Hero In The Making

A fiery process of transformation reveals the true and complex character of Bladnoch's The Dragon Series

- EUAN DUGUID

FORGET Balboa and Bond. For me, the greatest hero of all literature and film is the diminutive Bilbo Baggins.

By summoning cast iron courage and animal-like cunning, the otherwise hairy-toed hawfling sure-foots his way to glory, conquering the fire-breathing dragon, Smaug.

I remember, as a kid, becoming engrossed in Tolkien's classic - long before Hollywood had cottoned on to its yarn-ripping credentials.

As I've grown older, the same tale has taken on new meaning. My appetite for bedtime reading has gone undiminished, and from those times spent in Mount Doom, my literary voyage has now taken me to the foothills of the humanities.

What I've learned thus far is simple. In the vast tapestry of human existence, the interplay between chaos and order is a theme that has long-captivated minds.