Draconis Chronicon

Fantasy

Five children on a journey. A legendary dragon.The Goonies meets Ladyhawke in an epic adventure.

Salerno, 1066. A preacher wanders the streets announcing the end of the world: “The Beast is stirring again! Fear the dragon, because the day of the eclipse is near!” The young Barliario doesn’t pay attention to those words of doom, but that same evening his father, Rainardo, an alchemist, is surprised by a fire in his laboratory. When they bring him out, he is still alive but disfigured by the fire. And while Barliario watches over his bedside, a mysterious and hooded figure, Ahriman, appears and reveals to him: “As it is written in the Draconis Chronicon, bring me the fire of the dragon and Rainardo will be saved.” Barliario doesn’t need to think twice: he has to go. He is accompanied by his friend Shabbatai, who dreams of becoming a warrior, Trotula, a young medical student with a disarming intelligence, Mercuriade, with mysterious powers, and the very young Ligea, who can talk to the dead. Among brigands, werewolves and witches capable of unleashing storms, an epic adventure in which science and magic mix: in search of the dragon’s fire and self-discovery.

  • An accurate historical portrait of an early (southern) Middle Ages, which has been little exploited as a fantasy scenario, but is incredibly fascinating.
  • Trotula (De Ruggiero) and (Pietro) Barliario are characters who really existed, and the former is considered one of the most influential female figures of the Middle Ages. According to the most reliable sources, she was the first female doctor in history.
Publisher: Mondadori
Target: 10+
Year: 2022
Author
Manlio Castagna

A screenwriter, director, writer and film critic, Manlio Castagna has also been involved in the artistic direction of the Giffoni Film Festival for more than 20 years. He made his debut in children’s fiction in 2018 with the bestselling Petrademone trilogy (Mondadori), which has been translated into several languages. Since then, he has explored many different genres: from historical fantasy with La notte delle malombre (The Night of the Malombre) and Draconis Chronicon, to horror with Goodwill and Le Belve (The Beasts), passing through the “story” of cinema with the manual 116 film da vedere prima dei 16 anni (116 Films To See Before You’re 16) and the novel Dedalo & Dharma, up to social noir with Barriera (all for the Mondadori group). La reincarnazione delle sorelle Klun (The Reincarnation of the Klun Sisters) and Prova a non dormire (Try Not to Sleep) are his adult fiction books. In 2022, he made his film debut as a director and screenwriter with “Il viaggio degli eroi”, produced by Rai Cinema and rewarded with record audience numbers on Rai1.

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