What do you think?
Rate this book
Dragon Rider #2
The Griffin's Feather
The last winged horses are on the brink of extinction. Three foals lie curled in their eggs in a sanctuary for threatened creatures, where a young dragon rider lives with his silver dragon. The foals are ill, and the pair volunteer to seek the only cure: a Griffin's feather. But Griffins, with the heads of eagles and bodies of lions, are a dragon's fiercest enemy, and live far across the world in the sweltering jungle. A dangerous and exciting adventure begins...
367 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 2016
About the author
Cornelia Funke
384 books13.5k followersCornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German illustrator and storyteller, who writes fantasy for all ages of readers. Amongst her best known books is the Inkheart trilogy. Many of Cornelia's titles are published all over the world and translated into more than 30 languages. She has two children, two birds and a very old dog and lives in Los Angeles, California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 247 reviews
Want to read
October 3, 2024I asked Ms. Funke to tell me more about this book a while ago (on Goodreads, before anybody freaks out--I don't actually know Cornelia Funke), and this is what she said:
A GRIFFIN'S FEATHER will find all the characters from DRAGONRIDER about two years later. Ben is living with the Greenblooms who founded a refuge for fabulous creatures in Norway. The adventure will, as the title gives away:) Griffins (and Pegasi) and will take them all to Indonesia. Of course Firedrake will be part of it too. More I fear I cannot give away yet:) The German edition will be out in August 2016. I didn't decide yet which English language publisher to trust with it, but I am sure it will be out either at the end of 2016 or spring 2017. Additionally I am developing a third adventure with the DRAGONRIDER characters that will be told like a graphic novel both on paper and on phone screens. We currently call it THE VOLCANO ADVENTURE:)
A GRIFFIN'S FEATHER will find all the characters from DRAGONRIDER about two years later. Ben is living with the Greenblooms who founded a refuge for fabulous creatures in Norway. The adventure will, as the title gives away:) Griffins (and Pegasi) and will take them all to Indonesia. Of course Firedrake will be part of it too. More I fear I cannot give away yet:) The German edition will be out in August 2016. I didn't decide yet which English language publisher to trust with it, but I am sure it will be out either at the end of 2016 or spring 2017. Additionally I am developing a third adventure with the DRAGONRIDER characters that will be told like a graphic novel both on paper and on phone screens. We currently call it THE VOLCANO ADVENTURE:)
October 16, 2016
Ein spannendes und vielfältiges Abenteuer, dass mit einer tollen Botschaft pro Natur überzeugt hat! ♥
Es ist schon eine Weile her, dass ich den ersten Band "Drachenreiter" gelesen habe, aber ich konnte sofort wieder in die von Fabelwesen bevölkerte Welt von Cornelia Funke eintauchen, weil meine Erinnerungen mit vielen kleinen Details recht schnell geweckt wurden.
Natürlich ist der Drache Lung, sein Drachenreiter Ben und das Koboldmädchen Schwefelfell wieder mit von der Partie und sie stürzen sich in ein gefährliches Abenteuer, um die bedrohte Art der Pegasi zu retten. Man merkt recht schnell den Ansatz von Cornelia Funke, bei den Kindern das Bewusstsein für die Umwelt zu wecken. Die Erhaltung der Arten, auch wenn es sich hier um Fabelwesen handelt, steht oft im Vordergrund und zeigt, dass jedes Wesen etwas besonderes ist, beschützt gehört und das Recht auf überleben hat.
Dafür hat sie viele phantastische aber auch "echte" Tierenamen in die Geschichte einfließen lassen, Namen, die Kinder sicher nicht alle einordnen können, vielleicht dafür aber zum Nachfragen animieren. Mir waren sie manchmal ein Tick zuviel, auch wenn die Geschichte dadurch sehr lebendig gewirkt hat.
Die Perspektiven wechseln bei jedem Kapitel, was einen guten Überblick über alle Ereignisse geschaffen hat, viel Abwechslung bringt und natürlich auch die Spannung erhöht, denn es gibt immer wieder kleine Cliffhanger.
Die Kapitel selber beginnen, wie man es von der Autorin ja schon kennt, mit kleinen, wirklich liebevoll ausgesuchten Zitaten und auf fast jeder Seite gibt es wieder die bekannten Zeichnungen von Cornelia Funke, die das Lesen zu einem besonderen Erlebnis machen und einen das Buch ans Herz wachsen lassen.
Ben lebt ja mittlerweile bei seinen Stiefeltern Ben und Vita Wiesengrund und seiner "Schwester" Guinever. Sie haben in Norwegen einen Zufluchtsort für alle Fabelwesen geschaffen, die sich in der Welt der Menschen nicht mehr verstecken können und hier eine Heimat gefunden haben. Ob Trolle, Meermänner, Schrate, Feuermander, Pilzlinge, Nebelraben, Windstuten, Graselfen ... Cornelia Funke versammelt hier so viele phantastische Gestalten, die der Phantasie buchstäblich Flügel wachsen lassen. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dieses Mal aber die Pegasi, deren Art auszusterben droht und die Greife, deren besondere "Sonnenfeder" das einzige Mittel sind, um sie zu retten.
Es geht in gutem Tempo voran, hält einige Überraschungen bereit und natürlich viele Gefahren, denen sich Ben und all seine Freunde stellen müssen. Dabei zeigt Cornelia Funke wie wichtig und selbstverständlich es ist, etwas zu riskieren um anderen zu helfen, Mut zu zeigen und nicht die Hoffnung zu verlieren. Genauso wie das Vertrauen und Zutrauen in andere, dessen Wirkung man nicht unterschätzen sollte.
Am Ende gibt es noch ein spannendes Finale und einen wunderschönen Schluss!
Im Anhang wurden zum Nachschlagen nochmal alle Menschen, Tiere und Fabelwesen aufgelistet.
Fazit
Ein spannendes Abenteuer mit vielen mythischen Wesen und der Botschaft, dass jedes Lebewesen auf der Erde die Berechtigung zum Überleben hat! Dass man sich auf Freunde verlassen sollte und sich jeder Einsatz lohnt, wenn man bereit ist, zu helfen.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Es ist schon eine Weile her, dass ich den ersten Band "Drachenreiter" gelesen habe, aber ich konnte sofort wieder in die von Fabelwesen bevölkerte Welt von Cornelia Funke eintauchen, weil meine Erinnerungen mit vielen kleinen Details recht schnell geweckt wurden.
