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Night's Edge #2.5
A Dragon for William
Set after the Aurora Award-winning novel, A Play of Shadow, this novella explores the story of a young boy whose fanciful tales of dragons and dangers may prove to be more than just fiction.
Werfol returns to Vorkoun with his family to find their fortunes changed for the worse. His father is in disgrace and banished from court. Meanwhile, Vorkoun has been ceded to Asnor by the prince's treaty and no one knows what that will mean.
And to complicate matters further, Werfol is now a truthseer, able to discern if another is lying. His training has barely begun, but his mother refuses to send him back to his uncle in Marrowdell. Werfol, bored and heartsick, retreats to his imagination, secretly writing a story about a brave boy who befriends a young dragon. In their adventures, “Prince William” is always the hero but, in real life, Werfol grows angrier and more afraid every day.
It doesn’t help that Werfol's brother Semyn, once his closest confidant, can’t remember Marrowdell’s magic. Then Semyn, worried about Werfol, finds his story and shows their parents. Their mother, plagued by dangerous dreams, fears her son may become a doorway to a threat far more dangerous than a treaty.
For Werfol wrote of a dragon the colour of a Sei, a being so potent its curiosity once tore apart worlds. Suddenly, no one, not even Werfol, can be sure where his imagination ends and the magical Verge begins.
Can a boy who sees the lies in others find the truth within himself?
Werfol returns to Vorkoun with his family to find their fortunes changed for the worse. His father is in disgrace and banished from court. Meanwhile, Vorkoun has been ceded to Asnor by the prince's treaty and no one knows what that will mean.
And to complicate matters further, Werfol is now a truthseer, able to discern if another is lying. His training has barely begun, but his mother refuses to send him back to his uncle in Marrowdell. Werfol, bored and heartsick, retreats to his imagination, secretly writing a story about a brave boy who befriends a young dragon. In their adventures, “Prince William” is always the hero but, in real life, Werfol grows angrier and more afraid every day.
It doesn’t help that Werfol's brother Semyn, once his closest confidant, can’t remember Marrowdell’s magic. Then Semyn, worried about Werfol, finds his story and shows their parents. Their mother, plagued by dangerous dreams, fears her son may become a doorway to a threat far more dangerous than a treaty.
For Werfol wrote of a dragon the colour of a Sei, a being so potent its curiosity once tore apart worlds. Suddenly, no one, not even Werfol, can be sure where his imagination ends and the magical Verge begins.
Can a boy who sees the lies in others find the truth within himself?
- GenresFantasy
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 3, 2019
11 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Julie E. Czerneda
104 books765 followersHaving written 25 novels (and counting) published by DAW Books, as well as numerous short stories, and editing several anthologies, in 2022, Julie E. Czerneda was inducted in the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Her science fiction and fantasy combines her training and love of biology with a boundless curiosity and optimism, winning multiple awards. Julie's recent releases include the standalone novel To Each This World, her first collection Imaginings, and A Shift of Time, part of her Night's Edge fantasy series. For more visit czerneda.com Julie is represented by Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency LLC.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 5, 2019
What an excellent coda to the Night's Edge series!
Young Werfol has returned to Vorkoun with his family. Unfortunately, he's had to give up truthseer training from his Uncle Bannan, the only other truthseer he knows. He also dreams "truedreams", another potent magic. His mother, from whom he inherited the truedream talent, knows how dangerous the 'dreams can be.
And his older brother Semyn, like most people, has forgotten what makes Marrowdell special (one aspect of Marrowdell's magic is that few people remember that the hamlet is remarkable in any way once past its borders).
Werfol has been given a blank notebook and a pencil. He turns to his vivid imagination to create a story that is definitely in the category of "be careful of what you wish for".
What a magnificent tale! (And yes, it is a novella. A "Story of Night's Edge".)
Highly recommended for all fantasy fans and especially all Night's Edge fans!
Young Werfol has returned to Vorkoun with his family. Unfortunately, he's had to give up truthseer training from his Uncle Bannan, the only other truthseer he knows. He also dreams "truedreams", another potent magic. His mother, from whom he inherited the truedream talent, knows how dangerous the 'dreams can be.
And his older brother Semyn, like most people, has forgotten what makes Marrowdell special (one aspect of Marrowdell's magic is that few people remember that the hamlet is remarkable in any way once past its borders).
