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ihateprozac 's review for:
The Ice Dragon
by George R.R. Martin
I spotted this in a book store recently and being a mad Game of Thrones fan, I absolutely had to snatch it up. At first I was a bit miffed, wondering "Why the hell has GRRM released a new short story when he's already desperately behind on the next ASOIAF novel?!" But then I realised that this was a short story published in 1980 that had been re-released in 2014 with shiny new illustrations, and all was well in the world again!
~*SPOILERS*~
The Ice Dragon is set in a very similar universe to ASOIAF, so much so that you'd be forgiven for assuming this was a short story from the days of early Westeros. It tells the story of Adara, a young girl who's never fitted in with other children or her family. She's always been overly serious and it's said that she was born with Winter in her heart, like a little Elsa (except, y'know, this story was around loooooong before Frozen). The cold never bothered her anyway, and she's a kindred spirit with the little ice lizards and ice dragons that frequent the lands.
The people of her land are fighting a war against an unknown enemy, with soldiers flying on the back of dragons to lead the charge. As time goes on the situation gets more and more dire, until Adara decides to take things into her own hands. She summons the ice dragon and together they extinguish the enemy threat and restore peace to the land. Unfortunately the ice dragon perishes in the process, sacrificing itself for Adara and the greater good. Adara finds that she no longer has Winter in her heart, having expended all her ~*ice magic*~ in the battle.
~*END SPOILERS*~
Were this not a fantastic story, I would recommend purchasing it for the illustrations alone. Thankfully this is a double threat, in that it's beautifully illustrated and is a wonderful tale! It's a bit difficult to write an in-depth review on such a short story, but I'll share a few thoughts.
I'm biased in that I'm a huge ASOIAF fan, but I thought this was a truly beautiful tale about being an underdog and making sacrifices for the greater good. I really empathised with Adara in her isolation and feeling like she didn't belong amongst her family - I too was a shy, serious kid who was often frustrated that adults underestimated me. I always dreamed of having a special ability like Adara did, and taking off to a secret place where I could truly be myself.
I'm not ashamed to say that I teared up reading of the ice dragon's sacrifice, and am getting a little teary writing this review. I thought it was beautifully tragic how the ice dragon sacrificed itself under Adara's command; the newly formed lake being the only proof of its existence and the role it played in saving the land. But it's actually the one thing I take issue with in this book, though probably not for the reason you're thinking.
I love a tragic ending like that, but what I take issue with is the total non-response we get from Adara. If GRRM had shown Adara weeping by the lakeside for the late ice dragon, I would be satisfied. If the ice dragon had found a way to communicate with Adara from beyond the grave, assuring her that it was happy and at peace, I'd be satisfied. I'd be a sobbing ugly mess, but I'd be satisfied. Instead, Adara barely gives the dragon a second thought and skips off into the sunset, having expended all her ice magic and become a normal, happy girl.
Were this Harry Potter I'd start up a dragon rights campaign with badges and tea cosy hats in the dragon's memory, a la Hermoine's S.P.E.W. organisation. The ice dragon was depicted as a truly beautiful creature, and it bums me out that GRRM didn't do it justice in death.:(
~*SPOILERS*~
The Ice Dragon is set in a very similar universe to ASOIAF, so much so that you'd be forgiven for assuming this was a short story from the days of early Westeros. It tells the story of Adara, a young girl who's never fitted in with other children or her family. She's always been overly serious and it's said that she was born with Winter in her heart, like a little Elsa (except, y'know, this story was around loooooong before Frozen). The cold never bothered her anyway, and she's a kindred spirit with the little ice lizards and ice dragons that frequent the lands.
The people of her land are fighting a war against an unknown enemy, with soldiers flying on the back of dragons to lead the charge. As time goes on the situation gets more and more dire, until Adara decides to take things into her own hands. She summons the ice dragon and together they extinguish the enemy threat and restore peace to the land. Unfortunately the ice dragon perishes in the process, sacrificing itself for Adara and the greater good. Adara finds that she no longer has Winter in her heart, having expended all her ~*ice magic*~ in the battle.
~*END SPOILERS*~
Were this not a fantastic story, I would recommend purchasing it for the illustrations alone. Thankfully this is a double threat, in that it's beautifully illustrated and is a wonderful tale! It's a bit difficult to write an in-depth review on such a short story, but I'll share a few thoughts.
I'm biased in that I'm a huge ASOIAF fan, but I thought this was a truly beautiful tale about being an underdog and making sacrifices for the greater good. I really empathised with Adara in her isolation and feeling like she didn't belong amongst her family - I too was a shy, serious kid who was often frustrated that adults underestimated me. I always dreamed of having a special ability like Adara did, and taking off to a secret place where I could truly be myself.
I'm not ashamed to say that I teared up reading of the ice dragon's sacrifice, and am getting a little teary writing this review. I thought it was beautifully tragic how the ice dragon sacrificed itself under Adara's command; the newly formed lake being the only proof of its existence and the role it played in saving the land. But it's actually the one thing I take issue with in this book, though probably not for the reason you're thinking.
I love a tragic ending like that, but what I take issue with is the total non-response we get from Adara. If GRRM had shown Adara weeping by the lakeside for the late ice dragon, I would be satisfied. If the ice dragon had found a way to communicate with Adara from beyond the grave, assuring her that it was happy and at peace, I'd be satisfied. I'd be a sobbing ugly mess, but I'd be satisfied. Instead, Adara barely gives the dragon a second thought and skips off into the sunset, having expended all her ice magic and become a normal, happy girl.
Were this Harry Potter I'd start up a dragon rights campaign with badges and tea cosy hats in the dragon's memory, a la Hermoine's S.P.E.W. organisation. The ice dragon was depicted as a truly beautiful creature, and it bums me out that GRRM didn't do it justice in death.:(