The Dragon (short story)
1955 short story by Ray Bradbury
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"The Dragon" is a short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, originally published in 1955 in the magazine Esquire. A limited edition (352 copies, signed and numbered or lettered) of the story was published by Footsteps Press in 1988. It appears in A Medicine for Melancholy (1959), R is for Rocket (1962), Classic Stories 1 (1990), and Bradbury Stories (2003).
| "The Dragon" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Ray Bradbury | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Esquire |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | Print (Magazine) |
| Publication date | August 1955 |
dust-jacket from the first edition | |
| Author | Ray Bradbury |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Ken Snyder |
| Cover artist | Ken Snyder |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy short story |
| Publisher | Footsteps Press |
| Publication date | 1988 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 15 pp |
Plot
The story concerns two knights who have a mission to slay a dragon. They describe the dragon as huge, fire-breathing, and horrific, having only one eye. They charge the dragon but fail, presumably dying in the attempt.
The "dragon" is then revealed to be a steam train, and its single eye is the train's headlight. The operators discuss the encounter but continue on without attempting to find the knights.
Sources
- Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 264.
- Brown, Charles N.; William G. Contento. "The Locus Index to Science Fiction (1984-1998)". Retrieved December 12, 2007.
External links
- "The Dragon" title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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