Natürlich ist der Drache Lung, sein Drachenreiter Ben und das Koboldmädchen Schwefelfell wieder mit von der Partie und sie stürzen sich in ein gefährliches Abenteuer, um die bedrohte Art der Pegasi zu retten. Man merkt recht schnell den Ansatz von Cornelia Funke, bei den Kindern das Bewusstsein für die Umwelt zu wecken. Die Erhaltung der Arten, auch wenn es sich hier um Fabelwesen handelt, steht oft im Vordergrund und zeigt, dass jedes Wesen etwas besonderes ist, beschützt gehört und das Recht auf überleben hat.
Dafür hat sie viele phantastische aber auch "echte" Tierenamen in die Geschichte einfließen lassen, Namen, die Kinder sicher nicht alle einordnen können, vielleicht dafür aber zum Nachfragen animieren. Mir waren sie manchmal ein Tick zuviel, auch wenn die Geschichte dadurch sehr lebendig gewirkt hat.
Die Perspektiven wechseln bei jedem Kapitel, was einen guten Überblick über alle Ereignisse geschaffen hat, viel Abwechslung bringt und natürlich auch die Spannung erhöht, denn es gibt immer wieder kleine Cliffhanger.
Die Kapitel selber beginnen, wie man es von der Autorin ja schon kennt, mit kleinen, wirklich liebevoll ausgesuchten Zitaten und auf fast jeder Seite gibt es wieder die bekannten Zeichnungen von Cornelia Funke, die das Lesen zu einem besonderen Erlebnis machen und einen das Buch ans Herz wachsen lassen.
Ben lebt ja mittlerweile bei seinen Stiefeltern Ben und Vita Wiesengrund und seiner "Schwester" Guinever. Sie haben in Norwegen einen Zufluchtsort für alle Fabelwesen geschaffen, die sich in der Welt der Menschen nicht mehr verstecken können und hier eine Heimat gefunden haben. Ob Trolle, Meermänner, Schrate, Feuermander, Pilzlinge, Nebelraben, Windstuten, Graselfen ... Cornelia Funke versammelt hier so viele phantastische Gestalten, die der Phantasie buchstäblich Flügel wachsen lassen. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dieses Mal aber die Pegasi, deren Art auszusterben droht und die Greife, deren besondere "Sonnenfeder" das einzige Mittel sind, um sie zu retten.
Es geht in gutem Tempo voran, hält einige Überraschungen bereit und natürlich viele Gefahren, denen sich Ben und all seine Freunde stellen müssen. Dabei zeigt Cornelia Funke wie wichtig und selbstverständlich es ist, etwas zu riskieren um anderen zu helfen, Mut zu zeigen und nicht die Hoffnung zu verlieren. Genauso wie das Vertrauen und Zutrauen in andere, dessen Wirkung man nicht unterschätzen sollte.
Am Ende gibt es noch ein spannendes Finale und einen wunderschönen Schluss!
Im Anhang wurden zum Nachschlagen nochmal alle Menschen, Tiere und Fabelwesen aufgelistet.
Fazit
Ein spannendes Abenteuer mit vielen mythischen Wesen und der Botschaft, dass jedes Lebewesen auf der Erde die Berechtigung zum Überleben hat! Dass man sich auf Freunde verlassen sollte und sich jeder Einsatz lohnt, wenn man bereit ist, zu helfen.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Want to read
January 27, 2016can i please have this book already? :((
Want to read
July 18, 2018OMG why the heck I did not know about its existence? I so loved book 1 and enjoyed it re reads too!
This better not be a cash cow >.<
This better not be a cash cow >.<
August 31, 2019
Firedrake is back! Along with dragon rider, Ben, and the incorrigible Scottish brownie, Sorrel, the whole gang is off on an adventure, with new friends and some new enemies too. They are trying to acquire a rare griffin feather, the only magical way to save a nest of baby Pegasus eggs. Ben worries that this adventure might be too dangerous for Firedrake, since the griffins have a history of warfare with the dragons. It will take fierce courage and loyalty to bring them through this magical adventure together!
I love this author's writing! The plot is imaginative, full of dry humor and magic. There are wild and wondrous settings all over the world, full of fascinating creatures, both mythical and real.
The main characters (Firedrake, Ben, Sorrell, Twigleg, and Barnabas Greenbloom) are magnificently written, with backstories, deep motivations and fears, and hidden longings that push them forward in the story, shaping their decisions and interactions with others.
However, the supporting characters are fairly boring, without much backstory or depth to them. Some of them were obviously added to simply fill in a plot point, and we don't know much about them. It feels like there should be a third book in the series, to explore the stories of these supporting characters. What do they want? How do they feel? Why are they there?
There are also far too many new characters introduced. I can barely keep straight all the old characters, and the new ones were almost impossible to remember. I was able to remember the more interesting of the new characters, such as the Pegasus father Anemos, the troll Hothbrodd, the griffins Shrii and Kraa, the tropical bird Me-Rah, and the dragon nicknamed Tattoo. Those characters were memorable with unique personalities.
However, there were a ton of monkey characters that I could never remember. It would have better to just have two important monkey characters, and the rest should have been unnamed monkeys in the background. Why do I need to know the names of eight monkeys who play minimal roles in the plot and have no personality? Or maybe some of them were birds. I can't remember who is a monkey and who is a bird. That just shows you how unimportant they were to the story.
The plot really is wonderful, and I do love those main characters, but I feel like this could have been a much tighter story with a cleaner story-telling style. There are just too many details, too many characters, too much stuff distracting from the main story.
Still, I enjoyed it immensely! The writing made me feel like the characters are real; their anxieties and longings and love and joy became real to me in so many subtle ways.
Maybe I just expect so much from this author because I love so many of her books.
I love this author's writing! The plot is imaginative, full of dry humor and magic. There are wild and wondrous settings all over the world, full of fascinating creatures, both mythical and real.
The main characters (Firedrake, Ben, Sorrell, Twigleg, and Barnabas Greenbloom) are magnificently written, with backstories, deep motivations and fears, and hidden longings that push them forward in the story, shaping their decisions and interactions with others.
