Secrets of the Dragon Tomb (Secrets of the Dragon Tomb, 1) - Softcover

Samphire, Patrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250104157 ISBN 13: 9781250104151

Publisher: Square Fish, 2017

Synopsis

Mars in 1816 is a world of high society, deadly danger, and strange clockwork machines. Pterodactyls glide through the sky, automatic servants hand out sandwiches at elegant garden parties, and in the north, the great dragon tombs hide marvels of Ancient Martian technology.

Twelve-year-old Edward Sullivan has always dreamed of becoming a spy like the ones he reads of in his favorite sci-fi magazine, Thrilling Martian Tales. Instead, he spends his days keeping his eccentric family from complete disaster . . . that is, until the villainous archaeologist Sir Titus Dane kidnaps Edward's parents as part of a scheme to loot an undiscovered dragon tomb. Edward sets out on a perilous journey to save his parents and protect the dragon tombs in the process. Turns out spywork is a bit more challenging than he had imagined. . . .

Secrets of the Dragon Tomb by Patrick Samphire is a classic adventure story, full of fun, humor and heart with stunning illustrations by Jeremy Holmes throughout. The intergalactic fun and adventure continues in Book 2 of the Secrets of the Dragon Tomb series, The Emperor of Mars.

“Science fiction meets classic adventure tales in this quirky novel, and it’s a real treat to know that it’s the first in an intended series.” ―The Bulletin

Also in the Secrets of the Dragon Tomb series:
Secrets of the Dragon Tomb
The Emperor of Mars

About this title

About the Author:

Patrick Samphire grew up in England and Zambia. He holds a PhD in physics from the University of Essex and attended the Clarion Writers Workshop in Seattle. He lives in Wales with his family. Secrets of the Dragon Tomb was his debut novel.

Jeremy Holmes is the creative mind behind Mutt Ink, a graphic design studio, and the illustrator of many children's books. His first book, There Was an Old Lady, was awarded Bologna Razzi’s Opera Prima award at the 2010 Bologna Book Fair. He lives in Pennsylvania.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–6—Twelve-year-old Edward Sullivan wishes his life on 19th-century British Mars were more like the adventures he reads about in his Thrilling Martian Tales magazine. Sadly, it's school break and instead of being off with his friend Matthew Harrison, he's staying home trying to keep his family on track. His father is a brilliant yet absent-minded mechanician, and his mother's main concern is gaining back the family status she lost when her own father lost the family fortune. When dim-witted cousin Freddie literally comes crashing down, Edward wonders how much worse things can get, but before he knows it, he is tangled up in a madcap adventure with even more action than his magazines. It seems that Edward's father's latest invention, the water abacus, is thought to be the key to perhaps one of the last of the great dragon tombs of Mars. In the past, it was these tombs that held the wonderful Martian technology that enabled British Mars to thrive—and made the tomb explorers rich. There are many who want to use the water abacus for their own purposes, which leads to fights, kidnappings, attempted murder, and a great chase. All of this is set in a perfectly delightful steampunk and fantasy world complete with clockwork automatic servants, dragon paths, and spaceships. Deeper topics of race relations and colonization are deftly explored through the political unrest among the British, the French, and the Martians. VERDICT A smart addition for middle grade collections; be prepared to purchase planned sequels.—Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1250104157
• ISBN 13: 9781250104151
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352
• Illustrator: Holmes Jeremy