The Dragon and the George

The Dragon and the George is a 1976 fantasy novel by Gordon R. Dickson, the first in his "Dragon Knight" series. A shorter form of the story was previously published as the short story, "St. Dragon and the George" in the September 1957 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

The novel was loosely adapted into the 1982 animated movie The Flight of Dragons by Rankin/Bass.

Plot summary

The story starts with Jim who is going to marry his fiancée Angie. Jim is an student assistant at a college where he works but one day Angie is whisked away into another world with dragons by Grottwold who was experimenting. Jim tries to get Grottwold to bring Angie back only to find out that the only way to do that is to go into the world where she went and hypnotize her. When Jim goes into that world he discovers he is in the body of an existing dragon named Gorbash who, with the other dragons including Smrgol and Bryagh, were discussing what to do with Angie who is in a cage. The dragons in that world name humans georges after the story of Saint George and the Dragon. When Jim recognizes Angie in the cage he suggests to the other dragons to give her some fresh air. The dragons agree and wander off leaving Jim persuading Angie that it's him. When Jim tries to get Angie and himself back into the real world she refuses to cooperate believing that he would be left behind while she went back so she suggests to go to the magician Carolinus, who the other dragons were talking about, for help. Jim flies to the home of Carolinus and consults him of how to help him and Angie get back to their world. Carolinus says that to do that he must pay a fee with his hoard to get him to help him which Jim tries to explain that because he's not really Gorbash so he doesn't know where it is. Smrgol then makes his entrance to tell them both that the dragon named Bryagh stole Angie and has taken her to Loathy Tower which shocks Jim who says he must make his way to save her. Carolinus tells him that he must not do that until he gathers companions to help him. So Jim flies off to get help and finds a dragon eating a cow, Jim who is hungry shares the cow with the dragon who is called Secoh who tells him that Loathly Tower is very dangerous. In the morning Secoh abandons Jim leaving the cow carcass eaten away which annoys him so he sets off again and meets Brian Neville Smythe the knight who he convinces him that he isn't a real dragon. Brian explains to Jim that he is going to his lady Geronde to accompany him so they make their way to Malvern castle where she lives. That night in the forest as they set up a fire the hear a chittering and Brian explains that they are Sandmirks who chitter until you are driven mad and then devour you. While Jim and Brian try to drown out the sandmirks chittering a wolf named Aragh kills them and chases them away. Aragh is one of Gorbash's animal friends but when Jim tries to explain to Aragh that he is really Jim stuck in Gorbash's body he refuses to believe it but accompanies them on their journey.

On the way they meet another companion named Danielle, an archer, who likes to scratch Aragh behind the ears. They make their way to an inn where Dick Innkeeper occupies the service, they stay in overnight while Jim devours almost the entire food supply which the Innkeeper is quite upset about. They meet Dafydd ap Hywel and Giles of the Wold, who is Danielle's relative, as their companions and continue their way to Malvern Castle. When they arrive in the middle of the night they plan an attack to rescue Geronde from Sir Hugh who is holding her hostage but Jim gets injured by Sir Hugh by charging at him. When Jim recovers he sees that Smrgol is there but Jim sees he is developing a stroke so suggests that he'd stay on the ground and not fly. Smrgol is accompanied also by Carolinus who is going to help Jim and his companions. Jim tries to make the journey to Loathly Tower by himself when he is well again but stops and encounters sandmirks again so he flies off to escape them. Jim runs into his companions again and they are pleased to see him but the next morning Jim hears Secoh calling him by his real name and investigates and sees Sir Hugh has Secoh in a trap. Sir Hugh and his men flee when a shaft of arrows fly through the air so Jim sets Secoh free then Jim's companions, Brian and Aragh, meet up with him again but run into the sandmirks and their mother who Aragh fights and tells Jim and Brian to leave without him. When Jim and the rest of his companions make their way to Loathly Tower, when they arrive Bryagh unleashes a monsterous worm on them. Carolinus himself unleashes an ogre. Smrgol tells Jim how to properly fight the ogre while he and Secoh fight Bryagh, Brian fights the worm, Dafydd shoots the harpies, Aragh fights the sandmirks and Carolinus makes sure to keep things in order with his magic. Jim defeats the ogre and his other companions defeat the enemies but Smrgol gets killed and Dafydd gets shot. When Jim finds Angie on the mattress, where she was waiting, he is told by her that she had been in Jim's body part of the time. After some consideration, after all he's been through with the friends he has made Jim decides to stay in the world with dragons and Angie so Carolinus separates Jim from Gorbash but Gorbash gets agitated with Jim for doing all those things while he was in his body. Jim and his companions celebrate together in Dick Innkeeper's inn drinking and eating to Jim's decision.

Characters

• Jim Eckert: Main character who sets off to rescue Angie his fiancée.
• Angie: The future wife of Jim Eckert who gets kidnapped by Bryagh.
• Smrgol: The old dragon who is Gorbash's grand-uncle.
• Carolinus: The magician of the dragon world.
• Aragh: A wolf who is a friend of Gorbash.
• Brian Neville Sythe: A knight who is Jim's first companion on his journey.
• Sir Hugh: A man who takes Geronde prisoner.
• Bryagh: The villainous dragon who takes Angie prisoner.
• Dafydd: An archer who has a soft spot for Danielle.
• Danielle: A lady archer who accompanies Jim on his journey.
• Giles: A relative of Danielle.
• Dick Innkeeper: The innkeeper of the inn that Jim and his companions take refuge in.
• Gorbash: The dragon who Jim's mind is in when he is transported into their world.
• Secoh: The mere dragon who Jim seeks information from.
• Geronde: Brian Neville Smyth lady.

Setting

The book takes place in a sort of vague never-never version of England, with little or no connection to real geography or history. In the subsequent books (all written many years after the first) many places from real geography and people and places from real history appear, albeit in altered, fantastic form.

Sources

External links

• St. Dragon and the George referral at SFSite.com
• The Dragon and the George title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database