What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Dragon Chronicles #3
Fire Star
There is a fire star coming, signaling a time of new beginnings. A time for dragons to rise again...
A research trip to the Arctic and a contract for a new book - life can't get much better for David Rain. But as soon as David finds himself in the icy climes, he begins to write his legend of bears, dragons, and the mmysterious fire star. Soon he realizes that his tale is starting to mirror real life, and that an old enemy is on her way to meet him.
Can David thwart her terrible master plan? Or will his world be destroyed forever?
A research trip to the Arctic and a contract for a new book - life can't get much better for David Rain. But as soon as David finds himself in the icy climes, he begins to write his legend of bears, dragons, and the mmysterious fire star. Soon he realizes that his tale is starting to mirror real life, and that an old enemy is on her way to meet him.
Can David thwart her terrible master plan? Or will his world be destroyed forever?
548 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
410 people are currently reading
6187 people want to read
About the author
Chris d'Lacey
87 books1,111 followersHe was born in Valetta, Malta, but as a child moved first to Leicester and then to Bolton. After gaining a degree in biology from the University of York, he returned to Leicester and got a job at the University of Leicester in their Pre-Clinical Sciences department.
Originally his writing was confined to songs and he didn't turn to fiction until he was 32. His first piece of work was a 250,000 word story about polar bears for his wife, Jay, to accompany a stuffed polar bear he had bought her as a Christmas present.
He didn't write another story for seven years, until he heard about a competition to write a story for young children with a prize of £2,000. The resulting book, A Hole at the Pole, also about polar bears, didn't win - but he sent it off to a publisher, who accepted it.
His first children's novel, Fly, Cherokee, Fly, was published in 1998 and subsequently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was inspired by the time he found an injured pigeon in Victoria Park and nursed it back to health at home. It became a family pet and lived for 14 years in a birdbox attached to the back of the house. All of its offspring were given the names of different Native American tribes, which is where the title of the book comes from.)
He has since written over twenty children's books, including Pawnee Warrior (a sequel to Fly, Cherokee, Fly), a collaborative novel with fellow children's author Linda Newbery (From E To You), and the best-selling, award-winning The Last Dragon Chronicles. His books often contain environmental themes, and events based on things that have happened to him.
In July 2002 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leicester for his contributions to children's literature. Although writing is now his main source of income, he still works at the university as the operator of the confocal microscope.
His favourite children's books are the Paddington Bear series and The Hobbit, and his favourite children's authors are Allan Ahlberg and Roald Dahl. Chris D'Lacey has written many books like Ice Fire and Fire Star, but his most famous book was Dark Fire, the fifth book in The Last Dragon Chronicles.
Originally his writing was confined to songs and he didn't turn to fiction until he was 32. His first piece of work was a 250,000 word story about polar bears for his wife, Jay, to accompany a stuffed polar bear he had bought her as a Christmas present.
He didn't write another story for seven years, until he heard about a competition to write a story for young children with a prize of £2,000. The resulting book, A Hole at the Pole, also about polar bears, didn't win - but he sent it off to a publisher, who accepted it.
His first children's novel, Fly, Cherokee, Fly, was published in 1998 and subsequently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was inspired by the time he found an injured pigeon in Victoria Park and nursed it back to health at home. It became a family pet and lived for 14 years in a birdbox attached to the back of the house. All of its offspring were given the names of different Native American tribes, which is where the title of the book comes from.)
He has since written over twenty children's books, including Pawnee Warrior (a sequel to Fly, Cherokee, Fly), a collaborative novel with fellow children's author Linda Newbery (From E To You), and the best-selling, award-winning The Last Dragon Chronicles. His books often contain environmental themes, and events based on things that have happened to him.
In July 2002 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leicester for his contributions to children's literature. Although writing is now his main source of income, he still works at the university as the operator of the confocal microscope.
