The Dragondain (The Moon Realm Series, Book Two) [Kindle Edition]

Richard Due (Author), Carolyn Arcabascio (Illustrator)

Book Description

It's the middle of the night, you need to send your brother to the Moon Realm, and he won't wake up. So you improvise. . . . 

When a confused Jasper awakes, he's convinced he's dreaming. But by the time he meets Greydor, Jasper understands that this is no dream. In fact, persuading the King of the Rinn to work with the men of Dain to defeat their common enemy is a nightmare. Then there's the other side of the coin: convincing Tavin and Dubb that saddling a Rinn isn't certain death. ("It'll be fun!") And perhaps even a greater worry: can he make friends with Dubb's daughter Darce before she punches his lights out?

Lily has problems, too. There's a little mousie scratching in her closet. Or at least, it sounds like a little mousie. Oh, and her second confrontation with Curse, and trying to form her first peerin. (Don't you have to be from Dain to do that?) And where's Ebb?

One thing's for sure: now that Lily and Jasper have entered the Moon Realm, nothing can ever be the same again.

Illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio.

Book Two in the award winning Moon Realm Series.

Praise for The Dragondain

"Get ready for a wild ride! The Dragondain will have you gasping, cheering, and falling in love with the characters all over again. Due's rich descriptive prose and fast-paced dialogue make for a truly exciting read. There were so many "goosebumps" moments I literally could not put the book down. I can't wait for Book Three!"--S. S. Tamberrino

Praise for The Moon Coin

"So begins a beautifully descriptive, cleverly written, intricate story, full of adventure and captivating characters, who draw you into their very lives and worlds. The wider adult reading population will no doubt be entranced by the skill of the author, Richard Due. I just cannot believe that this maturity and skill with the written word comes from a debut author." --Fiction Books

"One of the things I particularly enjoyed about The Moon Coin was the way that Due does not talk down to his young readers. The book employs a rich vocabulary, giving its audience opportunities to learn new words in context. The intricately described universe of the Moon Realm is the highlight of the book." --Agrippina Legit

"Entrancing pictures, an engaging plot, and a great writing style combine to create a middle grade fantasy that readers of all ages will love." --Danica Page

"The Moon Coin is a delightful fantasy story about Lily and her brother Jasper. . . . The story implicitly challenges the reader to wait, to learn more, and to think about things before jumping to conclusions. . . . It will appeal equally to boys and girls. . . . I would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fantasy." --Reads 4 Tweens

"The world created by Mr. Due is a wonderful mix of fantasy that will have middle grade readers and teens wanting more. The writing is as magical as the Moon Realm, with nicely shaped phrases that don't confuse the reader." --Carabosse's Library

"The Moon Coin is middle-grade fantasy at its best! When I was a kid, I would have annihilated this book, slept with it under my pillow, and carried it with me at school." --Sizzling Reads

"The Moon Coin, fast, furious, and immensely enjoyable, reminded me of what I love about fiction. There are surprises around every corner, and by taking the more difficult theme of division, forcible annexation and the underlying currents of coloring up the truth, Mr. Due has made The Moon Coin into a story that is deeply layered and developed as much as it is entertaining and delightful. With an extremely wide cast of characters and a heroine we can appreciate, The Moon Coin just keeps giving." --In the Closet with a Bibliophile

"A great middle grade fantasy." --ForeWord Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Get ready for a wild ride! The Dragondain will have you gasping, cheering, and falling in love with the characters all over again. Due's rich descriptive prose and fast-paced dialogue make for a truly exciting read. There were so many "goosebumps" moments I literally could not put the book down. I can't wait for Book Three!" --S. S. Tamberrino

From the Author

I started writing stories in the 3rd grade and moved on to novels in my teens and twenties, only to give that all up in my mid-thirties.

In my working life, however, I've been into making squiggly marks (or dots, lots of dots) on paper since the 1980s. First, I worked as a laser scanner operator, making halftones. (Halftones are a reprographic technique that simulates continuous tone imagery through the use of dots). Or, put more simply, I turned black and white photographs into a whole mess-o-dots, extra pretty-like, making them perfect for running on printing presses.

Later, I worked as a DS camera operator, making halftones and text negatives on orthographic film. Or, put more simply, I turned photographs into a whole mess-o-dots, on film, and did the same with text, only without all the dots, making them perfect for running on printing presses. I made several hundred BFOPs this way. (BFOPs, pronounced BEEfops, stands for Books For Other People. And they aren't always fun to make, but they're great for paying for things like books, car insurance, rent, more books, food, and drink.)

