Adam Wallace & Lisa Foley (text), and James Hart (illustrator), Dragonfire (18 000 holes in the universe #1), HarperCollins Publishers, July 2024, 192 pp., RRP $15.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781460764824
Not a fan of golf? Perhaps author Adam Wallace has found the perfect way to introduce the next generation to the unexpected excitement of this leisure activity. Prepare to dive into a world where golf is the answer to everything and hungry dragons roam and hunt unsuspecting visitors who are just trying to make par.
18,000 holes in the universe: Dragonfire is the first in this series, where we meet twins Jordie and Noah, and their friends Mags and Marco. The group stumble upon the mystery of Jordie and Noah’s missing Uncle GOLF after exploring his abandoned, dilapidated home due for demolition by his brother (and unpleasant uncle to the twins), Uncle GOOF. The gang are transported into a new world, with their resident bully, Felicity, in tow. Together they learn through following cryptic messages – written in golf-speak – and supporting each other in perilous circumstances, that there’s nothing like being thrown into a wild, multi-dimensional game of mini-golf, to strengthen friendships and create bonds with new friends.
The topic of friendship is established immediately, and the matter of a bully-turned-friend is resolved quite quickly – the messages clear and comprehensible to the age-appropriate readers. However, the gang of five kids seems a bit congested – with the promise of a grand universe-wide adventure it seems appropriate at first, but then each character struggles to get their time in the limelight. Thankfully the illustrations by James Hart (Fartboy, Sky Dragon) help make the connection with the characters, with whimsical caricatures and wonderfully motion-filled graphics.
It does take a few chapters to introduce the intrinsic mystery, leaving the adventure and mystery solving to be rushed through in the remaining chapters. The commitment to the story is only as deep as it might take to complete five shots in a par 5 mini-golf course. Again, with the title hinting of 18,000 holes throughout the universe, it gives the impression of an epic journey through the vastness of space, but is let down by only one hole being introduced and completed in a matter of swings. Even though it’s part of a proposed series, it already feels like a potential letdown, assuming only a handful of holes would eventually be visited once the series comes to completion.
Unsurprisingly, as the unsubtle title hints, golf terminology is rife, and (as one might expect from the author of other graphic novels with titles such as Fartboy and Fart Club) fart jokes are frequent and seemingly endless. Also, it’s worth keeping in mind that Adam Wallace is an avid golfer, and has tried to translate this interest into a wildly adventurous, kid-friendly book, but it could potentially alienate kids who aren’t interested in golf, despite all of the golf-speak being creatively interpreted for kids and a detailed guide to golf terms being added as a means for kids to connect a bit more with the text.
Aimed at kids 7+, kids will be keen to try this book with its promise of adventure and mystery. However, it’s whether the reader can get into the golfing-groove that will be the real test as to whether this series will take off.
Reviewed by Lauren Harcombe
