西姆斯·科文顿在查尔斯·达尔文的船上找到了一份终身的工作, 他很是兴奋。然而，当他在加拉帕戈斯岛遭遇海难后，西姆斯有了一个可能震惊世界的新发现，并由此变得极为富有。他是否应该分享他的发现？还是说公开这个发现会导致一个传奇物种的灭绝?
在这本在中学科学老师林赛·加尔文的处女作中，你会发现《鲁滨逊漂流记》和《如何训练你的龙》的影子，外加许多附加的科学知识——。
故事基于一个真实故事和达尔文的真实笔记
“(加拉帕戈斯群岛)本身就是一个小小的世界……在相当大的程度上，不同的岛屿不断延伸组成了群落，上面居住着各种各样的生物。”
——查尔斯·达尔文，《小猎犬号的航行》
故事梗概：
On September 15th 1935 the infamous voyage of The Beagle reached the Galapagos Islands. 22-year-old Charles Darwin was aboard as ship’s naturalist charged with collecting, preserving and cataloging the unusual animals and plants they would find, which would later be used as proof in his legendary book; On the Origin of Species. Darwin worked alongside his recently promoted servant, former cabin boy and ships fiddler, Syms Covington.
Combining captivating historical fact with thrilling science fiction, Darwin’s Dragons follows Syms Covington as he is stranded on the volcanic Galapagos island of Narborough…in the company of dragons.
The young Darwin and 13-year-old Syms are on expedition, measuring giant tortoise shells on Isabella Island after a hard day collecting specimens. A sudden storm forces a swift return to their rowboat, and they head for The Beagle, but the seasick Darwin is swept overboard. During a brave attempt to rescue his master, Syms is lost at sea.
Washing up on the hostile volcanic rocks of small volcanic Narborough island would be bad enough, but to his terror and astonishment Syms is repeatedly swept from the shoreline and dropped back into the sea by a huge monster of a winged creature, like no bird he’s ever seen. Half drowned, but astonished the beast allowed him to survive at all; Syms struggles ashore, with only one boot and his violin for company.
During his first night on the desolate island, an intelligent and curious cat-sized green lizard saves Syms from the effects of a poisonous centipede bite. When the lizard leads Syms to food, the two gradually begin to trust each other and he names the lizard Farthing due to her copper coloured eyes.
It’s not long before Syms’ flying adversary attacks again, this time the gargantuan golden reptile is breathing an inferno of fire. A dragon. Aided by Farthing, Syms takes shelter in the lava tube tunnels that run beneath the volcanic rock. The earth trembles with the awakening volcano as Syms discovers the remains of a long dead buccaneer and his boat; which seems to be seaworthy. He stumbles into a murderous fight between bull sea lions and Farthing tends to his injuries with the mud of the marshes.
In the rowboat Syms has means to leave the island as the volcano is now continuously rumbling, but Farthing appears, visibly distressed and burned, and leads him through the tunnels inland. Syms discovers a vast cavern, littered with bones, and a nest of large golden eggs. The dragon arrives and the volcano erupts. With lava pouring into the cavern and the dragon frantically trying to save her eggs, Syms rescues them himself and runs through the tunnels persused by lava, losing Farthing on the way. He makes it to the row bow, stowing the golden eggs in the buccaneer’s chest. But the enraged mother dragon follows and burns his boat. Syms is adrift with only the chest full of eggs, and no land in sight.
As Syms despairs, Farthing appears, nudging him in the direction of The Beagle where he is picked up, burned and delirious. Of course no one believes he encountered a dragon, but grateful for his bravery, Darwin nurses him back to health and allows him to keep Farthing on board, and the eggs in their cabin.
Back in England the nine eggs hatch, one by one over the course of a month and it is clear they are exactly like Farthing, just a little smaller. Linking this to the broken egg fragments he found, he realizes Farthing is their sibling, an infant dragon. Syms figures the dragon has a unique life cycle where their wings develop and their colour changes over time.
The lizards are lodged in the Reptile House at the London Zoological Society next to the Komodo Dragons, and become known as Darwin’s Dragons; renowned for their intelligence and sociable nature plus their shining scales that have a hint of gold. The dragons catch the attention of newly crowned eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria who takes them under her special protection. When the newly hatched animals begin to sicken the queen has them transferred to caves in outer London, hoping this will be closer to their natural habitat.
But in the damp caves, the dragons become gravely ill, and the queen refuses to release them. Syms tricks the guard and in a daring escapade into the flooded Thames, Farthing leads her siblings to freedom. Darwin secretly helps his servant to board a boat for Australia.
A year later Syms meets Darwin off an ocean liner at Sydney Australia. Darwin explains that Farthing reappeared in London, back at the caves, alone. Darwin surmises that the other dragons might have made it back to the Galapagos as they were spotted en route, but Farthing left them to search for Syms.
Syms presumes Farthing is in London, but when the cargo of the ship is unloaded, he and Farthing are reunited. She is bigger and golder, and beneath the scales on her back are slight new prominences beginning to grow. Dragon wings.