Dragonborn by Toby Forward
The Flaxfield Quartet, Volume 1. Walker Books, 2011. ISBN
9781406320435.
Recommended for upper primary lower secondary. 'Sam is only halfway
through his wizard's apprenticeship when his master, Flaxfield, dies
unexpectedly. Soon powerful wizards arrive at Flaxfield's
cottage
and Sam, in fear and confusion, runs away from the only home he has
ever known. But there is no running from destiny; there is
evil
magic abroad. An old danger is growing in strength and power
and
Sam and his beloved dragon Starback will have a crucial part to play
in
events to come.'
Not being a fantasy fan, I approached this book with interest for
the
students I thought would like it. I found myself halfway
through
drawn into the plot and wanting to know more. For the first half of
the
book, I had a hard time coming to grips with the more unusual
characters and creatures and how they affected the environment and
the
main characters. I feel that part of this may have been due to
my
lack of previous fantasy exposure.
Being part of a quartet, this book is really just the beginning of
Sam's new life and adventures to come. The characters are
interesting and at the end of this book you know that there is still
more to discover and you want to know more about them. Sam
discovers a lot about himself and his powers in many accidental
circumstances. The other wizards trained by Flaxfield also
learn
about Sam and themselves along the way. There is a dark force,
that still remains somewhat a mystery; however the reader is aware
of
the power and evil intentions if she gets her way and that Sam hold
the
key.
There are different worlds, new imaginary creatures and beloved
dragons. Starback, Sam's dragon, is a fabulously playful and loyal
character, and even though he does not feature as much as I may have
first thought in this book, I know he is a crucial part of the story
and I imagine he will be a large part of the next books in the
series.
Overall for those who like a fantasy style story, I think this has
plenty of elements to keep the reader interested.
Zana Thiele