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It’s the 1950’s in Inglande, Erf, and Mary Maddam has left her grandmother’s caravan in search of some herbs which may well help her arthritis. She’s at her happiest when she’s able to roam around the ‘Good Wood’, or the southern end of The Great Forest of Lundun, which extends to the southern bank of the River Quaggy. On the north side of the bank of the river, the so-called Bad Wood begins, where all sorts of dangerous fauna and flora live – as well as some even more dangerous people. Mary has one rule to which she has to abide; never cross the river.
Roger Briggs is a shy, intelligent lad, who has a stammer whenever he gets nervous. One morning, when he’s out hunting for his beloved bugs, he’s waylaid by a group of bullies. He hightails it, only to literally bump into an unaware Mary. The two become fast friends, and in order to escape the bullies, venture across the Quaggy. There, danger and adventure awaits, as they discover a Dragon’s egg; an egg that is holding the future High King of the Dragons. Now, Roger and Mary are tasked with keeping the egg safe from the villains of the hidden worlds of Erf.
So, I was enraptured with this story from the very beginning; the prologue building the world of the Dragon’s so beautifully – but without giving too much away. As the story continued, I found my self laughing out loud more than once, especially at one liners that the wittier characters would utter. Although aimed at an audience that would be younger than I would typically read about, this book discussed some very grown up topics – such as mental health issues and children’s protective services.
My only real issue with the novel is that the focus and point of view of the narrative changes quickly from one character to another – causing a slight bit of confusion. However, it doesn’t detract from a wonderful piece of work by the late S. R. Langley.
S. A
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC program. You can read the original review here.
You can purchase Dragon’s Egg from Amazon. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
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