Eventually, though, computers took all those jobs away from me and gave them to something called a digital typesetter. So I taught myself how to be one of those, and made more books (some cool, most not so much) and computer software manuals (can you say: kill me now).

In 1991, I put the typesetting business on freelance, and entered into the exciting and glamorous world of book selling. My wife and I are still at it, selling books at our independent (mostly-) used bookstore in Prince Frederick, Maryland.

In 2010, however, something very strange happened. . . . On a complete lark, during the night of a full moon, I put all my skills together in a paper bag, waved them over my head while clucking like a chicken, opened the bag, and out spilled the Moon Realm Series in all its ebook and print goodness. I have been very happy ever since.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2846 KB
• Print Length: 292 pages
• Publisher: Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink (September 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00957AXPG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,359 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #23 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Norse
  • #94 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Norse

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait for the next book! January 17, 2013

By mmssej

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved this book as much as the first one. It is so imaginative, and well written. I can only complain about 1 thing and that is having to wait for the next book!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great epic tale continues ... December 20, 2012

By cristo

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

First, one must read the first book to get the full worth of the second, as it is a series, and the
first book is very good - see my and others' reviews. I enjoyed the second book even more than the first.
No sophmore curse here. The details and descriptions that set the stage in the first book were very good
and necessary, but they required quite a bit of attention and work to keep track of, and I liked having
less of that and more plot movement in the second book (although at one point there was an awful lot of
names to assimilate and absorb all at once). I also like having both Lily and Jasper in the thick of things
in their own different ways, and some hints about their parents' previous possible experiences and knowledge.
The story really pulls you along; once you start reading, it's hard to put it down. If you prefer savoring a
leisurely read a little bit at a time, well, good luck with that!

Highly recommended. I'll have a hard time waiting until next fall for the third installment.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC! December 7, 2012

By Jimzle

Format:Paperback

I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this book. Reading this series has been like falling down the rabbit hole. When reading I was so drawn into the Moon Realm everything around me fades to nothing and I feel like I am right there with Lily and/or Jasper sharing their adventures. My highest compliment for a sequel is that it does not feel like one and Dragondain does not disappoint. What I like best about a series is the feeling of continuity and Dragondain builds onto the amazing story and world Due has created. The saddest part about reading it so quickly is having to wait for the next one! I'm dying here!!!!

More About the Author

Richard Due (pronounced "Dewey") first imagined the Moon Realm while telling bedtime tales to his children. He makes his home in Southern Maryland, where he and his wife have owned and operated Second Looks Books since 1991. The Moon Coin is the first novel in his award-winning Moon Realm series.

Author Note:

I started writing stories in the 3rd grade and moved on to novels in my teens and twenties, only to give that all up in my mid-thirties.

In my working life, however, I've been into making squiggly marks (or dots, lots of dots) on paper since the 1980s. First, I worked as a laser scanner operator, making halftones. (Halftones are a reprographic technique that simulates continuous tone imagery through the use of dots). Or, put more simply, I turned black and white photographs into a whole mess-o-dots, extra pretty-like, making them perfect for running on printing presses.

Later, I worked as a DS camera operator, making halftones and text negatives on orthographic film. Or, put more simply, I turned photographs into a whole mess-o-dots, on film, and did the same with text, only without all the dots, making them perfect for running on printing presses. I made several hundred BFOPs this way. (BFOPs, pronounced BEEfops, stands for Books For Other People. And they aren't always fun to make, but they're great for paying for things like books, car insurance, rent, more books, food, and drink.)
Eventually, though, computers took all those jobs away from me and gave them to something called a digital typesetter. So I taught myself how to be one of those, and made more books (some cool, most not so much) and computer software manuals (can you say: kill me now).

In 1991, I put the typesetting business on freelance, and entered into the exciting and glamorous world of book selling. My wife and I are still at it, selling books at our independent (mostly-) used bookstore in Prince Frederick, Maryland.

In 2010, however, something very strange happened. . . . On a complete lark, during the night of a full moon, I put all my skills together in a paper bag, and waved them over my head while clucking like a chicken, then opened the bag, and out spilled the Moon Realm Series in all its ebook and print goodness. I have been very happy ever since.