Last Dragonslayer

reviews.metaphorosis.com

4 stars

Jennifer Strange is busy. Just shy of 16, she's running Kazam Mystical Arts management while the Great Zambini is indisposed. The heyday of magic is over, and her temperamental charges are reduced to using magic for electrical and delivery services. Then pre-cogs begin to predict the death of the last living dragon, and Jennifer finds herself at the center of attention.


If there was a need to show that Jasper Fforde's still got it (and there was), The Last Dragonslayer does the job admirably. It's a fresh, fun, easy-going book full of good-natured humor that's more often understated than broad.

The story is slightly more mainstream than Fforde's other work, and humorous young adult fantasy is becoming a crowded field. But Fforde does well with it, and if the plot is of only average originality, it's also well executed. The writing is smooth, the characters likeable, the humor funny. Fforde rushes the ending a bit, but not so much that it seriously weakens the story.

Strongly recommended for anyone who enjoys a quick, funny fantasy read. I'll definitely be going on to the rest of the series.