Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea. Five outcasts – and former enemies are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom.
When the Fallen Star struck, it brought death and despair, ash and toxic rain. But some dinosaurs survived… and were changed. Their minds grew alert. They learned to speak. To dream. To wage war.
As the two remaining dinosaur kingdoms fight for territory, Eleri, the disgraced son of a prince, is exiled from his home for saving an enemy soldier. Banished to the merciless Deadlands, a terrifying desert full of tar pits, poisonous gas, and ruthless carnivores, he must join forces with a group of questionable allies – including the enemy soldier he saved – to avoid becoming prey.
When Eleri and his fellow exiles discover the horrific truth behind the war, the unlikely heroes must do all they can to save their kingdoms from a lurking predator… and a secret plot that might destroy them all.
Wings of Fire meets the ferocious dinosaurs of Jurassic Park in this action-adventure middle grade debut series about five outcasts – and former enemies – who are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom. Perfect for readers aged 8+ and for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief and the Dragon Mountain series
Debut novelist Skye Melki-Wegner found inspiration for the creation of this dinosaur world and wonderful new trilogy when she was working at a museum noting the levels of excitement children had around the dinosaur displays. Her love of storytelling, adventure and invention infuses the telling of a captivating tale in The Deadlands: Hunted.
Melki-Wegner, clearly a fantasy buff, has dived in headfirst to conjure a world where dinosaurs still exist. She leaves no stone unturned, providing maps, keys and drawings of the lead characters to illuminate a young reader’s way as they come to know the new terrain of the Mountain Kingdom and the alliances and enemies of the dinosaurs who inhabit it.
Eleri leads the way in a classic hero’s journey which has undertones of The Lion King as the dinosaur underdog, deep in the shadow of his father, is set on an adventure in which he finds his tribe and his voice in order to save the kingdom and survive.
Melki-Wegner’s detail and sophisticated language offers young readers an opportunity for their imaginations and their reading skills to be stretched and entertained. With charming, relatable, well-constructed characters (albeit scaly ones), well-crafted plotting and the magic of a rigorous imagination, this engrossing first title in the middle-grade trilogy, The Deadlands is sure to find a whole new dinosaur-loving readership.
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