The Ice Dragon

Enchanting Tale of courage and Sacrifice

As you might have guessed, this novel is appealing to a wider audience than the others books by MARTIN : no graphic blood bath, no erotic scene. This story can be read by very young readers who will be able  appreciate the writer personal and precise style. They will discover a mysterious and poetic universe, where the young heroine Adara befriends the ice dragon.

However, George R R MARTIN keeps true to his principles: even if the novel is destined to a young audience, there is nothing Disney like about it. The authors follows his mots essential particularity: to be has realistic as possible while writing about fantasy. Of course, the story seems to be all about a little girl’s friendship with the ice dragon. But in reality,  the author explores the relationship with the family, especially the estranged father/daughter ones. It is actually a very dark story, as it is usually the case with this writer, where nobody can escape death. In that aspect, the ice dragon reminds me of the Grimm ‘s tales. It is also what make it more interesting than most fantasy books for young readers.

As it is, it is not a story for the very young, but a book 8/10 years olds will appreciate.  But the ice dragon can appeal to more than young reader. Every game of thrones enthusiast will be happy to emerge themselves  in the world of Martin, while they wait for the next book in the franchise.

Be aware however that the ice dragon does not have any direct link (or I may have missed them) to Game of Thrones unlike other Martin’s novels (even when their plot is supposed to refer to decades before the beginning of the franchise). Do. It expect to find any clue about Game of Thrones in the ice dragon which was written years before. But more experimented readers will almost appreciate this novel, thanks George R. R. Martin style which let you enjoy a very fluid story: you will read it in on go and even  with it could be longer!

I recommend this novel if you like to share a reading experience with your children, if you wish to introduce them to a more challenging story or if you are yourself keen readers who would like to be transported into George R. R. MARTIN’s universe.

 A story about courage, love and sacrifice…

Using a classic fantasy format, George R. R. Martin somber tales talk about Adara’s coming of age. This 7 years old girl was born in winter and only feels truly alive when the cold weather set in, while the rest of the world sleeps under ice. Thanks to that, she can ride on the ice dragon, whose arrival normally signals bad omens. The war is imminent. Adara’s village is under threat from The fire dragons from the north. Only the little girl and her own dragon can save the world from destruction. But Adara has to renounce her idyllic childhood and her special ability…

George R R MARTIN

With Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin has became one of the more emblematic fantasy writers  since the tv adaptation. George Raymond Richard Martin (GRRM) was born on the 20th September 1948 in New Jersey. Growing up in a working class family, he soon became fan of superheroes and comics like the fantastic four.

As soon as 1970, he writes SF short stories but cannot find a publisher yet. He does not give up and he receives several awards for Lya (1975) and Sankings (1980). He briefly taught journalism before writing full time. He now lives in Santa Fe, in New Mexico.

Luis Royo

Luis Royo is a Spanish artist and cartoonist who works with numerous Spanish publications. He now dedicates his time to cover pictures and video game illustrations. His work has been exhibited in Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, New York, Seattle and Saint-Petersburg.enchanting tale of courage and sacrifice

Translated by: Pom de Pin