Dragon Storm Tomás and Ironskin - Alastair Chisholm

 

The master of sci-fi, Alastair Chisholm, has shifted genres for his next venture and has dived into the fantasy world of dragons.  The new series is set in Draconis where dragons once roamed the land but retreated thousands of years ago, following the Dragon Storm and are now nothing more than legend to the residents of the town.

I have been lucky enough to read Tomás and Ironskin which introduces us to Draconis where Tomás lives with his parents.  His father is the local dragonswords maker, as ordered by the king who wishes to be prepared in case the dragons reappear.  Tomás is set to become an apprentice smithy like his father until Malik, one of the kings' clerks, arrives and tells Tomás about a secret society known as the Dragonseer Guild and invites him to join them.  Having seen images of a dragon in the fire, Tomás joins Malik but will he take to the Guild and will he be bale to master his new-found skills?

I have loved both of Alastair's sci-fi books and have been very excited at the prospect of a book for younger readers (this one is aimed at 7-9 year olds) as well as Alasitair writing a different genre, and I was thrilled when I read Tomás and Ironskin.  The book is perfectly pitched and paced so that younger readers will be drawn into the plot.  The setting is vivid and allows readers to imagine themselves in the Guild and part of the lessons - I can imagine so many children at school who will be thrilled at dreaming of this!

I like Tomás as a main character: he is close to his parents and keen to follow in his father's footsteps; however, his curiosity having seen the image in the fireplace and the lure of something new seem to intrigue him.  I'm looking forward to getting to know more of the team (including the dragons) as the series progresses.  

Pacey and full of dragon excitement, Dragon Storm is a series I'm very much looking forward to introducing in school at the start of next term once it's released on the 13th January.