The Wearle (The Erth Dragons #1)

Master storyteller and NYT bestselling author Chris d'Lacey has woven a brand-new epic fantasy with the story of the first dragons sent to Erth, and how their fates became entwined with humankind's.

A Wearle of dragons set out on an expedition from their home planet and was never heard from again. Now, a new Wearle, determined to find the first, has come to the place its creatures call Erth. Gabrial, who still has the blue scales of a young dragon, is eager to prove himself, and to find his missing father. But when Gabrial causes an accident that results in a baby dragon going missing, he'll have to prove himself worthy of remaining with the Wearle at all.Across the scorch line, most Hom, or humans, live in fear of the dragons. But a boy named Ren is too fascinated to stay away, and will soon find his fate intertwined with that of the dragons. When conflict erupts between the dragons and humankind, Ren does the unimaginable, crossing into dragon territory. Will he be able to gain the dragons' trust and prevent an all-out war?NYT bestseller Chris d'Lacey sweeps readers off on an extraordinary adventure bursting with majestic creatures and one boy with the heart of a dragon.

Praise for The Erth Dragons series:"An inspirational new dragon series. . . . An exciting read for dragon lovers and fans of d'Lacey's 'The Last Dragon Chronicles' and Tui T. Sutherland's 'Wings of Fire' series." -- School Library Journal"D'Lacey presents high fantasy with dragons as main characters . . . Rich in betrayal and adventure." -- Booklist"The creative spin on the intersection of dragon history and prehistoric humans is interesting and the action engaging." -- Kirkus Reviews"Full of action and description, this book's multi-layered story commands the reader's imagination and attention." -- School Library ConnectionPraise for the UNICORNE Files series:"Will hook readers from page one and won't let up until the dramatic conclusion. D'Lacey manages to make the implausible seem possible." -- School Library Journal"A lively and enjoyable read." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "A quest laden with suspense and action.... Will leave readers wanting more." -- BooklistPraise for the Last Dragon Chronicles:"Chris d'Lacey's writing is sometimes exciting and sometimes silly. But that seems in keeping with the worlds he created -- one that seems almost real and one that is beyond imagination." -- The Washington Post"An entertaining adventure." -- Kirkus Reviews"D'Lacey's characters are realistic and engaging.... A page-turner." -- The Horn Book

Chris d'Lacey is the author of several highly acclaimed books, including the New York Times bestselling Last Dragon Chronicles series; the Dragons of Wayward Crescent series; the UNICORNE Files trilogy; and The Erth Dragons series, The Wearle, Dark Wyng, and The New Age. Chris lives with his wife, Jay, in Devon, England, where they are at work on his next book.

It was forbidden, by order of Targen the Old. No man or woman of the tribe must contest the beasts or defy their will. Just to look upon the skalers, especially in flight, was enough to call down their fire on the tribe. From now on, men would settle on the flatlands.This was the law of the Kaal.Ren Whitehair, son of Ned, heard the words true. No man or woman must contest the beasts. But Targen the Old had not mentioned boys. And what kind of boy concerned himself with laws when his heart was beating to the spirit of adventure?Ever since the first group had burst through the sky and driven the Kaal tribe out of the mountains, the beasts had been despised by the men. A few brave souls had crossed the scorch line in defiance, but all had returned to the settlement in terror, many with hot blood running from their ears, clouds across their vision, or blisters on their skin. Thus far, the skalers had killed no men, but their forceful defense of the mountain territories suggested they would burn to the bones anyone foolish enough to provoke them to excess.But as much as men mourned the loss of their caves, it was all Ren could do to contain his excitement about the skalers. What would it feel like, he wondered, to run his hand along a whole row of scales? Or ride upon a beast as it soared above the mountains? Such fancies played with his dreams, but dreams were all they were destined to be, until the morning of the fateful hunt, the day he saw Utal Longarm burn.