Lichtenberg, Tom: Dragon Town (The Dragon City) (2011)

I was not aware of this being a series so I jumped right in with Dragon Town (no. 3) and had no problem with that. While there obviously is a thread (the strange disappearances) to the story Dragon Town seemed to stand completely on its own legs.

Sapphire Karadjian has been ordered by the top honchos of the media concern she works for to return to Spring Hill Lake to report on a sinkhole that is supposed to have swallowed a football stadion. For a war journalist that seems both unlikely and rather tame and she cannot for the life of her understand why they want her specifically. Granted, she grew up there, but she feels completely overqualified for the job. Orders are orders and off she goes.

Her journalistic career has removed any rose-colored glasses Sapphire might have had before leaving Spring Hill Lake. To an extent I know my own rose tinted glasses have come off and that I see more of the world as it is and not as I want it to be. Sapphire’s case is even more extreme than my own. I imagine doing stories about one horrible deed after another tears down all illusions you have about people.

Sapphire is the main character of Dragon Town. Dragon Town is in the style of X-Files or the Twilight Zone – you know, sort of weird and sometimes creepy. Here we have “the burning girl”. Interesting to have a person on fire yet not get hurt. Then you have the back-story of the city. Add to that the suddenly appearing hole. And finally, for those who have read them, there are the two preceding novels.

I liked Dragon Town. It is only 84 pages long, so I guess that would make it a novella. Despite its shortness it packs quite a bit of story into it and manages to give me the creep-factor a couple of times. I like it when stories abstain from horror but embrace creepy.

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