Friday, September 8, 2017

Book Review: The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin

Title: The Ice Dragon
Author: George R.R. Martin
Illustrated by: Luis Royo
Publisher: Tor Forge
Publication Date: first published in 1980
Genre: Children's, Fantasy
Length: 121 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased


Synopsis:
Seven-year-old Adara was born during the coldest chill of the coldest year ever, a chill that killed her mother during the girl's birth. Ever since then, she has been a remote and chilly child, living for winter when the ice lizards come out and forming a bond with a mysterious ice dragon. When war comes and dragon-riding invaders threaten her home and family, the ice dragon helps her to thwart them, leading to it's own demise.
Filled with illustrations of swooping dragons and folks in medieval-type garb, this fantasy is a slim but rich introduction to the genre, one that should appeal to both boys and girls. 

My Thoughts:
This book is so gorgeous! The illustrations! Gah!
Ok, so the most disappointing thing about this book is that my Scratch & Dent copy from BookOutlet didn't come with a dust jacket. Supposedly the inside of the dust jacket was a bonus poster so somewhere out there a very lucky wall has a gorgeous Luis Royo artwork on it that I can't enjoy. To be fair, though, I didn't even know that this book was illustrated. It was just super cheap and I love dragons. The illustrations were a most wonderful surprise.

The story was a little bit odd to me. It's about a chil
d born in the winter who has an ice cold heart and cannot accept or return her family's love. She wants nothing more than for winter to arrive and the dreaded ice dragon with it. The ending was a little confusing but I can't really say why without spoiling some things. 

I honestly enjoyed the illustrations more than the story itself. It wasn't a very memorable story, perhaps because it is so short. I also wish I had waited and read it in the winter months. 

I'd still recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy, dragons, or Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire!

My Rating: 3.75 - 4 stars


2 comments:

  1. I was going to get this but then I looked at it in the bookstore and wasn't sure I really wanted to. I can see where the illustrations might be the best part? It is definitely an attractive looking book!

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    Replies
    1. The illustrations are fantastic but I'm glad I got this for just a dollar or two from BookOutlet, even if it was missing it's dust jacket. :)

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