{"id":10701,"date":"2026-05-06T00:03:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T05:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/?p=10701"},"modified":"2026-05-03T21:18:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T02:18:06","slug":"review-dave-freers-storm-dragon-offers-heinleinesque-young-adult-tale-of-discovery-self-reliance-and-courage-against-abuses-of-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/review-dave-freers-storm-dragon-offers-heinleinesque-young-adult-tale-of-discovery-self-reliance-and-courage-against-abuses-of-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Dave Freer\u2019s Storm-Dragon offers Heinleinesque Young Adult tale of discovery, self-reliance and courage against abuses of power\u2028"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michael Grossberg<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Storm-Dragon,<\/i> a 2026 Prometheus Best Novel finalist, offers an entertaining tale embodying golden-age SF themes of initiative, imagination, resilience and self-reliance.<\/p>\n

Dave Freer\u2019s Young Adult novel appeals to adults, too \u2014 especially those of us who grew up reading YA novels by Robert Heinlein<\/a> and Andre Norton.<\/p>\n

The novel <\/i>revolves around <\/i>a boy who adopts an intelligent-alien pet on Vann\u2019s World, an ocean-dominated planet with a small human colony facing dangers alien and human, visible and hidden.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After finding\u00a0 <\/span>and saving a half-dead tiny creature outside his settlement\u2019s walls, Skut names him Snarky and hides the orphan in his shirt. As he sneaks outside the settlement to feed Snarky, Skut befriends Podge, a new kid whose refugee family survived a planetary invasion. Together, the middle-school boys fish the forbidden lower jetties, where marine life and tides can be deadly.<\/p>\n

Concise at 248 pages (202 pages in Kindle format) and including interior black-and-white illustrations in both editions, Freer\u2019s well-paced novel sustains its propulsive energy with emotional epiphanies and credible plot twists.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With its saga of survival and friendship on the frontier amidst formidable obstacles, Storm-Dragon<\/i> is perhaps closest in spirit to the problem-solving of Heinlein\u2019s Farmer in the Sky. (<\/i>That 1950 YA novel focuses on a teenager emigrating with his family to a colony terraforming one of Jupiter\u2019s moons.)<\/p>\n

YOUNG CHARACTERS TO CARE ABOUT
\n<\/b>
\nMeanwhile, Storm-Dragon<\/i> brims with the affectionate overtones of classic \u201cboy and his dog\u201d alien-pet tales, reminding me in some ways of the pleasures of Alan Dean Foster\u2019s interplanetary Flinx and Pip novels about a boy and his mini-dragon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Similarly, Skut and Podge interact and learn to communicate with their orphaned young \u201cdragon,\u201d an electrosensitive six-limbed alien creature that may be more intelligent and formidable than it appears.
\n
\n<\/i>As they make friends with each other and others, Skut and Podge further navigate the ocean\u2019s dangerous shores. Their classes pose other dangers, though, with class bullies and repressive, suspicious teachers who run public schools like prisons.<\/p>\n

With Skut a sympathetic and believable character to whom it seemed that \u201che\u2019d been in trouble since the day he arrived,\u201d the story is relatable to anyone who\u2019s ever felt different, like an outsider or misfit, while growing up.<\/p>\n

Podge, meanwhile, is wary because he\u2019s learned from seemingly benevolent but deceptive kids and adults that \u201cit\u2019s easier to cope with nasty than nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

COMING OF AGE IN A DANGEROUS WORLD <\/b><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Above all, Storm-Dragon <\/i>is fun to read. It\u2019s full of action, adventure and character – most notably, likable, hard-working people of good character pushed far enough to organize against an abusive central authority.
\n
\n<\/i>Ultimately, Freer shapes something of a coming-of-age story that charts the boys\u2019 dawning awareness that not all adults are good or fair or reasonable – as Skut, Podge, their friends and families cope with mob behavior and suffer from the arrogance and corruption of local officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government won\u2019t let us\u2026\u201d becomes a not-uncommon refrain.<\/p>\n

Worst of all for the boys, bureaucrats try to prevent Skut from keeping his baby animal – which would have died without his intervention and remains too young to survive on its own.<\/p>\n

Eager to explore the world, Podge discovers to his dismay that going Outside is strongly discouraged:
\n\u201cWe\u2019re not supposed to go there,\u201d Skut said.
\n\u201cYeah. Another thing we\u2019re not supposed to do. If it is interesting or fun, you can\u2019t do it,\u201d said Podge, irritated.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A FASCINATING MARINE ECOLOGY<\/b><\/p>\n

Freer – whose ingenious world-building contributed much to his inspiring and humor coming-of-age SF story in Cloud-Castles<\/a>,<\/i> the 2021 Prometheus Best Novel winner – again conceives a fascinating planet and biosphere in Storm-Dragon.
\n<\/i>
\nWith a strong family and career background in fishing and marine biology and oceanography, Freer focuses more on the vivid alien ecology and boy-centered adventure than the politics of this plausible frontier planet, while allowing his live-and-let-live, peace-and-freedom themes to emerge naturally.<\/p>\n

One of the first books published by Raconteur Press, which is targeting a new generation of readers aged 8 to 18 (and boys in particular), Storm-Drago<\/i>n avoids explicit ideology.<\/p>\n

THE CULTURAL VALUES OF INDIVIDUALISM
\n<\/b>
\nEven so, its compelling depiction of courage and cooperation among young adults as they master necessary social and technical skills is compelling. Through this story and these characters, Freer concretely depicts the cultural and psychological constellation of values of individualism, which are at the foundation of any credible philosophy of freedom and responsibility.<\/p>\n

With enough developing drama and growing relationships to keep readers of any age eager to keep reading, Storm-Dragon <\/i>gradually expands to include parents, administrators and other adults enmeshed in the colony town\u2019s daily struggles to survive and thrive amid increasingly transparent abuses of local power.<\/p>\n

THE HIDDEN THREATS OF POLITICS<\/b><\/p>\n

Making such challenges even worse are the onerous regulations, taxes and property confiscations that threaten the livelihoods and daily life of the farming and fishing families and make it difficult for small businesses to scrape by.<\/p>\n

When one boy asks his father why the local administrators are so petty and irrational, his father shrugs. \u201cWe have less than one thousand people here. They have twenty people in their Council office,\u201d he said. “Not enough work, too much power, and a bad leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fraught situation gets worse – and worse:<\/p>\n

A petty bureaucrat makes an ultimatum, demanding a permit for \u201cthese structures\u201d or they must be demolished within 48 hours,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cBut what structures?\u201d said Skut\u2019s father, puzzled.
\nThe woman pointed at papa\u2019s neat raised-bed garden. \u201cThat…\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s just a garden. Many people have gardens. It is not hurting anyone, surely\u2026:
\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t follow the procedures required\u2026 It doesn\u2019t matter what the outcome is, procedures must be followed. A complaint has been made, and now you have forty-eight hours to produce the permits required, or demolish these illegal structures,\u201d she repeated.<\/p>\n

To add insult to injury, Skut than explains that there actually was no complaint – that the whole incident was triggered as petty and childish punishment for the woman\u2019s daughter getting detention in school the day before \u201cbecause of Podge and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE DYSFUNCTIONAL CULTURE OF COERCION<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Novelist Dave Freer (File photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thus Freer, who has faced petty bureaucrats delaying efforts to rebuild his own home, dramatizes in concrete detail the infuriating and dysfunctional pattern of coercive government when it becomes excessive, abusive and seemingly impervious to reason, practicality or objective reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, many of the abusive administrators turn out to be the parents of the bullies, which dramatically links the bad behaviors of authoritarians young and old in psychologically compelling ways. When Podge reports the bad behavior of the bullies to a friend\u2019s mother, she observes \u201cI think I understand where this is coming from, at least. The kids are just acting out their parents\u2019 attitudes.”<\/p>\n

Ultimately, an aggressive raid by the predatory Ghats (the same slavers who’d previously made Podge’s family refugees) threatens the colonists\u2019 broader rights.<\/p>\n

The invasion sparks an uphill battle among the boys, their parents and allies that highlights their resourcefulness and bravery – and their implicit libertarian attitudes:<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they get shot, but it is better than being a slave,\u201d one of the boys’ fathers says approvingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has too much power, I am afraid,\u201d a mother observes, relating another incident.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A SATISFYING ENDING FOR YOUNG READERS<\/b><\/p>\n

Although some may find the ending a bit rushed and too neatly wrapped up, Freer ties up his multiple plot and character threads in ways that should not only satisfy but delight younger readers.<\/p>\n

With the two boys remaining at or near the center of the action even as the colonists fight the invaders, what boy or girl wouldn\u2019t enjoy it? Personally, I would have loved reading Storm-Dragon <\/i>when I was eight to 14 years old – and would have enjoyed it as much as the Heinlein juvenile SF novels that I devoured in my youth.<\/p>\n

That comparison makes sense. After all, Freer has long considered himself a huge fan of Heinlein, not coincidentally the most recognized author in the 46-year history of the Prometheus Awards.<\/p>\n

As Freer said from his home base Down Under in Tasmania in an email interview previously published on the Prometheus Blog, Storm-Dragon<\/i> \u201cis my attempt at writing a Heinlein ‘juvie- – a book aimed specifically at teen boys – a much-neglected reader section – to get them interested in sf.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that primary goal of good YA fiction, Freer succeeds handsomely.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE LFS AND THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS<\/b><\/p>\n

*\u00a0Join us!<\/b> To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, \u00a0join<\/a> the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer international association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans.<\/p>\n

Libertarian futurists understand that culture matters. We believe that literature and the arts can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future. In some ways, culture can be even more influential and powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other\u2019s rights, human dignity, individuality and peaceful choices.<\/p>\n

* Prometheus winners:\u00a0<\/b>For a full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees \u2013 including in the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the enhanced \u00a0Prometheus Awards page<\/a>\u00a0on the LFS website. This page includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of the 106 works that have won a Prometheus since 1979 fits the awards\u2019 distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies, Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog\u2019s\u00a0Video page.<\/a><\/p>\n

* Read \u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/a> an essay in the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/i>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.<\/p>\n

* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s Facebook page<\/a> for comments, updates and links to the latest Prometheus Blog posts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Grossberg Storm-Dragon, a 2026 Prometheus Best Novel finalist, offers an entertaining tale embodying golden-age SF themes of initiative, imagination, resilience and self-reliance. Dave Freer\u2019s Young Adult novel appeals to adults, too \u2014 especially those of us who grew up reading YA novels by Robert Heinlein and Andre Norton. The novel revolves around a … Continue reading Review: Dave Freer\u2019s Storm-Dragon offers Heinleinesque Young Adult tale of discovery, self-reliance and courage against abuses of power\u2028<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2353,8,35],"tags":[2840,2710,1841,1726,2841,2842,21],"class_list":["post-10701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-review","category-selected-book-reviews","tag-alan-dean-foster","tag-andre-norton","tag-dave-freer","tag-farmer-in-the-sky","tag-flinx-pip-series","tag-marine-biology","tag-robert-heinlein"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-2MB","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10701"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10718,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10701\/revisions\/10718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}