However, the supporting characters are fairly boring, without much backstory or depth to them. Some of them were obviously added to simply fill in a plot point, and we don't know much about them. It feels like there should be a third book in the series, to explore the stories of these supporting characters. What do they want? How do they feel? Why are they there?
There are also far too many new characters introduced. I can barely keep straight all the old characters, and the new ones were almost impossible to remember. I was able to remember the more interesting of the new characters, such as the Pegasus father Anemos, the troll Hothbrodd, the griffins Shrii and Kraa, the tropical bird Me-Rah, and the dragon nicknamed Tattoo. Those characters were memorable with unique personalities.
However, there were a ton of monkey characters that I could never remember. It would have better to just have two important monkey characters, and the rest should have been unnamed monkeys in the background. Why do I need to know the names of eight monkeys who play minimal roles in the plot and have no personality? Or maybe some of them were birds. I can't remember who is a monkey and who is a bird. That just shows you how unimportant they were to the story.
The plot really is wonderful, and I do love those main characters, but I feel like this could have been a much tighter story with a cleaner story-telling style. There are just too many details, too many characters, too much stuff distracting from the main story.
Still, I enjoyed it immensely! The writing made me feel like the characters are real; their anxieties and longings and love and joy became real to me in so many subtle ways.
Maybe I just expect so much from this author because I love so many of her books.
February 24, 2019
Dragon Rider was one of my favorite books and this was so not the follow up I was hoping to get from Ms. Funke. Too many characters and attempts to make it relevant in today’s world. Just disappointed.
May 3, 2023
La pluma de un grifo es un emocionante libro de aventuras y una buena continuación de El jinete del dragón resultado del gran profesionalismo literario de su autora y de su amplio conocimiento de la literatura fantástica y la mitología de diferentes regiones del mundo. Para ser completamente honesto, no es su mejor libro y, como se ha señalado en otras reseñas, hay un exceso de personajes secundarios y subtramas que puede llegar a confundir a los lectores. Se agradece el intento de darle mayor profundidad al mundo de los protectores de la fauna fantástica, pero no siempre resulta exitoso y, en particular, en el primer tercio del libro, este esfuerzo ralentiza la trama de manera innecesaria. Sin embargo, una vez que los aventureros llegan a su destino final y comienza a entrelazarse todos los hilos de la historia que culminarán en un final épico, resulta fácil olvidar todos los detalles que habían enredado la trama hasta el momento. Los grifos resultan antagonistas de primer nivel y el refugio de animales fantásticos es un lugar verosímil y mágico por partes iguales. Cornelia Funke continúa demostrando que es una de las grandes voces de la literatura fantástica juvenil.
January 23, 2022
Und wieder begleiten wir die Gefährten auf neue Abenteuer. Es sind 2 Jahre vergangen und einiges hat sich geändert, vieles davon zum Guten und trotzdem geht es diesmal etwas düsterer zu. Themen wie Wilderei und Artensterben sind allgegenwärtig und es müssen etliche Gefahren überstanden werden. Freundschaft und Mut sind jedoch immer noch großgeschrieben , so einige liebgewonnene Charaktere wachsen über sich hinaus und es kommen auch neue Freunde dazu. Die Geschichte ist wieder ins sich abgeschlossen, den 1. Teil sollte man jedoch kennen.
January 4, 2022
Se nota mucho como ha evolucionado Cornelia and I like it. Me gustó mucho. Es un libro de los que calientan el corazón.
September 9, 2022
Ich fands jetzt beim Hörbuch ein bisschen konfus, vor allem durch die vielen Namen und Fantasy-Tierarten... trotzdem wieder ein unterhaltsames Abenteuer!
July 6, 2021
2.5 stars
A good book to introduce kids to environmental conservation, but it does try to stuff those views down your throat rather than showing you why it's improtant.
What started off as a good adventure book turned into a confusing, repetitive, and sometimes contradicting mess. The amount of super minor characters that had names made things more difficult to keep track. It did not feel at all like Cornelia's other books, and I'm not sure if that's a translation issue or not. While I enjoyed the pictures, the same ones kept appearing throughout the book, taking away from their effect (something that didn't happen in the previous book).
Overall, rather disappointed given how the first book was a childhood favourite.
A good book to introduce kids to environmental conservation, but it does try to stuff those views down your throat rather than showing you why it's improtant.
What started off as a good adventure book turned into a confusing, repetitive, and sometimes contradicting mess. The amount of super minor characters that had names made things more difficult to keep track. It did not feel at all like Cornelia's other books, and I'm not sure if that's a translation issue or not. While I enjoyed the pictures, the same ones kept appearing throughout the book, taking away from their effect (something that didn't happen in the previous book).
Overall, rather disappointed given how the first book was a childhood favourite.
August 31, 2020
Sophie you have to read his book¡
September 9, 2018
I might have enjoyed this more if I’d read the first book in the series. Charmingly written, I can see why they are well loved.
August 11, 2018
Hvor er den bare god! Det er så fantastisk at læse en engelsk bog, hvor der kommer norske/ danske ord og sætninger med ^^ helt fantastisk, og generelt bare en super sød og rørende historie :')
April 18, 2020
Es un libro maravilloso que recomiendo a todo aquel que le gusten los libros de fantasía.
September 10, 2018
I highly enjoyed Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider, a children's fantasy novel that nonetheless can be enjoyed by all ages. It gave us a unique take on dragons, a colorful cast of enjoyable characters, and a rollicking cross-continental adventure with a truly sinister villain. When I learned that, at long last, Funke had revisited this world and written a sequel, I pounced on it immediately, hoping for the further adventures of Firedrake and his friends and allies.
In the end, I found "The Griffin's Feather" to not be quite as good as the first book. But it still gives us an exciting adventure, reunions with old friends (and introductions to new friends), and a strong message about humankind's responsibility toward preserving the Earth and its creatures.
It's been several years since the events of "Dragon Rider," and Ben has settled into his new home -- a nature preserve for fantastic creatures, safeguarded by his adoptive father Dr. Greenbloom. His beloved dragon friend, Firedrake, has paid a visit to the reserve from the dragon's sanctuary of the Rim of Heaven in Nepal... but their reunion coincides with the news that three extremely rare Pegasus eggs are in danger. To save the precious foals within the eggs, the caretakers need the feather of a griffin... but griffins are among the most hateful of fantastic creatures, and are the sworn enemies of dragons. Ben, Dr. Greenbloom, the homonculus Twigleg, the daredevil rat Lola, and a grouchy but well-meaning forest troll must make an expedition to Indonesia to find the feather and save the eggs... but when disaster befalls their party, it will be up to Firedrake and the cantankerous brownie Sorrel to save the day.
