Beyond This Point There be Dragons
Julie Burgess-Wells
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams
The fantasy novel skirts reality in Julie Burgess-Wells' Beyond
This Point There Be Dragons.
A constant theme throughout the novel is the ability of any species to
recklessly destroy the very environment that sustains life, humanity in
the forefront.
In the Yellow Realm of the rainbow the people of Elver are
celebrating the betrothal of Lord Loriscus to Silbeamia, daughter of
Lord Manuit. As the festivities are under way, an invisible "Watcher"
takes advantage of a remote gateway created by jealousy and uses the
guilty Elveriness to catapult Silbeamia into the clutches of Lord
Gordagn, ruler of Zorgia, realm of darkness (the Indigo Realm).
Distraught at the loss of Silbeamia, Loriscus launches on a quest to
Zorgia to retreive his betrothed and bring her to safety. An elder
warns Loriscus that he should seek the advice of the deity the Amorga
before he causes more harm than good to Silbeamia through his rescue
mission. A remorseful Joalla, the jealous Elveriness inadvertently
responsible for the fiasco, joins Loriscus' party to make amends for
her weakness. The Elverines begin their search for the Amorga and the
challenges she will present to them.
Early in the adventure the group lands in the Green Realm, on
planet Earth. It is here they are joined by knowledge seekers Douglas
and Deanna, orphaned twins adjusting to a new home with their
grandmother. The group is appalled at the way humans have carelessly
polluted the environment with little regard for other species, while
becoming increasingly detached from one another, but this is just the
first example they will encounter of the internal havoc a species can
wreak upon itself.
The story progresses much like a video game, with each
accomplishment creating another challenge for the group to overcome.
Once each task in one realm is complete, they teleport to the next
realm with the aid of their unicorn companions for a new set of
challenges. Each realm contains its own host of characters and
creatures to meet and learn from, some friendlier than others.
Fortunately, the key players in Beyond This Point There Be Dragons
contain much more depth
than those in a video game. Each character brings their own strengths
and weaknesses to the quest and each will learn and grow from their
shared experience in a unique way.
The plot is narrated by an outside observer whose identity and
interest in the story will not be revealed until the end. As far as
reading level, the minimum age would probably be in the nine to twelve
category, but the appeal goes far beyond that. A little reminiscent of
J.R.R. Tolkien, slightly similar to Mary Pope Osborne for more advanced
readers, Julie Burgess-Wells has managed to create literature of a new
breed, appealing to a variety of audiences.