His favourite children's books are the Paddington Bear series and The Hobbit, and his favourite children's authors are Allan Ahlberg and Roald Dahl. Chris D'Lacey has written many books like Ice Fire and Fire Star, but his most famous book was Dark Fire, the fifth book in The Last Dragon Chronicles.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 570 reviews
June 6, 2021
Wow! This once again steps up from the previous book and is a brilliant and unexpected read. I love the mix of animals that feature to strongly -- dragons, polar bears, squirrels, ravens and Bonnington the cat. I find it works incredibly well. The final few chapters were incredible --- I'm intrigued to see what comes next.
August 14, 2012
As with the first two books in this series, I was reading "Fire Star" out loud to my 7 year old son. Why he likes these books, I simply cannot understand. I think it's the hope that there may, at some point, actually be dragons in the story (they are in there, but certainly not the focus). Lucky for me, we had to return this one to the library while we were only halfway through it.
I might actually put my foot down on this one and refuse to finish it. Beyond the fact that I simply don't like it, it's completely inappropriate for children. I feel like I'm skipping and rephrasing more than I'm actually reading. At one point Zanna (the girlfriend) says to David (the boyfriend) "that's not what you said last night," very suggestively... in what world is that okay for a book meant for anyone younger than 18?!? Although frankly I'm still angry about d'Lacey's description of Zanna as a 'goth' who 'actually looked pretty' without all the weird clothes and makeup. Yes, please, let's raise our kids to be judgmental little egotists.
Alright, I realize I might be going a little overboard with my rant here. I'll wrap it up with:
1. there are few to no good lessons to be learned in this book, but plenty of bad ones
2. if you picked up the series because dragons are cool, put it down and walk away. It's not really about dragons
3. if you're reading this to a child, be ready to paraphrase. A LOT
I might actually put my foot down on this one and refuse to finish it. Beyond the fact that I simply don't like it, it's completely inappropriate for children. I feel like I'm skipping and rephrasing more than I'm actually reading. At one point Zanna (the girlfriend) says to David (the boyfriend) "that's not what you said last night," very suggestively... in what world is that okay for a book meant for anyone younger than 18?!? Although frankly I'm still angry about d'Lacey's description of Zanna as a 'goth' who 'actually looked pretty' without all the weird clothes and makeup. Yes, please, let's raise our kids to be judgmental little egotists.
Alright, I realize I might be going a little overboard with my rant here. I'll wrap it up with:
1. there are few to no good lessons to be learned in this book, but plenty of bad ones
2. if you picked up the series because dragons are cool, put it down and walk away. It's not really about dragons
3. if you're reading this to a child, be ready to paraphrase. A LOT
January 21, 2009
I grabbed this book, thinking it was the 2nd of the series. After being about 1/2 way though it, I found out I was on the 3rd. No worries, though, as the author does a good job explaining and "recapping" so I feel like I didn't miss much by skipping a book.
Like The Fire Within, this story is about dragons. Little clay dragons that live in the Pennykettle house. David, the tenant, is a writer with his special dragon, Gadzooks.
I won't reveal too much of the story, but I will say I'm surprised this hasn't been on any book lists. The story develops to that the world was created by dragons. That's all I'm going to say about that.
If you enjoy dragons, or any book about them, do check out D'Lacey's works. They are easy to read, and my children love them as much as I do!!
Like The Fire Within, this story is about dragons. Little clay dragons that live in the Pennykettle house. David, the tenant, is a writer with his special dragon, Gadzooks.
I won't reveal too much of the story, but I will say I'm surprised this hasn't been on any book lists. The story develops to that the world was created by dragons. That's all I'm going to say about that.
If you enjoy dragons, or any book about them, do check out D'Lacey's works. They are easy to read, and my children love them as much as I do!!
August 5, 2016
This review was originally posted on my site.
I found out that this was suppose to be the final book in the series. So the extension that was book 4, 5, 6, and 7 were intentionally written to...? It all makes sense now. This book is neither thrilling nor final.
Half-way through Fire Star was where Mr. d'Lacey started to lose me. I love the beginning. What with the Polar bears and everything. About midway in, the author got too environmentalist for me. I felt like I was reading a report on global warming rather than a story about dragons. Every character started to sprout the same thing, giving the reader a brief report about the environment. I mean, it was impossible to distinguish the characters from one another. Each one just picked up where the last one stopped. I love the environment but please give.It.A.Rest. If it had been just one character, I would understand, but it was every character.
