Review of "Dragonhaven" by Robin McKinley

Jake's dad is a scientist at the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park where about 200 of the last of the dragons live. On his first overnight alone in the park, Jake meets a dragon. To his shock and dismay, the dying dragon is lying next to a woman she has just killed. Jake knows that the news of a dragon killing a human could cripple or even close the park and the Makepeace Institute. As the late, great Johnny Carson used to say, "You buy the premise, you buy the bit." Sure it's a complete fantasy, that's the point. It's a fun romp through the world of dragons with an underpinning taste of modern science to make it feel more relevant.