Dragons and space travel and life on Mars! Talk about some exciting themes! Today I get to share a relatively new series--the first book was released in paperback last month and the second book was released this week! It is a middle grade fantasy sci-fi novel series! But older kids will enjoy this series as well. The series is written by Scott Reintgen. The first book is The Last Dragon on Mars. The series is recommended for ages 10 and up.
About the Book:
Keep your eyes down and your feet moving, or this planet will rust you.That’s what Lunar Jones tells the other kids at the relocation clinic. All of them were born on Mars, a planet that never wanted people in the first place. With resources scarce and hope even scarcer, it’s easy to get distracted looking up. After all, their ancestors descended from the stars.
Martian history always starts with Earth. The first astronauts discovered that space was already occupied. Not by little green men or flying saucers. It was full of dragons. One for every moon, every planet, every star. When humanity discovered that Earth’s dragon had sacrificed herself to make their home planet habitable, they set their sights on Mars. If one dead dragon could breathe life into a world, why not create another one? Mankind won the war that followed, but with one catch. As the dragon died, he whispered a curse over Mars. The first settlers found their crops wouldn’t grow. Animals hunted them. Storms raged endlessly. It took three generations to figure out the truth: Mars was doomed.
Lunar knows all the old stories about dragons and space, but no one up there’s planning to help him or his crew. Instead, he focuses on scrapping valuable gear that the storms uncover in the war zone. Until one day, a salvaging run goes wrong. Desperate to find shelter, Lunar goes underground in a restricted zone. What he finds there, buried in the Martian dust, might just be the only hope left for a dying planet.
From Me:
What a preface. Earth has life because its dragon sacrificed herself to create humankind. Luckily the moon's dragon, Luna, loves humans and helps protect us and travel in space. Dragons can travel faster than light and trips that would take human made machines years can take hours. When Earth gets crowded, they decide to expand and ask Ares the dragon of Mars to sacrifice himself so people can live on the planet. The one problem is he doesn't agree so with the help of the Mars' moon dragons, the humans kill Ares. The problem is that Ares curses the planet as he is dying. Life on Mars is near impossible. The animals try to kill people whenever they see them. Nothing will grow so Mars depends on Earth and Earth is getting sick of sending resources. When a Mars orphan, Lunar Jones, almost gets killed by other scavengers out in the wastelands and escapes with two other scavengers to the military base that is restricted. As he tries to find his way out, he comes face to face with a dragon that is not supposed to exist. The military commander orders him to be killed but the dragon steps in and saves him. The dragon has chosen him to be his dragoon much to the dislike of the military. After much training and figuring out how to lead a team, Lunar and the bunker get attacked by one of the moon dragons and their team. While escaping they see the other moon dragon and team who were supposed to help them but turned on them. They have to figure out how to save themselves and their home planet.
This book is a page turner. First you want to figure out life on Mars and dragons. Then you want to see what is going to happen next. I love how Lunar takes care of the other children in his relocation center (orphanage) and how he was a leader before discovering his leadership skills. Dread, the dragon, picks him because of who he is and how he grew up. He had to fight for everything and did his best to take care of the younger kids at the center. All of the soldiers that had been recruited for this duty were children. They were growing up with Dread.
The characters are well developed. There is a deepness to each's story and the narrator is Lunar Jones. This is a book kids will enjoy reading. It has adventure and excitement as well as the dragons. There is a war or perhaps two as the history of Mars. As the story of Ares comes into play and how wrong that was or Earth deserting the people of Mars after sending them there would be great discussion topics if the book is read in a class or club. I also love that the heroes in this book are teenagers!
The second book picks up where the first one leaves off. The second book in the series is The Rise of Neptune.
About the Book:
For the first printing only! This hardcover features stenciled sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts.Lunar prepares his allies for an attack from Neptune in this sequel to the New York Times bestselling sci-fi and fantasy mash-up The Last Dragon on Mars, sure to delight fans of Skandar and Eragon!
Lunar Jones and the Dread Knights have brought hope to Mars. Between Dread’s power and a newly formed alliance with Earth, the once-dying planet is headed for prosperity at last. The only shadow is the one cast by Dav Robinson’s warning: Neptune is coming.
As predicted, Neptune’s ships arrive in Martian space—and they’re not interested in talking. The ships launch an immediate attack. Lunar was prepared for hostilities, but the way the attack happens is unexpected. Neptune’s dragons seem divided, and its ships, while countless in number, are almost too easy to defeat. It’s clear there’s more to Neptune’s story than meets the eye, and Lunar and his Dread Knights must figure out the mystery behind their looming foe quickly…before those secrets doom Mars for good.
From Me:
The last book wins with Mars being saved by Lunar Jones and the Dread Knights as well as of course Dread the dragon. This book shares the success of the last book. Mars is booming. The Dread Knights are training a second crew for backup. They investigated the warning of Dav Robinson but are not sure if they can believe it until Neptune ships begin to arrive. Neptune is declaring war, and the moon dragon Triton is leading the way. Before the Martians can have a chance to win the war, they have to figure out some of the mysteries of Neptune. It is the planet in the solar system that discouraged visitors. Not much is known. Dav Robinson talked about there being people that were not completely like them before he died. Yet whenever they kill one of the enemies a blue light appears and floats away. There is no body.
Just like the first book, the characters are well developed. The dragons play more important roles in this book and their personalities shine through. The book is full of adventure and excitement. The war is going on and although the enemy seems easy to kill there are so many of them and they just keep coming. Plus, Neptune has different technology including something that can trap the Martians and not let others in. The other Neptune moon dragons are also divided, and one may be an enemy. Lunar has to figure it all out and figure out who they can trust.
This series is perfect for introducing fantasy and science fiction. It is also a great read that kids will enjoy. The stories are interesting and well developed. It often reminded me of how we are looking for life on other planets and planets people could survive on. This book changes all of it with a bit of fantasy. The ideas of technology in both books are great and creative. I can honestly say I recommend these books for most middle school and even young adults to read.
