Customer Reviews

The Last Dragon

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yorsh is a young elf on his own in the world. The elf village that he lived in was destroyed in a flood caused by the continual rain, and now Yorsh, who is a very young child, has no one to help him. Elves are hated and feared by humans, but when Yorsh meets a human woman who is in equally desperate circumstances, she takes pity on him and helps him out. Later, they meet a human hunter who also joins the group. Hilarious misunderstandings ensue, as elves and humans think very differently. In one such episode, Yorsh, who is horrified at the thought of eating anything that thinks, brings the hunter's meal, a rabbit, back to life, much to the hunter's regret. As time goes on, Yorsh and the humans grow to understand and care for each other. When Yorsh discovers a prophecy involving the last elf and the last dragon, he begins to realize that his future may have some surprises in store.

This book caught me quite by surprise. When I read the description, I thought, "Elves..dragons..prophecy..yeah, yeah, seen it before." But really, The Last Dragon turned out to be quite different than what I expected. It's playful and funny, yet touching and poignant. de Mari is obviously smart, witty, and creative, and it shows in every word of this book. The initial misunderstanding between the elf and the humans is funny, but it could have easily turned into a one trick pony that would have eventually become tiresome. But de Mari is smart enough to not try to sustain it for the entire book. Instead, like a composer writing a symphony, she has created variations on the themes of perception and point of view throughout the book. As Yorsh grows, so does his understanding of the world and the other species around him. Yet even as an adult, he retails a certain quality of childlike innocence that is very appealing. I also like the way de Mari makes clever use of repetition of certain seemingly unimportant elements to create connections between the different parts of the story. Sensitive kids should be forewarned that there are a couple of sad parts in the book, but it's not overly scary.

THE LAST DRAGON by Silvana De Mari is the story of a young elf named Yorshkrunsquarkljolnerstir, or Yorsh for short, who finds himself suddenly orphaned and alone after his village is destroyed by torrential waters. He is the earth's last elf.
But he also finds he's part of a prophecy.

He sets out to find the last dragon, who is also part of a prophecy. He must be able to decipher the prophecy in order to save the world from the Dark Age that has begun.

Wait, I can hear it now. Prophecy? Last dragon? Last elf? Puhlease...

That's what I thought too until I started reading. I found myself wanting to know more about Yorsh and his journey. This book is very well written. I especially loved how the author continues Yorsh's quest to understand his part in the prophecy while he's stuck in a tower with a temperamental dragon, who demands to be read stories about princesses, among other things.

This book is sure to gain fans of other dragon related books. I'm going to lend my copy to my nine-year-old neighbor Adela, who loves dragon tales.

This book was so wonderful! Last night as I devoured the last chapters, I was alternately laughing, gasping in fear, weeping tears of sadness, and finaly, weeping tears of joy. I can't remember the last time I read a book that moved me so deeply (and I read a LOT in my profession). This is the kind of book that you want to share with everyone you know. Magical, funny, touching, exciting, sad, and hopeful. I would recommend this book to any fan of fantasy, grades 5-8.

Yorshkrunsquarkljolnerstri, "Yorsh" for short, is the last elf. He lost his mother at a young age, and his grandmother sent him away while she remained in their house and drowned. Though he is one born lately, as he so often reminds his companions, he has already experienced much misery. As Yorsh and the two humans he meets travel through the city of Daligar, he reads a prophecy concerning the last dragon and the last elf breaking the circle. He immediately recognizes himself as the last elf, and knows he must find the last dragon. Armed with his father's traveling map and the support of two humans shunned for helping him, Yorsh sets out to find this last dragon and break the circle.

This book strikes a delicate balance between pathos and humor. Yorsh's disdain for what he perceives as human lack of intelligence is juxtaposed with his own naivete, leading to misunderstandings that while intended to be funny, could become grating if the book relied on them exclusively for its humor. Fortunately, this sort of comedy is just embellishment on a book that is of great substance. As Yorsh grows, he learns about the world around him, and his eyes are opened.

At the heart of the book is the idea that you cannot trust your own preconceived notions about people you've never met. Yorsh's ideas about humans, humans' ideas about elves, and everyone's ideas about dragons turn out to be extremely off-base. Around this theme, Silvana de Mari builds a world populated with characters both endearing and terrifying. This is a dystopian society, but its children live lives filled with hope, despite their desperate conditions. Yorsh, the last dragon, and these children unite to change their world for the better.

