The Last Dragon  By Silvana de Mari Release Date: Buy it Today! Miramax Books     Ratings Action Romance Characters Overall Purchase on Amazon. Purchase at Powell’s. Find independent bookstores near you.

Have you ever wanted a dragon to explain the facts of life to an elf?

Unfortunately, the book doesn’t go very far into that scene, but there is a good deal of fun to be had.

Yorshkrunsquarkljolnerstrink is the last elf. No, no need to say “bless you”, that’s his name. If you need the short form, you may call him Yorshkrunsquarkljolnerstri.

Oh, all right, we’ll call him Yorsh.

Yorsh is the last elf. Running away from the now flooded elf camp, where he spent his first few years of life, he wanders, lost and hungry, until he meets humans Sonja and Monser. Despite prejudices, they take pity on the elf and protect him from those who wish to kill elves. In this post-apocalyptic world, people fear, like they often do, what they don’t understand, and magic is far outside understanding. When Sonja, Monser, and Yorsh are captured in the city of Daligar, they are sentenced to hang, but Yorsh’s magic allows them to escape. On their way out, he spots an old prophecy stating that when the last dragon and last elf meet, the rain that has been destroying the land will stop. Determined to take on this quest, Yorsh goes in search of the last dragon and begins a journey of learning and friendship, culminating in his founding a new society, free of oppression and built on strong ideals.

The Last Dragon is without a doubt a children’s book. It’s a cute read for an adult, but it will be most enjoyed by girls and boys between the ages of nine and twelve. The protagonist’s maturity level is around that age and the themes of the book are loneliness and finding a purpose. I think there is a far higher amount of rereadability for this with younger age group than there is for me.

The voice of the book is fun and interesting, sure to keep the reader active in the story. I do feel that the narrative is writing to the age level a little too much. The words and ideas in the book are rather simple, and written towards the intended reader. Unlike some children’s books, which might layer ideas for different ages, this ones tends to be optimized for one age group.

Ratings Reasons:

Action: 4 –The action of the book is well paced and frequent enough to the keep the reader interested in the progressing story. The beginning of the second book slows down a little too much though, but it picks back up again after a chapter.

Romance: 3 1/2 – There are two love stories in the book. First there is Sonja and Monser in the first part, and then twelve years pass. In the second half, it’s not very hard to figure out that Yorsh and their daughter will end up together, as elves apparently pick their mates in childhood. While both sets have their cute moments, the romance does not come off as all that believable because there is never much exploration or detail about the relationships. Yorsh’s relationship especially feels a little too forced and predictable. I did have some “Awww” moments though, which at least kept me entertained.

Characters: 3 1/2 – Most of the characters were somewhat stereotypical. On the other hand, the author did a very good job of putting us into Yorsh’s mindset and creating the elves and the dragons as very independent species, not just “human’s that love trees” or “humans in a dragon form.” Too often writers will skimp on those little details that make it clear to the reader that these are actually different societies.

Overall: 3 1/2 – A lot of this rating comes down to the fact that I doubt I will reread this book. I think the intended audience will love it, but that there is not much interest for older readers. A book like Artemis Fowl or Harry Potter is written for different levels of readers, with ideas and jokes that will entertain all ages. The Last Dragon doesn’t feel like it has the same charm to me.

Extras:

This website features a collection of tales about “the little people,” encompassing the stories of elves, dwarves, fairies, brownies, and more.

Other books that readers might enjoy are Artemis Fowl (previous review) and The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, starting with the book Dealing with Dragons. Both series have a similar feel to The Last Dragon, and the Enchanted Forest books feature a great dragon character, something that I also appreciated in The Last Dragon. It’s nice to see dragons as real characters, instead of antagonists or in a near pet status.There are certainly some strong religious themes in this book, mostly parallel to the story of Moses. Unlike some books, this was not a distracting element, and while the parallels were there, it was not rubbed in the reader’s face.

Another religion-centric fantasy book series is the Chronicles of Narnia, and I think there should be some cross-over readers.

Parents:

Ages 10+, though there are really no ideas or themes that a younger reader would find challenging. Overall, I found this to be a relatively wholesome book and you can feel fine giving it to your younger readers.

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