The Dragons of Babel

The Dragons of Babel

by Michael Swanwick
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The Dragons of Babel is set in a fantasy world that includes some bits of the real world. You’ll find assault weapons, Vespa scooters, and Mohammad Ali mixed in with elves, dwarves, centaurs, and dragons. There is a war going on, with mechanical dragons fighting basilisks. One day a dragon is shot down near the village where the main character, Will le Fey, lives. Even though the dragon is badly damaged and cannot fly, it is still powerful enough to take over the village. It makes Will its servant and uses him to identify people who might cause trouble. Naturally, since Will’s job is to spy on his friends, people start to hate him, and he is eventually thrown out of the village.

Will ends up in a “refugee camp,” and from there is put on a train and taken to Babel, a sort of fantasy version of New York City. On the train he meets Nat, a con artist, and Esme, a woman who has traded all of her memories for eternal youth. Once he gets to Babel, he gets involved with a gang and becomes a hero to the poor who live in tunnels underneath the city. Eventually he meets and falls in love with Alcyone, a noblewoman. Then Nat comes up with an elaborate scheme that, in addition to making a lot of money, might help Will and Alcyone get together.

You should keep in mind that this world is not the real world and the people are not humans, so they do things that seem strange to us. For example, when Will had a good day fishing, he would smear fish on his great-great-great-grandmother’s feet to show respect. Sex is also mentioned in the story, and since the characters are not human, one or two scenes might seem a little weird. However, all of these details and many more make a really interesting, elaborate world. It’s a very different world, but it’s one that can easily pull you in.

You can read some of it online through Google Books.

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Where to Find It

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