10 dragon rider fantasy series that understand why dragons are the point
A dragon bond is the fantasy version of a life-changing group chat.
Dragon rider stories promise one thing very clearly: at some point you will look up from the page and wish your commute had wings.
The Empyrean
Rebecca Yarros
Violet’s place in dragon-rider training is unlikely, dangerous, and immediately compelling once the dragons start having their own opinions.
No announced next book
Pern
Anne McCaffrey
Lessa and F’lar bond with dragons on Pern, where aerial fire-breathing is part of protecting a world from an ancient threat.
No announced next book
Eragon
Christopher Paolini
Eragon finds a dragon egg and gets pulled into a rebellion against an empire that would very much prefer no new riders existed.
No announced next book
Temeraire
Naomi Novik
Napoleonic wars get much more interesting when a British naval captain discovers that his new dragon has excellent opinions about politics.
No announced next book
Songs of Chaos
Michael R. Miller
Holt bonds with a blind dragon in a world where dragons, magic, and a long climb through danger all feel properly epic.
No announced next book
The Bound and The Broken
Ryan Cahill
A young man finds a dragon egg and becomes tangled in a war that keeps expanding in scale without losing its adventure-story pleasure.
Next book: Of Gods and Ashes, 5 · Jan 1, 2028
Dragon Spirits
L.L. MacRae
Dragon riders, old magic, and a fractured realm make this a good fit for readers who want their aerial fantasy with political weight.
No announced next book
The Rain Wilds Chronicles (Realm of the Elderlings, Books 10-13)
Robin Hobb
Damaged dragons and the people assigned to care for them take a difficult journey that makes the bond feel earned rather than decorative.
No announced next book
Dragon School
Sarah K. L. Wilson
Amel is not supposed to qualify for dragon school, but the small dragon who chooses her has a different and much louder plan.
No announced next book
Dragon Blood
Lindsay Buroker
A human soldier and an elven assassin become reluctant allies in a fast, romantic series where dragon magic is never far away.
Next book: Balanced on the Blade's Edge (Dragon Blood Book 1), 1 · Mar 29, 2014
The next book is somebody else’s calendar problem now.
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Start your watchlistWhy these make the shelf
The recent success of The Empyrean has put dragon-rider fantasy back at the centre of mainstream fantasy conversation, especially among romantasy readers. Los 40.
Pick the itch you want scratched
- The Empyrean. Violet’s place in dragon-rider training is unlikely, dangerous, and immediately compelling once the dragons start having their own opinions.
- Dragonriders of Pern. Lessa and F’lar bond with dragons on Pern, where aerial fire-breathing is part of protecting a world from an ancient threat.
- The Inheritance Cycle. Eragon finds a dragon egg and gets pulled into a rebellion against an empire that would very much prefer no new riders existed.
- Temeraire. Napoleonic wars get much more interesting when a British naval captain discovers that his new dragon has excellent opinions about politics.
Questions people actually ask
- Which best dragon rider fantasy series should I start with?
- The Empyrean is the cleanest first stop. Start with Fourth Wing and give it a proper evening.
- Are these series still worth tracking?
- Yes. Some are complete and make excellent binges; others are active, which is exactly when a release tracker saves you from checking Amazon like it owes you money.
- Can I read these on Kindle?
- Each entry links to its first Kindle book in the matching Amazon store. Availability moves by marketplace, so the card sends you to the edition that is actually being tracked.