Burn - Paperback

by Patrick Ness (Author)

On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he'd hired to help on the farm...

Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.

The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can't help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn't have a soul but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.

Because the dragon knows something she doesn't. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit--and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.

• Cold War Fantasy: In an America gripped by the paranoia of spies and secrets, the arrival of a mysterious blue Russian dragon named Kazimir lights a fuse that could lead to war.
• A Deadly Prophecy: A trained assassin is on the move, and a shadowy cult believes Sarah is the key to an earth-shattering event. But they aren't the only ones watching her.
• Historical Fantasy: Grounded in the rural Pacific Northwest of 1957, this is a world of farm chores and school days turned upside down by the raw power of dragons and the looming threat of the FBI.
• Prejudice and Secrets: As a mixed-race girl in a small town, Sarah is already an outcast. Now, she's hiding a dangerous secret about the dragon sworn to protect her--and an even bigger one about herself.