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Dragons #4
Robert Asprin's Dragons Run
In New York Times bestselling author Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye’s newest Big Easy dragon tale, Griffen McCandles is about to give the forces of evil a run for their money…
Griffen already has his hands full running his gambling operation in New Orleans and dealing with his dragon heritage. Now his pregnant sister, Valerie, is missing—possibly kidnapped—and his uncle, Malcolm McCandles, has flown into town for a mysterious meeting with a powerful man who’s been dead for almost eight decades.
And Griffen certainly hasn’t got the time to protect Representative Penny Dunbar, a dragon who’s running for governor of Louisiana—if malign forces don’t take her out first. Griffen learned a long time ago to play the hand fate has dealt him, but with many lives at stake—including Val’s unborn dragon—he’s hoping for an ace in the hole…
Griffen already has his hands full running his gambling operation in New Orleans and dealing with his dragon heritage. Now his pregnant sister, Valerie, is missing—possibly kidnapped—and his uncle, Malcolm McCandles, has flown into town for a mysterious meeting with a powerful man who’s been dead for almost eight decades.
And Griffen certainly hasn’t got the time to protect Representative Penny Dunbar, a dragon who’s running for governor of Louisiana—if malign forces don’t take her out first. Griffen learned a long time ago to play the hand fate has dealt him, but with many lives at stake—including Val’s unborn dragon—he’s hoping for an ace in the hole…
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2013
26 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
About the author
Jody Lynn Nye
312 books289 followersJody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as ‘spoiling cats.’ When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories.
Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, book-keeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker.
For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, WFBN (WGBO), serving the last year as Technical Operations Manager. During her time at WFBN, she was part of the engineering team that built the station, acted as Technical Director during live sports broadcasts, and worked to produce in-house spots and public service announcements.
Over the last twenty-five or so years, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and participated on hundreds of panels covering the subjects of writing and being published at science-fiction conventions. She has also spoken in schools and libraries around the north and northwest suburbs. In 2007 she taught fantasy writing at Columbia College Chicago. She also runs the two-day writers workshop at DragonCon, and is a judge for the Writers of the Future contest, the largest speculative fiction contest in the world.
Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer, military historian and book packager, and three feline overlords, Athena, Minx, and Marmalade.
Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, book-keeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker.
For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, WFBN (WGBO), serving the last year as Technical Operations Manager. During her time at WFBN, she was part of the engineering team that built the station, acted as Technical Director during live sports broadcasts, and worked to produce in-house spots and public service announcements.
Over the last twenty-five or so years, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and participated on hundreds of panels covering the subjects of writing and being published at science-fiction conventions. She has also spoken in schools and libraries around the north and northwest suburbs. In 2007 she taught fantasy writing at Columbia College Chicago. She also runs the two-day writers workshop at DragonCon, and is a judge for the Writers of the Future contest, the largest speculative fiction contest in the world.
Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer, military historian and book packager, and three feline overlords, Athena, Minx, and Marmalade.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 5, 2015
The fourth book in the series created by Robert Asprin is entertaining. Fans of Asprin will recognize some of his plot twists and bawdiness. Overall, I get the feeling that Nye took an outline from Asprin on this book, there are so many similarities with Asprin's solo books. Arguably, there is more Asprin in this book, than in the joint books he wrote with Nye.
The story is entertaining - a dragon running for political office in Louisiana - trailing behind Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal. Too bad there were no jokes about Blanco and Jindal being non-humans. I think Asprin would have had a few jabs. The dragon in question is young and temperamental. Of course, she needs Griffin's help. Griffen is still confused about his legacy and the many creatures he has to work with to establish himself. The villain is a fascinating character - an interesting antihero in the style of Don Bruce from the Myth series. Reginald is not as well developed as I like, but that is part of the mystery.
The style of writing is fast-paced. Nye is improving with each book, even if she is working on an outline from Asprin. If this book is totally her creation, she is doing a great memorial to Asprin. She has mastered the art of leaving a cliff hanger at the end of each short chapter, compelling the reader to continue at a fast pace. The climax of the book is something of a disappointer. Everything is resolved; but there could have been more fireworks and humor. Overall, an enjoyable read and an excellent next chapter in the series.
