Now, I have to confess something. When I first got a Dragon Orb book my heart quailed. Although I too am a fantasy writer (sort of), the whole ethereal otherwordly realm thing isn’t really my bag. I wanted to read it because I’d heard how great Mark’s writing is from fellow TBMers, but what if I really couldn’t get on with it? Anyone who’s read the Shapeshifter series will have picked up that I have a very low wifty-wafty threshold and cannot help taking the mickey out of anything that goes there in all seriousness. ie: Calista reached for the Sapphire Sphere of Destiny knowing in her heart that Lazaratitus would sense the flowing of her spirit across the five moons of Luporatus and the wood nymphs of the Jade Forest would divine the very depths of her most secret being and how, then, would she fight the Beast Of The Dark Horizon and save all elven-kind before daybreak?!

Yep. That’s what I’m not into. Unless it’s a spoof.

So knowing there were dragons and orbs involved made me a little nervous. The clue was in the title. Dragon Orb: Firestorm.

Finally, having put off reading books 3 & 4, which had found their way to me in the caves, I ordered book 1 via MonsterWeb and it arrived last week. Taking a deep breath and resolving to make myself love elves and nymphs and all that lark like a proper girl, I got started.

SUCH A RELIEF! Dragon Orb is NOT wifty wafty! Wohoo! Furthermore, it has some of the best flying sequences I’ve ever read. This is not surprising when you consider that its author is an RAF pilot, but Mark has resisted any instinct to go uber-technical on us and has relived the many physical, emotional and spiritual journeys he must have been on, substituting living breathing dragons for the assorted aircraft he has handled. It is heart-stoppingly effective.

What really surprised me, though, was the depth of his girl character, Nolita – one of two girls with two boys who must quest to find Dragon Orbs and so save the Oracle and the fate of man/dragonkind and yes I know that sounds a lot like the paragraph in italics further up but this time I believe it! You will too. Nolita has panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Mark has truly done his research. I am on more than passing acquaintance with panic attacks and his descriptions are spot on.

I was reading this book until 1.30am the other night, despite being really tired. And as soon as I’d finished it yesterday I was off to the book shop for the second one – Shadow – which I’ve just started. The end of the first chapter tells me it’s going to be every bit as gripping as Firestorm. In fact, as gripping as a dragon’s talons…

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