The Realm of Nebilon is Not to Be Confused with the Planet Nebulon

 

I am taking a moment to share this new blog post since I’ve had a few people ask me if there is a connection between the planet Nebulon from the Galaxy Zack Series and the Fantasy realm of Nebilon. There isn’t any. There is also no connection between the alien supervillain, Nebulon, from the Marvel Universe, who appeared in issue #34 of The Defenders, and the realm of Nebilon. 

For a quick primer, Nebilon is a thriving hub in the magic-rich realm west of the Elbianic Sea and north of the Heel of Dunbar. It is comprised of the four main cities of Spork, Spore, Spawn, and Fram. 

The worlds of Nebulon and Nebilon and the casts of characters that inhabit them couldn’t be more different. The Nebilon Series is not a spinoff and bears no relation to Galaxy Zack: Hello, Nebulon! Aside from the Neb that they share at the beginning of their names, there really isn’t much else that they have in common. There’s a subtle pronunciation difference in the middle syllable, and that’s where the similarity comes to a screeching halt. The former is a book series geared for a slightly younger reading audience, mainly for grades K- 3, while the Nebilon Series Book 1, The Acolyte and The Amulet, and Book 2, Quest For The Hope Box are more geared for middle school and above. 

Actually, I think the Nebilon Series is tailor-made for anybody who enjoys humorous Sci-fi/Fantasy Adventure. Age really doesn’t come into play. For argument sake, if I had to guess, the planet, Nebulon would probably be 7 or 8 million light-years away from the craggier realm of Nebilon, give or take a couple hundred thousand light-years. 

So I hope this clarification will suffice to clear up any confusion. If not, I’m sure it will all settle itself quite nicely at some point in the not too distant future, otherwise, the infamous Mage Council domiciled in Spork will have to step into the debate. 

I will say this. Readers of Fantasy/Adventure will enjoy the Nebilon Series. Book 2, Quest For The Hope Box is out now. It was released a couple of weeks ago, and it is available on Kindle. I am hoping to release a paperback soon. Keep your eyes peeled for more on that. There’s a new mission in Book 2, Quest For The Hope Box, and you’ll be happy to see that many from the main cast have returned for this important mission. Luma has become a full-fledged mage and she will be serving as a guide on a critical mission at the behest of Archmage Harberk. Luma will also have to learn to bond with the dragon that has hatched inside Harberk’s castle. Yes, I did say a dragon, one from the fire-breathing ilk. This endeavor will not be easy for the burgeoning mage, since she still has her pet wugwump, Wumsy along with her. As a brief aside, you might as well know that dragons and wugwumps have always had a tempestuous relationship, and over the years, those ill feelings have festered. 

 So Luma will clearly have her hands full on this mission. 

It is also worth noting that in this follow up to the maiden voyage, a mysterious Box of Hope has surfaced after being hidden for centuries. Yes, I did say a box filled with Hope. A nothing special sort of wooden box with a peanut butter-like splotch on the side that just happens to ooze a swirly orange glow that goads Seekers into pursuing ambitious paths. The streets are soon clogged with all sorts of Hope-mongers. 

This makes Book 2 of the Nebilon Series quite a bit more whimsical than The Acolyte And The Amulet, but there are still plenty of beastly entanglements that require the focused and judicious use of magic. You’ll get to meet the precocious gargoyle, Stan, who is rather ambitious and possibly even a secret agent for the Archmage Harberk. Personally, I find Book 2 to be a little more humorous than Book 1, but that’s a personal thing. For all I know, it might not read that way for you, and that’s totally fine.

My Brief But Amazing Top 8 Dragons From Literature List

I had to do it eventually.

Any warm-blooded… check that… any cold-blooded…er— any diehard dragon wonk has a shortlist of their favorite firedrakes. Since it is Sci-fi/Fantasy Week on Goodreads, I decided to write a blogpost about dragons. Maybe you’d be more inclined to seeing a ranking of dwarves, elves, or centaurs. Hang onto your Hogwarts! Maybe I’ll get around to one of those lists the next time out.

Today I’m sticking with dragons. The focus of this blogpost is strictly limited to the confines of literature so unfortunately Puff the Magic Dragon and Godzilla didn’t make the final cut, although both were early inspirations for me. For the record, even if Godzilla was from a book and not film, his original incarnation was a bizarre hybrid, something of a cross between a gorilla and a whale.

Caveat emptor. My list is strictly personal preferences. It is by no means exhaustive and I am sure that many wonderful dragons have been left off. Your favorites perhaps. Mea culpa. That’s the way the cookie bounces sometimes. Having said that, please don’t hesitate to drop me the names, books, and authors of your favorite fire-lizards in the comments section. I’m always looking to beef up and add to my TBR list. And who knows, I might just expand this list in the future.


My Brief But Amazing Top 8 Dragons From Literature List


1)
Smaug— Who would be foolish enough to exclude this magnificent specimen? The inimical brainchild of J.R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is the king of Lonely Mountain’s treasure trove. A dragon’s dragon, and by many accounts, one of the richest fictional beasts, raking in between 54 and 61 Billion according to Forbes (2012 and 2013)

2)
Sapira— One of my absolute favorites. I’m a huge fan of Christopher Paolini. If you’ve never read any of his works, I highly recommend you start with Eragon his first book of his The Inheritance Cycle. The title character, Eragon, rears Sapira from hatchling to full-fledged dragon. The bond between them is phenomenal and she helps the hero become a dragonrider. Some really great repartee. Sapira’s passion and emotional intelligence can rival just about any warm-blooded being in literature.

3)
Orm Irian— The stunning red-gold dragon that morphs into her human form at the Dragon Council Meeting to broker peace among the humans and dragons in The Other Wind, Book 6 of The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin. Orm Irian is the sister of Tehanu and the eldest daughter of Kalessin. When she transforms, she stuns the Council with her eloquent speech. Her eyes reveal her true self “a vast shimmer of smoky gold that dwarfed the King and throne” (Le Guin).

4)
Errol— the lovable swamp dragon from Sir Terry Pratchett’s 8th book from the Discworld Series, Guards! Guards! Errol is a spunky underdog type, what I would call the Rudy Ruettiger of dragons who ends up winning your heart.

5)
Ruth – from The Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey. If Ruth doesn’t prove that good things come in little packages then I don’t know what does. Smart and agile, a leader of men and dragons and oftentimes mistakenly classified as the white or albino dragon. There are many shades glimmering in Ruth’s marvelous armor.

6)
Norberta— the Norwegian Ridgeback from the Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling. So I felt compelled to spice up the contents of my fire-lizard list. She is an absolute handful and a true challenge to house-train. Norberta did plenty of damage Hagrid’s home, but was definitely worth all the fuss.

7)
Falkor— from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. As luck would have it, Falkor made the cut. That’s a little pun since Falkor is classified as a luckdragon. As pal and sidekick of Fantastica’s wunderkind, Atreyu, I felt compelled to include Ende’s whimsical creature.

8)
Rhaegal— Last, but certainly not least there’s the mighty green-bronze dragon from George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones Series. Who can ever forget the Battle of Winerfell?

Thanks for checking this out. Don’t forget to include your comments down below and share your personal favorite dragons. See ya around the cloud.