Dragon Rider

By: Cornelia Funke

Narrated by: Brendan Fraser

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Firedrake, a young dragon, receives a frightening warning one night: Humans are planning to destroy the valley in which he lives! All the dragons must flee. Their only refuge is a place above the clouds called the Rim of Heaven - which may not even exist.

Firedrake boldly volunteers to go ahead first. As he embarks on his journey, he meets Ben, a runaway boy. Together, the boy and dragon make their way toward the Rim of Heaven, all the while running a step ahead of Nettlebrand, a monster who will stop at nothing to hunt down Firedrake. Their quest will truly become an adventure like no other.

©2004 The Chicken House (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Children's Titles for Ages 8+, 2005

Excellent Performance and Fun for Everyone

When I was in fifth grade my teacher read us this book. More than a decade later and it's still one of my favorites. Brendan Fraser does a fantastic job of bringing each character to life. Dragon Rider is an excellent book for the young of heart.

Love twigleg!

Twigleg is the only reason I stayed invested in this book the whole way through. Dont get me wrong, the story was amazing from start to finish. But I have a very short attention span due to my ADD. Something about a cute character like twigleg and his growing relationship with ben just had me enamored with this character.

Wonderful Narration Fun Adventures

Great story for all. Enjoyed listening during walks and other activities. The narrator enhances this story as any excellent narrator will do. However the story stands on it's own as well. Brandon has a fantastic range of voices and he ads a great deal of written depth to each character.

Interesting story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend it but with some hesitation. It would be way down my list.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The one voice the narrator did very well was the mountain Dwarf, Gravelbeard. His mumbleings cracked me up.

What three words best describe Brendan Fraser’s voice?

At first I thought Brendan Fraser sounded stoned when he read. There was no emotion in his voice. It was like he was bored and all the characters sounded bored too; even when the characters were excited. His voice did get more animated as the story went on but I think his performance lowered the my liking for the book.

BEST BOOK EVER 😍🐉

This book is awesome if u like fantasy u will love this book it has dragons and a whole lot of other creatures 🐲

captivating

wow I cant say enough about the reader I can't believe it one person

Beautiful story brilliantly read

Brendan Fraser does a wonderful job reading this Cornelia Funke classic. It’s a go to for long drives with the kids — parents will enjoy it too!

Five stars not enough

The story is a lot of fun. I wish I could give Brendan Fraser ten stars for his performance!
Cornelia Funke’s characters are delightful and her stories engaging and cohesive. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good fairy tale.

The Most Perfectly Narrated Book Ever!!

This is my all time favorite narrated book! Funke has written a wonderfully enchanting story with full, rich characters, and NOONE narrates like Brendan Frasier!! With depth and warmth and humor, he brings each and every character to vivid life and gives each one their own voice and personality!!! This is my third time listening to this book, and each time I appreciate his masterful performance more and more!!! I can see the characters facial expressions and feel their thoughts and pauses thanks to his spot on acting!! Plus, he adds some quite perfect sound effects....and makes it all seem perfectly effortless! He is just brilliant his performance, and Funke has written a truly entertaining tale! I can not wait to read the second installment to the story!! Thank you Funke and Frasier for so letting us journey to the Rim of Heaven!!!

DragonRider Rides the Imagination!

Would you consider the audio edition of Dragon Rider to be better than the print version?

ABSOLUTELY! The exquisite verbal theatrics of this reader are th eonly one yet worthy of the author's labor of incredible imagination! Not at all a typical dragon story to begin with, this tale begins as if it very much for younger readers only. But, as an offering from a true literary genius, it carries us along to places we never thought to go, in way we never thought we'd get anywhere. All fans of fantasy (except horror or hack-and-slash, should buy this and tell their friends. Exhilirating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to decide. The characters are all so individual and intgeresting, I think it was the mouse who flew the plane, or the grumpy, mushroom-chomping Brownie.

What about Brendan Fraser’s performance did you like?

EVERYTHING! He did a spectacular job portraying characters whith a speech impediment and voice idiosyncrasies while keeping them easy to understand.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed til I fell out of my chair.