I’m not especially a reader of poetry, with the exception of Homer’s The Odyssey, which I have in various prose, free verse and rhyming verse translations. The Sign of the Dragon caught my eye because of the epic scope it suggested. I found it an easy read in terms of both comprehending the language and following the storyline.

I liked the presentation as a set of individual poems which went together to make up a full story. Xau is noble, responsible, larger than life and too good to be true, although he has his moments as a vulnerable human. Similarly, the forces acting against him are irredeemably, grossly evil (other than those that are misled or bewitched). I don’t think such characters would have worked at all well presented in prose. In poetry, we can appreciate the vignettes of Xau’s life and his situations more… symbolically? without worrying too much about realism.

So, despite my not being a reader of poetry, I’ll be watching out for more of the author’s works. Highly recommended.