The story is entertaining - a dragon running for political office in Louisiana - trailing behind Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal. Too bad there were no jokes about Blanco and Jindal being non-humans. I think Asprin would have had a few jabs. The dragon in question is young and temperamental. Of course, she needs Griffin's help. Griffen is still confused about his legacy and the many creatures he has to work with to establish himself. The villain is a fascinating character - an interesting antihero in the style of Don Bruce from the Myth series. Reginald is not as well developed as I like, but that is part of the mystery.
The style of writing is fast-paced. Nye is improving with each book, even if she is working on an outline from Asprin. If this book is totally her creation, she is doing a great memorial to Asprin. She has mastered the art of leaving a cliff hanger at the end of each short chapter, compelling the reader to continue at a fast pace. The climax of the book is something of a disappointer. Everything is resolved; but there could have been more fireworks and humor. Overall, an enjoyable read and an excellent next chapter in the series.
May 26, 2018
Considering how many characters in Dragons Run and the rest of this series, initiated by the late Robert Asprin and currently penned by Jody Lyn Nye. Set in Asprin’s former home of New Orleans, these are the tales of Griffen McCandles, a dragon who finds himself eventually as a “big” dragon in spite of himself, and his sister, Valerie, who is becoming a fascinating character in her own right. Indeed, much of the plot in Dragons Run orbits around her whereabouts and well-being.
Along the way, we become better acquainted with Griffen’s and Valerie’s Uncle Malcolm, Detective Harrison (a “mere” human police officer who really cares about his town), a new threat and intriguing undead antagonist named, appropriately enough for New Orleans, Duvallier. Duvallier, it seems, has managed to cheat death—even though it isn’t quite as satisfying for him as he thought it might be. Still, he gets a big kick out of interfering in politics and an upcoming gubernatorial election in Louisiana. The initial complication is that Uncle Malcolm wants Griffen to run interference for the candidate he wants to win, necessitating a showdown with Duvallier (or a champion of Duvallier’s own choosing).
Another complication is that Valerie has been incommunicado since her disappearance and Griffen wants to be leading the search for her. Yet, a couple of books back, Griffen had promised his friend Jerome that he would pay more attention to their illegal (but tolerated) gambling venture. So, Griffen hires an unlikely character to find Valerie and extricate her from her circumstances. Not only did the hiring of this character make sense in the overall universe of these stories, but it provides an interesting complication at a point in the story. It also underlines the recurring idea of respecting diversity and not judging people on first impressions.
Further, while I’m not sure if Ms. Nye intends to continue with the series (but I hope so), but the groundwork has been established for further interaction with Uncle Malcolm, Duvallier, the Fafnir krewe, and the supernatural entities who attended the conclave in an earlier book. Asprin and Nye have captured the “Catch-22” of doing and receiving favors in a close-knit culture—the “transactional obligation” implied by a “gift” cited in some sociological studies. It’s almost like that famous Al Pacino line in Godfather 3 about being pulled back in. It seems like every time Griffen seems about to have things under control, “they” keep dragging him back in. Of course, that’s a “bank error” in our favor should the books continue.
New Orleans is an ideal setting for these stories with its dark, musty, and supernatural background juxtaposed against modern political corruption (assuming one equates Huey Long and his contemporaries and spiritual descendants (including brother Earl Long) with “modern” political behavior) and technology. Asprin and Nye do not take Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden approach of having magic and technology be inimical (or self-cancelling) to one another. Rather, technology’s use or ineffectiveness accentuates the mystery of Valerie’s disappearance off the grid and plays a role in the definitive resolution of the problem. Of course, there are still loose ends to tie if Nye should so choose.
As noted at the end of every review of the books in this series, I will read them all with anticipation.
Along the way, we become better acquainted with Griffen’s and Valerie’s Uncle Malcolm, Detective Harrison (a “mere” human police officer who really cares about his town), a new threat and intriguing undead antagonist named, appropriately enough for New Orleans, Duvallier. Duvallier, it seems, has managed to cheat death—even though it isn’t quite as satisfying for him as he thought it might be. Still, he gets a big kick out of interfering in politics and an upcoming gubernatorial election in Louisiana. The initial complication is that Uncle Malcolm wants Griffen to run interference for the candidate he wants to win, necessitating a showdown with Duvallier (or a champion of Duvallier’s own choosing).
