The Last Dragon

I tracked down and bought this book after a ten year old girl insisted that I needed to read it. It took me a while to find a copy, and it was even longer before I finally got around to reading it. That ten year old is now sixteen. Over the years that we used to talk, she recommended quite a few books that have become some of my favorites.

So, it was no surprise that The Last Dragon is one of the best middle-grade Fantasy books I’ve ever read. My criteria for a middle-grade book, or any book for that matter, to be placed on my “Best Reads” list is fairly short: 1) make me cry, 2) make me laugh, 3) make me think. If a book can make me do all three of those things in the space of one or two pages, it gets bonus points. This book hit show more all three of those more than once.

The Last Dragon was also the perfect story for me right now. It was comforting, and it made a connection with a place in my heart that very few books reach. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of those few books, and while The Last Dragon doesn’t top my all-time favorite book, it might be a close second. If you need a comfort read and you enjoy middle-grade Fantasy, or if you’re looking for a special book for a kid, I couldn’t recommend a better book that doesn’t have at least one hobbit in it. show less

I love a good YA book; this one is a translation from the Italian, and frankly one of the better treatments of classic character-types that I have read. Humans, elves, and dragons all interact in this book, but far from the "oo-woo-oo" awe and respect that tall, thin, gorgeous elves command in many other fantasy texts, the elf here is significantly more old school -- he's tiny, he dresses funny, and he doesn't really understand human beings at all. The communication conundrums are laugh-out-loud funny, but there are also tender moments here. The dragons, too, are more "realistic" in a certain sense than some of the more romanticized depictions in other novels -- sheep get eaten, people get bruised, and the reality of living with a show more fire-breathing carnivore is front-and-center at several points -- and the people are, well, people, which I appreciate. Add these treatments together and, despite the familiar elements of prophecy and quest, you have a fantasy novel that actually feels pretty original (a rarity). There is some violence and a bittersweet conclusion, so this won't suit little kids, but I think older kids all the way up to adults, especially those with some experience of fantasy tropes, will really appreciate the fresh treatment. Honestly, one of the best I've read in quite a while. show less

"Era lui l'ultimo elfo. [...] Il più grande, il più potente e l'ultimo, quello dopo cui non ci sarà nessun altro."

Ci sono storie per bambini, ragazzi, adulti. E poi ci sono quelle storie senza età, da leggere e rileggere anno dopo anno scoprendo ogni volta qualcosa di nuovo, ma emozionandosi come la prima. Ecco che tipo di libro è L'ultimo elfo.

Ho percorso insieme a Yorsh il suo cammino, che lo ha portato dall'essere un piccolo elfo quasi completamente ignorante del mondo umano, ma con una grande innocenza e un grande amore verso il creato, ad un elfo adulto costretto a fare i conti con la sofferenza più tremenda: la perdita di persone care. Ho riso insieme a lui quando ancora faticava a capire questi uomini "un po' scemi" e show more correggeva gli errori di grammatica anche nei momenti più impensati, ho provato i suoi stessi sensi di colpa e la sua paura, sofferto insieme a lui dinanzi alla morte di chi l'aveva protetto e amato nonostante fosse un elfo. Ho avuto l'onore di conoscere Erbrow il Vecchio e Erbrow il Giovane, toccare quasi con mano la triste infanzia di Robi, testimoniare la stupidità del Giudice amministratore.
Le risa si sono accompagnate alle lacrime di commozione per questi personaggi così reali, così umani, che nonostante i normali e comprensibili difetti sono anche ricchi di coraggio e solidarietà.

"Per qualche motivo, tutto sommato, lo avrebbe di nuovo voluto neonato. Squittente e catastrofico, e che lo guardasse con occhi adoranti.
Adesso non squittiva e non bruciava, ma come adorazione era senz'altro sullo scarso."

