Fireborn: A Dragonborn Novel

by Toby Forward

Overview

If magic sets the world on fire, something new is born from the flames.

When an old, dying wizard steals magic from his young apprentice, Bee, he changes his own life and nearly destroys hers. But he also releases something new into the world - a wild magic that turns fields to flames and upsets the order of the world. It will take another apprentice, Cabbage, to find Bee and try to set the world right again.

Remarkable for its deft, dramatic prose and thrilling magical adventure, Toby Forward's Dragonborn delighted critics and fans. This companion novel, set in the same world in a different time, is a breathtaking work of magic and suffering, friendship and transformation - and the new power that rises from the ashes of a terrible deed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619630536
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/03/2013
Series:	Dragonborn Series , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Toby Forward is the author of the Carnegie-nominated novel Dragonborn, the picture book The Wolf's Story and the middle-grade novel Traveling Backward, as well as several other books for children in his native UK.
www.tobyforward.co.uk
Toby Forward is the author of the acclaimed Dragonborn series, which begins with the Carnegie Medal–nominated Dragonborn and continues with Fireborn, Doubleborn, and Starborn. He also wrote the picture book The Wolf's Story, the middle-grade novel Traveling Backward, and several other books for children in his native England.

www.tobyforward.co.uk

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2014
Gr 5–8—Bee is apprenticed at a young age to a weak and evil magician named Slowin, who steals her true name on her 12th birthday and awakens a wild and malevolent magic that transforms Slowin and his minions into fearsome creatures who invade a castle and devour its inhabitants. Bee is saved from the sorceror's wrath by Cabbage, an apprentice to the great wizard Flaxfield. Together they must figure out how to stop the evil man from growing even more powerful. This stand-alone prequel to Dragonborn (Bloomsbury, 2012) is distinguished by its vivid cast of characters and multilayered relationships. Magical elements are rather intense: a nasty bit of sludge coughed up by Bee becomes a vile, slurpy, shape-shifting carnivore; a river of beetles strips the flesh from every living thing it encounters; Cabbage dribbles tiny stars from his fingers when he's distracted. The fine writing and compelling plot are sure to enthrall readers of high fantasy. Give to fans of Tamora Pierce's "Circle of Magic" (Scholastic) series and Angie Sage's "Septimus Heap" (HarperCollins) series.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

Lyrical prose of lapidary precision and restraint etches a character-driven narrative of intimate enchantments. . . . Terrifying, moving, inspiring and enthralling.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“An intelligent, down-to-earth wisdom runs throughout, as enriching as any magic. . . . Humble, earthy . . . and thought provoking—making this excellent middle-grade fantasy a rich mix of character, seriousness, comic foibles, and loving exactitude.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“This stand-alone prequel to Dragonborn is distinguished by its vivid cast of characters and multilayered relationships . . . The fine writing and compelling plot are sure to enthrall readers of high fantasy.” —School Library Journal

“Dark elements, however, are what make this book compelling . . . Fans of high fantasy may . . . simply immerse themselves in the adventures and friendships and enjoy the read.” —VOYA

Awards for Fireborn: A Kirkus Best Book of 2013

“This beautifully written fantasy . . . masterfully balances humor with deadly serious content in a manner reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander at his best . . . This lovely tale, first in a series, should strongly appeal to fantasy aficionados.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Dragonborn

“Accessible, full-of-surprises fantasy. . . . Forward's fantasy has glimmers of Tolkien, Alexander, [and] Rowling.” —The Horn Book Magazine on Dragonborn

“Forward can tell a story . . . the next three volumes hold great promise for fans of adventure, fantasy, and dragons.” —Booklist on Dragonborn

From the Publisher

★ 2013-10-09
Prequel to Dragonborn (2012), this haunting fable interweaves stories about magic with the magic of stories. When even the simplest spells turn feral, wizard apprentice Cabbage and his master, Flaxfield, search for the origin of this deadly "wild magic." Their hunt leads to Bee, an apprentice whose immense potential has been secretly leeched for years by her abusive master, distorting the natural order of magic. When he steals her wizard name, the explosive blowback looses a terrible evil, and it's up to the pair of apprentices to seal it. Despite the cataclysmic stakes, this is no standard epic adventure, all quests and derring-do. There are dread abominations and ghastly slaughters (all the more nightmarish for their elliptical portrayal), but nothing is more monstrous than human selfishness, cowardice and vanity. Against these, no heroic exploit stands more valiant and glorious than the small acts of kindness, loyalty and trust that take place within a quiet library, a humble inn and a wounded spirit. Lyrical prose of lapidary precision and restraint etches a character-driven narrative of intimate enchantments, evoking terrible beauty from blazing infernos, subtle whimsy from nonsensical banter, bone-chilling horror from slithering beetles, and soul-piercing wonder from a simple "Yes." Although it stands fully on its own, knowledge of the companion novel will enrich appreciation of this tale, and the revelations here will cast new light upon the former; readers of both will long for the story's resolution. Terrifying, moving, inspiring and enthralling. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews