Soar with Dragons: Must-Read Rider Fantasies

Eragon wasn’t the first dragon rider novel (that honor goes to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, or perhaps even the Epics of Gilgamesh from around 2100 BCE), but it was the first written specifically for a young adult audience.

Eragon’s bond with Saphira was something truly special, a connection that every young reader (myself included) envied and wished for. Joining Eragon and Saphira as they grow in power and ability until they’re strong enough to challenge the power of the evil Galbatrix made for a truly amazing read.

Fourth Wing became an overnight sensation because it took everything we fantasy readers loved about dragon riders and military academies and combined it with the romance, steam, and spice that makes romantasy one of the most popular genres to this day.

I was blown away by how dark the story was willing to go from the very first chapter, and the snappy pacing and high-adrenaline action made it a truly unputdownable book.

I’m a huge sucker for history, especially military history. Give me a series set in Napoleonic-era Europe but with dragon riders as aerial warfare specialists and I will absolutely binge through a nine-book series without question.

It’s richly detailed, replete with colorful and noble characters, and brings a touch of magic into one of the most fascinating eras of European history.

The Bound and the Broken feels instantly familiar, echoing many beloved adventures like Eragon, The Wheel of Time, even The Lord of the Rings. But with every page, it settles into its own groove and becomes more unique, until it stands alongside these epic series as a dragon rider adventure that every diehard fantasy reader should dive into.

The series brims with riveting adventure and complex characters (both protagonists and antagonists), delivering an epic saga written for the modern fantasy lover.

Darren is the younger, less skilled sibling, elated for the day his brother Maximus is chosen to be a Bitten Knight (quite literally bitten by his dragon). Unfortunately, things take a dark twist, and Darren is forced to masquerade as Maximus and take his brother’s place learning not only how to ride his dragon Tenebros, but use its power to survive his training and the inevitable bloodshed that ensues when an evil cult tries to bring down the Bitten Knights and the government they’re protecting.

It’s a bit darker than your classic coming-of-age dragon rider story, but that’s what I enjoyed most about it. Tropes like “underdog hero” and “found family” make it one of the best new dragon rider series around.

Disability representation at its absolute finest.

Dragon Mage follows Aram, a young man whose disability (ASD) is not only an obstacle to overcome, but the source of his power.

He shares the same challenges that so many on the Autism spectrum do (myself included), struggling to connect, to understand the complicated people around him, to feel like he belongs. His journey to discover magic, his bond with his dragon, and his place in the world among true friends is emotional and beautiful.

Cook’s assistant to dragon rider!

Written for both younger and adult audiences, this story follows the unlikely hero who bonds with Ash, a dragon marked for death by his own kind because of his blindness. Their journey is not only to help Ash discover the full breadth of his magical abilities, but also to transform Holt from a simple servant into the dragon riding hero his world needs.