{"id":399,"date":"2007-07-03T22:54:11","date_gmt":"2007-07-04T05:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=399"},"modified":"2025-05-05T20:10:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T00:10:21","slug":"brother-to-dragons-companion-to-owls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/399","title":{"rendered":"Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls<\/em> (1994) Jane Lindskold<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Brother<\/a><\/p>\n

Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls<\/em> is an urban fantasy set in the future, with bits that remind me of The Velveteen Rabbit<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Sarah lives in the Home–an asylum for the insane. Her past–adn even her last name–are unknown. She was initially diagnosed as autistic and mute, however, after years in the home, it is eventually discovered that she can communicate by repeating verse, such as lines from Shakespeare or the Bible, that have been read to her. Although this is at best a cumbersome method, it allows her in some small manner to communicate with those around her.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for her, budget cutbacks are forcing her and others from the home–diagnosed as socially functional, whether they really are or not. Sent out to survive on her own, she meets up with a member of the Wolf Clan, who take her in.<\/p>\n

I was browsing when I picked this up because the title looked interesting. I read the back, wasn’t too impressed, and was going to put it back on the shelf when something possessed me to read the first page.<\/p>\n

“Morning falls on the just and the unjust,” I observe, and the nurse smiles politely and continues brushing my hair.
\nBetwixt laughs from where I clutch him in my hands, Between, snores. He is not a morning dragon.
\n“Turn us over Sarah,” Betwixt coaxes, and I do this carefully, balancing the four stubby legs in my pant leg just above the knee.
\nBetwixt growls approvingly, “That’s a good girl. Now, be a love and scratch in front of my left horn, right above the eye ridge.”
\nI do this, studying my friend as I do. Betwixt and Between are a two-headed dragon. They are small as dragons go, standing only ten inches long from barrel chest to tail tip. They also have blue scales, red eyes, and faintly smell of strawberries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The I turned and read the next page, and was hooked. In fact, I stayed up past my bedtime last night so I could finish reading the book.<\/p>\n

Because Sarah has been sheltered her entire life, and is unable to read, she knows nothing of the world outside. I think what I liked most about her was that many of the new discoveries she makes are wondrous for her. Things that those around her would take for granted, she enjoys. Not that she doesn’t have her share of fears, and not that her past doesn’t have its share of unhappiness, but she seems to take joy in the world around her–not as part of her illness, but as part of her nature. Even the bad things that happen to her don’t seem to loom large in her mind, but seem to be seen as things that happened, and then brushed aside.<\/p>\n

Although the world is strange and complex, because Sarah has grown up completely isolated, she must discover the world as we do, and it is only slowly that we come to discover that her world is quite different from our own. It’s a very subtle thing, and very well done.<\/p>\n

What I found interesting was Sarah’s view of the world. When bad things happen to her, she takes them in stride, seeming to see them as simply what happens to her. She adjusts and goes on. What is interesting is that this seems to be not an inborn trait, but a response to spending her entire life institutionalized–it was an interesting view, and I felt it was well done.<\/p>\n

It was also a relatively short book, which I enjoyed–I appreciate authors who are able to tell a compelling story in under 300 pages, as opposed to three 700 page books.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for something different to read, then you might want to check out Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls<\/em>. It’s a relatively quick read, but an enjoyable one.
\nRating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls (1994) Jane Lindskold Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls is an urban fantasy set in the future, with bits that remind me of The Velveteen Rabbit. Sarah lives in the Home–an asylum for the insane. Her past–adn even her last name–are unknown. She was initially diagnosed as autistic and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,2,608,291],"tags":[137],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-10","category-fantasy","category-neurodiversity","category-paper","tag-jane-lindskold"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-6r","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5943,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5943","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":0},"title":"Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls","author":"Michelle","date":"June 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls (1994) Jane Lindskold This is an unusual book, part fantasy, part science fiction. I generally dislike SF, but the fantasy elements are a bit heavier, and the story is mostly about Sarah--much of the technology takes place in the background until the end of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"brother-to-dragons","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/brother-to-dragons.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":462,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/462","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":1},"title":"Child of a Rainless Year","author":"Michelle","date":"October 15, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold Although I have Jane Lindskold's series starting with Through a Wolf's Eyes I've never read it, because I simply haven't been in the mood for a long series. However, I picked up and read Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls which I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Child-of-a-Rainless-Year.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22139,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22139","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":2},"title":"Child of a Rainless Year","author":"Michelle","date":"August 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold This is an odd story--the fantastic elements are initially subtle, and initially you aren't even sure that what you are reading is a fantasy. It is, but not one of vampires and witches, but one of subtle powers, hidden from plain sight.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Child of a Rainless Year","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Child-of-a-Rainless-Year-e1511018267543.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":875,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/875","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":3},"title":"Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall","author":"Michelle","date":"December 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall (2008) Jane Lindskold I really like Jane Lindskold's writing. Brenda Morris thinks she is simply taking a vacation with her father, but she quickly learns the trip is much more--that her father took her to California to introduce her to her magical heritage. Unfortunately, this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"thirteen_orphans","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/thirteen_orhpans.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":490,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/490","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":4},"title":"The Buried Pyramid","author":"Michelle","date":"December 29, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"The Buried Pyramid (2004) Jane Lindskold I spent the first two thirds of this book mildly wondering why it was classified as a fantasy. Then the fantasy kicked in, but I'd given up caring whether it was fantasy or historical fiction long before. I just wanted to know what happened.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/Buried-Pyramid.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5258,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5258","url_meta":{"origin":399,"position":5},"title":"Child of a Rainless Year","author":"Michelle","date":"May 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold I recently picked this up as an ebook, when I found it on sale. I'd read it before and thoroughly enjoyed it, so was pleased to be able to get it electronically. This is urban fantasy, which means it does not have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Child-of-a-Rainless-Year-e1510881403378.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}