Fire Star is not well organized and it feels like the series is getting out of control. Suddenly Ms. Pennykettle has this love life that was never hinted about. The lost-love is now a monk, e.t.c., I could go on but my thought can be summed up like this:
"We've got extra dimensions, alien species, time manipulation, questions on cause and effect, characters vanishing left and right, zombie monks, didactic environmentalism (and I speak as someone who agrees with the general premise), characters and animals being possessed then unpossessed then [re]possessed, plots within plots within plots, long-running complex set-ups, quantum physics, dark matter/dark energy, etc. That's not even getting into the dragon mythology/history which gets layered upon again and again. It doesn't feel particularly well thought out; in fact, it feels a bit of a mess and a bit like a stage set where it all looks good if you look at the front but take a closer look inside or behind and there isn't much there. It's exhausting to keep up." B. Capossere
*SPOILER*
I found out on Wikipedia after reading the beginning of Book 4 and was like "what happened to David?" The fact that I missed the ending showed you just how uninterested I had become. This book is at best strained and at worse a jumble mesh of confusion.
Seriously, how many times must "commingle" be used? That word has officially pissed me off. Example: "May I commingle with you?" "We should commingle." "Let us commingle." No, thank you. I do not want to "co" anything with you. I get it. You want the characters to "blend thoroughly into a harmonious whole" but there surely must be another word for that and you don't have to use commingle in every book in every chapter.
I found out that this was suppose to be the final book in the series. So the extension that was book 4, 5, 6, and 7 were intentionally written to...? It all makes sense now. This book is neither thrilling nor final.
Half-way through Fire Star was where Mr. d'Lacey started to lose me. I love the beginning. What with the Polar bears and everything. About midway in, the author got too environmentalist for me. I felt like I was reading a report on global warming rather than a story about dragons. Every character started to sprout the same thing, giving the reader a brief report about the environment. I mean, it was impossible to distinguish the characters from one another. Each one just picked up where the last one stopped. I love the environment but please give.It.A.Rest. If it had been just one character, I would understand, but it was every character.
Fire Star is not well organized and it feels like the series is getting out of control. Suddenly Ms. Pennykettle has this love life that was never hinted about. The lost-love is now a monk, e.t.c., I could go on but my thought can be summed up like this:
"We've got extra dimensions, alien species, time manipulation, questions on cause and effect, characters vanishing left and right, zombie monks, didactic environmentalism (and I speak as someone who agrees with the general premise), characters and animals being possessed then unpossessed then [re]possessed, plots within plots within plots, long-running complex set-ups, quantum physics, dark matter/dark energy, etc. That's not even getting into the dragon mythology/history which gets layered upon again and again. It doesn't feel particularly well thought out; in fact, it feels a bit of a mess and a bit like a stage set where it all looks good if you look at the front but take a closer look inside or behind and there isn't much there. It's exhausting to keep up." B. Capossere
*SPOILER*
I found out on Wikipedia after reading the beginning of Book 4 and was like "what happened to David?" The fact that I missed the ending showed you just how uninterested I had become. This book is at best strained and at worse a jumble mesh of confusion.
Seriously, how many times must "commingle" be used? That word has officially pissed me off. Example: "May I commingle with you?" "We should commingle." "Let us commingle." No, thank you. I do not want to "co" anything with you. I get it. You want the characters to "blend thoroughly into a harmonious whole" but there surely must be another word for that and you don't have to use commingle in every book in every chapter.
October 22, 2022
So the book, though still very captivating in its plot, characters, and storyline, got reallyyyy deep into d’Lacey’s spiritual realm with dragons, fai, spirits, etc. It has become too dark for my liking and I’m assuming it will continue to plummet that direction if how the series has been going thus far is any indication.
I’m not going to continue reading the series.
I’m not going to continue reading the series.
June 30, 2016
Boy, this sure took me a while to get through. At parts, it was really interesting, at parts, i was just like: dafuq. But i did really love the way all those subplots came together in the end. Also, the characters are great. And by characters i mostly mean the dragons.
