The Dragon-Charmer
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Review
‘A piece of pure magic – a charming, eccentric, and powerfully imaginative work of fantasy which will enchant readers for years to come.’
Clive Barker
‘A lyrical, captivating first novel of mermaids, magic, lost worlds and found souls. Once read, this book will not be forgotten’
Terry Brooks
Product Description
English fantasy at its best, The Dragon-Charmer follows the exciting debut from Jan Siegel, Prospero’s Children.
Twelve years have passed since the traumatic events of Prospero’s Children, and Fern Capel has succeeded in putting aside the memory of that magical, terrifying summer. More tellingly, she has repressed the ancient heritage that will allow her mastery of the Gift.
But the past is about to catch up with her. Fern is soon to wed Marcus Greig – some twenty years her senior – and he has decided that they should be married at the Capel’s summer home in Yarrowdale. When Fern returns to the house with her best friend, Gaynor, ancient forces are awoken once more, and Fern will find that she is once again forced to choose between love and destiny.
The Dragon-Charmer continues the lyrical, richly atmospheric and enthralling tale begun in Prospero’s Children. Spellbinding in its depiction of places both familiar and strange, of characters both magical and sinister, it is classic English fantasy at its finest.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As sequels go, this isn't a bad effort. Apart from Fern and her brother from the previous "Prospero's Children", you are re-introduced to the mysterious Ragginbone and his faithful 'dog', so there's some familiarity with the background. Fern, a girl who was once reluctant to use her Atlantean gift, has developed into a once more sceptical young woman by the start of this book. However, all changes when she is forced (to save the world) to use her gift again.
Plently of action, magick and heart-stopping moments. A must if you liked the first book.
Plently of action, magick and heart-stopping moments. A must if you liked the first book.
Format:Paperback
We had a wonderful series of stories from Jan Siegal in the Prospero's Children trilogy and from her alto ego, Amanda Hemingway, we had the Greenstone trilogy but in the last 3 years or so - nothing at all. Hopefully she is about to return to the literary scene with a new book/s that will blast us out of our boots.
Format:Paperback
"The Dragon-Charmer" takes place twelve years after the events of "Prospero's Children". Fern Capel has managed to lead a perfectly normal life by ignoring her Gift. She is now engaged to an older man and returns to Yarrowdale to prepare for the wedding. However, sinister forces are lying in wait and Fern is abducted and taken to a timeless place, forcibly apprenticed to an infamous witch. Meanwhile, her friend Gaynor and her younger brother Will, together with old friends Ragginbone and Lougarry, try to find a way of rescuing her.
The main problem with "The Dragon-Charmer" is that even though Fern is the main character, Siegel spends the first part of the book looking at her through the eyes of her friend Gaynor, which is rather frustrating. Gaynor is an appealing character but inevitably, she's not half as interesting as Fern. The upside is that Siegel is able to develop Will and show him as an adult character emerging out of his sister's shadow.
The book is split into two halves called 'Witchcraft' and 'Dragoncraft', but the titling seems arbitrary to me, as not much 'witchcraft' goes on during the first part and not much 'dragoncraft' goes on in the second (though you do learn more about dragons, so I suppose that counts). The eponymous dragon-charmer does not actually show up until half-way through the book and those hoping that he might provide some balm for Fern's aching heart will be in for a small shock. Therefore I don't think it's right for the blurb to imply any kind of romance between the two.
As before, Siegel's strength lies in her love of language, her powerful descriptive passages and her deep research into mythology and the Atlantis legend, but she does not manage to integrate this as successfully as she did in "Prospero's Children". Due to Fern being in a hospital bed, there is obviously not as much action in this story, so the book can sometimes feel like heavy going and the action seems to concentrate in one great big rush at the end. In this case, it is very much 'the middle book' of a trilogy. The book's strength lies more in Fern's growth as a character, her education as a witch, and the development of plot lines and characters for the sequel.
I really did enjoy reading this book but I hope that the next one is a little more rounded.
The main problem with "The Dragon-Charmer" is that even though Fern is the main character, Siegel spends the first part of the book looking at her through the eyes of her friend Gaynor, which is rather frustrating. Gaynor is an appealing character but inevitably, she's not half as interesting as Fern. The upside is that Siegel is able to develop Will and show him as an adult character emerging out of his sister's shadow.
The book is split into two halves called 'Witchcraft' and 'Dragoncraft', but the titling seems arbitrary to me, as not much 'witchcraft' goes on during the first part and not much 'dragoncraft' goes on in the second (though you do learn more about dragons, so I suppose that counts). The eponymous dragon-charmer does not actually show up until half-way through the book and those hoping that he might provide some balm for Fern's aching heart will be in for a small shock. Therefore I don't think it's right for the blurb to imply any kind of romance between the two.
As before, Siegel's strength lies in her love of language, her powerful descriptive passages and her deep research into mythology and the Atlantis legend, but she does not manage to integrate this as successfully as she did in "Prospero's Children". Due to Fern being in a hospital bed, there is obviously not as much action in this story, so the book can sometimes feel like heavy going and the action seems to concentrate in one great big rush at the end. In this case, it is very much 'the middle book' of a trilogy. The book's strength lies more in Fern's growth as a character, her education as a witch, and the development of plot lines and characters for the sequel.
I really did enjoy reading this book but I hope that the next one is a little more rounded.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Read
I liked how fairae creatures were incorporated into this plot and enjoyed the strange magic and the dragon element. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2004 by Trace
Gets better and better!
This book follows Prosperos Children after a gap of twelve years in the narrative. While this makes it harder to relate to the vents in the first book, it is well worth the effort! Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2003
First half boring, but ok as far as fantasy goes. A sequel
Although it isn't clear, this is a sequel to Prospero's children, and suffers from the same problem - the first half is boring. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2000
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