George R.R. Martin’s The Ice Dragon

Before I got the lovely George R.R. Martin surprise, I’d actually begun preparing to read Game of Thrones by reading another work of his, the children’s novel, The Ice Dragon. Over the years, I’ve picked up the habit from a book club friend (hello, Marie!) — reading a shorter, lesser known work of an author before plunging into his/her definitive work. Sort of an appetizer to the main course, and I find it works for me; I get eased into the author’s writing style and tone, and it’s easier to adjust to a more complex work.

Another Flipper friend (thanks Iya!) found this book for me while she was coasting through bargain bins. She highly recommended it, and knowing I was going to read Game of Thrones sooner or later, I asked her to get the book for me.

The Ice Dragon is a medieval fantasy featuring Adara, a “winter child,” born during “the worst freeze anyone could remember.” Her mother died giving birth to her that winter, and Adara was said to have been marked by winter, emerging pale and icy to the touch.

Adara is a strange child, and she does not quite fit in with the rest of her warm family. She lived for the winter, the cold and the snow, and the coming of the Ice Dragon. The Ice Dragon was the sign of a long and frigid winter, and it was a bane for the townsfolk when it was seen across the land. An Ice Dragon was seen the winter Adara was born, and it had been coming back each year. People set fires in an attempt to ward it off, but it still came, and Adara knew the dragon came for her.

Adara makes friends with the Ice Dragon, first attempting to touch it, and eventually learning to ride it. When Adara turns seven, a troop of fiery dragons swoops upon her family’s farm, and it is up to Adara and the Ice Dragon to restore peace to their land.

I read this book long before I read Game of Thrones (which I finished an hour ago, if you must know), and I’d never read any of George R.R. Martin’s work before, so I was really looking forward to reading this. It did not disappoint.

It’s a story that can be read in one sitting, but it’s a story that will stay in your memory for a long time. This is my first taste (as I now know) of GRR Martin’s winters, and it was quite atmospheric (and that’s saying something, given that this is a tropical country), almost as if I could feel the chill around me.

Adara is not your too-cute-for-words protagonist. She’s a tough little kid, having grown up knowing she was different from the rest of her family. Then again, it’s not your typical children’s story either– the writing is spare and the tone is quiet, and it doesn’t quibble about  real-life emotions, such as rejection or sadness, or about sacrifice, war, pillaging, or death. Yvonne Gilbert’s pencil illustrations underscore the themes perfectly, the crosshatching adding a subtle, ominous note to the story.

It was interesting to discover this story was written all the way back in 1980, long before any of the books in the Song of Ice and Fire saga, but the style is strikingly similar, and it’s amazing to know how he’s polished this style through the years (like Valyrian steel! :D).

Meanwhile, I need more time to mull over Game of Thrones (I cried a lot — I’ll post a review, I promise!), and I’ve just started Clash of Kings (just the prologue, because I could not have stopped to blog if I read further on)... I can’t stop reading for very long, so don’t panic if you don’t see any new posts!

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The Ice Dragon, hardcover with dust jacket, first edition (thanks Iya!)

4/5 stars

Book #90 for 2011