It's always tricky for me to judge the writing of a book that has been translated from another language -- it's hard to know whether any awkwardness in the prose is due to the writer or the translator. Still, this was an enjoyable read, even if the language was a bit simplistic at times. The book introduces some darker themes that weren't present in the first book, as if the story has matured along with the readers of the original book -- themes of endangered species, poaching, environmental destruction, personal responsibility, etc. Sometimes these themes overtake the story, with the pace screeching to a halt in order for characters to talk about saving threatened creatures, but one could argue that this is a lesson that needs to be preached, even if it does slow the story down.
The book brings back many of the surviving characters from the original novel, including favorites like Sorrel the brownie (interestingly, the original German translation makes her a kobold, which makes more sense to this reader), Twigleg the homonculus, and Lola Greytail. It also introduces a large number of new characters... which can be a problem, as it gets difficult to keep track of the great number of characters at times (did we really need the names of every one of the monkeys that are allied with the griffins, for example?). Still, most of the characters old and new are still memorable, and it was a joy to get to know them.
The book also comes with a guide to the various characters and the fantastic creatures of this book, which is very helpful. And the illustrations, while not masterful, are charming and add a sense of whimsy to the book.
A decent follow-up to "Dragon Rider," "The Griffin's Feather" takes a fantastic approach to its environmental message, using mythical creatures to impart the lesson that we need to take better care of our world and its creatures. And it's a delightful adventure story on top of that, one that readers will enjoy.
In the end, I found "The Griffin's Feather" to not be quite as good as the first book. But it still gives us an exciting adventure, reunions with old friends (and introductions to new friends), and a strong message about humankind's responsibility toward preserving the Earth and its creatures.
It's been several years since the events of "Dragon Rider," and Ben has settled into his new home -- a nature preserve for fantastic creatures, safeguarded by his adoptive father Dr. Greenbloom. His beloved dragon friend, Firedrake, has paid a visit to the reserve from the dragon's sanctuary of the Rim of Heaven in Nepal... but their reunion coincides with the news that three extremely rare Pegasus eggs are in danger. To save the precious foals within the eggs, the caretakers need the feather of a griffin... but griffins are among the most hateful of fantastic creatures, and are the sworn enemies of dragons. Ben, Dr. Greenbloom, the homonculus Twigleg, the daredevil rat Lola, and a grouchy but well-meaning forest troll must make an expedition to Indonesia to find the feather and save the eggs... but when disaster befalls their party, it will be up to Firedrake and the cantankerous brownie Sorrel to save the day.
It's always tricky for me to judge the writing of a book that has been translated from another language -- it's hard to know whether any awkwardness in the prose is due to the writer or the translator. Still, this was an enjoyable read, even if the language was a bit simplistic at times. The book introduces some darker themes that weren't present in the first book, as if the story has matured along with the readers of the original book -- themes of endangered species, poaching, environmental destruction, personal responsibility, etc. Sometimes these themes overtake the story, with the pace screeching to a halt in order for characters to talk about saving threatened creatures, but one could argue that this is a lesson that needs to be preached, even if it does slow the story down.
The book brings back many of the surviving characters from the original novel, including favorites like Sorrel the brownie (interestingly, the original German translation makes her a kobold, which makes more sense to this reader), Twigleg the homonculus, and Lola Greytail. It also introduces a large number of new characters... which can be a problem, as it gets difficult to keep track of the great number of characters at times (did we really need the names of every one of the monkeys that are allied with the griffins, for example?). Still, most of the characters old and new are still memorable, and it was a joy to get to know them.
The book also comes with a guide to the various characters and the fantastic creatures of this book, which is very helpful. And the illustrations, while not masterful, are charming and add a sense of whimsy to the book.
A decent follow-up to "Dragon Rider," "The Griffin's Feather" takes a fantastic approach to its environmental message, using mythical creatures to impart the lesson that we need to take better care of our world and its creatures. And it's a delightful adventure story on top of that, one that readers will enjoy.
October 16, 2016
Once upon a time there was a little girl who spent her nights reading until she fell asleep. She read everything her parents gave to her - mostly simply girly stories about gangs and fun - until she laid her eyes on the book with a beautiful silver dragon on its cover. That was the day she started to like fantasy.
"Drachenreiter" was my favorite book as a child and definitely the one book from Cornelia Funke I read the most. Back when Harry Potter didn't even interest me, this book was my home and place to hide. You can imagine my reaction when I stumbled upon a post on Mrs Funke's goodreads page that spoke of a sequel to my beloved dragon story.
"Die Feder eines Greifs" takes place two years after the story from the first book. Ben Wiesengrund and his adopted family have build some kind of utopia in Norway, a place where any fantastical and usual creature is safe and looked after. Everything is fine except for the fact that Lung, the dragon we learned to love in his story, is still living in the Himalaya and that's quite far away. Until we get the message that the last few Pegasus eggs are in danger and the only thing that could possibly save them is the feather of a griffin. That's where our story begins.
This story is both beautiful and different. It's beautiful considering all the nostalgia that's combined with it. When I read the names of Ben, Lung and Schwefelfell for the very first time since a few years I got teary-eyed. Forgotten was all the stress you have to deal with these days - for once I was that nine year old girl dreaming of her own dragon again and that was the most beautiful feeling ever.
But it was also different. It might be the the aging of the characters (although that's only two years) who grew so much within their time or the writing style that still reads like a Funke book but different to 16 years ago (which is perfectly understandable, people develop their abilities). But I'm sure there weren't! As! Many! Exclamation! Marks! In the first book. Pretty sure. (This sounds like they were everywhere. It was okay. Loads of them were just unnecessary.)
I honestly can't criticize much and I only didn't have the book five stars was because it felt a bit rushed in the last half. And I would have loved to see a certain thing happen and the very end of the book but I guess I have to wait till another book comes out.
