The Mark of the Dragonfly

The Mark of the Dragonfly (March 2014) is the debut novel of author Jaleigh Johnson. It is also the first title in the World of Solace trilogy and became a New York Times bestseller shortly after publication. Other titles in the World of Solace series include The Secrets of Solace (2016) and The Quest to the Uncharted Lands (2017). Johnson has also contributed several titles to the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms line of books.

The Mark of the Dragonfly is a middle-grade steampunk fantasy for readers aged nine and up. It is classified under the categories of Children’s Steampunk Books as well as Children’s Fantasy and Magic Adventures. This study guide and all its page citations are based on the book’s Kindle edition.

The story is set on a planet known as Solace, which is divided into two rival principalities: the Merrow Kingdom to the north and the Dragonfly territories to the south. The regions are connected by a train line that traverses the length of the continent. The level of technological advancement in the novel corresponds to late 19th-century American industrialism.

Events in the novel unfold during what appears to be the winter season, but this may be due to regional climate differences. As the characters travel farther south by train, the weather changes, making the season difficult to determine. Similarly, the timeframe is vague but may consist of only one to two weeks. The story is told using limited third-person narration from the perspective of the book’s protagonist, Piper. However, a few brief segments are told from the point of view of her friend, Gee.

As the story begins, a 13-year-old orphan named Piper Linny is struggling to earn a living as a scavenger and mechanic in a scrap town in a world called Solace. She has an uncanny knack for machinery and can fix virtually any mechanical device. While scavenging during a meteor storm, she saves an unconscious 11-year-old girl whose merchant caravan was struck by a large meteor. After getting the girl home, Piper finds a dragonfly tattoo on her arm, the mark of those who are under the special protection of King Aron of the Dragonfly territories to the south. When the girl, whose name is Anna, returns to consciousness, she can’t remember anything about her past, but she is being pursued by a wealthy man named Doloman, who may wish to harm her.

Piper concludes that she will receive a generous reward if she can take Anna to the Dragonfly territories and reunite her with her family. They climb aboard a train called the 401 bound for the capital city of Noveen. Once in transit, Piper and Anna encounter a crew of oddballs and outcasts. Throughout the story, the crew protects the girls from Doloman and eventually considers them as family. Anna is revealed to be part machine, which is why Doloman wants to possess her. Together with their allies, the girls vanquish Doloman and find a new home on the 401. In describing the girls’ trials and triumphs, the novel explores the themes of The Competition for Resources, Hybrid Identities, and Finding Home.

Plot Summary

Thirteen-year-old Piper Linny lives in Scrap Town Number Sixteen in the Merrow Kingdom. Since her father’s death, she has provided for herself by scavenging and repairing machines. A rift in the atmosphere allows for frequent meteor storms to deposit strange objects that have been carried from another world. Piper collects these objects and repairs them for sale. She already has a reputation as a healer of machines and can make virtually any malfunctioning mechanical device work.

During a severe atmospheric storm, Piper witnesses a merchant caravan being struck by a meteor. Inside one of the wagons is an unconscious 11-year-old girl named Anna, whom Piper rescues. Anna has no memory of her past, but another caravan survivor, a rich man named Doloman, comes looking for Anna and tries to abduct her.

Piper has already concluded that Anna is valuable to the king of the Dragonfly territories because of her tattoo. She takes Anna aboard a train called the 401 that is headed to the Dragonfly capital of Noveen. The girls are given a luxurious suite on the assumption that Anna is traveling on the king’s business. In reality, the girls are fleeing Doloman. During the train journey, the girls face multiple threats from slavers, Doloman’s henchmen, and bandits. At the same time, they form a close emotional bond with the train’s crew: a shape-shifting head of security, an engineer with a metal arm, and a fireman who controls fire. Piper soon learns that she also possesses a magical ability to destroy or repair machines. The greatest surprise is that Anna herself is part machine and was originally deposited on Solace because of a previous meteor storm. She only returned to consciousness because Piper restored her. By the end of the novel, the girls and their friends defeat Doloman and return to the 401, where Piper and Anna are hired as new members of the crew.