November 30, 2009
This book is the third in a series by d'Lacey, the first of which, "The Fire Within" I bought for my daughter to read over a summer holiday when she was 7. The story was partially about dragons - china dragons that are alive, but not to everyone, and also about squirrels. When the next book "Icefire" came out, I bought that too, but when I read it, I felt that my girl was not old enough for it. The content was a lot more grown up than book one, and so I held onto the book for a while before I passed it to my daughter. There wasn't much about squirrels in book 2, but a lot about polar bears, and more about dragons - real ones, as well as the livened china ones, and a mysterious evil witch arrives, and causes all sorts of disasters.
Book three is beginning to feel a little strained. The stories all rest on the back of various myths and legends, and I feel that when the first book was written, the whole series was perhaps not fully imagined - so the myths keep developing, changing, to bring in more characters - it makes me a little cross. My daughter loves the books however.
I had thought that this book would have been the last in a trilogy, but it appears that this is not the end of the story. However, one of the major characters dies in this story - and another of the characters possibly dies also. In fact there is altogether too much happening at the end of this book - it is all muddled, with people suddenly teleporting from one place to another, with not much explanation of how that happens (well yes, a dragon/bird arrives who enables this to happen, but where he comes from is never properly explained).
In short, I would not read this book if you have not read books one and two, as it will put you completely off them!
Book three is beginning to feel a little strained. The stories all rest on the back of various myths and legends, and I feel that when the first book was written, the whole series was perhaps not fully imagined - so the myths keep developing, changing, to bring in more characters - it makes me a little cross. My daughter loves the books however.
I had thought that this book would have been the last in a trilogy, but it appears that this is not the end of the story. However, one of the major characters dies in this story - and another of the characters possibly dies also. In fact there is altogether too much happening at the end of this book - it is all muddled, with people suddenly teleporting from one place to another, with not much explanation of how that happens (well yes, a dragon/bird arrives who enables this to happen, but where he comes from is never properly explained).
In short, I would not read this book if you have not read books one and two, as it will put you completely off them!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2020
5 stars!
Wow Ohh wow. What did I just read! This series has just taken itself to a whole new level. I was already enjoying this series, but now it's even better.
It has become so much more than just a cute adventure story about Dragons and the lives of Miss Pennykettle, her daughter Lucy, David the friend and Tennant, Henry the old next door neighbour and librarian and of course, Zanna the goth friend and girlfriend. It's now gone sci-fi and I am absolutely in love with this new direction.
It also has an evil villian who has come through a magical portal and is not in a happy mood, (as eveil villains tend to be).
I do have one question though. Why on earth is this not an epic tv mini series or a trilogy movie yet?! It has so much potential for it.
& to think this series has been on my bookshelves waiting for me for the better part of 4 years. Girl, what have you been doing that was seemingly more important than picking this up and READING IT!?..... We'll, at least I'm now getting to it and I am so so soooo glad. This is turning out to be one of those series you don't forget.
Wow Ohh wow. What did I just read! This series has just taken itself to a whole new level. I was already enjoying this series, but now it's even better.
It has become so much more than just a cute adventure story about Dragons and the lives of Miss Pennykettle, her daughter Lucy, David the friend and Tennant, Henry the old next door neighbour and librarian and of course, Zanna the goth friend and girlfriend. It's now gone sci-fi and I am absolutely in love with this new direction.
It also has an evil villian who has come through a magical portal and is not in a happy mood, (as eveil villains tend to be).
I do have one question though. Why on earth is this not an epic tv mini series or a trilogy movie yet?! It has so much potential for it.
& to think this series has been on my bookshelves waiting for me for the better part of 4 years. Girl, what have you been doing that was seemingly more important than picking this up and READING IT!?..... We'll, at least I'm now getting to it and I am so so soooo glad. This is turning out to be one of those series you don't forget.