Last but not least: "Die Feder eines Greifs" is a worthy sequel to my favorite books from childhood days. It is a great mix between fantasy elements and creatures, nostalgia and action and I can definitely recommend it to anyone who spent his time with a certain silver dragon in "Drachenreiter/Dragon Rider" or is about to do it.
"Drachenreiter" was my favorite book as a child and definitely the one book from Cornelia Funke I read the most. Back when Harry Potter didn't even interest me, this book was my home and place to hide. You can imagine my reaction when I stumbled upon a post on Mrs Funke's goodreads page that spoke of a sequel to my beloved dragon story.
"Die Feder eines Greifs" takes place two years after the story from the first book. Ben Wiesengrund and his adopted family have build some kind of utopia in Norway, a place where any fantastical and usual creature is safe and looked after. Everything is fine except for the fact that Lung, the dragon we learned to love in his story, is still living in the Himalaya and that's quite far away. Until we get the message that the last few Pegasus eggs are in danger and the only thing that could possibly save them is the feather of a griffin. That's where our story begins.
This story is both beautiful and different. It's beautiful considering all the nostalgia that's combined with it. When I read the names of Ben, Lung and Schwefelfell for the very first time since a few years I got teary-eyed. Forgotten was all the stress you have to deal with these days - for once I was that nine year old girl dreaming of her own dragon again and that was the most beautiful feeling ever.
But it was also different. It might be the the aging of the characters (although that's only two years) who grew so much within their time or the writing style that still reads like a Funke book but different to 16 years ago (which is perfectly understandable, people develop their abilities). But I'm sure there weren't! As! Many! Exclamation! Marks! In the first book. Pretty sure. (This sounds like they were everywhere. It was okay. Loads of them were just unnecessary.)
I honestly can't criticize much and I only didn't have the book five stars was because it felt a bit rushed in the last half. And I would have loved to see a certain thing happen and the very end of the book but I guess I have to wait till another book comes out.
Last but not least: "Die Feder eines Greifs" is a worthy sequel to my favorite books from childhood days. It is a great mix between fantasy elements and creatures, nostalgia and action and I can definitely recommend it to anyone who spent his time with a certain silver dragon in "Drachenreiter/Dragon Rider" or is about to do it.
July 19, 2018
(This free book was sent to me by the publisher)
WOW, oh, WOW!!!! If someone had handed me The Griffin’s Feather (Dragon Rider #2) and I had read it without knowing anything about it, I would not have guessed that this book is intended for middle grade readers. I fell into it headfirst and fell in love.
To start, for those of you, who like me, did not read the first Dragon Rider book, never fear! One of the first things that I saw when I opened this book was a glorious map of the world as Ben and the dragons know it. Even better, in the back was an alphabetical who’s who, organized by type of creature. Funke added references to the previous book in the series as well as all the characters and species that are found in The Griffin’s Feather.
Also appealing (despite the fact that it was probably intended for younger readers) were the illustrations that wound themselves around the edges of the pages. As someone who sometimes struggles to recreate the image of fantastical creatures in my head, it was a gift to be able to see the artist’s rendering of what these fabulous beings looked like.
And fabulous beings there were. This story includes Pegasi, dragons, griffins, centaurs, trolls, homunculi… I could keep going but I fear my fingers would fall off (and each one is wonderfully described in that who’s who that I mentioned above). Through Funke’s love for these extraordinary beings, we see her love for the no less extraordinary ones that inhabit the Earth with us (such as monkeys, apes and birds). Over and over again, the pages leaked a warmth toward all species, and I wished, that like the Greenblooms, I could save all the species on the planet. If you have a younger child that wants to read this book, they will most definitely have the heart of a conservationist at the end of it.
Other lessons that Cornelia Funke teaches throughout The Griffin’s Feather include that money is not a substitute for love, that judging someone by their species (or skin) can prevent extraordinary friendships from happening, and that hard work and perseverance will always be the way. I fell in head first, into the plot that was as twisty and dense as the jungle in which it was set. As I followed Ben (the MC) and Drakefire, his dragon, I felt a kinship with them that I certainly did not expect. I rooted for them, and for the hordes of new animals they discovered along the way. And most of all, I wished all humans could learn to think the way that the courageous and kind Greenblooms do. This whimsical story had so many things to teach, even to the oldest of adults. I would highly recommend this book for readers of all ages, from the middle grades it was intended to, to toddlers and octogenarians.
WOW, oh, WOW!!!! If someone had handed me The Griffin’s Feather (Dragon Rider #2) and I had read it without knowing anything about it, I would not have guessed that this book is intended for middle grade readers. I fell into it headfirst and fell in love.
To start, for those of you, who like me, did not read the first Dragon Rider book, never fear! One of the first things that I saw when I opened this book was a glorious map of the world as Ben and the dragons know it. Even better, in the back was an alphabetical who’s who, organized by type of creature. Funke added references to the previous book in the series as well as all the characters and species that are found in The Griffin’s Feather.
Also appealing (despite the fact that it was probably intended for younger readers) were the illustrations that wound themselves around the edges of the pages. As someone who sometimes struggles to recreate the image of fantastical creatures in my head, it was a gift to be able to see the artist’s rendering of what these fabulous beings looked like.
And fabulous beings there were. This story includes Pegasi, dragons, griffins, centaurs, trolls, homunculi… I could keep going but I fear my fingers would fall off (and each one is wonderfully described in that who’s who that I mentioned above). Through Funke’s love for these extraordinary beings, we see her love for the no less extraordinary ones that inhabit the Earth with us (such as monkeys, apes and birds). Over and over again, the pages leaked a warmth toward all species, and I wished, that like the Greenblooms, I could save all the species on the planet. If you have a younger child that wants to read this book, they will most definitely have the heart of a conservationist at the end of it.
Other lessons that Cornelia Funke teaches throughout The Griffin’s Feather include that money is not a substitute for love, that judging someone by their species (or skin) can prevent extraordinary friendships from happening, and that hard work and perseverance will always be the way. I fell in head first, into the plot that was as twisty and dense as the jungle in which it was set. As I followed Ben (the MC) and Drakefire, his dragon, I felt a kinship with them that I certainly did not expect. I rooted for them, and for the hordes of new animals they discovered along the way. And most of all, I wished all humans could learn to think the way that the courageous and kind Greenblooms do. This whimsical story had so many things to teach, even to the oldest of adults. I would highly recommend this book for readers of all ages, from the middle grades it was intended to, to toddlers and octogenarians.
