The Coming of Dragons - A J Lake

The author of The Coming of Dragons, A J Lake, is a former teacher who has a lifelong interest in the period of British History known as the Dark Ages. She has, therefore, set her story in this period. The book opens with a ship that is sailing from Noviomagus across the channel to Gaul (France as it now is); it's caught in a sudden ferocious storm and dashed against the rocks. Only two of those on board survive the wreck, a boy named Edmund and the daughter of the Captain, Elspeth. They come ashore with a mysterious trunk which Elspeth's father took on board before they set sail. An old man finds them and takes them back to his cave. He seems almost to have known they were coming and he is very interested in the trunk. At this period in history, tribe is fighting tribe, pirates hold the North Sea to ransom, a new God is usurping the older lore to which Edmund's family adheres. And in this dark and dangerous time, a man calls forth from his imprisonment, the dragon Torment. Edmund and Elspeth find themselves facing new destinies as a result of the coming of the dragon and they must master the unexpected gifts they each discover as a result of the storm.

You can read an extract of this story on the Darkest Age website. The sequel, The Book of the Sword will be out in April 2007.