Read
October 14, 2013i believe that the author could have written this book so it was still "A GOOD BOOK!!!!" without"KILLING"THE"MANE"CARTER!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2015
Even when I was stuck in the same empty room for six consecutive hours with no one to talk to and nothing else to do, I still couldn't read this whole book. I had the time and the means, but not the desire. I tried, I really did, but nothing of the charms of the first book carried over into this installment. I'm all for modernizing, mixing, and mashing old myths and legends, especially across cultures, but this was just too much for me. I gave up half through and googled the summaries for the rest of the series. Usually such a thing would feel almost blasphemous for me, but I just wasn't attached to any portion of this series anymore. The characters, the plot, the dialogue, the writing style, and the conflicting dialectal features were all frustrating nonsense. Perhaps when my kids are six or seven they'll enjoy having us read these out loud to them at bedtime. I think that is intended use of this series.
February 2, 2022
I love this series and have recently started rereading, as i only realised this year that it progressed beyond this book! I remember reading Fire Star in my childhood and thinking 'this is a good book, but blimey there are a lot of moving parts'. I thought reading it now im older and uglier would show me that i just struggled with it because i was young, but no. I have the same impression now as then: a good book, but hard to follow, with a very complicated, nebulous plot that isnt explained as well as it could be.
As with the first two books of the series, something i love about Fire Star is d'Lacey's ambition. He explores ideas about the universe and its origins, dark matter, trans dimensional beings, and much more in this work, a a far cry from where we started with a kids story about squirrels and clay figurines. At the same time, this scope is also what limits the book: i feel it is VERY hard to follow with a huge degree if confidence. There are so many characters all with their own agendas, abilities and backstories, a lot of which isnt fully explained or only hinted at. I felt the pacing was also a bit off. The book builds up tension and pathos and then the finale is almost over before you know it. Key characters are introduced very late on, too late imho given their significance.
All this aside, d'Lacey's writing, characterisation and ambition make this a great book that along with its predecessors is well worth a read.
As with the first two books of the series, something i love about Fire Star is d'Lacey's ambition. He explores ideas about the universe and its origins, dark matter, trans dimensional beings, and much more in this work, a a far cry from where we started with a kids story about squirrels and clay figurines. At the same time, this scope is also what limits the book: i feel it is VERY hard to follow with a huge degree if confidence. There are so many characters all with their own agendas, abilities and backstories, a lot of which isnt fully explained or only hinted at. I felt the pacing was also a bit off. The book builds up tension and pathos and then the finale is almost over before you know it. Key characters are introduced very late on, too late imho given their significance.
All this aside, d'Lacey's writing, characterisation and ambition make this a great book that along with its predecessors is well worth a read.
December 20, 2016
Chris d'Lacey is an amazing author! In just over a year I have read 25 books by him. To be honest I started this series and then set it aside to read a bunch of his other works, before returning to it, because of how many books were remaining. The Last Dragon Chronicles is an excellent series and this in a wonderful read. This book ramps up the action from the earlier books.
This book continues from the earlier books. At the beginning David and Zanna are in the Artic on a research project. David continues to write and when the writings too closely resemble life he stops and ends up returning to Waverly Crescent. But things just keep getting stranger. The legends of the Bears and Dragons are again rising to light. A strange fire star is on the horizon. The witch has returned and plans on destroying David this time. An ancient evil the Fain is on the move. Lucy has been kidnapped by Gwilanna who appears to be back up to her old tricks, and maybe even worse. And a dragon has come to new life.
So our adventure goes from Scrubbly to Alaska, then to the north of Scotland and back again. We travel in this book from home, to a research station, to a monastery, an Inuit community and on to a final battle on the ice.
The best thing about this series is the characters, both the humans and the dragons. Watching them, following their adventures is great fun. It is interesting following the interactions between Lucy and Liz Pennykettle, daughter and mother, also their interactions with David Rain and his girlfriend Zanna Martindale. And even the grumpy neighbor Henry Bacon. And the dragons, oh what wonderful creatures, Gadzooks, G'reth, and even the new Gollygosh Golightly that is the first dragon to be created by …
Having read other series by d'Lacey with this one we see closer ties to The Erth Dragons, and even The UFiles series. This book was very hard to put down once it was started. And as each book in this series appears to be longer than the previous, thus my hesitation to get pulled in was valid. The nice thing is this series is finished so I can read through the remaining books without having to wait for more books. The interesting thing is that these books have sat on my shelf for years and were slowly added to until the series was finished. Yet I did not start it until last year. But that being said, this is another incredible book by d'Lacey in an amazing series. And I really look forward to reading the rest of the series. And also the remaining d'Lacey books I have yet to read.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Chris d'Lacey. As well as an author profile and interview with Chris.
