The Wearle

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 5 DEC 2016

D'Lacey's Last Dragon Chronicles explored a time after dragons ceased to exist on Earth; in this prehistoric fantasy, which begins the Erth Dragons series, he follows the struggles of the initial dragon colonists who traveled to this planet from Ki:mera. Gabrial, a young dragon, wants to prove himself worthy of guarding the new hatchlings, but when disaster strikes, he's stripped of his name and responsibilities. As Gabrial attempts to redeem himself, a bold human boy named Ren discovers a dragon hatchling, which brings him into conflict with his own community. As Gabrial and Ren's stories collide, they attempt to save their peoples from a conflict that could destroy all of them. As in the Last Dragon Chronicles, there is a preponderance of G names where dragons are concerned, as well as odd stylistic choices that include the mid-word colons of dragonspeak ("i:mage," "De:allus") and the human, or "Hom," terms for animals: instead of horses, rabbits, and butterflies, there are whinneys, hoppers, and flutterflies. Newcomers may be distracted by the linguistic quirks, but this remains a rousing adventure with sweeping aerial action scenes and a tense mystery at its center. Ages 8 12.