Joniece Abbott-Pratt narrates a young adult adventure in which high fantasy is mixed with a modern setting for a bizarre and creative tale. Listeners are transported to a unique world in which Sarah’s father hires a dragon to work their farm, which leads to her discovery of a prophecy. Abbott-Pratt navigates diversity as she portrays a dragon-worshipping cult and a group of young adults who include biracial, African-American, Japanese, and LGBTQ characters. Handling discrimination with grace, Abbott-Pratt helps listeners feel the unfairness of the situations through her tone, varied pace, and volume. Her portrayal of Sarah’s Russian dragon is impressive in this tale of self-discovery and adventure, which is brightened by Abbott-Pratt’s robust vocal performance. J.O. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Burn
Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Patrick NessUnabridged — 10 hours, 28 minutes
Burn
Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Patrick NessUnabridged — 10 hours, 28 minutes
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Overview
On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he'd hired to help on the farm...
Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.
The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can't help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn't have a soul but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.
Because the dragon knows something she doesn't. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit-and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.
Editorial Reviews
★ 05/04/2020
Too deeply in debt to engage human farmhands, 15-year-old Sarah Dewhurst’s father is forced to hire a dragon to clear their farm’s fields for planting. With Cold War tensions running high in an alternate 1957 America, employing a dragon, especially a rare Russian blue, is sure to be an unpopular move, but Sarah, who is biracial (black and white), already experiences daily racism in small-town Frome, Wash. Kazimir, the dragon, soon shows a mysterious interest in Sarah, offering protection from an unknown killer and indicating she may be the prophesied key to averting an apocalypse. In Canada, meanwhile, a teen called Malcolm, trained by a dragon-worshipping cult from childhood as an assassin, makes his way toward Frome on what he considers a “blessed” mission to save dragonkind. The relationship between Ness’s (And the Ocean Was Our Sky) inclusive human cast, which encompasses characters of various ethnicities, belief systems, and sexual orientations, and his dragons—feared as immeasurably powerful and philosophical, yet derided as rustic and used as sharecroppers—makes for an interesting Cold War analog. The densely layered, expertly paced plot builds and twists while revealing an alternate universe that cunningly echoes our world and its history. Ages 14–up. (June)
Ness has never been afraid to push boundaries when it comes to genre exploration, but this is a truly magnificent piece of fiction.... The concept is striking, the characters compelling, and the story enthralling. Even for Ness, this is a singular effort." — Booklist (starred review)
"The densely layered, expertly paced plot builds and twists while revealing an alternate universe that cunningly echoes our world and its history." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Ness brings together history, fantasy, and science fiction in one masterful stroke, interweaving the tropes of each genre to create a unique blend that offers readers an unpredictable but impeccably paced mind trip." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“Exciting, nonstop action and gloriously varied twists in the narrative will keep readers guessing all the way through to the breathless ending.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
"This fast-paced narrative has elements of alternate history, fantasy, multiverse, and apocalyptic literature. The many plot twists and multiple perspectives create an intensity that makes this a page-turner...A gripping, powerful novel of courage and resilience." — Kirkus Reviews
"A wild ride of fanaticism, redemption, assasins and dragon-worshippers. Mind-bending in the best possible way." — The Observer (London)
"Ness brilliantly juggles these multi-layered themes and twisting plot lines while creating a world where dragons are as richly imagined as humans and engage our emotions just as forcefully. He is a remarkable talent." — Daily Mail (UK)
"Ness’s engrossing historical-fantasy adventure is at once accessible and complex, tackling both human issues—racism...war, religion—and grand fantasy action with skill." — Horn Book Magazine
"A wild ride of fanaticism, redemption, assasins and dragon-worshippers. Mind-bending in the best possible way."
"Ness’s engrossing historical-fantasy adventure is at once accessible and complex, tackling both human issues—racism...war, religion—and grand fantasy action with skill."
"Ness brings together history, fantasy, and science fiction in one masterful stroke, interweaving the tropes of each genre to create a unique blend that offers readers an unpredictable but impeccably paced mind trip."
Ness has never been afraid to push boundaries when it comes to genre exploration, but this is a truly magnificent piece of fiction.... The concept is striking, the characters compelling, and the story enthralling. Even for Ness, this is a singular effort."
"Ness brilliantly juggles these multi-layered themes and twisting plot lines while creating a world where dragons are as richly imagined as humans and engage our emotions just as forcefully. He is a remarkable talent."
★ 05/01/2020
Gr 8 Up—Amid 1950s Cold War tension in their rural Washington town, high schoolers Sarah and Jason are just trying to survive racial harassment from the local deputy and, of course, the dragons. The conflicts run hot, prophecy is tricky to interpret, and things are not as they appear. Secrets, betrayals, and discoveries pile up as the first section of the story slams into the second half with a shocking plot twist. Weaving between historical fiction and science fiction, Ness tackles the terrifying uncertainty of the Cold War, the pre-Civil Rights racial tension, and the consequences of Japanese internment camps, then seamlessly blends LGBTQIA issues and a host of injustices without ever preaching. Featuring multiple protagonists, this story takes readers to two different universes, explains dragons in scientific terms, and retells the end of the Cold War for at least one of our worlds. Exciting, nonstop action and gloriously varied twists in the narrative will keep readers guessing all the way through to the breathless ending. VERDICT A highly recommended addition to any library from an acclaimed master of his craft.—Kristen Rademacher, Marist High School, Chicago
Joniece Abbott-Pratt narrates a young adult adventure in which high fantasy is mixed with a modern setting for a bizarre and creative tale. Listeners are transported to a unique world in which Sarah’s father hires a dragon to work their farm, which leads to her discovery of a prophecy. Abbott-Pratt navigates diversity as she portrays a dragon-worshipping cult and a group of young adults who include biracial, African-American, Japanese, and LGBTQ characters. Handling discrimination with grace, Abbott-Pratt helps listeners feel the unfairness of the situations through her tone, varied pace, and volume. Her portrayal of Sarah’s Russian dragon is impressive in this tale of self-discovery and adventure, which is brightened by Abbott-Pratt’s robust vocal performance. J.O. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
2020-03-29
A young woman finds herself in the center of a struggle involving a prophecy about a coming war between humans and dragons.
Despite constant hard work, Sarah Dewhurst and her father find themselves in dire straits on their farm near Frome, Washington. Even though tensions exist between the two species, the dragon her father has hired seems to be their final hope. Nevertheless, Sarah and the dragon, Kazimir, forge a connection—even though he’s a blue dragon of Russian extraction, it’s 1957, and the Cold War is raging. Sarah, a biracial teen with a white father (her deceased mother was black), has enough difficulties in their community; she befriends Japanese American Jason Inagawa, whose family returned to the area after being interned during World War II, but without his mother, who died in Minidoka. At the same time, Malcolm, a young white man from a cult that worships dragons, is on the road, pursuing a mission and being trailed by two mysterious FBI agents who seek to halt whatever the Believers are planning. It becomes clear that Sarah is to play a central role in the prophecy’s dénouement. This fast-paced narrative has elements of alternate history, fantasy, multiverse, and apocalyptic literature. The many plot twists and multiple perspectives create an intensity that makes this a page-turner. In addition to the action, themes of teens coping with racism, homophobia, and grief are interwoven.
A gripping, powerful novel of courage and resilience. (Fantasy. 14-18)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940178988411 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 06/02/2020 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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