The Wearle

Dragons from Ki:mera have journeyed to Erth and established an uneasy peace with the native hom (human) Kaal tribe, each keeping to themselves for the most part. But 12-year-old Ren Whitehair is fascinated with the skalers (dragons) and ends up hidden near a birthing female, who has two babies as a mountain crumbles around her. One dragonlet is saved by its tribe, and Ren tries to help the other. Meanwhile, the Kaal are plotting a new strike against the skalers, and the dragons themselves are dealing with their own internal betrayals. In this series opener, d'Lacey presents high fantasy with dragons as main characters, developing parallel stories about younger members of society (Ren and a dragon named Gabrial) who are committed to peace and forgiveness but have little standing in their respective tribes. Rich in betrayal and adventure, with a style that brings to mind Lloyd Alexander or Susan Cooper, try this with fans of Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon series or perhaps Anne McCaffrey's Pern books.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2016 Booklist

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. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

It was forbidden, by order of Targen the Old. No man or woman of the tribe must contest the beasts or defy their will. Just to look upon the skalers, especially in flight, was enough to call down their fire on the tribe. From now on, men would settle on the flatlands.This was the law of the Kaal.Ren Whitehair, son of Ned, heard the words true. No man or woman must contest the beasts. But Targen the Old had not mentioned boys. And what kind of boy concerned himself with laws when his heart was beating to the spirit of adventure?Ever since the first group had burst through the sky and driven the Kaal tribe out of the mountains, the beasts had been despised by the men. A few brave souls had crossed the scorch line in defiance, but all had returned to the settlement in terror, many with hot blood running from their ears, clouds across their vision, or blisters on their skin. Thus far, the skalers had killed no men, but their forceful defense of the mountain territories suggested they would burn to the bones anyone foolish enough to provoke them to excess.But as much as men mourned the loss of their caves, it was all Ren could do to contain his excitement about the skalers. What would it feel like, he wondered, to run his hand along a whole row of scales? Or ride upon a beast as it soared above the mountains? Such fancies played with his dreams, but dreams were all they were destined to be, until the morning of the fateful hunt, the day he saw Utal Longarm burn. Excerpted from The Wearle by Chris d'Lacey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.