I love Jasper Fforde.
A few years ago I saw a review of The
Eyre Affair on Cannonball Read, the plot intrigued me so I picked it up and
have been a little obsessed with his books ever since. He has a way of weaving crazy ideas, British
idiosyncrasies, and literary humor in a way that reminds me a lot of Douglas
Adams. So, already finished with his
other books, I patiently awaited the US release of The last Dragonslayer, Fforde’s first attempt at young adult
fiction. And I waited. And waited.
It got to the point where I couldn’t wait anymore. The sequel was already out in England and we
didn’t even have the first one here! So
I gave up and ordered it elsewhere, even though I hadn’t read it yet. I don’t do this often anymore because I’m
trying really hard not to hoard books, but I don’t regret this purchase at
all. The
Last Dragonslayer may not be as dear to me as the Thursday Next series but
I really enjoyed it and anxiously await the next entries.
Jennifer Strange is almost 16, a foundling, and the acting
manager of Kazam’s since the disappearance of her boss. It’s a lot of responsibility to put on a
young person’s shoulders but she is much more mature than most, especially the
sorcerers that she has to deal with.
Early on she receives another foundling to help her at Kazam’s, a
long-held tradition. These kids come to
assist the sorcerers with anything they need, working as indentured servants
for nine years. This used to be a more
prestigious job before magic started to wane.
In magic’s heyday, sorcerers were well respected and able to move
buildings at a whim. It now takes
several magicians to finish a plumbing job.
Sorcerers had been under suspicion for years, resulting in
high regulations for any amount of magic used, and lots of paper work. These regulations coupled with waning magic
made the magical arts a quickly fading idea and relegated sorcerers to
household repair jobs and car towing to make ends meet. One day a strong prophecy comes that says the
last dragon will die. More people start
to feel magic, not surprising considering the supposed link between magic and
dragons. Jennifer is prophesized as this
final dragonslayer and though she has no interest in killing a dragon, she gets
more and more pressure from fate, royalty, and marketing opportunities to
fulfill the prophecy.
As I said, I enjoyed this book a lot; it was definitely
geared towards a younger audience than his other books, making it easier to
follow and a lot easier to explain to others.
It is an interesting story that I feel only someone like Fforde could
come up with; he’s just that weird. I
highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in fantasy and a sense of
humor.
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