The Dragon Tree, legend of the Wye valley . by Ian Crawford

The Dragon Tree, legend of the Wye valley . by Ian Crawford

A thousand years ago, Azagard, the last dragon, fought a battle to the death with an evil sorcerer called Mortazar. Unfortunately after killing Mortazar, Azagard was cursed to live the rest of his life as a tree somewhere in a welsh valley, never to eat meat or fly again and only to drink rainwater from his roots.
In 2015 Cody and his best friend Shannon live in the mystical Wye Valley. It is their playground and they love exploring long forgotten footpaths, climbing trees and searching for hidden caves.
Cody's Grandfather tells Cody the legend of Azagard and Mortazar. Grandad also tells Cody the stories should be treated with respect because some are based on fact and he should be careful in the forest. Cody loves the tale but like most kids, thinks it's just a story.
Whilst exploring the valley they know so well the two friends see an otter going down a hole and stumble across a cave entrance uncovered by a recent rock fall. Curiosity gets the better of them so they enter the cave and unwittingly disturb something. The story continues at pace until almost by accident they set in motion a sequence of events that releases the dragon from its thousand year curse.
In so doing, Azagard is not the only creature reborn into the valley. Mortazar; the sorcerer who originally cursed the dragon is awoken. The children find themselves thrust into a desperate quest to get home, but Mortazar, his legion of grockles, and a soul collector from the Deephollows have other plans for them. To make matters worse, Mortazar has cast a powerful spell that has taken the entire valley back in time to when he ruled all who lived there. The children need to find a way home in a world they don't recognise. Friends they make along the way become very important, as does a certain dragon.

Ian Crawford is Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. His current research interests focus on lunar science, the search for life in the universe, and the future of space exploration. He has been at Birkbeck since 2003, where he was responsible for establishing the B.Sc. Degree in Planetary Science with Astronomy. Prior to his appointment at Birkbeck, Professor Crawford had a fifteen-year career as an observational astronomer at University College London, specialising is studies of the interstellar medium. He was President of the Society for Popular Astronomy for 2006-2008, and a Vice-President of the Royal Astronomical Society for 2017-2019.

Professor Crawford also has strong interests in the social and cultural implications of astrobiology and space exploration. In 2018, he was awarded a Visiting Fellowship at the Humanities Research Centre of the Australian National University to further explore these topics. This book is partly a result of that activity.

Professor Crawford was awarded the 2021 Service Award for Geophysics by the Royal Astronomical Society for his long-standing promotion of lunar science and human space exploration, his role as a mentor for young planetary scientists, and other contributions to the planetary science community over the last twenty years.