Tutto questo viene espresso così sapientemente tramite l'uso dell'ironia, intrecciato con un pizzico di elementi presi dal mondo reale ma camuffati all'interno di uno splendido mondo inventato. L'insieme viene poi completato da alcuni sprazzi di atmosfera intrisa di azione e tragedia, che nonostante tutto è sempre rischiarata da una scintilla di speranza che non si spegne mai. Ecco perché insisto sul fatto che non è semplicemente un racconto per bambini, ma racchiude in sé tanti concetti importanti che spesso gli adulti dimenticano.

"Pensò che l'importante non sono le cose, ma il senso che noi diamo alle cose. Prima o poi la morte attende tutti. Più importante che rimandare la morte è darle un senso."

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A story of a quest in a dark, miserable world where it always seems to be raining. People in this world despise and fear elves, and all the elves have been forced into camps or slain. One young elf escapes when his camp is flooded, is helped by a man and woman who pity him- in spite of their many misunderstandings due to language differences and the little elf's naievety. The elf realizes he is the last of his kind and is in despair until he reads a prophecy written on the wall- foretelling that the last elf and the last dragon together can bring about a great change. Determined to fulfill the prophecy, he starts searching for a dragon, but what he finds isn't at all what he expected.

A lot of things in this book turn out not to be what show more others expected, and that's part of the fun of it. It's got one of the most original concepts of dragons that I've ever read. When the elf first meets the dragon I was dismayed at what an inane, whiny cowering beast it was, but turns out there's a good reason for that and soon you find in the story that dragons can be insufferably proud, sarcastic and full of wisdom as well. So- I don't want to tell too much about the story but it has a lot going on, much of it subtle. There are adventures and narrow escapes. A little bit of a love story. An isolated library stuffed with all the knowledge of the world, that might just get burnt up by an infant dragon that can't control its fire. There's a cruel ruler who enforces lots of suffering, children who rise up against their oppressors, people who don't realize their strengths until the need arises in front of them. Lots of prejudice and misconceptions on all sides- it's refreshing to see the various perspectives as parts of the story are told from different characters' viewpoints. I liked how all the little threads connected at the end, characters that didn't realize why they crossed paths but it turns out all to a purpose. It kept me intent because quite a few things happened that I didn't see coming at all. And it made me laugh any number of times.

It's translated from the Italian. The original title was The Last Elf.

from the Dogear Diary show less

LIBRO MERAVIGLIOSO E DOLCISSIMO!!! ero un po titubante all'inizio essendo un libro per bambini e invece si e' rivelato essere una perla preziosa adatta a tutti....
una fiaba fantasy ma che fa parte di una saga con altri 3 capitoli.....scrittura che rapisce ma nello stesso tempo semplice e fresca....
il nostro piccolo Yorsch vivrà un'avventura sorprendente... e noi piangeremo, rideremo, avremo ansia leggendo delle sue sorti....
assolutamente lo consiglio a tutti, soprattutto a chi, pur adulto, si affaccia come prima volta ai fantasy...

When the last elf and the last dragon meet... the world will change.

Poor Yorsh. As one born lately, the little elf doesn't know much about the world. A few things he's clear on - humans are confusing, if not to say completely foolish, and they don't like elves - unless it's to eat them, with rosemary. Unfortunately, as the last elf, and a starving, freezing last elf at that, he's going to have to make allowances. Can one small, naive, pacifist, vegetarian elf and a baby not-so-vegetarian dragon manage to carry out the prophecy and save the world? It's going to be one heck of a ride.

Definitely NOT what I was expecting when I started reading. Yorsh is long-suffering and his encounters with the "real world" are a riot. This could very show more easily have been a longer story, and I wouldn't have minded a bit. show less

un libro entusiasmante, pieno di emozioni che parte in modo molto semplice diventando però sempre più sorprendente, con una cura maggiore dei personaggi.
Questo libro è una fiaba, un fantasy che tocca anche temi come intolleranza, libertà e altruismo.
Una lettura imperdibile.