Draco’s Child

Draco’s Child
by Sharon Plumb
Published by Thistledown Press
Review by Sharon Adam
$14.95 ISBN 9781897235706

This is a story of space pioneers who have been settled on an alien planet. They have encountered many hardships, including the loss of several of their members and the companion ship that was part of the settlement plan. Through trial and error, the members of the settlers try to adapt to the harsh realities of their new environment. Life is difficult and the settlers are not well. Then they are visited by the “star child”.

Varia and her father are distrustful of the star child and refuse to drink his star water, even though all the other settlers drink and seem to recover from the various symptoms that have plagued them since their arrival. As the settlers improve, they begin to change physically and seem to be adapting to the planet that they now inhabit. Varia remains suspicious of the star child and deliberately tries to thwart the plans that the rest of the community has so trustingly embraced. She wanders into a cave where she discovers a wondrous stone that turns out to be an egg. Her decision to hatch the egg, instead of giving it to the star child has a monumental effect on her and the settlers.

The egg does hatch and Varia becomes the protector of a beautiful dragon. Of course she loves her dragon/child and because she trusts the creature instead of the star child, she is faced with choices that affect not only her and the dragon, but the entire colony of settlers. The changes that are happening are not only physical, but psychological. Varia must face her fears and choose between loyalty to her new “family” and the community she has left.

This novel is about loyalty, self discovery, change and acceptance. Written with a young adult audience in mind, adults will also enjoy the themes explored in this story.

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