This book continues from the earlier books. At the beginning David and Zanna are in the Artic on a research project. David continues to write and when the writings too closely resemble life he stops and ends up returning to Waverly Crescent. But things just keep getting stranger. The legends of the Bears and Dragons are again rising to light. A strange fire star is on the horizon. The witch has returned and plans on destroying David this time. An ancient evil the Fain is on the move. Lucy has been kidnapped by Gwilanna who appears to be back up to her old tricks, and maybe even worse. And a dragon has come to new life.
So our adventure goes from Scrubbly to Alaska, then to the north of Scotland and back again. We travel in this book from home, to a research station, to a monastery, an Inuit community and on to a final battle on the ice.
The best thing about this series is the characters, both the humans and the dragons. Watching them, following their adventures is great fun. It is interesting following the interactions between Lucy and Liz Pennykettle, daughter and mother, also their interactions with David Rain and his girlfriend Zanna Martindale. And even the grumpy neighbor Henry Bacon. And the dragons, oh what wonderful creatures, Gadzooks, G'reth, and even the new Gollygosh Golightly that is the first dragon to be created by …
Having read other series by d'Lacey with this one we see closer ties to The Erth Dragons, and even The UFiles series. This book was very hard to put down once it was started. And as each book in this series appears to be longer than the previous, thus my hesitation to get pulled in was valid. The nice thing is this series is finished so I can read through the remaining books without having to wait for more books. The interesting thing is that these books have sat on my shelf for years and were slowly added to until the series was finished. Yet I did not start it until last year. But that being said, this is another incredible book by d'Lacey in an amazing series. And I really look forward to reading the rest of the series. And also the remaining d'Lacey books I have yet to read.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Chris d'Lacey. As well as an author profile and interview with Chris.
May 2, 2013
This is the Third and final book in the first trilogy. In this book, David is faced with a dangerous task. Gwilanna, or Aunt Gwyneth, has returned and is bent on revenge. This book starts out with David on a college trip to the artic with his class, primarily, his new girlfriend Suzanna, or Zanna for short. During his trip to the Arctic, Gwilanna kidnaps Liz's daughter, Lucy, in order to revive the legendary dragon Gawain. David returns to Scrubbley but soon enough is sent back to the arctic in order to help save Lucy. He, Zanna, and Liz succeed, rescuing Lucy and freezing Gwilanna in a block of ice. All of this comes at a terrible price however. David's life. Zanna holds him in her arms as she tells the Pennykettles something shocking. She's pregnant.
June 7, 2017
The problem with this book is that it meanders so far from the plot of the previous two it entirely destroys the series. The plot that was once well established has been thrown out the window and new concepts and characters create gaping plot holes. Most of the characters are far from likable, and then...the protagonist dies. and there are more books. This is sad.
August 24, 2022
WHAT WAS THAT??? Oh my god I read this series as a kid and fell in love with the little clay dragons but THIS?! How is anyone supposed to follow the 800 different plots, motives… dimensions??? Aliens???? I’m surprised I still have my sanity let alone my eyes. Awful
Read
May 12, 2021its the third book in the last dragon chronicles, and it is really good, and might be my favorite of the seris, but i dont know since i read the first two a few years ago. part 3 is a bit confusing, but other than that, its a really good book.
July 4, 2019
I was settling in for another quaint little book about polar bears and squirrels. But what i ended up reading was very different.
This book is batshit crazy. It's completely and utterly bonkers. It's so insane its genius.
The decisions made were seriously brave,I was constantly surprised by them. I can barely believe this is in the same series as The Fire Within. There's so many characters and so many narratives that weave together really well. I'm seriously impressed.
The only thing letting the book down is the writing, which I'm not a huge fan of. Yes, it handles BIG themes but it's still written like a children's book (which it technically is) . I found myself skim-reading a few times, which meant that I missed stuff, but that's probably just on me.