Another complication is that Valerie has been incommunicado since her disappearance and Griffen wants to be leading the search for her. Yet, a couple of books back, Griffen had promised his friend Jerome that he would pay more attention to their illegal (but tolerated) gambling venture. So, Griffen hires an unlikely character to find Valerie and extricate her from her circumstances. Not only did the hiring of this character make sense in the overall universe of these stories, but it provides an interesting complication at a point in the story. It also underlines the recurring idea of respecting diversity and not judging people on first impressions.
Further, while I’m not sure if Ms. Nye intends to continue with the series (but I hope so), but the groundwork has been established for further interaction with Uncle Malcolm, Duvallier, the Fafnir krewe, and the supernatural entities who attended the conclave in an earlier book. Asprin and Nye have captured the “Catch-22” of doing and receiving favors in a close-knit culture—the “transactional obligation” implied by a “gift” cited in some sociological studies. It’s almost like that famous Al Pacino line in Godfather 3 about being pulled back in. It seems like every time Griffen seems about to have things under control, “they” keep dragging him back in. Of course, that’s a “bank error” in our favor should the books continue.
New Orleans is an ideal setting for these stories with its dark, musty, and supernatural background juxtaposed against modern political corruption (assuming one equates Huey Long and his contemporaries and spiritual descendants (including brother Earl Long) with “modern” political behavior) and technology. Asprin and Nye do not take Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden approach of having magic and technology be inimical (or self-cancelling) to one another. Rather, technology’s use or ineffectiveness accentuates the mystery of Valerie’s disappearance off the grid and plays a role in the definitive resolution of the problem. Of course, there are still loose ends to tie if Nye should so choose.
As noted at the end of every review of the books in this series, I will read them all with anticipation.
May 22, 2018
I've read a lot better dragon books, this was just ok. Griffin McCandles is worried about his sister
Val who has disappeared after Madi Gras. She was taken by Melinda the baby's grandmother and under some type of mind magic so that she can't leave the mansion or reach her family or friends. The story centers around Griffin trying to find her, running his gambling business and protecting a fellow dragon who is running for Louisiana governor. Some unusual characters and names to go along with them.
Val who has disappeared after Madi Gras. She was taken by Melinda the baby's grandmother and under some type of mind magic so that she can't leave the mansion or reach her family or friends. The story centers around Griffin trying to find her, running his gambling business and protecting a fellow dragon who is running for Louisiana governor. Some unusual characters and names to go along with them.
June 21, 2021
I love these books! Grifter & Val are not your typical dragons. I was so happy to find this sequel. I am glad Jody Lynn had co authored the earlier book so the feel of the book was the same without Robert Asprin.
May 17, 2018
easy read. predictable
November 13, 2019
I really wished Val came into *some* power, and I actively disliked how she reacted to George - since she has fought him, and even went out with him once. :(
And the sex scene was very unnecessary.
And the sex scene was very unnecessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2024
375 pages of setup for 25 pages of chaos.
November 7, 2013
The latest in the Dragon series set in New Orleans. Griffen is a dragon who has recently discovered what he is and is still somewhat confused about it. He has begun to learn how to tell when other people he meets are also dragons. His sister Valerie has disappeared apparently with Melinda, the baby's father's mother. He apparently glammed Valerie into sleeping with him. Valerie's idea is to destroy him the next time she sees him, so Melinda is holding her at an estate and using a warlock to enspell her to forget that she wants to go back to New Orleans. A witch has assured him that Valerie is not in danger, but something is keeping her from finding out more. So, Grif decides to contact George to see if he can find her and bring her back if she wants to come. In the meantime, Grif has his own problems. He's trying to keep his gambling business afloat and his his uncle Malcolm has arrived from New York and wants Grif's help to protect a candidate in the governor's race that someone else is using an old man's influence to try to kill Penny Duncan, the candidate. Gris-Gris, Valerie's boyfriend has gotten in voodoo to try to find Valerie, but he hasn't done it right and has placed himself in danger.
The people that Griff meets and does business with in New Orleans are real characters. Including the police detective in love with the ghost of a voodoo queen.
Wonderfully imaginative and charming books...
