People Just Want Dragons

Let me start off by saying I love dragons. I have a few as decorations in my office. I like reading about them. I also write about them on occasion. My logo is a dragon.

But if you get into certain social media circles, there’s definitely a vocal group who think dragons have had their time and we don’t need any new stories featuring dragons. While that group can be quite loud, as an author who has written a variety of fantasy (some with dragons, some without), I can say pretty confidently that they’re in the minority.

I have two completed fantasy series, one of which also has a couple supplemental novels that go along with it. The Relics of War was my first fantasy series; it has a more “classic” fantasy feel, multiple points-of-view, big, epic battles, and lots of magic. But it does not have dragons. The other series is the four-book Caein Legacy series, which is all about one dragon in particular.

I’ve suspected for a while now that The Caein Legacy became my more popular series because it has a dragon on each book cover, but it wasn’t until recently that I had some solid proof. Looking back at my in-person events, I could talk all day about The Relics of War and how it has Scorpion Men and meddling gods and tons of magic… But the moment I say, “and this other series has a dragon…” people shift focus and want to know more about the dragon. (I love that they want to know more about my books, but Vardak and his Scorpion Men brothers are starting to feel a little jealous of Andrew Caein.)

Both of my series are epic fantasy. The same artist designed and illustrated the covers for each. I used the same editor for both (though most of the buyers at the events don’t read more than the back cover before they purchase, so the writing inside hasn’t really been a factor in their decision.) The only difference is that magic word: Dragon.

Which brings me back to this: People love their dragons.

Along this vein, one of my good friends, who has bought and read all of my books, recently loaned her collection to her mother. Her mother devoured my books. She read all ten (this friend doesn’t have my novella) within a month. And the feedback was priceless:

If this doesn’t prove my theory that people just want dragons, I don’t know what does. 🤣

If you’d like to know more about my fantasy books—with or without dragons—more information is available here:

• The Relics of War (dragon-free, though there are lizard people. And snake people. And Scorpion Men!)
• The Caein Legacy (features one dragon very prominently)
• Hunted (features a dragon briefly, even though it’s urban fantasy)
• The forthcoming possible 2027 book is Rites of Departure, book 1 in The Fontayne Company (a cozy fantasy rom-com, with one notable dragon side character)