Following the tremendous success of Lucinda Hare’s debut novel, The Dragon Whisperer, shortlisted for the 2010 Royal Mail Scottish Book Awards, now comes the eagerly awaited sequel, Flight to Dragon Isle.
Written for readers of 9-years plus, this epic fantasy novel will capture the hearts and imaginations of ‘children’ of all ages, just as the Harry Potter books did.
Launching straight into action from page one, you are immediately transported into the sapphire sky and the military flight of twenty Imperial Black battledragons taking off from Dragonsdome. Written with all the sensory description and excitement expected from Hare’s writing, it captures your imagination and the story flows quickly and smoothly, carrying you along on a heartfelt and sometimes heart stopping, action packed adventure.
Without giving too much away, what unfolds is a rollercoaster of a story, which sees the thirteen hobgoblin tribes, led by the first hobgoblin Warlord, unite, posing the greatest threat to the Seven Sea Kingdoms. The hero Dragon Lord leads the Stealth Dragon Service (the SDS) into war, but as maelstrom magic and betrayal emerge, treacherous plots unfurl and the battle is lost. Quenelda, the central character, must harness her new powers to help find her Dragon Lord father lost in battle and save her beloved Dragon Isle. But although Quenelda finds her father’s battledragon, has the Dragon Lord himself survived and will it all be too late?
What really makes this book so special are the rich and varied multi-dimensional characters, brought to life by the colourful descriptions and narrative. Weaving in the range of individual and unique dragon characters, the different tribes of hobgoblins, the dwarfs and central people, it is through these characters and in particular Quenelda and her interaction with the dragons that the writer really draws you into this magical world.
Quenelda is able to understand and communicate with the dragons and help them to heal, and it’s clear to see the author’s inherent love and respect for all creatures coming to life through her central character and her moving writing of the relationship between Quenelda and the dragons. Often referred to as a real life animal whisperer alongside being a successful author, Lucinda Hare has made her home a haven to a range of animals that were once sadly abandoned or harmed; now thanks to her dedicated care and compassion over time, they have all become trusting, healthy and happy companions.
I was particularly excited to read Quenelda being described in the book by a dragon not as humankind, nor dragonkind but OneKind. This is the first reference to the term OneKind in the wider context outside of our charity work and is something we hope over time to see more and more of, so that onekind can become increasingly adopted and understood as part of everyday language, closing the divide between people and animals that allows the maltreatment of animals to continue without recourse.
The story includes lots of metaphors throughout which draw lessons about our relationship with animals and how to respect and care for them and does much to teach and inspire the readers about the bonds we share with our animal kin.
A classic tale of the dark forces against the light, with adventure, magic and incredible plots, characters to make you laugh and cry and a subtle inspiring message about our care and kinship for others including those of the four-legged and flying kind, what’s not to love!
Flight to Dragon Isle is available now from here
It can also be found at Waterstone's, Amazon, Red House, Puffin, Tesco's and all good book retailers.
You can find out more about The Dragondome Chronicles by visiting here