Product Description

When Michael staggers home red-eyed and confused from an afternoon alone on the hill, his family suspect sunstroke, or even drugs. But the truth is more terrifying than that. By digging up a Celtic cross in the churchyard, church excavators have released the evil influences of a dragon long buried under the neighbouring hill, and powerful forces are at large Sinister neighbours have already yielded to the enticements of this power and are determined to make Michael one of their own. The fragile bonds that link Michael with his brother and sister are seemingly about to be destroyed in a fight for his soul...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39113 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Back Cover
When Michael McIntyre staggers home, red-eyed and disorientated, his family thinks he is suffering from sunstroke. No one realises that Michael has unwittingly released a powerful evil force that will gradually engulf them all. Are the fagile bonds that hold the McIntyre family together strong enough to resist the nightmare creature at the heart of the evil?

About the Author
Jonathan Stroud:
Jonathan studied at York University. He has a strong background in children`s books, previously working as an editor at Walker and then at Kingfisher. Now writes full time and lives in St Albans with his wife who is a designer.

Customer Reviews

Dragons under the village
Michael, Stephen and Sarah live in a small English village. Sarah is the responsible older sister and the other two are her younger teenage brothers. The story opens with Michael out in a beautiful summer day, on a hollow on a hilltop, when a power sweeps through him and envelops him, setting fire to the book beside him. He's not sure what it is, but as he comes down the hill he finds himself seeing strange things, so his first thought is sun-stroke.

But it isn't, it's the power of a trapped dragon bubbling up and trying to find a way to help him escape the trap he was put in. The Dragon is helped by the fact that a stone has been unearthed and broken, a stone with runes and an intertwining dragon on it.

It's not up to the level of his Bartimaeus trilogy, but it's not a bad story of the meeting of the ordinary and magic. The ending feels a bit rushed and there would be space for a sequel here. These boys have been touched by the extra-ordinary and I'm not sure that the ordinary will ever really satisfy them.

This will get them reading
I'm not usually a fan of "dragon fantasy", but this one is a rare exception, as it draws strongly from British folklore of dragon slayers, such as the tale of St. George and the Dragon or the Lambton Worm, yet sets the action firmly in the present. It explores the themes of power at a price and the changes that occur as you grow up, meaning extra responsibility and the consideration of others in your actions, as well as exploring slightly supernatural themes. Stroud is very expressive and the language, although complex enough to engage older readers, is still simple enough to appeal to those just entering their teens.

The characters are slightly stereotypical, almost cartoonish, in places, but there remains a sense of grounded reality underneath, which keeps the plot anchored within the realms of the almost-possible. This is exactly the kind of fare that might entice boys to read a little more.

Not stroud at his best but not terrible either
This book was obviously well thought out as all the parts of the story came together nicely. but i still think that the ending was rushed and that the book could have been longer this is a good short read but does not compare to the amulet of samarkand. This book is about two brothers who discover the powers of a dragon but soon find they are not alone in their discovery. (a similar book to this is Dragon Fire by charles ashton it's three books in one and is much longer and much better) but overall i would give buried fire 7/10