How to Build a Dragon or Die Trying

An interesting and entertaining book that looks at a simple question: can be build a dragon? The question is hypothetical, of course, but the book goes through the steps, looking at what we know about biology, to see what would it take to make a dragon, give it dragon features (like the ability to fly and breathe out fire) and, maybe, control it. In doing this, the reader is given an overview of the fields of biology, evolution and genetics. In the end, it may not be possible to build a dragon, but the journey towards creating one as set out in this book is an entertaining one.

Chapter One looks at the kinds of dragons found in mythologies around the world to then decide what kind of dragon to make, namely a flying, fire-breathing dragon. Its temperament and the possible, disastrous effects such a dragon would have on the dragon-making team are also briefly covered.

Chapter Two looks are how to make a dragon fly. Starting with some basic physics (weight versus flight), it goes on to consider which organism might make the best model for a flying dragon, from gliding reptiles and mammals, prehistoric pterosaurs, bats and birds. Various options from feathers to skin flaps are also considered, as well as the genetics of making flight surfaces. Finally, a light-hearted look at how to house a flying dragon are looked at.

Chapter Three covers how to make a dragon breath fire, from how a dragon would generate the fuel needed to breathe fire, to igniting the fire, to making sure the fire doesn't burn up the dragon. A few 'cheats' are also thrown in, like letting the dragon expel chemicals that can burn (like from the bombardier beetle) are also considered.

Chapter Four looks at the brain of the dragon, from how to make one to how intelligent to make the dragon. It goes into some detail on what is currently known about how each part of a brain works and how it affects intelligence, based on research that has been done on brains and on studies on various people who have unusual brains that either have too much or not enough of certain parts of the brain.

Chapter five looks at features that could be added to a dragon, from giving it multiple heads and horns, how to colour it to whether it should be able to shock enemies with electricity. What kind of vision and brain to give a dragon is also considered, as well as a built-in navigation system or even the ability to swim. Whether a dragon should have two or four legs as well as wings is considered, and the ability to spit poison. The ability to also 'shut down' the dragon is also discussed, important in case it gets out of control.

Chapter six looks at how to evolve a dragon. Starting for a particular animal (bird, reptile and so on), genetic changes need to be introduced in order to finally produce a dragon. These changes might be via hybrids or by genetic engineering (introducing or removing genes) possibly by using CRISPR. Cloning is also looked at as a way to 'quickly' produce more dragons, rather than waiting for sexual reproduction.

Chapter seven looks at other creatures that could be produced once we have a dragon. Examples include the unicorn, the flying horse (Pegasus), griffins (and hippogriffs) and merpeople.