How To Train Your Dragon Books In Order

Publication Order of How to Train Your Dragon Books

Publication Order of How To Train Your Dragon Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of How To Train Your Dragon Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World Books

“How To Train Your Dragon” is a novel book series that was written by the British author Cressida Crowell. The series takes place in a fictional world, where Vikings and dragons coexist in the same universe. The series is focused around a young man named Hiccup, who lives with a tribe of other Vikings and the adventures that he has as he works his way into becoming a Hero of the Viking Land. There are 12 novels that have been released for Crowell, between 2003 and 2015, where the series concluded with the final addition. The book series has inspired many spin-offs, including two feature animation films that are loosely based on the novels and a child’s TV series.

The entire book series is geared towards young children but it still has a very strong charm that seems to appeal to readers of all ages, similar to the way that a Harry Potter or Inheritance Book Series might appeal to us. The writing of the series is very mature but still manages to take us deep into this completely magical and fantastic world, where we are swept away by the mystery and heroism of the characters and their adventures. Although it never explicitly mentions it, it appears that the series takes place somewhere in early Scandinavia, when Viking still were an active people. The added element of the dragons serves to bring some fantasy to the history that we’re acquainted it and overall only makes the reading experience even more enthralling, as we imagine that there was once a time that giant, fire-breathing reptilian creatures once walked the ground we do today.

Part of the charm that this series brings is with its’ characters, especially with its protagonist Hiccup. The reader’s curiosity and interest with this character immediately start when you read his name for the first time. The interesting choice in name is only the first exposure to the rest of Hiccup’s oddities as you realize that he is not a typical Viking warrior. He has a very small and tiny stature, that makes him to be perceived as being weak, and his body structure contrasts the rest of his tribe, who are all large and bulky individuals. Hiccup is also remarkably intelligent, another trait that makes him stand out, and he shows that he believes in using his brain over the brawn of others to solve the problems that the tribes are facing. When we are first introduced to him, Hiccup lacks any confidence and it almost evokes a sense of sympathy within the reader. Hiccup is then thrust into the position of being a leader, and he takes on this character dynamic of being the reluctant hero. While he is aware that he is ill prepared to succeed at the tasks that are in front of him, he knows that it is what he must do because it’s the right thing to do. He has a strong sense of duty and loyalty, which we only see increase as the series progresses. The story almost resembles a “coming of age” story where Hiccup slowly discovers himself and who is meant to be. We see the final culmination of his character in the last book and we see that he has grown from the unsure boy to a confident leader of all

Crowell also has to be applauded for the intense level of detail and creativity that is used to create the fantastical world that the series takes place in. Let’s first start off with the dragons. In traditional context, dragons are used to depict these scary, scaly creatures that are affiliated with an antagonist character or are usually the antagonist character themselves. Crowell, however, does not follow this usual pattern but instead adds a brush of color, humor, and personality to the dragons in her story. Each one is unique: no two dragons are exactly the same. Each dragon has a personality and color that is unique to him or her alone. They are playful, joyous, sometimes moody, and will argue with each other. They’re not exactly pets. They’re more likely a whole species that just seems to co-exist and work with the Vikings on their daily routine. The protagonist Hiccup has a companion dragon, named Toothless (note the similarity in oddity of name) and you see the relationship between the two change and grow and mature throughout the whole series. Toothless is a dragon that is lame and struggles with tasks that other dragons find simple to perform. You see Hiccup help Toothless very early on in the relationship and that starts a passionate friendship that last throughout the entire series and completely emotionally invests the reader in the series. It appears that the dragons are a reflection of the Vikings that they are paired with and both species maintain a symbiotic relationship with each other: as one grows, so does the other.

Books are the way that we can travel the world and learn new perspectives without ever having to leave the comfort of our own homes. The “How To Train Your Dragon” book series does exactly that: it transports you to a faraway fictional land (that could have been true for all we know) and tells you the story of a bunch of Viking and their dragons and the adventures that they encounter in long ago Scandinavia. Although the context of the series sounds almost childish, this book series will appeal to readers of all ages. This is a story that at first appearance seems to be all magical and fantastic but at its core presents characters who are confused and unsure about themselves and have insecurities and have to make tough choices about their lives. Sounds familiar? You will be invested in the endeavors of all the characters and you will ache to know what happens to each one of them in each succeeding novel. It is different from the movies: it is better than the movies. It is a book that you will laugh and cry with and at the end of it all, you too will wish you lived during a time when dragons roamed the Earth.