Dragon embers
Drachenglut is a fantasy novel by Jonathan Stroud . It was published in 2007 by Boje Verlag. The English original edition appeared in 1999 under the title Buried Fire by Random House Children's Books.
genre
The book contains elements from fantasy and horror literature . While the main theme of the sleeping dragon in fantasy typically takes up motifs from Celtic mythology, the plot takes place in an everyday world that is threatened by a supernatural evil. The protagonists of the story get caught up in the dark machinations of a conspiracy that uses magical rituals to resurrect the dragon.
action
In a tranquil English village, a Celtic cross is discovered next to the church in midsummer. It is being dug up for further investigation, but it damages the workers and breaks part of it. Without knowing it, they have broken an old spell that held a thousand-year-old, evil dragon under the village hill, the "Wirrim", captive. The seal prevented the dragon from taking possession of humans or leaving its prison.
The young Michael McIntyre, orphaned and with his brother Stephen under the care of their sister Sarah, is oversleeping one of his vacation days on the Wirrim. But the now freed dragon awakens from his dreams - his thoughts rise like bubbles to the surface and penetrate Michael's mind. When he wakes up, his whole body is heated and his perception seems to go crazy: He can see the souls of people, instead of their real heads he sees those of animals and thus gains a disturbing insight into their personality. Shocked by his uncanny ability, he runs home to his brother and sister, who is with Pastor Tom - he is responsible for excavating the cross that held the dragon captive.
Sarah doesn't make sense of her brother's confused talk and suspects him of having used drugs. His brother Stephen is also skeptical at first, but then lets himself in on Michael's secret. Together the two find out what Tom has researched in the parish office and church archive: The existence of the dragon and his sinister plan. He has cast a spell over several important people in the city, including the councilor Mr. Cleever: They should finally free him from the chaos. From Michael's point of view, these people have that of a dragon instead of the normal animal head and have the same amazing powers as he. However, they have already perfected this and have thus become dangerous opponents for the two brothers: Like Michael, they can use the "gaze", generate fire through the power of thought, fly, read the thoughts of other people and even influence them. Michael and Stephen do not know how to make the other people in the village understand that a dragon has turned highly respected citizens into malevolent beings with supernatural powers. Michael gives in more and more to the lure, woo and threat of the dragon and becomes one of the dragon supporters, while his brother Stephen, together with Tom, becomes an opponent of the dragon and his supporters. At the end there is a showdown on the Wirrin: The dragon rises its body from the earth, and only in the last second does Tom and Stephen manage to defeat the dragon, since the missing part of the cross and the seal that the Dragon band that was restored.
Press reviews
"A gripping story - and an efficient way to make your parents' dream come true, to see your son with a book in hand instead of in front of a flickering box."
"Jonathan Stroud writes like a tried and true author with his own style, and he tells a compelling story that is heading for a dramatic climax"
"An atmospheric and gripping debut."
"For fans of ancient legends and myths and creepy English horror stories."
“An exciting fantasy thriller. Drachenglut goes beyond the boundaries of children's books and is sure to delight adult readers too. "
literature
- Stroud, Jonathan; Dragon embers . Cologne: Boje Verlag, 2007, ISBN 3-414-82027-7