The Royal Order of Fighting Dragons
Author: Dan Elish
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Description:
Born to... Fight?
Ike Rupert Hollingsberry is haunted by the past because complete strangers won’t let him forget that his famous father died on the set of The Fighting Dragons, a cult favorite that still has people talking. But when he’s attacked by a large locust, like the one that killed his dad, Ike is helped by the geekiest nerd of all, Elmira Hand. Killing the giant locust is only the beginning of the surprises in store for Ike as he is whisked away from New York City to an isolated Florida compound to assume his role as the next in line to lead the Royal Order of Fighting Dragons—that are NOT supposed to exist—and learns his dad’s death was a cover-up for a far greater purpose…
Praise for THE ROYAL ORDER OF FIGHTING DRAGONS:
"…a fast-paced, entertaining story with appealing characters, a healthy dose of action, and a dash of humor." ―Publishers Weekly
“That.”
Ike turned and looked. On the far horizon, over the Hudson River, was a large black dot. It was interesting—also strange.
“What is it?” Ike asked.
“Don’t know,” Kashvi said.
Diego brushed his hair out of the way and squinted. “It’s a black dot,” he said. “What’s the big deal? Nothing to worry about.”
Ike wasn’t so sure. To his alarm, the dot was picking up speed and growing larger and larger by the second. It wasn’t making enough noise to be a helicopter and it didn’t look wide enough to be a plane.
But whatever it was, it was certainly something. In fact, the dot was coming so fast now most everyone else in the vicinity had noticed it, too.
“Yo,” someone cried, “is that a giant dirt ball?”
“No, it’s a tornado.”
“In New York? Not a chance.”
Ike didn’t think so either. It wasn’t tall or thin enough to be a tornado. But as the dot grew bigger, he did notice two longish spires curling off its top. And the closer the dot came, the taller the spires grew until Ike suddenly knew what they were.
“Antennae,” he whispered with a shiver.
What else could they be? Worse, it wasn’t long before Ike noticed the dot had a mouth. And atop its back was a barely discernable blur, the rapid fluttering of two powerful wings. Then all the disparate elements—the antennae, the mouth, and wings—seemed to meld together, revealing its unquestionable identity.
“It’s a bug,” Ike cried. “A locust.”
“Is it real?” Diego asked.
A day earlier, Ike would’ve said the bug was a giant robot or a clever special effect. But that was a day earlier.
“I think so,” Ike said.
“Who cares if it’s real?” a parent yelled. “It’s bigger than a subway car.”
“Cripes,” somebody else said. “We’ve gotta move.”
With the locust two blocks away, the sidewalk exploded into a cacophony of terrified shrieks and shouts as parents and kids alike ran for it, scattering lunchboxes and knapsacks as they went.
“Come on,” Diego said, tearing for the street. “We’re out of here.”
But Ike was frozen with equal parts terror and disbelief. The bug was a block away, thundering ten feet over the sidewalk as though it had been shot out of a cannon. And now that it was closer, Ike could finally make out its body in more detail—its four small front legs and two giant back ones. Its scaly, light green skin and, worst of all, its eyes. Two giant black circles, one on each side of its head—focused directly on him.
“Ike?” Diego called from behind a parked car. “Come on. Hide.”
Ike wheeled around, looking frantically up and down the sidewalk. Hide? Suddenly, there wasn’t enough time. The school door was too far away and the cars were all locked. With the raging bug seconds away, Ike knew there was only one thing that could save him …
His father’s sword.
Copyright © 2018 by Dan Elish
Dan co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical 13with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, which premiered on Broadway in 2008 and is slated to be a movie by CBS Films. Dan is also a TV writer who has worked on shows such as Cyberchase (PBS) and Jo-Jo’s Circus (Disney). Dan has received fellowships and scholarships to the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences and is represented by Matt Bialer at Greenburger Associates. He lives in New York with his wife and children.
Author Links:
WEBSITE: http://www.danelish.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/102471.Dan_Elish
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/dan.elish
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/danelish22/
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I live in NC & the farthest I have been is Maryland. It's sad, I know haha!
ReplyDeleteWe live in NY and I have been to Calif
ReplyDeleteI live in California and I've been to Australia several times.
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