Dragon Moon Rising, Review
by Wendy Bandurski-Miller
(SEMPRONIUS NEW YORK)
Dragon Moon Rising (“Derkesthai”) I read Daniel O’Connor’s `Dragon Moon Rising’ with some interest as it is about Dragons… of which I am fully conversant with being admittedly already a dragon fan. The story takes the readers interest immediately with the mystery of why Lessiam …. ….wakes up old and stiff…so I became highly engaged from the very first page….wanting to know more about who Lessiam was and why he was feeling so `..weak and old, as if near death…’ I was hooked. As the tale unfolds I became even deeper engaged when it was revealed in the first chapter that the tale was being told from the perspective of dragon kind! This really sets the scene for a whole new Dragon mythology with immense appeal… As an elementary teacher I know the significance of discovering a story that can create in the imagination a world to escape to, a True flight of Fancy…….that enables a reader to develop a love of books, a love of writing and most importantly a love of reading for PLEASURE.. That is exactly what Dragon’s Moon Rising does. The illustrations by Linda Nelson compliment the tale in a most significant way……. The images add to the ` other-world-ness’ of a true fantasy novel and gives the imagination of the reader room to move……. yet without filling in every last detail……perfect. Cameos of additional meaning. It was simply a delightful reading experience Daniel O’Connor’s wordsmithing is evidenced by a certain contemporariness. …… I personally could not put it down and read it from cover to cover…… a tale destined to become a young reader favorite… with just the right amount of darkness and unknown enemies…….with layers of other mysteries, histories and dramas hinted at……. I can’t wait for the second book…… to discover what happens next!
Wendy Bandurski Miller Sempronius New York
Reader, Karen Rhoads, Writes:
“I was hooked within moments… the natural, and very human interchange between Lessiam and Jos was appealing. The sense of mystery, danger and impending threat drew me even further in. Daniel O’Connor’s easy style of writing and vivid descriptions enable the reader to get lost within the fantasy of another world and time, while staying anchored within the very real emotions & challenges we face in our daily lives…whether a child or adult! Linda Carol Nelson’s ability to capture the nuances of the story in her ethereal drawings, adds to the sense of otherworldliness, while enhancing the pictures already drawn within our minds. What a delight! I look forward to many more adventures with these marvelous characters…”
Review by BT, October 11, 2010:
This is a work that is easy to get caught up in. The good versus evil action is almost too close to our times, but the handling of evil is very encouraging! I’m looking forward happily to the second and third books in this trilogy.
News
KANSAS CITY STAR
July 18th, 2007
GRAND HALLOWS BALL: Five-hour lead-in event to release of final Harry Potter novel with avid Harry readers; local author Daniel O’Connor discusses his book, Dragon Moon Rising. 7 p.m. July 20. Borders, 9108 Metcalf, Overland Park.
June 27, 2008
Hello all, See the new video I’ve just placed on Youtube. It is of the fun and happy signing and skit Sam Arjes, Linda Nelson and I put on at Borders Books. We outsold 27 of the 28 authors to appear in that store in that 6 month period! Filmed and edited into a montage by T. Massingale (hats off to her!)
Please make this your profile video and pass on to your friends, post all over the net, etc., etc. Let’s get the word out on this fun and adventurous book!
THANK YOU!!!! Dan O’Connor
JoCoTeenScene
Teen services provided by the Johnson County Library, Kansas.
Big Read Writing Contest Winners
By Kate
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More than ninety teens around Kansas City participated in the Big Read Teen Writing Contest this April. Writers were given the challenge to write a short story in the style of their favorite author and the Johnson County Library had twenty fantastic submissions.
Two stories were chosen from each age category (12-14 and 15-18) to move on to the metro-wide competition These stories were judged by Matt Bolch and Shawn Schmelzle, from the Greater Kansas City Writing Project, Elizabeth Bunce, author of A Curse As Dark As Gold, and Daniel O’Connor, author of Dragon Moon Rising. There were three winners from each age category, who received gift cards from Barnes and Noble.
Both Johnson County Library entries placed in the top three for their age categories. Nathan Goldman won third place for his story “Myths My Parents Told Me” which was inspired by J.D. Salinger’s writing style. Anna Kucera won first place for her story “She is Sinking!!” inspired by Felix Sutton Anna’s story will be appearing in the Kansas City Star along with “Growing Up French” by Stephanie Griffith from the Mid-Continent Public Library.
Congratulations to all of the winners and contestants!
2011 © Johnson County Library, Kan.
The author, Dan O’Connor, would be happy to hear from you. dan@derkesthai.com
The illustrator, Linda Carol Nelson, would also be happy to hear from you. linda@derkesthai.com