This book is a link between Thomas Hardy and fantasy. You may read it like a folk tale with a twist, or like fantasy with firm roots in history. Most of it is the story of Gideon, a boy dreaming of a legend that is bound to remain a legend. When his father tells him about his forefather Gideon, the one who befriended a dragon, the seed of legend sends a shoot through the soil and up in the air. But it may still remain a fantasy. Part of the decision belongs to the reader, and I do love when a story makes room for those who read it.