One of two children's books by award winning fantasy author Roger Zelazny. Mister Gibberling picked up his quill, and with a great flourish of the feather wrote (in fancy letters): HERE THERE BE DRAGONS. Then he would smile because he had explained a new territory. Thus, in a tiny, isolated kingdom long ago and far away, everyone believed that the world beyond was infested with fearsome, fire-breathing dragons and no one dared venture forth. No one, that is, except William, fourth (and wisest) advisor to the king, whose bravery would change forever the course of events in the little kingdom. The princess birthday party promised to be a gala affair. The great dining hall of the palace resounded with music. There was dancing and wine and big platters of food. There were whole roasted pigs with apples in their mouths . . . There was everything that a person could possibly want at a birthday party. Except for fireworks, that is. Or a fire-breathing dragon. Join in the adventure and watch the fireworks flare as William and his new-found friend, Bell, bring surprise and enlightenment to everyone in the land.
Author
Roger Zelazny made his name with a group of novellas which demonstrated just how intense an emotional charge could be generated by the stock imagery of sf; the most famous of these is A Rose for Ecclesiastes in which a poet struggles to convince dying and sterile Martians that life is worth continuing. Zelazny continued to write excellent short stories throughout his career. Most of his novels deal, one way or another, with tricksters and mythology, often with rogues who become gods, like Sam in Lord of Light, who reinvents Buddhism as a vehicle for political subversion on a colony planet. The fantasy sequence The Amber Chronicles, which started with Nine Princes in Amber, deals with the ruling family of a Platonic realm at the metaphysical heart of things, who can slide, trickster-like through realities, and their wars with each other and the related ruling house of Chaos. Zelazny never entirely fulfilled his early promise—who could?—but he and his work were much loved, and a potent influence on such younger writers as George R. R. Martin and Neil Gaiman. He won the Nebula award three times (out of 14 nominations) and the Hugo award six times (out of 14 nominations). His papers are housed at the Albin O. Khun Library of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger\_Ze...
