On a beach being swept by salty winds, in the solitude of the Scottish coast, a young boy, through his imagination, recreates reality and accidentally opens doors to an evil incident. The Sand Dragon by Chris M. Hill is a supremely appealing dark fantasy novel for young readers. It offers a blend of folklore and suspense, providing a vivid emotional experience in a supernatural story that begins when Calum’s imagination brings something horrifying to life.
The Sand Dragon creation is the most crucial scene in this supernatural children’s adventure story. Packed with its richly drawn setting, gently alluding to Scottish myth, Hill subtly adds suspense by creating a seemingly harmless activity, a boy carving out a dragon in sand, his feelings reflected in every curve and claw of his art.
A Journey From Innocence To Invocation: The Wish Of Calum!
Calum, the sensitive and artistic middle son of the Shield family, escapes to his art making on a holiday at a remote croft in Assynt. The teasing of his family and constant neglect burst into a silent storm of anger and madness. As Calum sits alone on the beach, he carves a dragon out of the sand. Not a random miniature, but a great, magnificent being, a true reflection of his imagination.
Now, Hill can interpret the theme that is evident in other books where imagination awakens power. However, unlike many stories about children exploring friendly beasts, The Sand Dragon showcases the darker side of wishful thinking. When Calum carves the dragon, he puts an ammonite fossil, a strange black fossil, which he found upon the shore, as the dragon’s eye. At this point, imagination transforms into something ancient and alive.
The Power Of The Ammonite Fossil.
The ammonite is not a common fossil. Starting to turn bright red in a passage hauntingly written by Hill, it starts to ooze with heat and presence, which seems unnatural. In a moment of emotional outburst, Calum whispers a wish, which he doesn’t truly intent: he hopes that the dragon would eat his brothers, and would make his parents disappear. That turns out to be a moment of release, and also a supernatural awakening.
The ammonite fossil power serves as a channel between Calum’s mind and some antique energy that was buried beneath the water long ago. This voice he starts to hear is soft and convincing in its command, urging him to set her free. Later in the story, we find that it turns out to be the creature of power, hunger, and malevolence, Effym, a dark devil. Not a gentle spell, this is a dark fantasy storyline at its best.