The Last Dragon [Hardcover]

Jane Yolen (Author), Rebecca Guay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2011 | Series: The Last Dragon

Master storyteller Jane Yolen (Owl Moon, Sword of the Rightful King) and celebrated fantasy artist Rebecca Guay (Swamp Thing, Magic: The Gathering) weave a textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way.Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew — with only a healer’s daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its way.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (September 13, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595827986
• ISBN-13: 978-1595827982
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful artwork; great for all ages September 27, 2011

By Karissa Eckert TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I saw the beautiful artwork for this graphic novel at Book Expo of America at Dark Horse's booth there. Then it was available on netgalley(dot)com for review so I had to download it to read. The story has a very classic fairy tale feel to it; the artwork is beautiful and flowing.

When Tansy and her father are in the forest Tansy discovers Dragonsbane...which only exists where dragons are. But there aren't any Dragons left in the world anymore, are there? When livestock (and people) start disappearing Tansy begins to think otherwise. Now the town of Meddlesome will need a hero to fight a dragon. Except maybe a hero alone isn't enough...maybe the hero needs a smart girl like Tansy to help him out.

The artwork throughout is very flowing and beautiful; almost like impressionist painting at points. While I grew to enjoy the artwork and loved how Tansy, the dragon, and the surroundings were depicted I did have a couple problems with it. The first is that you can't really tell the facial expressions on any of the characters; the are all very stoic looking. The second is that the beauty of the artwork lends a very serious and solemn quality to a cute and fun story and, at points in the story, makes the story more serious than I think it is supposed to be. So, while the artwork is perfect and stunning at times....it is also a bit too serious and formal for the story at times.

The story is very classic fairy tale and I enjoyed it. The plot is predictable and the writing simple; but that is what this is...a simple folk story. Yolen does throw some tongue and cheek humor in at places and this adds a bit of fun to the story.

Overall a solid graphic novel. The artwork is beautiful but doesn't always follow the tone of the story. The story is a straight-forward fairy tale with a folk tale feel to it and a little humor laced throughout. Fans of fairy tales and dragons will probably enjoy this book. It is appropriate for all ages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lush, detailed illustrations, lyrical fairytale-style writing September 18, 2011

By Madigan McGillicuddy

Format:Hardcover

Lush, detailed illustrations and lyrical fairytale-style writing about a small village faced by an ancient enemy dragon make this a not-to-be-missed graphic novel. As a stand-alone this would be a perfect introduction for readers new to graphic novels. I had expected the story to lean on the standard trope of the world's last known dragon being a misunderstood, lonely creature, who depends on the hero to keep magic alive in the world but instead I was pleasantly surprised to find that in this world, dragons are nothing more than overgrown, dangerous fire-breathing lizards which the human community is more than happy to wipe out.

The village healer's daughter Tansy is a bit of an outsider in the community and even her sisters, practical Rosemary and flibbertigibbet Sage, fail to understand her. She alone is underwhelmed when a blowhard (but gorgeous) youthful hero, Lancot, sweeps into town, bragging of his battle prowess. After the town begins to suspect that their missing sheep (and missing children!) are due to a young hungry dragon, naturally they call on the tow-headed stranger to solve their problem. In a panic, he realizes that his plan of boasting and bluffing his way through this hick town have backfired on him, and his thought bubbles and facial expressions in the next several panels are humorous indeed. Tansy comes to the rescue with a clever plan to outwit the dragon, using Lancot's true skill: kitemaking. It's a bit of a stretch to believe that battling a blast of dragon fire would reduce Lancot's Fabio-like locks to a manly, yet still handsome crewcut, but I was willing to roll with it. This is a very approachable graphic novel sure to appeal to both boys and girls, with gorgeous sepia-toned full-color illustrations and rich language. I highly recommend it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Dragon Illustrated Edition August 10, 2012

By Bill Tillman

Format:Hardcover

The Last Dragon is a graphic novel from Dark Horse. It is a tale of an island village near to the birthplace hundreds and hundreds of years after a dragon has been seen. The village healer is an herbalist with three daughters. Rosemary, Sage and Tansy each has a different talent or asset, Tansy is a healer like her father and when she discovers'Dragons Bane' things begin to get interesting.

The Healer disappears, but we know that the dragon has used him for a snack. Not until a village fisherman dives to recover his snagged bait does anyone sight the monster. Then the village sends three young men, the Copper's son, the Black Smith's son and the Fisherman's son to find a Dragon slayer (who turns out to be Lancot, a brawny young man in his middle twenties. Time is running out for the village as the eating cycle of the dragon nears the next feeding time.

Returning from the search from a distant land Lancot and the three young men find that town Sexton has been killed by the dragon as the noise of the bell tower angered it. Tansy & Lancot come up with a strange plan to attack the dragon using a fake dragon kite to lure him close.The Last Dragon