March 27, 2019
I was really excited when I first saw this because I loved The dragon rider and Cornelia Funke is one of my favourite writers. However this book just didn't really do it for me.
It started a couple of years after the first book, Ben has moved to Norway while Firedrake remains at the rim of heaven. Guinevere arrives with the last 3 Pegasus eggs and their father. Unfortunately the mother was bitten by a poisonous snake. This is a big problem as the mother's saliva is required for the eggs to grow with the baby Pegasus. The heroes come up with a different solution deciding to use a griffins feather instead. From there they go on a quest to find a griffin which takes them to Indonesia. The dragon rider book had a slightly dream like quality that I really enjoyed but with the griffins feather we all fall into a hard reality. It is very environmental forward which is not a bad thing but sometimes feels like it's bludgeoning the point in a little too hard. The book also takes a decidedly anti human angle with characters often bewailing the terrible nature of humans and apologizing for their species, and while you can see how people can become disillusioned with the human race it feels like a slightly world weary take for an otherwise quite youthful book. It also has some very anti leadership themes with the characters that are shown as good not wanting to take any leadership that could make a larger change. Despite this the book was still okay I was just a bit disappointed because I really love Dragon Rider and some of Cornelia Funke's other work.
If you got this far well don and thanks for listening to this rant.
It started a couple of years after the first book, Ben has moved to Norway while Firedrake remains at the rim of heaven. Guinevere arrives with the last 3 Pegasus eggs and their father. Unfortunately the mother was bitten by a poisonous snake. This is a big problem as the mother's saliva is required for the eggs to grow with the baby Pegasus. The heroes come up with a different solution deciding to use a griffins feather instead. From there they go on a quest to find a griffin which takes them to Indonesia. The dragon rider book had a slightly dream like quality that I really enjoyed but with the griffins feather we all fall into a hard reality. It is very environmental forward which is not a bad thing but sometimes feels like it's bludgeoning the point in a little too hard. The book also takes a decidedly anti human angle with characters often bewailing the terrible nature of humans and apologizing for their species, and while you can see how people can become disillusioned with the human race it feels like a slightly world weary take for an otherwise quite youthful book. It also has some very anti leadership themes with the characters that are shown as good not wanting to take any leadership that could make a larger change. Despite this the book was still okay I was just a bit disappointed because I really love Dragon Rider and some of Cornelia Funke's other work.
If you got this far well don and thanks for listening to this rant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2022
[3.5 Sterne]
Lange nicht so stark wie Band 1. Es ist zu merken, dass neun Jahre zwischen den Veröffentlichungen liegen. In Die Feder eines Greifs ist plötzlich alles unnötig modern, es gibt Videotelefonie, Handyplaylists usw. Außerdem wird der Fokus auf den Artenschutz viel deutlicher hervorgehoben. Es ist toll, dass die Bücher sich so intensiv damit auseinandersetzen, aber in Drachenreiter wurde das alles wesentlich subtiler vermittelt. Auch in der Fortsetzung werden wieder spannende neue Orte bereits (Indonesien) und neue Fabelwesen eingeführt (allen voran Pegasi und Greife), aber gerade die titelgebenden Greife bleiben leider blass und aufgrund ihrer ähnlichen Namen (Shrii, Kraa, Shraa) schwer voneinander zu unterscheiden.
Darüber hinaus sind mir die Geschlechterrollenbilder extrem negativ aufgefallen. Keiner der handlungstragenden Greife ist weiblich und während Ben mit Barnabas, Hothbrodd, Fliegenbein und später auch Lung aufbricht, um die Greife zu finden, bleibt Guinever mit ihrer Mutter Vita zu Hause, um Pegasi-Eier zu bewachen. Der Vater der Eier ist zwar auch zurückgeblieben, stellt sich aber als komplett unfähig in der Pflege der Eier heraus. Das Gleiche gilt für Lungs Liebesleben. Während er Ben ins Abenteuer folgt, bleibt seine Partnerin zurück und brütet Eier. Sie verabreden zwar, dass danach Maya an der Reihe ist, ein Abenteuer zu erleben, aber zu lesen kriegen wir das nicht.
Lange nicht so stark wie Band 1. Es ist zu merken, dass neun Jahre zwischen den Veröffentlichungen liegen. In Die Feder eines Greifs ist plötzlich alles unnötig modern, es gibt Videotelefonie, Handyplaylists usw. Außerdem wird der Fokus auf den Artenschutz viel deutlicher hervorgehoben. Es ist toll, dass die Bücher sich so intensiv damit auseinandersetzen, aber in Drachenreiter wurde das alles wesentlich subtiler vermittelt. Auch in der Fortsetzung werden wieder spannende neue Orte bereits (Indonesien) und neue Fabelwesen eingeführt (allen voran Pegasi und Greife), aber gerade die titelgebenden Greife bleiben leider blass und aufgrund ihrer ähnlichen Namen (Shrii, Kraa, Shraa) schwer voneinander zu unterscheiden.
Darüber hinaus sind mir die Geschlechterrollenbilder extrem negativ aufgefallen. Keiner der handlungstragenden Greife ist weiblich und während Ben mit Barnabas, Hothbrodd, Fliegenbein und später auch Lung aufbricht, um die Greife zu finden, bleibt Guinever mit ihrer Mutter Vita zu Hause, um Pegasi-Eier zu bewachen. Der Vater der Eier ist zwar auch zurückgeblieben, stellt sich aber als komplett unfähig in der Pflege der Eier heraus. Das Gleiche gilt für Lungs Liebesleben. Während er Ben ins Abenteuer folgt, bleibt seine Partnerin zurück und brütet Eier. Sie verabreden zwar, dass danach Maya an der Reihe ist, ein Abenteuer zu erleben, aber zu lesen kriegen wir das nicht.
May 23, 2019
2 stars.
DNF @ 64%
Ohh boy....
This book I have been wanting ever since Cornelia Funke announced that she was writing it. The first book is an absolute favourite of mine but this wasnt what I was hoping for. It realllllly lacked in Dragons and that was my main feature of wanting this so bad! More DRAGONS!!! Sadly this was very luke warm with Dragons.
Dont get me wrong, Funke is still my favourite author but this book is a miss from me which I feel bad about because I know she put alot of time and effort into it. But not every book is for every person.
