This was the short story I was hoping for when I read the Game of Thrones story in the Rogues anthology edited by George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois. That story was so entirely disappointing that I gave it only 1 star, but The Ice Dragon is its polar opposite. This met my expectations and then some.
The story reminded me of Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Well, the stories are nothing alike really, and there isn’t nearly the same depth to The Ice Dragon which is to be expected as it is far shorter. It was also intended to be a children’s book if Goodreads is to be believed, but apart from having illustrations I don’t see it. For me it was simply a fantasy short story.
The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous by the way. Luis Royo did an amazing job! I loved the style, and even that they were done all in blue. It really added to the wintry, ice dragon theme. Well, the inside cover illustrations aren’t blue, but, yeah.
I digress. Back to the story itself.. I’d go into the plot, but honestly this story wasn’t so much about the plot, or a concept, or even the dragons. It was about the way it made me feel. Which is why I draw comparisons to The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It is a story of childhood innocence, and both had a kind of beautiful sadness about them.
In conclusion I will simply say that I greatly enjoyed this story. I will certainly be rereading it. For now I intend to go back and reread The Ocean at the End of the Lane before reading anything else.
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆
My Tsundoku 
It was a good story and it wasn’t what I expected either since Goodreads says it’s a children’s book. I really liked the illustrations too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I don’t get the children’s book classification. There were parts which, while not necessarily adult, were pretty mature and self-reflecting for a children’s book. Maybe it’s my little girl being only 3, or just that I’ve been a grown up for too long now.
LikeLike
LikeLiked by 1 person