While The Last Dragon gets off to a slow start, its characters are so touching that it's worth it to read all the way to the end. Yorsh and his companions are darlings, and you want to see how they fare in their quest to improve their world. I would recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, as well as readers who may need some hope in a dark time of life.

"The Last Dragon" Silvana De Mari

The Last Dragon is truly an amazing book. This book takes place in a semi-medieval time. There is an elf named Yorsh. His real name is really long and hard to pronounce. Yorsh is just really little when this book starts out. His village drowned in a flood and he is the last elf. Humans hate elves, they are scared of them. A lone elf in a world full of humans, is not the greatest scenario ever. Things are not looking up for Yorsh. In his adventures he meets up with a woman named Sarja and a hunter, together they escape being hung and other things. Eventually they meet up with the last dragon. Yorsh promises to take care of the last dragon, who happened to forget his name. This book will capture your attention. I didn't want to pot it down once I started reading it. The events that happen after Yorsh meets the last dragon are really exciting. I can't tell you what they are, otherwise that would spoil the story.
This is one of my all time favorite books. If you are into fantasy I would recommend reading this book. Even if you are not an avid fantasy lover, I think you would enjoy this book. I know I did. There is a prophecy in the book that will leave you pondering upon it's meaning. Yorsh certainly ponders on it a lot. The prophecy mentions the last dragon, the last elf, and other things. It also mentions something about who he is "destined" to marry. Yorsh is quite confused about it's meaning. For most of his life he had thought that he was "destined" to be alone forever. Or however long it is that elves live.

Fenna Marsh

This book caught me by surprise, I thought it was something my son would love, but this is a wonderful adventure full of bittersweet insight and tender romance.

Have you ever wanted a dragon to explain the facts of life to an elf?

Unfortunately, the book doesn't go very far into that scene, but there is a good deal of fun to be had.

Yorshkrunsquarkljolnerstrink is the last elf. No, no need to say "bless you", that's his name. If you need the short form, you may call him Yorshkrunsquarkljolnerstri.

Oh, all right, we'll call him Yorsh.

Yorsh is the last elf. Running away from the now flooded elf camp, where he spent his first few years of life, he wanders, lost and hungry, until he meets humans Sonja and Monser. Despite prejudices, they take pity on the elf and protect him from those who wish to kill elves. In this post-apocalyptic world, people fear, like they often do, what they don't understand, and magic is far outside understanding. When Sonja, Monser, and Yorsh are captured in the city of Daligar, they are sentenced to hang, but Yorsh's magic allows them to escape. On their way out, he spots an old prophecy stating that when the last dragon and last elf meet, the rain that has been destroying the land will stop. Determined to take on this quest, Yorsh goes in search of the last dragon and begins a journey of learning and friendship, culminating in his founding a new society, free of oppression and built on strong ideals.

The Last Dragon is without a doubt a children's book. It's a cute read for an adult, but it will be most enjoyed by girls and boys between the ages of nine and twelve. The protagonist's maturity level is around that age and the themes of the book are loneliness and finding a purpose. I think there is a far higher amount of rereadability for this with younger age group than there is for me.

The voice of the book is fun and interesting, sure to keep the reader active in the story. I do feel that the narrative is writing to the age level a little too much. The words and ideas in the book are rather simple, and written towards the intended reader. Unlike some children's books, which might layer ideas for different ages, this ones tends to be optimized for one age group.

This is a rather curious tale. It presents itself as children's literature, and it can be read on that level, particularly since it descends now and then into rather broad pre-adolescent humor. But it also takes a sometimes obscure path through traditional motifs of old Germanic, Celtic and Slavic folklore, and it sometimes soars into deeply emotional episodes on a fairly mature level. It also contains a very adult subtext which could not be fully understood by a reader not acquainted with recent European history. Parts of it could be read as a political screed in the manner of Ayn Rand. On the whole I think it meanders a bit too much and too slowly to rate a full five stars, and it is not always internally consistent--but a good read nevertheless.

This book is great for young and old alike. I'm a grandmother and thoroughly enjoyed the book and so did my grand-daughter. Great humor and sensitivity and wonderfully written.

This is an incredible story of the sacrifices we make for those we love. While I originally purchased this for my dragon-crazy son, I enjoyed it far more than he did. The story line deals with keeping promises, enduring hardships, and sacrificial love, all woven together in the lives of a girl, an elf and a dragon. A beautiful story!