So the reason I gave this 2 stars while I also DNF'ed it is because it wasnt bad. It definitely wasnt badly written. It just wasnt what I was wanting. Besides 2 stars from me means its 'Just OK'. Which it was. I think if I wasnt so hyped up from wanting to read more (much much more than I got) about Firedrake, I probably would have given this another star.
Will I be reading books 3 and 4?? Well I think so. Expecually since (I think) book 3 is going to be a Graphic Novel.
DNF @ 64%
Ohh boy....
This book I have been wanting ever since Cornelia Funke announced that she was writing it. The first book is an absolute favourite of mine but this wasnt what I was hoping for. It realllllly lacked in Dragons and that was my main feature of wanting this so bad! More DRAGONS!!! Sadly this was very luke warm with Dragons.
Dont get me wrong, Funke is still my favourite author but this book is a miss from me which I feel bad about because I know she put alot of time and effort into it. But not every book is for every person.
So the reason I gave this 2 stars while I also DNF'ed it is because it wasnt bad. It definitely wasnt badly written. It just wasnt what I was wanting. Besides 2 stars from me means its 'Just OK'. Which it was. I think if I wasnt so hyped up from wanting to read more (much much more than I got) about Firedrake, I probably would have given this another star.
Will I be reading books 3 and 4?? Well I think so. Expecually since (I think) book 3 is going to be a Graphic Novel.
January 12, 2019
First off, inaccurate pagecount on this edition - it has 367 pages rather than 416.
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Better than the first IMO, the writing was less simplistic - perhaps to reflect the protagonist being older.
Also, I have admired the interior illustrations in Cornelia Funke's books for years, and have only now realized she draws them herself!
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Better than the first IMO, the writing was less simplistic - perhaps to reflect the protagonist being older.
Also, I have admired the interior illustrations in Cornelia Funke's books for years, and have only now realized she draws them herself!
June 28, 2018
Two years have passed since Ben's adventures with Firedrake and both have found homes. Unfortunately, they haven't found the same home. Ben is living with the Greenblooms in their secret conservation site in Norway and Firedrake is living with the other dragons at the Rim of Heaven in Nepal. They miss each other and don't get to see each other as often as they would like.
Ben loves living with his adoptive family and taking care of the many fantastic beasts who take shelter at the refuge. When one of the few remaining Pegasi loses his mate and is left with three unhatched eggs, they are offered a place in the refuge. But without a mother, the three young Pegasi will not be able to hatch. The only solution which is found after researching many ancient texts about fantastic beasts, is to create something like the mother's saliva from a golden feather of a griffin.
Not only are griffins rare, but they are also the most difficult of all fantastical creatures. They hate dragons and pegasi and most other creatures. The only way to save the babies is to find the almost mythical griffins and then convince them to give up one of their special feathers.
Ben, Barnabas Greenbloom, Twigleg, Lola Greytail and Hothbrodd - grumpy Norwegian troll with a gift for talking to trees - are off to find the griffins. They are careful not to let Firedrake know about their plans because they know he would want to help, but the venture will be especially dangerous for him. Besides, he is an expectant father himself as his mate is sitting on their eggs in Nepal.
The travelers have a deadline. They have only a week to get the griffin feather or it will be too late for the pegasi eggs. They have many adventures and meet some new companions to help them on their journey. All of the characters face challenges to both their ingenuity and their courage.
Besides being a great adventure, this book is filled with positive and uplifting messages about love, friendship, and courage. Each chapter begins with a quote. Those quoted span a wide variety of people from Einstein to Maya Angelou to Kate DiCamillo.
Fans of Ben and Firedrake's first adventure won't want to miss this engaging and uplifting adventure.
Ben loves living with his adoptive family and taking care of the many fantastic beasts who take shelter at the refuge. When one of the few remaining Pegasi loses his mate and is left with three unhatched eggs, they are offered a place in the refuge. But without a mother, the three young Pegasi will not be able to hatch. The only solution which is found after researching many ancient texts about fantastic beasts, is to create something like the mother's saliva from a golden feather of a griffin.
Not only are griffins rare, but they are also the most difficult of all fantastical creatures. They hate dragons and pegasi and most other creatures. The only way to save the babies is to find the almost mythical griffins and then convince them to give up one of their special feathers.
Ben, Barnabas Greenbloom, Twigleg, Lola Greytail and Hothbrodd - grumpy Norwegian troll with a gift for talking to trees - are off to find the griffins. They are careful not to let Firedrake know about their plans because they know he would want to help, but the venture will be especially dangerous for him. Besides, he is an expectant father himself as his mate is sitting on their eggs in Nepal.
The travelers have a deadline. They have only a week to get the griffin feather or it will be too late for the pegasi eggs. They have many adventures and meet some new companions to help them on their journey. All of the characters face challenges to both their ingenuity and their courage.
Besides being a great adventure, this book is filled with positive and uplifting messages about love, friendship, and courage. Each chapter begins with a quote. Those quoted span a wide variety of people from Einstein to Maya Angelou to Kate DiCamillo.
Fans of Ben and Firedrake's first adventure won't want to miss this engaging and uplifting adventure.
June 2, 2022
This book was just as amazing as the first book, but it leaves you with an anxious feeling almost the whole book. I was so nervous about if they were going to achieve their goal or if anyone was going to die the whole book! I won't say how I felt after to avoid spoilers, but I liked the book either way.
I listened to the audiobook again and was disappointed that Brendan Fraser wasn't narrating this one too, but was pleasantly surprised how much I loved Marc Thompson and Cornelia Funke. They have wonderful voices and it was a really nice listen, but there was 1 character I didn't like the voice for. I like Brendan Fraser's Sorrel better than Marc Thompson because Marc made her sound screechy and annoying. She was my favorite character in the first book, but it was difficult to love her in the second book with that voice.
The second book also had music and sound effects that were hit or miss. I loved the sound effects of the fighting and the dragon/griffin roars, but the music in between the chapters was too loud compared to the reading. I had to turn down the volume every time music played, except the end credit song "Feather of a Griffin." That was beautiful!
Overall, this was a fantastic book and I would recommend the audiobook, but with this review in mind.
