Dragons, Spaceships, and aliens all in one?

[Varthikes]

I'm trying to get an idea of just how original (or unoriginal) the concept for my current project really is.

Does anyone know of any books the feature dragons (actual dragons with wings and fire-breath), spaceships, and aliens? All having a prominent role in the same story?

And, Pern doesn't count since there's really only one book in the series where dragons and spaceships are both prominent in the same time frame. And, there, the dragons (or Humans, depending on your point-of-view) are the only aliens.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Actuallly, I think there may have been actual aliens in Pern, but that's not what you're asking.

The only thing that comes straight to mind is a Star Trek(?) novel I read at some point, where the crew beams down to a planet that has sort-of "dragons".

[Kitty Pryde]

Ooh! There's an Isaac Asimov book series I was madly in love with as a wee child...let's see, the book was Norby and the Invaders. And Norby and the Oldest Dragon also. It has spaceships, aliens, and dragons. And robots.

But there's nothing new under the sun, and I've done the math and determined that dragons+spaceships=awesome.

[Varthikes]

Actuallly, I think there may have been actual aliens in Pern, but that's not what you're asking.

The only thing that comes straight to mind is a Star Trek(?) novel I read at some point, where the crew beams down to a planet that has sort-of "dragons".

Yeah, I read that one, too. The dragons didn't really play a major role. And, when they did appear, it was merely as mindless monsters.

[LOG]

You been reading my potential WIP's?

[Wark]

Didn't Harry Harrison do something?

[Nivarion]

DON'T COPY MEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

That sounds a lot like parts of my books. With some magic thrown in for good luck.

[Mac H.]

Does anyone know of any books the feature dragons (actual dragons with wings and fire-breath), spaceships, and aliens? All having a prominent role in the same story?I can think of a few, but few that stick in my mind well enough for me to remember the names.

Some that I *do* remember include :
* Strata (http://www.amazon.com/Strata-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0552133256) (Also includes flying carpets, genies & vikings)
* Flinx Trancendent (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345496078/analogsciencefic)

There are plenty of them, but don't let that stop you. There is always room for good writing.

Mac
(PS: They seem to be popular in shorter stories. Check out older editions of 'Asimovs'.
'Layna's Mirror' comes to mind, but there seem to be plenty of others.)

[Bartholomew]

I'm trying to get an idea of just how original (or unoriginal) the concept for my current project really is.

Does anyone know of any books the feature dragons (actual dragons with wings and fire-breath), spaceships, and aliens? All having a prominent role in the same story?

And, Pern doesn't count since there's really only one book in the series where dragons and spaceships are both prominent in the same time frame. And, there, the dragons (or Humans, depending on your point-of-view) are the only aliens.

It sounds absurd to me, but that's not necessarily bad. I've never seen a novel that had all three, and I'd be interested in at least looking at one that did.

[Chasing the Horizon]

DON'T COPY MEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

That sounds a lot like parts of my books. With some magic thrown in for good luck.

You been reading my potential WIP's?
Hey, I have an idea for a book like that too! Is this a new trend of some kind?

[Varthikes]

I assure you all that any similarities are completely coincidental. :) Though, there's no magic involved with mine.

I actually started working on this project 4 years ago, before I even joined this forum.

[FOTSGreg]

There's an RPG based roughly on that concept...

[AceTachyon]

um...Alan Dean Foster's Pip and Flinx novels?

[Maraxus]

Can Dragons breath in space? ... Nah, that's not the right kind of Dragons ...

I want Dragons in Spaceships, now!!!!! ;) :D

[mercs]

I came in here to name the Asimov book, but someone beat me to hit...curse my day job stealing my cred!

The only other one I know is a rather crazy one called The Dragon Locket by Roy Boobyer. It's an odd one from the sample I've read and a bit far out and trippy too...

[Varthikes]

um...Alan Dean Foster's Pip and Flinx novels?

Yeah, but Pip spits acid instead of flame.

[GeorgeK]

You been reading my potential WIP's?

or mine?

[Nivarion]

So, how are yall using magic, dragons, spaceships and aliens all together?

I have a big magic battle on dragons. The aliens are slavers and quite glad to find an overpopulated world of just intelligent enough beings. They come in and abduct almost everyone and RKV the planet. MC is not happy.

[Varthikes]

I have no magic in mine.

But, the story is that the Humans come to a planet that's a potential site for a colony. They find dragons living there who have prior (not good) experience with creatures coming to their world.

In the first book, the Humans make a deal with the dragons to allow a colony.

In the second and third books, the aliens who previously came to the planet learn of the deal and try to sabotage it. There are other aliens (allies of the Humans), who are present in orbit at the time that the first aliens make their move, and they defend the dragons.

There's more to it, but that's what basically happens.

[Bartholomew]

http://iconicionic.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/tyrannosaurus_in_f-14s.jpg

[dgiharris]

At the very end of the Darksword Trilogy by Margarett Wies and Tracy Hickman, the magical world (that had dragons) was invaded by a futuristic society. THere was a brief fight between dragons and space/fighter jets, lasted a chapter or two if memory serves.

Mel...

[MGraybosch]

Yeah, but Pip spits acid instead of flame.

That's OK. The dragons in Michael Moorcock's Elric novels also spit acid.

For my part, I haven't seen anything that includes dragons, spaceships, and aliens. In my own WIP, I have aliens that have lived among humanity for over 10,000 years, and they've got a starship hidden away that looks a hell of a lot like a dragon. The wings functioned as ion sails, and it used its mouth to eat asteroids and suck up hydrogen and helium while brushing against gas giants.

[MGraybosch]

So, how are yall using magic, dragons, spaceships and aliens all together?

My magic is probably better called psionics, and is limited by my knowledge of physics. I try not to break conservation of energy and conservation of mass. I also work a lot of computer-programming concepts into how the MC sees his own sorcery; one of his best friends is a hacker, so he's used to such metaphors.