The Dragon’s Eye by Dugald A. Steer

Illustrated by: Douglas Carrell

Series: The Dragonology Chronicles #1

Published: August 1st 2007, Templar Books

Edition: Hardback (First Ed.)

Length: 285 pages

Narrated By: N/A

Genre: Children’s Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Teen Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy

Where Did I Get It? My Mum bought me this YEARS ago (probably back in 2007 or so) after I adored the Working With Dragons: A Course In Dragonology activity book by the same author and illustrator. (That was in 2004, I was 16 and not at all above spending HOURS reading a book about different types of dragon, meticulously reading and writing things out in runes, solving puzzles and drawing dragons. I wouldn’t revise for my GCSEs, but I would revise the silhouettes of the main 8 dragon types to be able tell them apart at a glance… if you know a dragon-person, I highly recommend it. It is beautiful and I have fond memories of the joy it brought me – and of a time in life where I had nothing more important to worry about than learning the difference between Moth Dragons and Cockatrice…)

Blurb: After the worldwide success of Dragonology (4 million copies) comes The Dragon’s Eye, the first in a series of four unmissable Dragonology Chronicles written by Dugald Steer.

In 1892, when their parents are unacountably detained in India, Beatrice and Daniel Cook go to stay with Dr Ernest Drake. There they begin to learn dragonology but soon a series of events plunges them into an adventure involving Dr Drake’s arch-enemy Ignatius Crook, who has determined that he alone shall become Dragon Master and head of the Secret and Ancient Society of Dragonologists. The hunt for the Dragon’s Eye is on!

Opening Line(s):

At quarter past six on the morning of Friday 7th July 1882, a black carriage burst out of the entrance of Tottenham Court Road in London so quickly that it had to veer to avoid a bird fancier;s cart that was coming down Oxford Street. The carriage – which was of the old-fashioned type known as a brougham – tipped onto one of its wheels, and for a moment seemed as though it was going to fall onto its side before the driver managed to right it and sped off towards St. Giles.

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My Review: The second I opened the cover of this book, I was in love. It is glorious.

Whimsical, light-hearted and roaring good fun, the adventures of Daniel and Beatrice as they discover the world of Dragonology are everything I love in a book. Aimed at readers aged around 10, The Dragon’s Eye is a delight from the easy-to-read style to the gorgeous illustrations by Douglas Carrell. That man knows how to draw a dragon!

A simple adventure that doesn’t deliver anything shocking or unexpected but is exciting from start to finish, the idea of a Summer School where you learn about dragons, their habitats and how to protect them is magical. Throughout the story, emphasis is put on studying the dragons – with Daniel and Beatrice recording everything they discover in their Dragon Diaries – and how learning as much as they can is the best way they can help to protect the creatures. It’s not done in a tedious way – you almost feel like you are filling the diaries in yourself as you go along – and I love how it opened up the way for further adventures.

There’s dragons and magic, an evil shadow lurking in the corners and a mysterious Russian lady with a habit of turning up in unexpected locations – all set in the beautiful background of the United Kingdom of the 1800s.

I was a bit sad to discover that this book is now only available on Kindle or second hand because part of the joy of it is in the thick pages, quirky (but easy to read) typeface and stunning cover design – it felt solid and special in your hands and looks gorgeous on your bookshelf. If you can get hold of a physical copy, do it!!

Now, time to see if I can find physical copies of books 2, 3 & 4 because I’m sure Tori and Arthur need them…

My Rating: 5/5*

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Buy The Dragon’s Eye on Amazon here

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