I listened to the audiobook again and was disappointed that Brendan Fraser wasn't narrating this one too, but was pleasantly surprised how much I loved Marc Thompson and Cornelia Funke. They have wonderful voices and it was a really nice listen, but there was 1 character I didn't like the voice for. I like Brendan Fraser's Sorrel better than Marc Thompson because Marc made her sound screechy and annoying. She was my favorite character in the first book, but it was difficult to love her in the second book with that voice.
The second book also had music and sound effects that were hit or miss. I loved the sound effects of the fighting and the dragon/griffin roars, but the music in between the chapters was too loud compared to the reading. I had to turn down the volume every time music played, except the end credit song "Feather of a Griffin." That was beautiful!
Overall, this was a fantastic book and I would recommend the audiobook, but with this review in mind.
January 6, 2024
It is very hard for a sequel to deliver the same magic as the first book, especially when the first book was a near-perfect one. But while I still love the original Dragon Rider more, I very much enjoyed this sequel. It started off slow for me, but the book was full of magical creatures and amazing natural creatures as well, and while I assumed things would work out in the end, I had no idea how they would. I loved the focus on conservation, both with helping the fantastical creatures find a safe place to live and dealing with poachers and other threats to natural creatures. Also, those griffins were terrifying! And the jackal scorpions, YIKES!
It was wonderful seeing our favorite characters again, like Sorrel, the salty brownie who swears in toxic mushroom names, and Twigleg, the anxious homonculus. I wish Sorrel had been in it more—she was my favorite from book one—but I’m glad Twigleg and Lola the aviator rat were such big parts of this sequel. And the addition of Hothbrodd the troll was delightful. I really grew to enjoy his character.
I only realized after the book was over that there was a list of types of creatures at the end. I wish I’d realized it earlier because I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of what the creatures were (like the different types of impets that I didn’t realize were all impets) or distinguishing between the types of monkeys.
Overall, especially for a sequel written years and years later, this was a great addition to the Dragon Rider world.
It was wonderful seeing our favorite characters again, like Sorrel, the salty brownie who swears in toxic mushroom names, and Twigleg, the anxious homonculus. I wish Sorrel had been in it more—she was my favorite from book one—but I’m glad Twigleg and Lola the aviator rat were such big parts of this sequel. And the addition of Hothbrodd the troll was delightful. I really grew to enjoy his character.
I only realized after the book was over that there was a list of types of creatures at the end. I wish I’d realized it earlier because I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of what the creatures were (like the different types of impets that I didn’t realize were all impets) or distinguishing between the types of monkeys.
Overall, especially for a sequel written years and years later, this was a great addition to the Dragon Rider world.
March 29, 2024
La historia se ubica dos años después del Jinete del Dragón y podemos ver qué cambios han ocurrido con los personajes de dicha entrega así como en ciertos lugares como la Orilla del Cielo. Adicionalmente, se introducen muchos seres fantásticos algunos solo mencionados y otros con un papel más relevante es esta historia.
La aventura gira en cómo tratan de conseguir la pluma de un grifo para salvar a las tres crías de Pegaso y que puedan nacer, de lo contrario se tendría la extinción de la especie. En su búsqueda visitan lugares como Turquía, India y la isla de Pulau Buru. Los grifos se presentan como los malos en la historia (particularmente Kraa) que no se caracterizan por se empáticos ni sociables.
Nuevamente el trabajo en equipo será un elemento fundamental en el desenlace de la historia. Me parece rescatable que cada personaje tiene algo que aportar, aunque difieran en tamaño, destreza o fuerza.
Creo que en el fondo la autora plantea el tema de preservación de la naturaleza y la responsabilidad que tenemos en ello. Asimismo, la valoración del otro y sus capacidades.
La aventura gira en cómo tratan de conseguir la pluma de un grifo para salvar a las tres crías de Pegaso y que puedan nacer, de lo contrario se tendría la extinción de la especie. En su búsqueda visitan lugares como Turquía, India y la isla de Pulau Buru. Los grifos se presentan como los malos en la historia (particularmente Kraa) que no se caracterizan por se empáticos ni sociables.
Nuevamente el trabajo en equipo será un elemento fundamental en el desenlace de la historia. Me parece rescatable que cada personaje tiene algo que aportar, aunque difieran en tamaño, destreza o fuerza.
Creo que en el fondo la autora plantea el tema de preservación de la naturaleza y la responsabilidad que tenemos en ello. Asimismo, la valoración del otro y sus capacidades.
July 4, 2017
I feel like I need to justify my rating for this one.
I really enjoyed this book, it was full of fantastical creatures with personalities I felt so strongly for, adventure, danger, love and sacrifice. I just couldn't give it that extra star. It's not the story's fault, it's mine. This is the second book in a series, I haven't read the first. This is a book that can be absolutely read as a stand alone book, the story has little to do with the events of the previous book. That being said, it niggled. References were made to parts of characters past exploits, that for me didn't have enough detail. It bugged. Not the books fault, I should have read Dragon Rider first, something I fully intend on doing, and I have no doubt once I have, I will re-read The Griffin's Feather and I will love it the way I really should.
I really enjoyed this book, it was full of fantastical creatures with personalities I felt so strongly for, adventure, danger, love and sacrifice. I just couldn't give it that extra star. It's not the story's fault, it's mine. This is the second book in a series, I haven't read the first. This is a book that can be absolutely read as a stand alone book, the story has little to do with the events of the previous book. That being said, it niggled. References were made to parts of characters past exploits, that for me didn't have enough detail. It bugged. Not the books fault, I should have read Dragon Rider first, something I fully intend on doing, and I have no doubt once I have, I will re-read The Griffin's Feather and I will love it the way I really should.
September 6, 2021
Me encantó este librito, es una bonita aventura y me agrada mucho como se mezclan las criaturas mitológicas con la contemporaneidad y la amenaza a las especies animales, que es algo que he visto hace Cornelia en sus libros. El sistema de citas al inicio de los capítulos me hizo recordar mucho a corazón de tinta 💘 espero hayan más aventuras de Lung y Ben, para conocer el futuro de sus familias.
August 23, 2022
Es war so schön. Mal wieder. Cornelia Funke schreibt sowohl für kleine, als auch für große Kinder. Ich liebe die Charaktere und die Tatsache, dass die Guten immer gewinnen. Natürlich. Vorhersehbar, aber trotzdem spannend. Genau das was ich grade brauchte.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 247 reviews