The Land of Twydell & the Dragon Egg, is the second book in the Tales of Avalon Series.
What happened during Merlin’s trip to Twydell? Who, or what, did he meet? The Land of Twydell and the Dragon Egg, describes the wizard’s extraordinary adventures in Avalon’s neighbouring country and the people and creatures he meets there.
As he flies across the countryside on his broomstick he is puzzled to see a long line of people leaving the capital of Dalton and heading towards the outlying villages. Entire families are leaving the capital. They look ragged and downcast and appear to be taking their possessions with them. As he approaches Dalton, Merlin is shocked to see billowing smoke and that large parts of the city have been destroyed by fire.
The wizard learns that the devastation has been caused by a pair of dragons which have lived near the city for many years without any problem. King Frederrick is bewildered as to why the dragons should suddenly seek to attack the Twydellers for no apparent reason.
Merlin agrees to help the Twydellers and sets off on an unexpected adventure which brings him in contact with dragons and other strange creatures. He also renews his friendship with an old friend and is delighted to meet new ones.
If you like stories about magical beings then you will enjoy reading The Land of Twydell & The Dragon Egg.
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078BMS6QG US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078BMS6QG
My Review
Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising this blog tour and to the author for my copy of this book.
I’ve spent approximately an hour this afternoon (7th March 2022) reading this book. One of the things I enjoy about books for children, despite not having any kids, is the ease with which I can read a long story in a short space of time. I also enjoy not having to think too hard about what I’m reading for a change. It’s actually quite easy for me to slip into a younger mindset since I find the concepts of age and growing up to be ridiculous social conventions.
In this book, Merlin travels from Avalon to visit the neighbouring country of Twydell. There he finds the people have fled from the capital of Dalton, which is under attack from two angry dragons. Merlin talks to the dragons and discovers that their egg has been stolen. Merlin sets out to find the egg and return it to the dragons. Along the way he discovers a coven of happy witches who are desperate to find out what happened to their men, a seer with a secret garden and a herd of unicorns led by an old friend. He finds out that magic people have historically been persecuted in Twydell and still are in the neighbouring country of Kerner.
At 86 pages this is a moderately long book for younger children. There might be some difficulty understanding the ideas in the book but it introduces children to the idea that people sometimes do rash things out of jealousy without meaning harm and how it can get them into trouble. I thought the Merlin handled the situation well, and I suppose if a dragon is threatening to burn you to a crisp, a polite lie about misidentified eggs is probably better than telling the truth. I personally don’t like polite lies but I can see their use where dragons are concerned.
I found the treatment of traditional magical creatures and people in this book sympathetic. I also found the way the author handled putting her main character in a situation of prejudice and persecution well done; without becoming polemic, the foolishness of prejudices against those who are different is pointed out and the consequences are explored.
I found some of the speech a little stilted except when Merlin is with the Brambles in the forest and when he is with the magical creatures. It is very reminiscent of traditional high fantasy. In fact, the inclusion of a map and dramatis personae list is very high fantasy. Get ’em young, I say, introduce kids to short fantasy stories like this and then build them up to LOTR and the wonderful modern fantasy novels being published at the moment, like Age of Ash which I currently reading.
I enjoyed my hour in Twydell, I might even buy the other books so my cousin’s children (who I send all the children’s books I review to) can have the full set.
Author Bio – About the Author Daisy Bourne was born in England, in 1917. Nothing much is known about her real parents, except that their lives were changed dramatically by the First World War. At the age of six, Daisy was unofficially adopted by a farmer and his wife. They changed her name and took her to Canada. There are several similarities between the real Daisy Bourne and her namesake in this book. To a small child, Canada, with its heavy snowfalls, huge forests, and grizzly bears, must indeed have seemed like some kind of new world. Although Daisy loved Canada and the farm on which she lived, she was not happy and ran away. She returned to England at the age of 16. In later life, she took up farming again. She also enjoyed her garden and preserving much of its produce. This is where the similarities between the real Daisy and the character in this book end. I am proud to use my mother’s birth name as a pseudonym when writing the Tales of Avalon series. My ambition is to one day write the story of the real Daisy Bourne. In the meantime, I shall work to complete the other seven books in the Tales of Avalon series
Social Media Links – http://www.talesofavalon.co.uk/
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