Becoming a host for a parasitic dragon wasn't part of the plan. Actually, there wasnÕt really any plan to begin with, but when the dragon egg hatches, Ashe figures it's time to come up with one. Katsu's plans are failing miserably. His vast medical knowledge isn't helping Ashe's dragon situation, he's having problems staying detached, and the other mercenaries are concerned about their lifeforce being sucked dry and want Ashe to leave. Katsu is determined that if Ashe leaves, so will he. First, though, he has to make sure that his people aren't killed in battle... something they seem determined to do.
“Jimmy Hatch is a personal hero of mine.” —Anderson Cooper “Irresistible. . . . A wounded SEAL’s shame becomes a salvation.” —J. Ford Huffman, Military Times James Hatch is a former special ops Navy SEAL senior chief, master naval parachutist, and expert military dog trainer and handler. On his fateful final mission in Afghanistan, his SEAL team was sent to recover Bowe Bergdahl—the soldier who deserted his post and fell into the hands of Al-Qaida and the Taliban. The mission went south, and Hatch was left with a shattered femur from an AK-47 round and the SEAL dog who fought alongside him was dead. As a result of his horrific leg wound, his twenty-four-year military career came to an end—and with it the only life he’d ever known. In Touching the Dragon, we witness his long road to recovery. Getting well physically required eighteen surgeries, twelve months of recovery, and learning to walk again. But getting well mentally would prove to be much tougher, as he fought through the depths of despair, alcoholism, and the pull to end his own life. What emerges is a different kind of hero’s journey, one in which Hatch shows the courage it takes to confess, confront, and overcome his own brokenness. Through the love of family, friends, and his military dogs, Hatch learned remarkable tools and found his purpose, and now he wants to share this wisdom with the rest of us because we all have wounds.
Poor Theodora Oglethorpe! Her biologist father has gone off to explore the jungles of Laos without her, her two best friends are away on vacation, and a long, hot, lonely Boston summer is all she has to look forward to. Poor Gideon! Wycca, his pet wyvern, has disappeared through a magic hole in time in search of a place to lay her egg. Kobold, Gideon's rival wizard, wants nothing more than to capture Wycca and turn her against her master. In a desperate attempt to rescue Wycca from Kobold's evil clutches, Gideon follows her through the magic hole...and finds himself transported from his castle in thirteenth-century England to the terrifyingly modern world of Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 2002. Little does Gideon know that what he needs most in order to find his wyvern is stuck to the bottom of Theodora's shoe. And little does Theodora know that Gideon is the reason why her summer vacation has begun to seem a whole lot more interesting...
Ammon's job was simple, to care for the dragon eggs in the Nest. It should have been easy, but it wasn't. When the sun rose after the hatch, he had made an enemy of the most powerful man in the kingdom, and he would soon learn that was the least of his problems!
It is a rare talent, and only she can care for the Inn's herd. She feeds them, gathers their eggs, and tends to their injuries. But Mella dreams about the dragons of legend, even though hardly anyone believes they still exist. Dragons are small farm animals, not huge fire-breathing monsters. Everyone knows that. Until one day changes everything. A Knight of the Order of Defenders arrives at the Inn. Signs of the mythical dragons have led him there, he says. Then a simple errand takes Mella through the forest, where she stumbles across a dragon's egg—and faces the true, terrifying dragon guarding it. On the spot, Mella vows to get the egg safely to the fabled Hatching Grounds. She must leave her home for the first time, and she finds an unlikely companion in the Defender's squire, Roger. For Mella and Roger, this one day is the beginning of an adventure. Where will it take them?
"'The Boy Who Grew Dragons' is good-hearted fantasy fun."-New York Times Book Review "This gently funny title is a must-purchase for public libraries, and a great recommendation for readers of all ages"-School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW "Never has so much toilet humor been so charming."-Kirkus Reviews "Readers will be eager for more."-Booklist This hilarious middle-grade novel with illustrations throughout sees Tomas discover that he can grow dragons in his own garden! When Tomas discovers a strange old tree at the bottom of his grandfather's garden, he doesn't think much of it. But he takes the funny fruit from the tree back into the house and gets the shock of his life when a tiny dragon hatches! The tree is a dragon fruit tree, and Tomas now has his very own dragon, Flicker! While Tomas finds out that life with Flicker is fun, he also finds that it is very...unpredictable. Yes, dragons are wonderful, but they also set fire to your toothbrush and leave your underwear hanging from the TV antenna. Tomas has to learn how to look after Flicker---and quickly! And then something extraordinary happens: More dragon fruits appear on the tree! Now it's official, Tomas is growing dragons.
If you woke up as a sentient egg in some random forest, I bet you'd be confused, too. That's exactly what happened to me, in the oddest turn of events...Being reborn as a little egg has its challenges, but luckily, with all these monsters out to eat me, I'm gaining experience quick. Once I bust out of this shell, a cool new form better await me--that is, if I survive long enough!
For more than thirty years, Pern has conjured visions of brave men and women mounted upon the backs of dragons. As anyone knows who has been touched by the storytelling magic of Anne McCaffrey, to read of the exotic world of Pern is to inhabit it—and to experience its extraordinary dragons is to soar aloft with them and share their dazzling adventures. Now, A Gift of Dragons brings together three beloved stories and a thrilling new tale of Pern in a single volume illustrated with beautiful artwork by Tom Kidd. In “The Smallest Dragonboy,” Keevan is the youngest dragonrider candidate, determined to impress a dragon when the next clutch of eggs hatches. But what transpires will surprise everyone—Keevan most of all. In “The Girl Who Heard Dragons,” a young girl’s rare ability to communicate with dragons puts her family in danger and will bring her face to face with her greatest fears—and with her most secret desire. The “Runner of Pern” is a girl named Tenna, who follows family tradition by delivering messages—and who will find her destiny on the mossy traces that runners have used for centuries under the dragon-filled sky. And finally, a very special gift: an exciting new Pern adventure, published here for the first time, fresh from the imagination of Anne McCaffrey.