Hunted (The Deadlands #1)
by Skye Melki-Wegner (Author)
Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park in this action-adventure middle grade debut series by Skye Melki-Wegner about five outcasts--and former enemies--who are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom.
Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea. When the Fallen Star struck, it brought death and despair, ash and toxic rain. But some dinosaurs survived . . . and were changed. Their minds grew alert. They learned to speak. To dream. To wage war. As the two remaining dinosaur kingdoms fight for territory, Eleri, the disgraced son of a prince, is exiled from his home for saving an enemy soldier.
Banished to the merciless Deadlands, a terrifying desert full of tar pits, poisonous gas, and ruthless carnivores, he must join forces with a group of questionable allies--including the enemy soldier he saved--to avoid becoming prey. When Eleri and his fellow exiles discover the horrific truth behind the war, the unlikely heroes must do all they can to save their kingdoms from a lurking predator. . . and a secret plot that might destroy them all.
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In a fast-paced trilogy opener, dinosaurs have been capable of "songs and thoughts and language," dreaming, and waging war ever since they were exposed to the star-mist created upon impact of a cataclysmic asteroid 50 years ago. The Mountain Kingdom and the Prairie Alliance--two warring, herbivorous factions--have been at odds for decades. So when, in a moment of compassion, Mountain Kingdom princeling and storyteller Eleri, an oryctodromeus, saves the lives of Prairie Alliance soldiers, he's exiled by his peers to the Deadlands, "an endless sea of charred bones and barren wastes" that is home to innumerable carnivores. There he encounters other young exiles: airborne anurognathid spy Zyre, grumpy triceratops and Prairie Alliance soldier Tortha, gregarious genius ankylosaur Sorielle, and oracular sauropod Lerithon. The quintet form a tentative herd and endeavor to end the war for good, but their quest instead uncovers an insidious carnivore scheme. Melki-Wegner (The Hush) centers intrepid apparent rivals learning to trust and rely on one another while facing natural hazards and threats at every turn. The narrative's emphasis on--and carefully researched depictions of--lesser-known dinosaurs will undoubtedly spark interest among Jurassic enthusiasts, and the engaging adventure will entice readers to subsequent volumes. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"This is my favorite middle grade book of the year . . . Full of heart, I would have inhaled a series like this as a kid—I did as an adult. It's the full package." —New York Times-bestselling author Amie Kaufman
"A claw-biting epic fantasy full of family drama, clever humor, nonstop action, weighty themes, and of course, the coolest band of misfit dinosaurs around." —John David Anderson, author of Ms. Bixby's Last Day and Posted
JUV002060 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
Adventure and adventurers
Action and adventure fiction
Carnivores
Novels
Herbivores
