Archive for February, 2015
The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E. K. Johnston
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Feb.02, 2015, under Adventure, Fantasy, Real life, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? People grades 7 and up who like alternative history and mash-ups of realistic settings disturbed by fantasy, in this case destructive dragons.
The goods on this book:
What if dragons were real – and loved fossil fuels? Driving a car or being close to carbon-burning industries would be very dangerous. If you put this scenario into a contemporary high school, you would have the setting for The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim. With the threat of dragons ever-present, it’s important to have a dragon slayer, but the days when every town had their own dragon slayer are long over. They get snatched up by the military and major corporations. Siobhan’s small industrial town gets lucky, though, when a legendary dragon slayer, Lottie Thorsgard, retires there after being injured, and brings her 16-year-old nephew, Owen, with her. For being a dragon-slayer in training, Owen has plenty of struggles, especially with algebra. He enlists the help of Siobhan, a musician and math geek who also narrates the story and becomes the “bard” for Owen, the one who will write and sing of his victories. The book is a significant and frequently funny story of friendship and high school life as well as a suspenseful fantasy adventure with an alternative history. How can all this work in one book? Read it and find out!
“Listen! For I sing of Owen Thorskard: valiant of heart, hopeless at algebra, last in a long line of legendary dragon slayers. Though he had few years and was not built for football, he stood between the town of Trondheim and creatures that threatened its survival.”
The details: 305 pages; 2014; Axis 360 eBook Review by Samrarian
