Story Of Owen: Dragon Slayer Of Trondheim (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Not really looking at the cover, I picked this up thinking it would be a good, old-fashioned dragon story. It was a good dragon story, but not at all old-fashioned! Set in the current day, this revisionist history fills the reader in on the human vs. dragon--or is it dragon vs. human--struggles that have brought us to the current day, where Michigan is a wasteland and even tiny hamlets in Canada need their own dragon slayers. Humans have nothing to gain from the dragons, other than fame and a place in history; but dragons have much to gain from humans, as they feed off the carbon emissions created by human industry. The titular Owen is the nephew of the most famous of dragon-slayers, and is on the path to become one himself due to the family history. Siobhan is a musically gifted girl who has no connection to dragons, other than trying not to be attacked by one, until she is recruited to be Owen's bard. The story is told in Siobhan's voice, which despite a few colloquialisms that might be confusing to US readers, is realistic and authentic. Through her adventures with Owen, the reader sees her grow into her own and determine her future path. Owen also grows from a mysterious, enigmatic character into a young man with strength and determination. There is definitely an environmental message, but overall this is a fun, contemporary, well-written story of a modern day, teenage dragon slayer. Gr. 6+ Dragons are really the only element of this story that classify it as "fantasy;" it's really more of a contemporary political critique, with a fascinating spin on environmental concerns, allocation of essential resources, the concepts of citizenship and duty, all wrapped up in a coming-of-age narrative featuring a dryly humorous, very intelligent, refreshingly un-romantically-inclined narrator, and a small but well-drawn cast of dragonslayers, students, and community members. Witty, imaginative, believable (yes! the dragons were totally plausible!). All-ages appropriate.
What do You think about Story Of Owen: Dragon Slayer Of Trondheim (2014)?
What a fun read! Especially interesting to me as it is set in my area where I live, Huron County.
—Jinhui
Any book that writes off the entire state of Michigan due to dragon infestation is fine by me!
—Black_Rose18
