Official Review: The Pygmy Dragon by Marc Secchia

Jaime Lync · Post by **Jaime Lync** » 22 Sep 2018, 18:02

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Pygmy Dragon" by Marc Secchia.]

4 out of 4 stars

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The Pygmy Dragon: Shapeshifter Dragon Legends Book 1 by Marc Secchia drew me in as soon as I saw the artwork on the book cover – a striking bronze beautiful woman in the process of transmuting into a dragon. According to the author's biography on Amazon.com, he is ‘a South African-born dragon masquerading as an author, who loves writing about dragons and Africa…’. As improbable as that sound, after reading this book I believe him. However, this fantasy novel is not set in Africa, but rather an Island-World created just for this story. Not surprisingly, this story is one where we expect the hero to rise from obscurity and defeat a great evil that threatens the entire world. What we get is a novel that takes this clichéd premise and gives us a genuinely fun reading experience.

I was highly impressed by Secchia’s storytelling prowess. I was invested in the story from the first page of the prologue to the last page of the 34th and final chapter. This novel is actually a copy of a scroll written by Pip’úrth’l-iòlall-Yò’oótha, most commonly referred to as Pip. Pip recounts how she ended up living in a Zoo caged with a humongous ape after she was captured during a raid on her Pygmy village by ‘the big people’. The Pygmy people are characterized as being short, dark-skinned people. This is reminiscent of the Trans-Atlantic chattel slave trade because the ‘big people’ are white persons who consider the pygmy as wild beast. I was upset with the ‘big people’ who were obviously not ‘big’ enough to realize that humans can be drastically different with regards to Skin complexion and cultural expressions.

After years of living in the zoo, Pip is hungry to be acknowledged as a human being. However, when she is rescued by the red dragon Zardon, she soon finds out that she is not just human. It is no spoiler to state that Pip can shapeshift into a bronze dragon. Pip is an amazing character that I will remember for years to come. Despite being abused for years, she was able to keep her good-natured personality. The other characters are also quite memorable. Unfortunately, I could not like most of them. All of them made fun of Pip’s short stature despite knowing that she has a Napoleon complex. The joke felt overused after a while and made some of them seem insensitive, especially Maylin, one of Pip’s human friends. The fact that I was able to garner feelings for the various character is a testimony of the author's character development skills.

There was nothing that I could complain about with regards to the formatting. Every chapter had a fun title. The flow of the story was not rushed, nor was it too slow. I am confident that this work was professionally edited because it was close to 400 pages long and I could not identify any major grammatical issue. I was pleased with the ending. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I will just say that it was an ideal ending for the first book in a two book series.

In conclusion, I rate The Pygmy Dragon 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this novel to all fantasy fiction enthusiasts.

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The Pygmy Dragon
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centj · Post by **centj** » 24 Sep 2018, 16:23

I really love dragons story's I'm a writer and I have a dragon story going on in my book.

T_stone · Post by **T_stone** » 24 Sep 2018, 17:56

This sounds like an amazing book I'll like to read. Hardly do I come across books such as this. Knowing she's being subject to the social stereotyping, how she was able to keep her good personality is going to make this worth the read.
Thank you for an awesome rebiewy

daydreaming reader · Post by **daydreaming reader** » 24 Sep 2018, 19:49

A book written by an African-born dragon is certain to be an intriguing read. Additionally, short people jokes are annoying, but at least Pip can set them straight in her dragon form! I would definitely give this book a read if I get the chance, and I agree that the cover is quite attention grabbing. Thank you for your honest review.

Sicily Joy · Post by **Sicily Joy** » 24 Sep 2018, 22:27

I agree that the cover is gorgeous. It makes you want to know who is this person. I love shapeshifters. I love sci-fi with characters of color as they are often not main characters in sci-fi. Also, I like the comparison with slavery. It reminds me of N. K Jemsin and how she weaves current societal problems into her fantasy worlds. Thank you for your review, it has convinced to add this to my want to read list.

Debjani Ghosh · Post by **Debjani Ghosh** » 24 Sep 2018, 22:51

What we get is a novel that takes this clichéd premise and gives us a genuinely fun reading experience

I am sold on your review to check out this fun read. Thanks for the review!

Anon_Reviewer · Post by **Anon_Reviewer** » 25 Sep 2018, 00:22

It would be great to finally reach a point where characters of colour can be represented in fiction without the inclusion of white supremacy, slavery and related forms of discrimination. Nonetheless, this sounds like a good read. I might just check it out. Thanks for the review!

Marissa Michael · Post by **Marissa Michael** » 25 Sep 2018, 03:24

I have never read about a shapeshifter turning from human into the dragon; usually, it's about turning into a wolf. Apparently, this is the first book for that and I surely would like to have this to my to-be-read list. Thanks for your great review!

Georgia Lyonhyde · Post by **Georgia Lyonhyde** » 25 Sep 2018, 20:30

This sounds like a brilliant read. Just knowing the author is storytelling about himself being a dragon makes the book interesting already and I love the artwork too.

I like the fantasy element m, the sound of the characters and the fact that they are well developed. The world building sounds good, the length will keep the characters with me for a while. What's not to enjoy?

Thanks for the review. Very well written.

Washington mima · Post by **Washington mima** » 26 Sep 2018, 00:16

The book seems intresting and enjoyable,talking about a dragon girl who is not just a pygmy but also has extra ordinary powers.its all about the roots from Africa in the southern part,i really love the way the author has written the book.its avery nice story you will always want to read and the cover itself tells you how intresting is the story

1ditzyrn · Post by **1ditzyrn** » 26 Sep 2018, 10:47

You are right, the artwork on this cover is beautiful! I enjoy shape-shifting stories and am especially excited that this one contains a dragon. I look forward to reading it. Thanks for the review!

Sweetp120 · Post by **Sweetp120** » 18 Oct 2018, 18:39

I am definitely intrigued. Will be adding this to my lost as one to read due to the fact its about a dragon shifter. And stang at 5ft 2in i can somewhat already relate to pip. Thanks for the share.

gali · Post by **gali** » 02 Feb 2019, 08:16

A fantasy revolving around a human that can turn from into a dragon is right up my alley! Ending up in a zoo with a humongous ape as a companion sounds exciting. That the book was well edited is a plus. I love dragon tales and will give it a try. I hope the book stands on its own, despite being part of a series. Thank you for the review!