The best fantasy books with dragon-human bonds in it

The Dragonriders of Pern was my first introduction to the genre of dragon fantasy and I loved it. Anne McCaffrey sucked me into a world where dragons and humans worked together to fight the dangerous and mysterious thread. The dragons can talk with their bonded humans and their bond influenced their character and mood. This connected with the deep desire that I had at that age to build bonds with animals and laid the groundwork for one of my later career choices of becoming a falconer. Other magnificent parts of this series where the jumping ‘in-between’ (allowing dragons to teleport) and the fact it secretly had a science fiction origin. The series is also a huge inspiration and helped me shape my own book.

Twisting things around, The Dragon and the George throws the main character into the body of a dragon. I highly enjoyed the view of a human being thrown into an unknown type of body. The confusion and the discovery of strength and weaknesses made it fun to read. The tale has a small cast, and the story might remain a bit flat in ways, nevertheless, I found myself entertained by the setup and the unlikely band that the adventure brings together.

Temeraire is one of my most favorite and most memorable dragons. Naomi Novik does such an excellent job in bringing his character alive, and I often see glimpses of His Majesty’s Dragon shine through in the character of my own creation: Galirras. They both possess tremendous curiosity and wonder of the world, and both have command over the wind (though in very different ways). Temeraire’s absolute loyalty (and protectiveness) toward his human, Captain William Laurence, is one of the repeating drives throughout the series’ storyline and their debates on the rights of dragons gives one stuff to think about on how we humans see things. This all fits very well in the grand scheme of the Napoleon War, where dragons have active battle roles of “ships” in the sky.

In Dragon Keeper, Robin Hobb expands on her Liveship Traders universe. The (deformed) dragons that take the spotlight are less friendly and their uneasy bonds with their caretakers give a whole different experience for the readers. It is a less heroic tale to read and more of a struggle, but one that is beautifully drawn out by Hobb’s amazing skill as a writer. It’s a book as much about self-discovery, as it is about building trust. In my eyes, the slow-burn storyline remained interesting because of the strong cast of characters and my curiosity about how the dragons would evolve, both emotionally and physically. You shouldn’t expect much action, but it provides a marvelous read nonetheless.

Todd Lockwood makes amazing dragon art. How could I not want to read his debut novel?! These dragons and their bonds are a bit different from my other recommendations, more towards the non-magical way of how we humans can build bonds with horses, dogs, and other animals. This coming-of-age story focuses on Maia as she finds her own way and fights for a place in the world. Lockwood’s writing skill is as fine as his painting and more than once I was amazed by the beauty of how he worded certain things. The (sometimes graphic) action was exciting, and the entire book delivered a well-rounded adventure with dragons. As a bonus, there’s some very nice art included in the book as well.