The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim

by E. K. Johnston

Overview

Dragons. In modern day North America. How can sixteen-year-old Owen fight back when he can barely pass algebra? It takes a village to train a dragon slayer, and Owen needs all the help he can get.

Owen is destined by birth to carry on his family's legacy as a noble dragon slayer. Siobhan, his classmate and new friend, agrees to be Owen's bard, slated to tell his stories for posterity. Together they embark on an epic quest to protect their rural Canadian town from dragons who hunger for fossil fuels. For in this wildly creative alternate version of our world, dragons feed on carbon emissions, and they'll take down any human who stands in their way.

Owen and Siobhan have homework to do, instruments to practice, and college to think of, but their most important job is to keep the residents of Trondheim, Ontario, from getting caught in the dragons' cross fire. Literally.

Fans of M.T. Anderson and readers who love contemporary fantasy, alternate history, and old Norse ballads will devour this clever, award-winning tale of friendship and adventure.

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
Kirkus Prize for Young People's Literature Finalist
Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist
YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823445028
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/10/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	651,084
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

E. K. Johnston is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of several YA novels, including Star Wars: Ahsoka and A Thousand Nights. She is also a trained forensic archaeologist, has lived on four continents, and decorates cupcakes in her spare time. These days, she calls Stratford, Ontario, home.

Editorial Reviews

"Dragons are the tangible cost of industrialization in E. K. Johnston's wry young adult novel, 'The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim.' . . . The promising 'Story of Owen' is a clever first step in the career of a novelist who, like her troubadour heroine, has many more songs to sing." ―The New York Times Book Review
 
★ "Johnston’s masterful book is a refreshing blend of alternative history, high fantasy, and contemporary teen life. Johnston has done careful research for her intricate world building, and the result is strikingly original and believable."—Booklist, Starred Review
 
★ "In an alternate world where humans and dragons battle over fossil fuels, the tale of one slayer and his bard becomes a celebration of friendship, family, community and calling. . . . It may '[take] a village to train a dragon slayer,' but it takes an exceptional dragon slayer to deserve a village―and a storyteller―like this one."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
★ "Johnston has created a whip-smart, witty, and utterly inventive alternate history. If this stellar debut is any indication, hers looks to be a bright, long-burning career."—Quill & Quire, Starred Review
 
★ "Siobhan's narration sings thanks to her dry wit, intelligence, and ability to see the inherent musicality of life, while also commenting on the unreliability of history (and storytelling) and the power of a community to rally to save itself." ―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"nothing short of epic."―The Horn Book Magazine

"The humour is wry, the dialogue snappy, the commentary on our obsession with fossil fuels sharp"—The Globe & Mail

"Johnston focuses on developing rich characters and a detailed alternate history, with mild dragon encounters sprinkled throughout. Readers who enjoy world-building will enjoy the attention Johnston gives to infusing history and contemporary life with dragons."―VOYA
 
"Johnston seamlessly blends fantasy with realistic fiction; readers will have a hard time remembering that dragons aren't an everyday aspect of life."―School Library Journal
 
"An interesting commentary on the perils of carbon emissions, action, interesting twists on history, and themes of friendship, family, loyalty, and sacrifice will keep readers turning pages."―Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

★ 01/20/2014
Debut novelist Johnston envisions an Earth nearly identical to our own, with one key difference: dragons, whose attraction to carbon emissions—whether from campfires or cars—makes them a persistent threat. Everything from pop music to industry, literature, and the historical record has been influenced. The Sahara desert has its roots in a botched dragon slaying after Rome conquered Carthage; centuries later, the logo for the Detroit Red Wings symbolizes the loss of an entire state: “the wheel, for the car that had brought Michigan up, and the wing, for the dragons that had brought it down.” After 16-year-old Siobhan McQuaid agrees to become the bard for dragon-slayer-in-training Owen Thorskard, who has moved with his famous dragon-slaying family to her small Ontario town, she winds up at the center of a grassroots effort to understand an odd spike in dragon numbers. Siobhan’s narration sings thanks to her dry wit, intelligence, and ability to see the inherent musicality of life, while also commenting on the unreliability of history (and storytelling) and the power of a community to rally to save itself. Ages 11–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 2013-12-24
In an alternate world where humans and dragons battle over fossil fuels, the tale of one slayer and his bard becomes a celebration of friendship, family, community and calling. Once, every village had its own dragon slayer, but those days are long gone; now, slayers are drafted by governments or sponsored by corporations. Sixteen-year-old Owen Thorskard, scion of a renowned line, wants to help reverse that—starting with the rural Canadian town of Trondheim. While Owen is brave, dedicated and likable, this story really belongs to Siobhan McQuaid, dauntless bard-in-training. In her witty account, Siobhan learns alongside Owen from his heroic aunt and her blacksmith wife, schemes with classmates to create local Dragon Guards and enlists the entire county in a daring scheme to attack the dragons' own turf. Humor, pathos and wry social commentary unite in a cleverly drawn, marvelously diverse world. Refreshingly, the focus is on the pair as friends and partners, not on potential romance; Siobhan places as much emphasis on supporting her allies as extolling Owen's deeds. Smart enough to both avoid unnecessary danger and be scared when appropriate, they prove all the more valiant when tragic sacrifices have to be made. It may "[take] a village to train a dragon slayer," but it takes an exceptional dragon slayer to deserve a village—and a storyteller—like this one. (Fantasy. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews