"We have woken and our ancient magic is wakening too.
Feel the power.
It grows with every hour..."
When something ancient awakens in the British Museum, a flash of magic brings London to a halt, frozen in time.
For some reason young siblings Will and Jo are the only people immune to the curse but right now they have more pressing concerns.
Like the dragon statues that have come to life and keep trying to kill them.
But London has her own army of protectors...
A few years back I stumbled on Charlie Fletcher's "Stoneheart" - about a hidden London where statues walk. talk and are divided into hostile factions - and was instantly riveted. It was only when I got to the end that I realised I was reading something aimed at 10-year olds.
"Sod it." I thought and promptly went to get the other two books. Very good they were too.
So when I saw "Dragon Shield" in the library I snatched it off the shelf with a happy cry of "Oh yes! This I have to read."
Like the aforementioned "Stoneheart" series, this book features a troubled young boy accidentally catapaulted into The Twilight Zone, with the major difference that his crippled sister is along as well. Why is she crippled? Well that's one of the things hero Will is troubled about.
Incidentally, Fletcher utterly nails the relationship between Will and sister Jo - a mix of affection and squabbling that should be familiar to anybody who grew up with siblings. Neither is perfect so that makes them easy to relate to.
Once again the statues (heroic "Spits", monstrous "Taints") are brought to life as memorable, complex characters. Try this for a game. Next time you visit London, try to imagine how the next statue you see would talk if it stepped down of its plinth. Fletcher does that but better.
The gold statue from the Bank of England is capricious and arrogant, a statue of Tragedy is a lost, lonely little boy and the dragons...Jesus, they're like something out of the scarier Dr Who episodes.
This is the first book in a planned trilogy. It packs quite a lot into a short space and I'm already impatient for Book 2.
In all fairness, this is a book aimed at children so it might not be to everybody's taste. However, if you want a quick fix of fantasy or you have a ten year old with a lively mind "Dragon Shield" is worth a look.
Just don't blame me if little Jason refuses to go to the church because the Gargoyles might get him.
Like the aforementioned "Stoneheart" series, this book features a troubled young boy accidentally catapaulted into The Twilight Zone, with the major difference that his crippled sister is along as well. Why is she crippled? Well that's one of the things hero Will is troubled about.
Incidentally, Fletcher utterly nails the relationship between Will and sister Jo - a mix of affection and squabbling that should be familiar to anybody who grew up with siblings. Neither is perfect so that makes them easy to relate to.
Once again the statues (heroic "Spits", monstrous "Taints") are brought to life as memorable, complex characters. Try this for a game. Next time you visit London, try to imagine how the next statue you see would talk if it stepped down of its plinth. Fletcher does that but better.
The gold statue from the Bank of England is capricious and arrogant, a statue of Tragedy is a lost, lonely little boy and the dragons...Jesus, they're like something out of the scarier Dr Who episodes.
This is the first book in a planned trilogy. It packs quite a lot into a short space and I'm already impatient for Book 2.
In all fairness, this is a book aimed at children so it might not be to everybody's taste. However, if you want a quick fix of fantasy or you have a ten year old with a lively mind "Dragon Shield" is worth a look.
Just don't blame me if little Jason refuses to go to the church because the Gargoyles might get him.
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