I’m utterly tickled to announce that the Pride and Prejudice arc of my Jane Austen’s Dragons series is complete with the release of Netherfield: Rogue Dragon. Now wait, I can hear you muttering and rolling your eyes, “Dragons? Really? Seriously—dragons? Why—just why?”
Trust me, you’re not the first to roll their eyes at me and mutter, expecting an answer like “Because zombies, vampires and werewolves have already been done.” And while that is utterly true and the sort of thing I might say if you caught me at just the right—or wrong—moment, it isn’t a very good answer.
But believe it or not, I really do have an excellent answer. You’re rolling your eyes at me again, but give me a chance and hear me out. If you take a glance at English mythology, it is FULL OF DRAGONS. Seriously, they are everywhere. Don’t believe me, here’s just a partial list:
- The Lambton Worm (and you of course remember that Lambton is very near Pemberley, right?)
- The Dragon of Mordiford (I’ll tell you the story later and you’ll see what inspired Elizabeth’s character)
- The Dragon of Unsworth
- The Dragon of Wantly
- The dragon of Longwitton
- The Dragon of Loschy Hill
- The Bisterne Dragon
- The Worm of Linton
- The Stoor Worm (or Wyvern)
- The Sockburn Worm
- Blue Ben
- Lyminster Knucker
What is more, these stories were passed down through oral tradition, both in story and ballad form until literacy became a thing. Once it did, along about the late 1600’s, those traditional ballad lyrics were published in “broadsheets” or “broadside ballads” and in newspapers, preserving and disseminating them to future generations.
That means it is likely that Jane Austen herself was familiar with many of these dragon legends. If mash-ups had been a thing in her day, I’d be quite willing to bet that dragons would have been one of her first thoughts because they were so prevalent in local imaginations.
Even the father of fabled King Arthur has a dragon connection. King Uther Pendragon was said to have seen a dragon-shaped comet that inspired the dragons that graced the standards he carried. Oh, and there’s Beowulf of course, and the tale of St. George and the Dragon…
Dragons are just everywhere in English myth, so to me they just called out to be a part of Austen’s classic work. The question then came down to how.
Fire breathing dragons, knights and damsels in distress—particularly those about to be fed/sacrificed to an angry dragon abounded in mythology, but, honestly that seemed like low-hanging fruit: easy to get to, but not the best tasting fruits that hang out way at the top of the tree. So, what to do? What to do?
I got to thinking “What if…” (A word of caution, when a writer says “what if”, it might be a good time to politely excuse yourself…) So, what if Uther Pendragon saw a real dragon, not a comet? Would not others have seen it too? Well, no, what if the dragons had a way of hiding in plain sight that only a select few people could see through and Uther was one of those…
Out of that thought came a world where mankind and dragonkind could coexist, governed by the Blue Order, an organization founded on a human and dragon partnership, dedicated to protecting the safety and interests of both species while keeping the dragons secret from the very large segment of the human population with hearing insufficient to detect dragon voices.
With such an organization firmly placed at the center of English society, it doesn’t seem a far stretch that Austen might have found it fascinating to write about. So I present for you, what Pride and Prejudice might have been had Jane Austen known about the Blue Order.
If you’re not totally hooked by now, here’s a preview of Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon, to give you a taste of this world: http://randombitsoffascination.com/2016/10/03/pemberley-mr-darcys-dragon-ch-1/
What do you think about dragons and Jane Austen?
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I am so excited! I love this series more than I can say, please keep going please take us further into this world. It is the best P&P variation out ther EVER!!!! and I have read hundreds!
I am so looking forward to reading the newest volume in this series. These stories have been so well written as to make one accept that there were indeed dragons and the Blue Order.
Love it!! A little imagination adds so much to life. Hope I win the newest book!
This series is awesome. At first I was hesitant, but after the first few chapters of ‘Pemberley: Mr Darcy’s Dragon’, I’ve been hooked. A great variation with a very exciting plot. Really looking forward to final book- free or not!
Woohoo!! At last… I am so excited for you and this launch. I had it on preorder and when it started downloading… I was on my reading device. I managed to not wake the house as I stifled my shout of joy. I was preparing for bed but made my self start reading just so I could savor the moment with you. Blessings on this launch and much success. You have worked hard for this one. Way to go!! I am so happy for you.
Of course there are dragons everywhere! Congratulations! Mine just downloaded! Can’t wait to read it!
An incredible series–and an incredible book!!! I hope that you’ll expand the Blue Order into other Austen stories next–so fascinating!!
I agree with Margaret: this is the best JAFF series out there, and I’ve read over 500 JAFF books. 😀
God bless your launch!!! 😀
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
I’m really excited that this book is finally available. I haven’t read the first two books, in anticipation of reading all 3 at once. I have been enjoying the chapters that you have been posting, though. Thank you for offering this giveaway.
Congratulations! And thank you for the chance to win a copy.
Congratulations on the release and I will be reading the published edition one way or another.
I was sceptical in the beginning, dragons aren’t my thing. However, after the first few chapter posts I was interested. It was a fresh take on the story. Knowing there were going to be 3 books,I have waited to start reading them. I now look forward to losing myself in this new world of Darcy, Elizabeth and dragons.
I am so enjoying these dragon posts. I read the first book on Pemberley Mr Darcy’s dragon on a very damp holiday in Spain earlier this year and was sad when I finished book one and am longing to get reading the next two.
This was a really interesting post and I agree that adding dragons to Jane Austen’s works. Congratulations on your new release and thank you for the giveaway!
Count me among the initial skeptics. I resisted for a long time because I just couldn’t see it working, but on a boring snow day I finally gave in. I read my way through the “Pemberly” previews and was hooked. Thanks for sharing your work, Maria. I really enjoy it and learning how much of dragon legend there is in England makes it even more interesting.
As a long-time fan of sympathetically portrayed dragons (thank you Anne McCaffrey!), I was thrilled to bits when I first heard that this series was in the offing. Now this trilogy is complete, I have to say how fantastic it’s been. For anyone who thinks that Jane Austen and dragons can’t and won’t mix, think again! Far and away, a million times better than zombies!
Now, is there a hint that there may be more to come, as in the opening sentence of this post? “I’m utterly tickled to announce that the Pride and Prejudice arc of my Jane Austen’s Dragons series is complete with the release of Netherfield: Rogue Dragon.”. The significant words being “Pride and Prejudice ARC of my Jane Austen’s Dragons SERIES”. Please, pretty please, let there be more!
I think that it is nice.
I love your idea of writing about dragons in the Pride and Prejudice world. And, I agree with you that Miss Austen would appreciate your idea as well. I would very much appreciate the opportunity of winning a copy of this book.