How to Train Your Dragon

two words: David Tennant

Did I listen to this book just because of him? Absolutely
Did I also enjoy the book? Actually yes

This is a children's book through and through but that doesn't stop adults like me enjoying the more simpler read. I was slightly surprised that the film is very different from the book, quite a few differences. Dragons for one can talk? This did weird me out a little bit and Tennant's voice acting for it made me laugh. It's utterly ridiculous but I could see a younger audience enjoying it

I think I'll be continuing the series

Amazing! I have rarely loathed a book this much. A mess of narrative non sequiturs. A great example of an embarrassing deus ex machina. Throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. No humor, no heart, no sense of direction. I did wonder whether this would turn out to be an intentional, Pythonesque literary hoax and it would all resolve itself in a climax of... something?

I tried reading The Wizards of Once, had to give up after 100 pages because it was too painful. I thought this might be better. Yuck! Obviously this author is not my cup of sake.

Meh. The book started out much better than the movie and seemed to be heading toward a much better development, but then it kind of flopped for me. It takes too many narrative shortcuts–I know you'll protest that this is a children book, but that is no justification for me. The Hobbit was a children book too and it was perfectly written. It also suffers from shifts of tone in my opinion–it seems to want to make fun of all Norse mythology and Viking lore, but then it adheres to it most strictly for its climax, which in my opinion is thoroughly underwhelming and honestly not very imaginative. It's a pity, because I was really looking forward to reading it. It's not a bad book, but not good either.