The people that Griff meets and does business with in New Orleans are real characters. Including the police detective in love with the ghost of a voodoo queen.
Wonderfully imaginative and charming books...
July 7, 2016
Love the series but editor's missed big on George....
I fell in love with this series when it first came out in paperback and waited for second and bought it first day out but was heartbroken reading that Robert Aspirin had died. Now with most my books in storage I decided to buy for Kindle and reread the books and was excited beyond belief seeing that the series had continued with the help of a fellow author who worked a lot with Robert, Jody Lynn Nye. The third book was awesome continuing where the last book left off and adding more Dragons living in New Orleans. This book started great until George comes into the picture, fans know George developed a soft spot for Griffin and Val in the first and second books and even taught Val some fighting tips and was her date to the Halloween party for the convention Griffin was moderating by advice from Mai. So how can everyone miss the storyline involving George and not being friendly with Griffin or concerned about Val missing, let alone Val not knowing who he is and not working with MaI when they connect? Too much story wasted on that confusion, and no epilogue talking about what Val has delivered, how Melinda does before a judge, and any other loose ends. Hope next book fixes inconsistency. I love the series.
I fell in love with this series when it first came out in paperback and waited for second and bought it first day out but was heartbroken reading that Robert Aspirin had died. Now with most my books in storage I decided to buy for Kindle and reread the books and was excited beyond belief seeing that the series had continued with the help of a fellow author who worked a lot with Robert, Jody Lynn Nye. The third book was awesome continuing where the last book left off and adding more Dragons living in New Orleans. This book started great until George comes into the picture, fans know George developed a soft spot for Griffin and Val in the first and second books and even taught Val some fighting tips and was her date to the Halloween party for the convention Griffin was moderating by advice from Mai. So how can everyone miss the storyline involving George and not being friendly with Griffin or concerned about Val missing, let alone Val not knowing who he is and not working with MaI when they connect? Too much story wasted on that confusion, and no epilogue talking about what Val has delivered, how Melinda does before a judge, and any other loose ends. Hope next book fixes inconsistency. I love the series.
January 25, 2015
A good follow up to the McCandles series. I like the fact that JLN is able to write in Robert Asprin's voice and the characters feel the same. Some new characters enter this book and are interesting and we finally get to learn a bit more about the mysterious uncle, Malcolm.
I was not a big fan of the direction the story in this book took, delving into the political, (though I will give credit that the politicians were written well, in that I hated them.)
All in all, a good continuation of the series.
I was not a big fan of the direction the story in this book took, delving into the political, (though I will give credit that the politicians were written well, in that I hated them.)
All in all, a good continuation of the series.
April 5, 2014
Overall, I like this series. Griffen is a likeable character with gifts that, after four books, he is still learning to use. Robert Asprin died a few years ago and I miss his touch with the humour. Jody Lynn Nye is not bad, but Asprin is missed. In some ways, this is better than the Myth series because it is more contemporary (Dragons as characters aside) and I like the life situations. A good read and series that is worth investing spare time in.
April 19, 2014
Entertaining but problematic.
June 8, 2016
Great run for Dragons Run
I have been looking forward to this book since the first three dragons were published. I am NOT disappointed. Jody has picked up the gauntlet and run with it. I suspect she wrote more of the first three books than I thought. I know this was a good conclusion to the series but it would be wonderful if there were more books coming. Thank you
I have been looking forward to this book since the first three dragons were published. I am NOT disappointed. Jody has picked up the gauntlet and run with it. I suspect she wrote more of the first three books than I thought. I know this was a good conclusion to the series but it would be wonderful if there were more books coming. Thank you
June 21, 2014
Enjoyable but the others were better. This was too spread out and the politics are a bit uninteresting. I did really enjoy George's internal conflict and Griffen is still a fun character. The end was anti-climactic, however.
May 10, 2014
I like the characters but the scenarios have become tedious. Wonder if she'll bother finishing out the storyline?
December 11, 2014
Another great story
Top of the line. By a top of the line author. A great addition to the series. A must read.
Top of the line. By a top of the line author. A great addition to the series. A must read.
March 27, 2015
I don't really know how to describe it. kind of like inspiration. just amazing
May 20, 2015
I truly adore this series. Hoping for more, but . . .
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews