Three tasks for a dragon by Eoin Colfer. Illus by P. J. Lynch

After his father's 'accidental' death at sea, his stepmother Queen Nimh and stepbrother Prince Delbayne invoke ancient Lagin law that only those who can summon the mysterious wolfhounds can become king, and Prince Lir, the rightful heir, is to be banished from his beloved homeland forever. The prince is a scholar not a warrior and acquiesces to his fate, but in an apparent act of generosity, Prince Delbayne pleads his stepbrother's case and it is agreed that if Prince Lir can complete an ancient quest he will be able to return.

Thus Prince Lir finds himself on a mission to rescue a young maiden being held captive by the dragon Lasvarg on his island, not realising that it is all part of a devious, malicious plan and dark magic concocted by his not-so-nice brother to ensure that Lir never returns to assume his place on the throne... But then, Delbayne does not realise that brains can overcome brawn.

Created by two who have each been the Irish children's laureate, this is a story reminiscent of the quests of old, drawing the reader into the fantasy of kings and queens and dragons and maidens needing to be rescued with its twists and turns in the plot while its superb illustrations bring times gone by to life. You can almost envisage this as a Lord of the Rings-esque movie, and while it has the traditional good versus evil as its underlying theme, because Prince Lir keeps his father's words "The trick to it... is to work with what is around you," it has a refreshing new perspective because rather than trying to trick the dragon and kill it to save Cethlenn, Lir uses his brains to cure the dragon's ailments caused by the mould in his damp cave, mend his broken wing, and restore his fire-breathing powers, forming a partnership that eventually outwits and outlasts Nimh, Delbayne and even Lagin itself.

This is an illustrated novella that would make an ideal introduction to this genre as a read-aloud merging the traditional elements and feel of the classic quest with more modern themes.

Themes: Dragons.

Barbara Braxton