Letting the Dragons In, Part I

Several years ago, I was asked to give a speech on the topic of book-banning, from the viewpoint of a fantasy writer. It's quite long, so I have carved it up into four parts to post as part of Banned Books Week.

It begins with a story, because I am a writer and most things lead me to stories, sooner or later.

****

Once upon a time, in a far country, there lived a beautiful princess.  Or perhaps it was a woodcutter, or the youngest son of a merchant, or all of them at once.  They all had proper e...