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by Boomert - Dragonkeeper by Carole Wilkinson 14 Jan 2010
Dragonkeeper is the story of an 11-year-old slave girl, Ping, who saves the life of the last Imperial Dragon and unwittingly and unwillingly sets off on a quest with the dragon and her beloved pet rat to reach Ocean, a place of sanctuary and healing that Ping isn't even sure exists. Along the way, the trio battle a vile dragon hunter, a shape-changing necromancer and other foes who sometimes come in the guise of friends. Ping gradually comes to terms with the fact that, far from being a mere slave girl barely worthy of a name, she is in fact a powerful Dragonkeeper. Dragonkeeper is an ambitious novel, marrying ancient Chinese history and (almost certainly re-imagined, if well-researched) culture with magic and fantasy. Mostly, Wilkinson achieves what she is aiming for; my main reservation is that at some of the novel's most dramatic moments, the writing remains prosaic and explicatory, when it needs to be dramatically engaging. Nevertheless, Wilkinson succeeds in making us care for the fate of Ping and her wounded and weakened dragon, and the sights, smells and tastes of this fantastic ancient China are fully realised. The ending promises a sequel. For dedicated readers aged 10-14 years. This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker

Author Biography: Carole Wilkinson
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