The Last Dragonslayer: The Chronicles of Kazam, Book 1
By Michael Berry,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Talky but funny fantasy takes a while to get going.
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What's the Story?
Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam Mystical Arts Management, keeping track of a motley team of magicians who've been reduced to unblocking drains and rewiring homes due to a lack of magical energy to draw on. But Big Magic may be about to reappear in the world, and various psychics have begun to predict the death of the last dragon. No one know who the last dragonslayer is fated to be, but two nations are willing to go to war to claim the lands once inhabited by the magical lizard.
Is It Any Good?
The tone of this book will be familiar to anyone who's read Jasper Fforde's absurdist fantasies for adults, but it's not a tone that translates particularly well to the YA market. Digressive and discursive, The Last Dragonslayer seems to take forever to drop into gear. Once it does, there are some intriguing plot developments, but it may be too little too late for some readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the enduring appeal of dragons in literature, movies, and legends. Why do they remain popular and compelling, even to modern readers and moviegoers?
Do you think there's such a force as destiny? Are people "fated" for one particular outcome over another?
What it might be like to be an indentured servant until your 18th birthday?
Book Details
- Author: Jasper Fforde
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Publication date: October 2, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 296
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle, App
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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