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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jordan crafts another winner, December 6, 2002
This review is from: The Hunting of the Last Dragon (Hardcover)
As the story opens, our heroes, Jude and Lizzie (aka Jing-wei) are nerving themselves to take on a fire-breathing monster. How they got into (and out of) this predicament makes for an engaging adventure tale. The conceit that the illiterate peasant lad Jude is relating his story to a kindly monk for posterity ratchets the suspense down a notch (we know he will survive the story's hair-raising episodes), but Jordan keeps the page turning as we wonder how he will manage this, as well as creating a mysterious and sympathetic character in Jude's companion, Jing-wei, who he rescues from a horrid life as a freak exhibit in a traveling fair. The gentle teasing by which Jude ends each chapter on a cliff-hanger ("I don't want to make you late for prayers, brother!") is amusing and serves to draw the reader into the surprisingly authentic medieval world. Although I enjoyed the well-realized setting, fast moving plot and touches of humour, I found that the tender relationship between the two friends gave the book its heart. Once again, Jordan has crafted a winner.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sherryl Jordan writes another spell-binding winner, July 25, 2004
"The dragon came nearer, its head moving low along the ground, side to side, sniffing. Every time it breathed, it scorched a trail of fire across the earth. Its neck was long, graceful, and glittering like gold. Its wings were folded close against its brilliant body, the wing sections shiny and ribbed like fish fins, the fine bones ending in sharp hooks. The long barbed tail was bent, the bones set crookedly, yet it coiled and uncoiled as slowly and smoothly as a snake. All the dragon's movements were smooth, fluid and fascinating, almost spellbinding in their beauty and their deadliness."
Everyone thinks dragons are extinct--until a fierce flying beast swoops upon the village of Doran, leaving it in flames. Young Jude survives only because, on the fatal day, he went to Rokeby to buy himself a new bow and arrows. Homeless, desperate, and wracked with grief and guilt, Jude joins a travelling fair, where he meets a young Chinese girl, caged and displayed as a freak. Jing-wei, in spite of her humiliating plight, is strong-willed, brave and cunning. She has her own plan for hunting the last dragon. But will it work? What if the dragon lands up merely wounded? Can she help Jude conquer his fear in time to save their world from destruction?
It is Jude himself who tells the story, set in 1356. And this is where problems arise. Jude is an ordinary villager (or peasant) and therefore cannot read or write. Sherryl Jordan's solution is to have Jude relate the story to a monk, who writes at his dictation. Unfortunately, this poses another problem. All Jude's greetings and asides to Brother Benedict are included, which tended to jerk me out of the story because, although they do add background flavour and an extra dimension to the story, their presence felt most unnatural in that Benedict simply wouldn't have been able to write fast enough to get everything down, especially since he would be continually having to refill his quill. But in the face of such powerful story-telling, not to mention the sheer beauty of Sherryl Jordan's prose, to complain about this seems like nit-picking.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Watch out, the dragons' coming!, November 2, 2003
By A Customer
A Review by Tanner The two main characters are Jude and Lizzie. Jude is an average boy and Lizzie is a freak from the circus. Jude and Lizzie go on a quest to kill the last dragon. They go because the dragon has burnt down a bunch of towns, including the town of Doran, where Jude used to live. On their way they encounter weird people like an old lady that is crazy, the dragon and other exciting things. Also, Jude and Lizzie need to find stuff to eat, drink and a place to sleep every night of their thrilling journey to kill the last dragon. The thing I liked most about the book is the ending and how the author makes the whole story lead up to the ending. The author's choice of words are really good, like this sentence in the book, "I froze like a hare when it first hears the hunter." The coolest part is when the author described the dragon, it made you feel like you were in the story. Another thing I liked was the detail and how the author didn't leave anything out. The way the chapters end make the book really interesting. At the end of every chapter it would be almost impossible to stop reading because the author made you sit at the edge of your seat guessing what would happen next. There wasn't one part in this book that I didn't like. I would recommend this book to people who like adventure, excitement and a bunch of action. There isn't anybody that wouldn't like this book. I sure hope the author makes a sequel to this amazing story. Everybody should give "The Hunting of the Last Dragon" a try.
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