Werfol has been given a blank notebook and a pencil. He turns to his vivid imagination to create a story that is definitely in the category of "be careful of what you wish for".
What a magnificent tale! (And yes, it is a novella. A "Story of Night's Edge".)
Highly recommended for all fantasy fans and especially all Night's Edge fans!
September 3, 2022
It may not be a full-length novel, and it may be a side-story that doesn’t feature Jenn or Wisp, and it may take place outside the boundaries of Marrowdell, but A Dragon for William is still a welcome return to the fantasy realm of Julie E. Czerneda – and one that also works as a entry point into Night’s Edge for new readers who still have A Turn of Light & A Play of Shadow to discover.
At first glance, since it does take place outside Marrowdell, this presents as rather ordinary, a high fantasy tale of politics and family, rather than one of wonder and magic. It opens with talk of treaties, trade disputes, and trains, and then proceeds to pick up the story of Werfol and his family’s return to their summer estate, their real home having been lost to the treaty that divided Vorkoun. It doesn’t take long, however, for the layers beneath the story to emerge, revealing the magic of truedreams, dragons, house toads, and more.
A Dragon for William makes interesting use of the story within a story device as Werfol attempts to capture his dreams as a story. How and why he does so, and to what end, is not for me to say – unravelling that is very much a part of unravelling the story as a whole. What I will say is that I loved the contrast between the story of Werfol and the story by Werfol, and I was captivated by how and why such darkness came to cast a shadow over both tales.
As was the case with the first two Night’s Edge novels, the narrative here is once again strong, different in tone and feeling than Czerneda’s science fiction, but with the same depth of character and emotion. She draws us into this family, invites us to appreciate their connections, and makes us care about their fate – which is not an easy thing to do when so much of the story is told from a child’s perspective.
A Dragon for William is a fantastic little fantasy all on its own, but it’s also a interesting addition to the Night’s Edge mythology, exploring more of the world outside Marrowdell. There is a surprising degree of dread to the tale, more tension than you might expect in something so short, but there are also moments of joy, as well as some pleasant surprises in the latter chapters to help provide balance. If you’re new to the world, you’ll want to keep exploring, and if you’re already a fan, this will remind you of just how much we’re longing for the next book.
P.S. Chancellor Rober Milne? Fantastic guy! Perhaps the best character in the entire saga . . . but I might be a tad biased. :)
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2019/...
At first glance, since it does take place outside Marrowdell, this presents as rather ordinary, a high fantasy tale of politics and family, rather than one of wonder and magic. It opens with talk of treaties, trade disputes, and trains, and then proceeds to pick up the story of Werfol and his family’s return to their summer estate, their real home having been lost to the treaty that divided Vorkoun. It doesn’t take long, however, for the layers beneath the story to emerge, revealing the magic of truedreams, dragons, house toads, and more.
A Dragon for William makes interesting use of the story within a story device as Werfol attempts to capture his dreams as a story. How and why he does so, and to what end, is not for me to say – unravelling that is very much a part of unravelling the story as a whole. What I will say is that I loved the contrast between the story of Werfol and the story by Werfol, and I was captivated by how and why such darkness came to cast a shadow over both tales.
As was the case with the first two Night’s Edge novels, the narrative here is once again strong, different in tone and feeling than Czerneda’s science fiction, but with the same depth of character and emotion. She draws us into this family, invites us to appreciate their connections, and makes us care about their fate – which is not an easy thing to do when so much of the story is told from a child’s perspective.
A Dragon for William is a fantastic little fantasy all on its own, but it’s also a interesting addition to the Night’s Edge mythology, exploring more of the world outside Marrowdell. There is a surprising degree of dread to the tale, more tension than you might expect in something so short, but there are also moments of joy, as well as some pleasant surprises in the latter chapters to help provide balance. If you’re new to the world, you’ll want to keep exploring, and if you’re already a fan, this will remind you of just how much we’re longing for the next book.
P.S. Chancellor Rober Milne? Fantastic guy! Perhaps the best character in the entire saga . . . but I might be a tad biased. :)
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2019/...
February 3, 2025
4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Worfel and Semyn, sent to Marrowdell to save them from serious threats, are heading home, but political complications mean that home isn't exactly what it used to be. And, away from Marrowdell's magic, only Worfel remembers its dragons.
