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Dragon Rider  By  cover art

Dragon Rider

By: Cornelia Funke
Narrated by: Brendan Fraser
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Editorial reviews

Why You Should Download This Audiobook: With the publication of the English translation of The Thief Lord, German author Cornelia Funke burst onto US and UK best seller lists. In the #1 best seller Dragon Rider, she weaves a magical tale of a boy named Ben, a brownie named Sorrel, and Firedrake the dragon. Actor Brendan Fraser's narration is perfect for listeners aged 8+.

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

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What listeners say about Dragon Rider

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

EXCELLENT!!!

I could not stop listening to this audio! If you like Harry Potter and Artimis Fowl then you must listen to this book. I have not always been a fan of Brendan Fraser, but he completely changed my mind, he brought the characters to life. I hope that Cornelia Funke has him read the next book. This book was one of my favorites of the year!

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34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story was amazing, but the reader was.....

....in a class of his own. As a middle school teacher trying to stay in touch with what the kids read (as well as my own interests), I have listened to hundreds of titles in many genres... In Dragon Rider, Brendan Fraser was truly spellbinding!!!!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • s
  • 09-07-04

FANTASTIC

Fantastic story and Brendan Fraser characters made it come to life!!
I look forward to more books read by Brendan Fraser!!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best narrator ever!

I love Cornelia Funke's books and her writing doesn't disappoint. The characters are unique in their blend of original fantasy and realism, exemplified in the Brownie Sorrel. However, I was completely blown away by the quality of Brendan Fraser's narration! He must have imitated 10 different accents, added completely realistic sound effects and generally made the whole story come to life so that there wasn't a dull moment! I look forward to listening to anything he narrates. Overall, highly recommended for all ages!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

This is not Eragon!

I told a friend of mine how much I loved the book Eragon after having audioread it. She suggested that if I liked the genre then I should try some of Funke's work and start with Dragon Rider. Perhaps a subtle distinction but I don't consider this the same genre. The fantasy in Dragon Rider is clearly intended for children, probably the Disney crowd, with talking animals and children who accept them and that very easily. On the other hand, the dragon in Eragon can communicate with select humans (and Elves) but not talk. So while I was intrigued by the telepathy aspects of Eragon the talking animal thing got old quickly for me with this story and I gave up not too far in. It may be a great book (although I even found the beginning much too predictable) but not if you're looking for an Eragon-type fantasy.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

We loved this book. Kept us going from Cincinnati to Kansas in the car.
We have a six year old and a ten year old and the story worked for all of us. The performance is amazing.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great job, both author and narrator!

I've been listening to this book with my children, aged 6 and 9. Both of them love it, as do I. I find the distinct voices for each of the characters a delight - it reminds me of the superb job done on the Harry Potter audiobooks.

My kids would happily stay in the car listening to the story for a long time (hours?) after we reach our destination. I'll be sad to reach the end!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Wonderful

The story is a wonderful story that was an easy listen and the characterization of the characters by Brendan Fraser was superb.

Excellent choice for children and adults.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I typically wouldn't listen to children's books, but the reviews here caught my attention. This was probably the most thoroughly entertaining book I have ever listened to. Not only was this written by an enormously talented author, but Brendan Fraser was simply amazing. I've never had an opinion one way or the other about him, but this completely changed my view of him. To call what he did 'reading' would be such an understatement that it would be an insult. What he did in Dragon Rider was a performance, and a pretty spectacular one at that.

I don't know if he's available to do the same thing for any other books, but if he does, I'll happily buy them. He was nothing short of incredible.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Delightful !!

This story is absolutely delightful. Ment for older children, but great for us "older children at heart." The reader is unbelievable. As the story progresses, you will become more and more enchanted with it!

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3 people found this helpful