Ratings7
Average rating3.1
Listen! For I sing of Owen Thorskard: valiant of heart, hopeless at algebra, last in a long line of legendary dragon slayers. Though he had few years and was not built for football, he stood between the town of Trondheim and creatures that threatened its survival. There have always been dragons. As far back as history is told, men and women have fought them, loyally defending their villages. Dragon slaying was a proud tradition. But dragons and humans have one thing in common: an insatiable appetite for fossil fuels. From the moment Henry Ford hired his first dragon slayer, no small town was safe. Dragon slayers flocked to cities, leaving more remote areas unprotected. Such was Trondheim's fate until Owen Thorskard arrived. At sixteen, with dragons advancing and his grades plummeting, Owen faced impossible odds?armed only with a sword, his legacy, and the classmate who agreed to be his bard. Listen! I am Siobhan McQuaid. I alone know the story of Owen, the story that changes everything. Listen!
Featured Series
1 primary bookThe Story of Owen is a 1-book series first released in 2014 with contributions by E. K. Johnston.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book is definitely unique. I've never read anything quite like it. The matter-of-fact blend of industrial history and dragons (who love to eat carbon and thus their population has blossomed with industrialization) is pretty cool.
I picked this up to potentially booktalk to 7th/8th graders and I'm just not sure... content-wise it's fine, no sex, some dragon violence, very Canadian language... but it's very sophisticated and I feel like a lot of kids that age might not quite pick up the alternate history world? BUT I mean, the kinds of nerds who would be interested to pick this up based on the summary would probably be game. Sorry for nerd stereotyping.
OH and I forgot to say, Owen's aunts are lesbian dragon slayers/swordsmiths and they're totally awesome.