Book Review: The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin
Excerpt:
The ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember.
Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It seemed that it had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in the frigid snow long after the other children had fled the cold. In her fourth year, she touched it, and in her fifth year, she rode upon its broad, chilled back for the first time. Then, in her seventh year, on a calm summer day, fiery dragons from the North swooped down upon the peaceful farm that was Adara’s home. And only a winter child — and the ice dragon who loved her — could save her world from utter destruction.
“The Ice Dragon” marks the highly anticipated children’s book debut of George R.R. Martin, the award-winning author of the “New York Times” best-selling series A Song of Ice and Fire and is set in the same world. Illustrated with lush, exquisitely detailed pencil drawings by acclaimed artist Yvonne Gilbert, “The Ice Dragon” is an unforgettable tale of courage, love, and sacrifice by one of the most honoured fantasists of all time.
My Review:
My first experience with G.R.R.M.’s novella, The Ice Dragon, was exceptional, written and illustrated exceptionally well. Adara is a young girl who befriends an ice dragon after the death of her mother and has been estranged from her father. As a story, it focuses on the misery of wars and is narrated by a small child who dreams of escaping these evil circumstances and finding a place that feels close to her imagination and far from the present reality.
This Ice Dragon is the only way Adara can experience the joy of childhood again, and be free and fearless of all worldly cruelties. In nature, the ice dragon is extremely fragile and peaceful, as opposed to the fire dragons in her village or city that are more violent and destructive. Although the writing of this story is more appropriate for young adults since the plot of the story is a little mature for a children’s book, it does an excellent job of capturing the characteristics of an Ice Dragon for the first time by an author in a fantasy book.
Final Verdict: I recommend this novella for all ages as it is well-written and beautifully illustrated for anyone who likes dragons and medieval history but wants it in a shorter, more friendly format
