blend of feisty independence, obedience to duty, and intuitive understanding of dragons is a dear, and I love her to pieces.
Mr. Darcy… dear, socially inept, thoughtful Mr. Darcy, who always manages to stoically say the absolute wrong thing and then is left inwardly puzzling over why everyone is always mad at him…. he tries so hard. I loved getting some insight into his character and as always with every P&P retelling I’ve ever encountered, Darcy is my favorite.
Mr. Bingley and Jane are the perfect little cinnamon roll characters of preciousness. Bingley is impetuous and probably a little ADHD, if we’re honest, and Jane is absolute goodness personified in a shy little sweet personality.
I’d have to say that the only thing I don’t love in this particular retelling is that I really kind of despise Mr. Bennet. This is most likely due to the fact that my favorite version of this story is the 2005 version, and Donald Sutherland is, and always will be, the way I picture Mr. Bennet… and he played the character as a little softer, a little kinder, a little more understanding… and I loved that about him. Meanwhile, this Bennet is far more like the Mr. Bennet of the actual book, but even more disagreeable and kind of harsh.
The first book ends with Mr. Darcy leaving for Rosings... so of course I had to start the second book immediately, because I want to find out what happens next. Do Jane and Mr. Bingley truly love each other, or have they fallen under the influence of an unknown dragon's persuasion? Will Elizabeth have to marry the hated Mr. Collins? (Of course, being familiar with the original P&P, I'm guessing not... but I don't know HOW this Elizabeth is going to get out of it!)
The book is narrated by one of my favorite narrators (of course, I may be a bit biased, since he also narrates my own books). If the story has dragons in it, Benjamin Fife is the narrator you want for the book. Hands down. He is the type of narrator who takes a book and makes it come alive with his narration. Add in an occasional sound effect or song, and he comes very close to turning his projects into audio dramas, rather than just audio books... and I've always preferred that, personally.
A completely whole-hearted 5 dragon eggs!
Have you read Pride and Prejudice? Have you seen any of the movies? Which do you prefer, the book or the movie? Do you have a favorite retelling of this story? Do you think a single story can count as a “fandom?” Do I just not understand the term “fandom?”