Children's Writer, Book Reviewer, Teacher, Artist
Here's a great new series for younger readers by the author of 'Orion Lost' and 'Adam-2'. 'Dragon Storm: Tomas and Ironskin' is an excellent introduction to the kind of medieval high-fantasy normally reserved for older children or adults. This is a pacy, fun, rollicking fantasy-adventure which will make you crave for the others in the series to come.
In the land of Draconis there are no dragons... But for Tomas this isn't true. Invited to the secret Dragonseer Guild in the great city of Rivven, Tomas discovers he has a special power. He can summon dragons. His dragon is called Ironskin. Other children possess the power too. But, as Tomas masters his connection to his dragon, a great danger faces his family back at home...
I really enjoyed being plunged into this new fantasy world. Reluctant and emerging readers will be riveted too by the secrets, the array of dragons and the sense of a bigger world to 'collect' as the series develops. In my class I already know that many children will be fighting to get their hands on this, especially those who already squabble over 'The Beast Quest' series or 'How to Train Your Dragon.' If Alastair Chisholm's 'Orion Lost' and 'Adam-2' brought science-fiction to middle grade then 'The Dragon Storm' has done the same for fantasy. It's an ideal gateway to titles that children may have heard of but not quite ready for, such as 'The Hobbit' or even the likes of 'The Wheel of Time'.
It's also worth praising the illustrations too. Eric Deschamps and Ben Mantle have brought to life the dragons and the setting with detail and realism, without being too comic, matching the text perfectly.
I'm look forward to reading the next in this series, mainly because I'm really intrigued by the mysterious Cara and her dragon. Thankfully the next book is 'Dragon Storm: Cara and Silverthief'.
Thank you to Nosy Crow for my copy to review.