“We don’t let any of them die, in Wales – Merlin and Arthur and Owain – we keep them close by and asleep in the hills, to be wakened if ever we need them.”
Susanna Kearsley is a bestselling Canadian novelist who has been consistently publishing since the early 1990s. I believe she writes mostly in a blend of mystery, thriller, paranormal, and romance genres, but I’d never read her before now. My mother picked up Named of the Dragon (Sourcebooks 2015; originally published by Victor Gollancz 1998) because she said “it looked like me.” She wasn’t wrong; she seldom is. It’s been on my TBR for years at this point, and I finally cracked it open. Man, am I glad I did.
Named of the Dragon is an intoxicating read. Set in Wales and steeped in Arthurian legend and prophecies, the novel follows Lyn, a book agent, on Christmas holiday with one of her authors, a wild and beguiling children’s book author, Bridget, in Angle, Wales. They’ve been invited by Bridget’s boyfriend, renowned author James Swift, to his family house in Pembrokeshire. It’s an old property, full of history and ruin. Lyn wants to sign James and see the ruins, so she goes. Also at the home is James’ brother, Christopher. In the adjoining home is Elen and her infant son, Stevie. Elen is thought to be quite mad, but those in Angle have rallied around her following the death of her beloved husband. The true feather that would be in Lyn’s chapeau if she can get him, is grumpy playwright Gareth Gwyn Morgan, who is also in Angle and friends with the Swifts and Elen.
It’s been almost five years since Lyn gave birth to Justin, the baby who didn’t make it. When she delivered, she heard him crying but the nurses told her it was not her baby. Her dreams are haunted by his cries, and she is uncomfortable around prams and babies. She did not know about Elen and Stevie when she agreed to come on holiday. Once she arrives, she dreams of a woman in blue with a curly haired child that she must save. Elen is dreaming of the same woman, and Elen believes that Lyn is Stevie’s protector. Elen believes that a dragon in the tower wants to take her son. Lyn realizes that her dreams and Elen’s fears are not only linked but are mirroring Arthurian legends and prophecies.
So, who is the dragon and why do they want Stevie? Can Lyn really save him, and will she find and soothe the crying baby in her dreams? And what of Gareth? Can she sign him or are they destined to not get along just by virtue of their names? Or will Tennyson prevail and have Lynette with Gareth in the end? It’s a very atmospheric and intoxicating read, likely best read when the air bites and the carolers sing.
Read this book.
A Girl Named Tommi 