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''Dragonkeeper'' is a children's fantasy novel by Australian author Carole Wilkinson. It is the first book of the Dragonkeeper trilogy. The second book is ''Garden of the Purple Dragon'', first published in 2005, and the third ''Dragon Moon'', first published in 2007. There is also a prequel to the original ''Dragonkeeper'' novel called Dragon Dawn.〔(Carole Wilkinson's Homepage Forthcoming Titles - )〕 ''Dragonkeeper'' won several Australian awards, including the 2003 Aurealis Award for best young-adult novel. The novel is set in ancient China, during the Han Dynasty. A slave girl saves the life of an aging dragon and escapes her brutal master. Pursued by a ruthless dragon hunter, the girl and the dragon make an epic journey across China carrying a mysterious stone that must be protected. This is a story of a young slave girl who believes she is not worthy of a name but finds within herself that the strength and courage to make this perilous journey, and do what must be done. == Plot introduction == In the far western mountains of the Han Empire in ancient China, an aging dragon, his wife (who soon dies), and a young slave girl are used, abused and neglected by the cruel Master Lan. Nameless and alone, the slave girl is without hope and her only friend is her pet rat, Hua. After one of the last remaining Imperial Dragons, the mate of the aging one, suddenly dies, the slave girl feels guilty and responsible. She finds herself coming to the last dragon, Danzi. The two escape, but when the emperor finds out that his other dragons are dead, Master Lan blames it on her and she finds herself chased by the imperial guards, who believe she is an evil sorceress. The dragon, Long Danzi (meaning courageous dragon), tells the slave girl her true name: Ping (meaning duckweed). Ping and the dragon must go on a dangerous journey across China to Ocean, an apparent magical healing place. She must protect a mysterious stone that is vital to the dragon's legacy. A necromancer and a dragon hunter named Diao, who are determined to kill the dragon and take the dragon's stone, are chasing her and the dragon. While traveling with Danzi, Ping learns many things that will, in time, help her with her struggles. Ping also learns the value of friendship and courage and discovers her destiny as a Dragon Keeper. After reaching the ocean, Danzi tells Ping he must go over Ocean to reach a river of life and will take Hua, who was hurt by Diao, with him, so that the river can heal them both. The stone (now found to be an egg) hatches into a purple baby dragon. Before Danzi leaves, he gives the baby a name: Long Kai Duan. Ping is now left alone with the baby dragon, the last and the first. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dragonkeeper」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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