Review
This is an immediate sequel to A Play of Shadow – though following supporting characters – and I recommend they be read one soon after the other. It also steps away – a little – from the happy, lovey-dovey tone of the main series.
Worfel and Semyn were central but supporting actors in Play of Shadow, coming to and eventually leaving Marrowdell. This story picks up immediately after they leave, and lets us know what happens to them. Perhaps because it’s not so focused on core characters Jenn and Bannan, it’s a little less sickly sweet than that relationship. Much as I like Jenn and the happy tone of her stories, it’s a welcome change, since she and Bannan get pretty sappy – on the verge of incredible. In any case, this story, though about children and childish concerns, also deals with weighty concerns and a little more darkness, to my mind.
Czerneda brings in another interesting species, and some of the old ones come up in interesting ways, which is fun. Emon and Lila, the boys’ parents, naturally play important roles, though as before Lilia is quite distant – and, I found, unlikable.
The plot sets off well, but at about the two third mark or a little after, it feels like Czerneda loses her grip on it. A key confrontation that has been set up suddenly, and for no real reason, fizzles out almost completely and then the story ends. Czerneda notes in the acknowledgements that the story was originally written as a gift, and maybe those roots are why she (and her editor) wasn’t so concerned with narrative structure. The result is a nice field trip into the Night’s Edge world that’s a little “This way to the Egress” – I expected more from it.
Summary
Worfel and Semyn, sent to Marrowdell to save them from serious threats, are heading home, but political complications mean that home isn't exactly what it used to be. And, away from Marrowdell's magic, only Worfel remembers its dragons.
Review
This is an immediate sequel to A Play of Shadow – though following supporting characters – and I recommend they be read one soon after the other. It also steps away – a little – from the happy, lovey-dovey tone of the main series.
Worfel and Semyn were central but supporting actors in Play of Shadow, coming to and eventually leaving Marrowdell. This story picks up immediately after they leave, and lets us know what happens to them. Perhaps because it’s not so focused on core characters Jenn and Bannan, it’s a little less sickly sweet than that relationship. Much as I like Jenn and the happy tone of her stories, it’s a welcome change, since she and Bannan get pretty sappy – on the verge of incredible. In any case, this story, though about children and childish concerns, also deals with weighty concerns and a little more darkness, to my mind.
Czerneda brings in another interesting species, and some of the old ones come up in interesting ways, which is fun. Emon and Lila, the boys’ parents, naturally play important roles, though as before Lilia is quite distant – and, I found, unlikable.
The plot sets off well, but at about the two third mark or a little after, it feels like Czerneda loses her grip on it. A key confrontation that has been set up suddenly, and for no real reason, fizzles out almost completely and then the story ends. Czerneda notes in the acknowledgements that the story was originally written as a gift, and maybe those roots are why she (and her editor) wasn’t so concerned with narrative structure. The result is a nice field trip into the Night’s Edge world that’s a little “This way to the Egress” – I expected more from it.
January 30, 2021
Worth the read
I love pretty much all of Julie Czerneda's writing. I was first introduced to it with A Turn of Light, quite possibly the most beautiful fantasy I've read. I had a much harder time with A Play of Shadow, the follow-up Marrowdell book - likely because of the politics. It still ended up being pretty magical, though in my mind it couldn't possibly hold up to its predecessor.
It's been years since I read either of these books, so when I started A Dragon for William, I got bogged down with the politics once more. I was drawn away by other reads, again and again, until I challenged myself to push through. And it was so worth it! The magic of the Turn, beginning with the relatively innocuous appearance of a house toad, made a slog into a joy. The lesson learned - trust the brilliance that is Julie Czerneda!
I love pretty much all of Julie Czerneda's writing. I was first introduced to it with A Turn of Light, quite possibly the most beautiful fantasy I've read. I had a much harder time with A Play of Shadow, the follow-up Marrowdell book - likely because of the politics. It still ended up being pretty magical, though in my mind it couldn't possibly hold up to its predecessor.
It's been years since I read either of these books, so when I started A Dragon for William, I got bogged down with the politics once more. I was drawn away by other reads, again and again, until I challenged myself to push through. And it was so worth it! The magic of the Turn, beginning with the relatively innocuous appearance of a house toad, made a slog into a joy. The lesson learned - trust the brilliance that is Julie Czerneda!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews