EXCERPT (1) from "Mara's Flame".
Mara's Flame, by Hamish Clark (Equal 1st) Judges' report
"Mara's Flame" is a very engaging fantasy for younger readers. The writing style is accessible, without making too many concessions, and the humour is the kind that appeals to children and adults. There is also an unexpected and welcome streak of poetry in the descriptions, and some equally welcome pathos.
The work reads aloud well, and the characters, from thoughtful, Mara to her irascible father to the salty but pragmatic bird are well drawn. The three short excerpts below showcase these strengths.
Judges' comments included: 'Lovely
opener.' 'An obvious choice for me. I found it quirky,
humorous, easy to read (it flowed along) and I wanted to read the rest of it
right now!'
'Engaging style.' 'Good writing.'
EXCERPT (1) from "Mara's Flame".
You can call a dragon anything you like, but it will still be a dragon. They are big, they breathe fire and they can eat an awful lot. They are also extremely lazy and get very annoyed if they have to go out for a meal. Fortunately, being crafty as well as lazy, dragons long ago worked out an ingenious way of getting free home delivery. They simply advertise the fact their caves are stuffed with treasure, and when humans come to steal it… they eat them.
EXCERPT (2) from "Mara's Flame".
The sound of her mother
muttering about humans, and friends, and what will young dragons think of next,
echoed along the tunnel until it widened again and opened to the outside world.
The entrance was high up on a cliff face and Mara could see for miles. There was
jumbled forest spread out across hills and valleys, there were crystal lakes
that glinted like blue eyes hidden behind a young girl’s unruly hair, and
above it all there were the afternoon clouds glowing pink as they cushioned the
setting sun. An eagle drifted up on a warm current of air, turned its sharp head
and cried out:
“Some dragon I turned out to
be”, Mara murmured.
EXCERPT (3) from "Mara's Flame".
“Just great” said a ragged voice.
She looked around in alarm. Who
was that?
“Here I am thinking things couldn’t get no
worse…” A stream of choking coughs interrupted the voice before it went on:
“And hey, a dragon!”
A bedraggled bird lay half submerged
in a puddle by the entrance to the tunnel. It was on its side with one wing bent
up unnaturally past its head. A beady eye glared up at the young dragon angrily.
“Well don’t just stand there ya oversized bat. Come on! Get it over and done
with! Put me outa my misery… I’m a done for anyway”.
Then the bird coughed so hard that she thought he was
probably right. She did not really know what to say. Mara had never spoken to a
bird before, and ‘nice to meet you’ did not seem appropriate. She certainly
was not going to eat the bony little thing; all those feathers would get stuck
in her throat. The bird shivered and closed his eyes. Every breath he took ended
in a rattling gasp. “Done for,” he whispered.
*
As a winner, Hamish wins the prize package offered at PRIZE for 1st place.
