Dragon Seer
HarperCollins Canada
For five long years, fourteen-year-old Madoca has been enslaved to a minor Pictish chieftain’s family on the main island of Orkney in Scotland. The dragons who keep the knowledge of her people are about to choose a new dragon seer and Madoca hopes her harsh young owner will be chosen. On a moonlit night, inside an ancient stone circle, the dragons have other plans, and the next morning, Madoca begins a new life as the dragons’ companion with the status of the high king. But the dragons are dwindling as the Norse to the west hunt down and kill their kind and Vikings are coming for the fertile fields of Orkney.
Award Shortlisting
TD Children’s Literature Award
Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award
Canadian Library Association Book of the Year
Why I Wrote This Book
When the Romans arrived in Britain, the Picts were living in northern and eastern Scotland, but they vanished as a people around the 9th century. Today, we know very little about them. Accounts of their culture were written by outsiders, their language is lost, their religion survives only as mysterious symbols on stone carvings, and archeology is only now beginning to piece their society together. A culture that became extinct is intriguing, and this book and its sequel, Dragon Seer’s Gift, both explore different kinds of extinction, a concept that is more relevant to the world around us than we would like it to be.
The dragons were inspired by the “Pictish Beast,” a symbol found in the stone carvings of these people. In a pre-literate society, knowledge can only be preserved oral tradition and, in this book, the long-lived dragons serve as the keepers of knowledge for the people who honour them. The dragons are threatened with extinction long before the Picts realize they too might disappear as a people. Vikings actually did come to Orkney during the time Dragon Seer is set. I drew on the slender store of historical accounts and growing scientific knowledge to create this historical fantasy.
Reviews for Dragon Seer
“A beautifully written, magical fantasy that brings ancient history to life... With well-drawn characters, and page-turning plot, McNaughton delivers a gem rarer than a shining dragon’s egg.”
— TD Canadian Book Award Jury
“Much of the charm of Janet McNaughton’s new novel lies in its depiction of the dragons... small, and though feather-light and fleet of wing, they are comically ungainly on the ground... And even though the dragons are noble fonts of life-sustaining knowledge, they are also curmudgeonly, suspicious, matter-of-fact beings with no time for pleasantries.”
– Quill and Quire
“Dragon Seer is a lyrical and lovely tale that has a strong sense of place and a cast of highly memorable characters...not the least of whom are the dragons.”
– Canadian Children’s Book News