This book is batshit crazy. It's completely and utterly bonkers. It's so insane its genius.
The decisions made were seriously brave,I was constantly surprised by them. I can barely believe this is in the same series as The Fire Within. There's so many characters and so many narratives that weave together really well. I'm seriously impressed.
The only thing letting the book down is the writing, which I'm not a huge fan of. Yes, it handles BIG themes but it's still written like a children's book (which it technically is) . I found myself skim-reading a few times, which meant that I missed stuff, but that's probably just on me.
March 21, 2009
This is the 3rd in the series. It jumped pretty quickly into the fantasy realm. I was not happy with the ending... which for most books counts as a failure. But there was plenty of interesting stuff going on.
Not as kid friendly as the first 2 books. There is a relationship that involves "staying over" and main characters die in this book. Also, takes some pot shots at the church. It always seems like such a disappointment to me when someone with so much imagination stereotypes the church. Where did the imagination go? Ah, well.
Not as kid friendly as the first 2 books. There is a relationship that involves "staying over" and main characters die in this book. Also, takes some pot shots at the church. It always seems like such a disappointment to me when someone with so much imagination stereotypes the church. Where did the imagination go? Ah, well.
June 21, 2019
I feel like there are too many plots going on at the same time so everything stops making sense.
October 26, 2019
I picked up this title from the Little Free Library at work. It's part of a series, and begins in the middle thereof. However, it still works as a stand-alone.
We meet Elizabeth, a sculptor who can breathe life into the dragons she makes out of clay, her daughter Lucy, and their boarder David, an author whose story about polar bears is coming to life in the Arctic.
The three are up to their eyebrows in problems, with a sibyl trying to raise an ancient dragon and a being that calls itself The Fain messing around with matters to boot. At one point, The Fain possesses one of the little dragons that live with Elizabeth so that it can see what's happening in the household.
In any event, this is obviously a fantasy tale and, as it's aimed at the mid-grade to YA set, is not too terrifying most of the time. There are some sensitive parts of the book concerning death, and a younger reader might be very upset by those.
At the end of the day, this was a delightful fairytale type of book that I enjoyed. In many ways, it reminded me of Charles deLint's The Little Country; even though the characters were quite different, some of the plot elements were comparable.
We meet Elizabeth, a sculptor who can breathe life into the dragons she makes out of clay, her daughter Lucy, and their boarder David, an author whose story about polar bears is coming to life in the Arctic.
The three are up to their eyebrows in problems, with a sibyl trying to raise an ancient dragon and a being that calls itself The Fain messing around with matters to boot. At one point, The Fain possesses one of the little dragons that live with Elizabeth so that it can see what's happening in the household.
In any event, this is obviously a fantasy tale and, as it's aimed at the mid-grade to YA set, is not too terrifying most of the time. There are some sensitive parts of the book concerning death, and a younger reader might be very upset by those.
At the end of the day, this was a delightful fairytale type of book that I enjoyed. In many ways, it reminded me of Charles deLint's The Little Country; even though the characters were quite different, some of the plot elements were comparable.
May 29, 2021
When you thought things couldn't get worse than the first and we get this... Settle in, it's time for me to rant a bit.
This book took me so long to finish, not because I didn't want to finish it for love of the story and I didn't want it to end, but because this is some next level... bad writing. I'm still going to temper my words, but forgive me if I forget and slip up. Spoilers ahead.
This is probably one of the most confusing books I've ever laid my hands on. They set up one character, Zanna, as being taken over by a bad person, the Sibyl, but by the last like 20 pages she's good? Right up until David died (please, lord, let him be and stay dead... I felt nothing but joy when h died) I was so sure she was set up to be the bad one, and here she is being good? I have no clue how that happened or what the whole beginning half of this book was set up to be then... just... what????
They knocked Lucy, the amazingly annoying child, out for most of the book. What a vast improvement that made, not enough to drag this book out of the dumpster though, just to lift the lid. She wasn't even off-the-scale annoying this time. She was just an actual child.
