Centuries ago, St. George fought and killed a dragon—or so the legend goes.The truth is somewhat different.George failed in his mission, and the Dragon still walks the Earth, protected by an undead army, hiding in the shadows and slaughtering men, women, and children for its prey. Each of George's descendants through time has been tasked with killing the Dragon, and each has failed.Twenty-five-year-old Georgia Quincey is the last of the line. But Georgia is also an addict, driven to the warm embrace of the needle by the weight of her responsibility and the loss of everything and everyone she has ever loved.
Chasing the Dragon
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Product Description
About the Author
Nicholas Kaufmann is the critically acclaimed author of General Slocum's Gold and the collection Walk in Shadows. His fiction has appeared in Cemetery Dance, The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 3, City Slab, The Best American Erotica 2007, Playboy and others.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Michele James
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I picked up the book knowing absolutely nothing about it. It was fairly inexpensive due to a deal the bookstore was having, so I read the back and became intrigued. I love anything that has to do with dragons and this book sounded like an adventure of some sorts that dealt with dragons. In a sense, that was a correct assumption. It should also be noted that I read this book at work, where I was often interrupted. Whether that affects my overall feelings on the book, I cannot say.
The book deals with quite a bit of history and intense moments. We are told of Georgia's ancestors as Dragonslayers, but also of Georgia's current issues in her life such as her addiction to drugs and lack of family and friends. In such a short book, it is difficult to fully convey the magnitude of these events, but the author does a great job setting everything up. The perspective on Georgia's addiction is similar to what an addict would actually feel (as far as I know) of the conflict between what the body and the mind want, but the more intricate details of withdrawal were left out. There were many action scenes with a great sense of gore; however, referring to the corpses as "meat puppets" took away all the horror for me and made it feel a bit comical at times.
I liked how the book tried to fit in all these different ideas and bring them all together. It was an interesting story, but there were missing pieces. I think that if the book were longer, then we could have gotten more of a grasp of the "how" aspects to both the dragon and Georgia's back stories. Overall, it was a pretty good read but didn't stand out to me.
The book deals with quite a bit of history and intense moments. We are told of Georgia's ancestors as Dragonslayers, but also of Georgia's current issues in her life such as her addiction to drugs and lack of family and friends. In such a short book, it is difficult to fully convey the magnitude of these events, but the author does a great job setting everything up. The perspective on Georgia's addiction is similar to what an addict would actually feel (as far as I know) of the conflict between what the body and the mind want, but the more intricate details of withdrawal were left out. There were many action scenes with a great sense of gore; however, referring to the corpses as "meat puppets" took away all the horror for me and made it feel a bit comical at times.
I liked how the book tried to fit in all these different ideas and bring them all together. It was an interesting story, but there were missing pieces. I think that if the book were longer, then we could have gotten more of a grasp of the "how" aspects to both the dragon and Georgia's back stories. Overall, it was a pretty good read but didn't stand out to me.
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this fast-paced, triumphant, dark fantasy/horror story! Sad to say, it's the first novella I've read. I look forward to finding more. It was well-rounded. The initial introduction to the heroine, the exploration of her struggles (both internal and external) and the satisfying end were all balanced and didn't feel the least bit rushed. It amazes me that that can be accomplished in such a short story. The horror elements are effective. You're given just enough of a glimpse to be curious, and left with just enough questions to keep you guessing until the end. I recommend it to fans of the genre.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Urban Fantasy / Horror title that'll entertain!
Mar 19 2010
By G. Guthrie
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Chasing the Dragon takes on double meanings but the one you know at the start is Georgia Quincey is a female Dragonslayer. The story starts out at a diner where the dragon just slaughtered everyone inside the diner. Georgia arrives after she sees this slaughter in a vision, it's how she tracks the dragon, and the dragon has left behind some zombie like dead bodies to take care of Georgia, and they are controlled by the dragon. This is a typical day in Georgia's life.
Georgia's life is tracking the dragon, as it was her fathers and everyone down her bloodline throughout history. And this tale takes place in present time with Georgia, a heroin addict, and is an unlikely dragon slayer. The tales tells of her following the dragon and the confrontation that is to come, and as you would expect it's going to be bloody. This is an excellent urban fantasy/horror story - I really liked it and it is easily recommended.
Georgia's life is tracking the dragon, as it was her fathers and everyone down her bloodline throughout history. And this tale takes place in present time with Georgia, a heroin addict, and is an unlikely dragon slayer. The tales tells of her following the dragon and the confrontation that is to come, and as you would expect it's going to be bloody. This is an excellent urban fantasy/horror story - I really liked it and it is easily recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Excellent Gem from Chizine
Mar 28 2010
By Ryan Mcfadden
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I've been impatiently waiting for this title since it was announced by Chizine Publications (the little press that could...these guys rock).
More and more I'm liking these novella length works. You can go a little crazier, do a little more -- without worrying about the weight of the thing collapsing under the length of a novel.
Kaufmann is an outstanding writer. Sparse yet effective descriptions that instantly crystallize the setting. Great uses of threads and flashbacks. Since it's a novella, there really is only one narrative stream -- but his use of flashbacks and dream sequences makes it feel much larger than it is.
The main character Georgia is a real anti-hero -- running from her destiny, she hits rock bottom, gets hooked, then takes up the task of defeating the Dragon...all the while trying to figure out where to score her next hit.
Exploding cars, shotguns, undead, dragons, drug addicts, gangs...it moves relentlessly, giving us enough of a breather to sprinkle the back story of not only how Georgia came to be a Dragonslayer, but a drug addict.
If I had to label one negative (and it was a small thing) it was the climax. I don't want to give away whether poor Georgia succeeds -- but let's say it didn't quite hit the right note for me. It was close, but I would've liked it slightly different (it felt inevitable...so when it didn't happen the way I had anticipated, it didn't feel quite right). That wouldn't be enough, however, to knock it from a five-star review.
Ryan McFadden
Author of 'Women of the Apocalypse'
Women of the Apocalypse
More and more I'm liking these novella length works. You can go a little crazier, do a little more -- without worrying about the weight of the thing collapsing under the length of a novel.
Kaufmann is an outstanding writer. Sparse yet effective descriptions that instantly crystallize the setting. Great uses of threads and flashbacks. Since it's a novella, there really is only one narrative stream -- but his use of flashbacks and dream sequences makes it feel much larger than it is.
The main character Georgia is a real anti-hero -- running from her destiny, she hits rock bottom, gets hooked, then takes up the task of defeating the Dragon...all the while trying to figure out where to score her next hit.
Exploding cars, shotguns, undead, dragons, drug addicts, gangs...it moves relentlessly, giving us enough of a breather to sprinkle the back story of not only how Georgia came to be a Dragonslayer, but a drug addict.
If I had to label one negative (and it was a small thing) it was the climax. I don't want to give away whether poor Georgia succeeds -- but let's say it didn't quite hit the right note for me. It was close, but I would've liked it slightly different (it felt inevitable...so when it didn't happen the way I had anticipated, it didn't feel quite right). That wouldn't be enough, however, to knock it from a five-star review.
Ryan McFadden
Author of 'Women of the Apocalypse'
Women of the Apocalypse
5.0 out of 5 stars
Violent Thrill Ride, Laced With A Unique Mythology
July 15 2011
By William M Miller
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
4 AND 1/2 STARS
This book was truly a pleasant surprise. I've read Kaufmann's "General Slocum's Gold", but "Chasing The Dragon" is even better. Author Nicholas Kaufmann melds various themes and genres together into a seamless and very suspenseful action/horror tale set in an urban landscape. Kaufmann strategically drops clues - little crumbs -- along the way, feeding the reader's hunger like the drug addicted heroine. And like all great storytellers, Kaufmann weaves those pieces of the puzzle into a wonderfully original narrative.
I was very impressed with the clear descriptions of the many action scenes. Most authors cannot handle writing elaborate fight sequences without confusing the reader and making a mess of what the characters are doing at any given time. But Kaufmann's vivid descriptions are never clouded or confusing. His writing allows the reader to feel as if they are right there in the middle of the action, participating along with the characters.
I am so glad I gave this book a try. The familiar mythology of dragon slaying was given new life in a very unique way. The main character's journey was completely satisfying and equally strong throughout each act of the story. With the exception of a couple typos in the book (which is surprising, since the copy editor is credited by name), this is a near perfect tale of a character's journey from rock bottom to persevering and achieving her full potential. For succeeding with such an ambitious project, this gets my top recommendation.
This book was truly a pleasant surprise. I've read Kaufmann's "General Slocum's Gold", but "Chasing The Dragon" is even better. Author Nicholas Kaufmann melds various themes and genres together into a seamless and very suspenseful action/horror tale set in an urban landscape. Kaufmann strategically drops clues - little crumbs -- along the way, feeding the reader's hunger like the drug addicted heroine. And like all great storytellers, Kaufmann weaves those pieces of the puzzle into a wonderfully original narrative.
I was very impressed with the clear descriptions of the many action scenes. Most authors cannot handle writing elaborate fight sequences without confusing the reader and making a mess of what the characters are doing at any given time. But Kaufmann's vivid descriptions are never clouded or confusing. His writing allows the reader to feel as if they are right there in the middle of the action, participating along with the characters.
I am so glad I gave this book a try. The familiar mythology of dragon slaying was given new life in a very unique way. The main character's journey was completely satisfying and equally strong throughout each act of the story. With the exception of a couple typos in the book (which is surprising, since the copy editor is credited by name), this is a near perfect tale of a character's journey from rock bottom to persevering and achieving her full potential. For succeeding with such an ambitious project, this gets my top recommendation.
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Go to Amazon.com to see all 6 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
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