Reading Level -- 4th grade -- ages 9 - 12
Length --548 pages
Chapter Book -- no pictures
Warnings : black magic, violence, death, aliens, religious questioning, pregnancy out of wedlock
Rating:2 stars
OK, I have to admit, this book lost me. The first two I enjoyed - even if I wasn't keen on the second one for a six year old -- this one I feel exemplified the "jumped the shark" concept.
Basic Plotline: David and Zanna have set off on their Arctic adventure, leaving Lucy and Liz at home with the dragons. On the adventure, a combination of Gwilanna and David's writing bring about actions no one at home could have expected. The story jumps around a great deal, introducing alien being that posess people and animals, ancient mystic creatures and beings, in depth discussions of the role of the stars in the creation of mankind, etc. The long and the short of it is that David eventually figures out what is going on and chases the Alien ( the Fain) to the Arctic, where he faces off with the creature and is "killed" by several ice spears to his chest. His sacrifice, however, ends the Fain, and David dies in Zanna's arms. In the Epilogue, Zanna tells Liz (who has been reaquainted with her long lost love, Arthur) that she (Zanna) is expecting David's baby, so a part of him will always be with them.
Comments: To me, this novel felt rushed -- almost as if a publisher said "The first two were a hit, hurry up and throw together another one so we can get people to buy it before they lose interest." Things seem forced in places and don't fit in others (Gwilanna's "defeat" in literally one paragraph? Lucy sleeping with the bear for 3 months? Why not just set the story 3 months later and not have the long wait? Arthur suddenly appearing out of nowhere, and then trying to make it look like HE is the one who has been writing the writing of the book? Contrived.) And as far as issues go, Man...this one touches on ALL the hot button topics. If you've read the Golden Compass, this appears to be headed along those lines. Like GC, There is this underlying question in the book about whether or not God exists, but unlike GC, D'Lacey never comes right out and answers the question. A lot of talking in circles creates the possibility of Alien beings creating Earth, or possibly a creature called "Godith," and Gaia (somewhat akin to Mother Earth) plays a role as well. There is a fair amount of Physics/laws of space time that come into play, as well. Most disturbing, however, for a small child, is the violence and death that plays such a pivotal part in this story. Lucy is kidnapped, and held hostage in a cave in the Arctic, Zanna is kidnapped by the bears, and seems to be dead for part of the story, Gwilanna is frozen in ice, and then at the end, the Fain (alien) goes on a rampage and leaves multiple people dead or near dead. And, of course, in the final act of sacrifice, the reader is led to believe that David has also died. That's a lot of death for a children's book! Admittedly, if you're familiar with the Arthurian legends (one of my personal loves!) you'll pick up on any number of loose to strong alusions in this series -- especially so in this book. Gwendolyn/Guinevere play significant roles, Arthur is "brought back" from the aisle of Avalaon -- no wait, in this book it's Farlowe Abbey, and David is ultimately sailed off on an ice floe with 4 bears as his guides -- similar to Arthur disappearing on the lake rather than dying. HOWEVER, for a child of 6, these allusions are moot. What matters is that the story itself has lost all of the sweet innocent charm of the first book and become an action adventure novel. The few short pages where you revert to the "special" dragons seem to be a breath of fresh air, but only a momentary one before diving back into the darkness and danger of the book.
The end - Zanna's announcement of her pregnancy - came as a huge surprise to me. There is one line early on where she mentions to David while they're in the Arctic that he didn't mind her "warming him up last night," but it is so fleeting I would never have worried about it until the end. The sudden revelation of her pregnancy is bound to raise questions, especially since the birthing of a dragon has been such a focal point of the novels. Suddenly the relationship question from the last book raises its head again, and I find myself wondering if it's necessary to introduce to a six year old the concept of raising a child out of wedlock.....or how that child came to BE out of wedlock!
So I am left again saying that while D'Lacey is clearly an excellent writer, and very adept at creating characters that catch your interest and keep you engaged, this book too should be placed on a higher shelf and reserved for the 11+ crowd.
**One minor note -- D'Lacey has recently released several very short books each focusing on a specific dragon from Liz's collection. I haven't read the short ones yet (they're not long enough to keep K's interest), but they seem to be aimed more at the 6ish age group. If she hadn't already read Fire Within, they might have worked for K. As soon as I can get my hands on one, I'll review it as well.
