13. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen. Art by Rebecca Guay (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 144
Ages: 12+
Finished: Jan. 12, 2012
First Published: Sept. 13, 2011
Publisher: Dark Horse
Genre: YA, fantasy, graphic novel
Rating: 4/5


First sentence:

There is a spit of land near the farthest shores of the farthest islands known as Dragonfield.

Acquired: Received an egalley from Dark Horse via NetGalley.

Reason for Reading:  Jane Yolen is a favourite author.

Publisher's Summary: "A textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way.  Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew — with only a healer’s daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its way."


A beautiful fantasy and original fairy tale of a couple, the man is the local healer, and their three daughters.  The youngest daughter takes after the father and will one day follow in his footsteps to take over as village healer.  As they are out one day they discover some herbs, dragonsbane, never found in these parts before.  The father explains the legend that it means a dragon is near by but of course he dismisses it as old superstition.  When the father disappears shortly afterwards, then followed by horses, sheep, cattle and finally an unattended babe in arms, the discovery of a dragon is not surprising to the villagers.  Three boys are sent off to find a hero, a dragonslayer, to rid them of their nightmare but looks can be deceiving and wits are often much more effective.

A fantastic story that kept me spellbound throughout my one sitting read.  I couldn't put it down until I'd finished.  The story is somewhat predictable in that it follows expected plotlines with no unexpected twists, but it is also a lovely romance and just a perfect tale to make one's heart sigh.  A gorgeous specimen of masculinity, and a beautiful and intelligent woman fighting and risking their lives; one for her village, the other for his love.  The artwork is truly gorgeous.  My only complaint is that I was reading from an egalley and the art is just too large and overpowering to enjoy to its fullest in this format (and I was reading from my computer screen); one must surely have the actually pages in front of one to experience their pure glory.  A must read for fans of fairy tales.