Liz still rubs me wrong, she just doesn't read to me as what she's being presented to be, but that's the least of our worries with this. There's more plot holes that I just don't understand. One of the major ones being how in the world do the Fain work?
The Fain are apparently these alien type consciousness creatures that have no form but take over some of our character's bodies. There's like... a "good" one who give the characters information and is supposedly young. Okay. The older Fain is apparently the bad guy, not Zanna, and is set up to be this so powerful being that him (it?) being inside you just automatically kills you. Here's where a plot hole comes in: The old Fain takes over their old dude neighbor guy Henry Bacon, and is in him the longest out of everyone, but HENRY LIVES? Count me confused. David dies, Arthur is blinded and nearly killed AND WAS ONLY TOUCHED, but the old neighbor guy with nothing to him is okey dokey... okay.
Now let's head back to Zanna for a quick second BECAUSE WHAT IN THE WORLD??!??!?! This book takes place over a couple of months, the last time Zanna and David were together was at the Artic Research Base where others were in probably around, I don't know, let's be generous, it was most likely during summer so probably August. The end confrontation doesn't happen until February the next year, and in the final about two or three pages we are told she's pregnant with David's child...
Excuse me for a second while I slam my head against the wall.
One annoying child is enough.
Weird freaking magic dragon egg pregnancies that either make a human child (Lucy) or an actual DRAGON (Zanna's "child" apparently since the dragon called her mother). That the "mother" has to like... go into a coma huddling around the egg... this has to be the most off the wall, bonkers thing that has ever been tried to be described to me. I hate that I've read it and tried to make sense of it. I hate that these covers are wasted on such writing as this.
These dragon's names having to start with G and many of them being nonsense apostrophe abominations G'reth, G'lant...
The way the author insists on writing out "hrrr" "hurr" "hruuu" and whatever other odd combination you can think of instead of sticking with what he's described it as already with guttural sounds that come from the back of the throat, etc etc.
That all is an embarrassment.
But somehow this pregnancy thing made it past the author (honestly no surprise there), editors, proof-readers, beta-readers, etc. It was okayed through all of that and we get Zanna saying THAT SHE FOUND OUT THAT MORNING THAT SHE WAS PREGNANT is probably the MOST ridiculous thing out of this whole series and I still have plenty of horrible books to get through. When did this happen, Chris? When did they last sleep together? At the Base? So about 6-7 months ago? SHE WOULD HAVE KNOWN WAY BEFORE THAT MORNING. Let's be generous, say the research base was actually during October. THAT'S FOUR MONTHS. WOMEN GET PERIODS EVERY MONTH CHRIS (barring any other health or medical problems that is, but Zanna is a healthy, young woman, so that's null) SHE WOULD HAVE KNOWN AND GOTTEN TESTED EARLIER. Not to mention that the epilogue sets it up that it was probably a few weeks after the February event that everyone meets up, so we're talking just about 5 months there as well. I'm so baffled I'm almost at the point where I'm starting to think that most guys don't even understand that women don't pee from the same place their period happens.
This is just fantastic though because one of the only characters that was slightly interesting in the least is now reduced to: Aww... she's going to be the mother of David's BABY. Oh goodness, oh lord almighty she's going to give birth to the absolute failure's child. How precious. How planned out. How superbly needed to move the story on. Of course, you can't just follow one of the many women left after the loser David dies (please, let him stay dead...) and expand upon them and maybe make them seem like the ages they actually are. No. Make one of them get pregnant.
Let's be honest here. He's (Chris that is, the author) gonna make the baby be male. And that baby is going to be such an all encompassing major focus of the next book, if not the rest of the series.
Jesus fucking Christ almighty... Save from this actual trash touted as a refreshing take on the genre. I told my sister this and I might as well write it here on the internet, but this series is going straight to a secondhand shop when I'm done. What a waste of paper, ink, time, and money. I'll give the series this though. Better than the Black Widow books I've read. Those ones hurt, if only because I had actual expectations of it being good going in, while with these books I try to remind myself that my blood should stay inside of my body so I can try to save someone the total mistake of paying money for this sticking pile of shit.
This book took me so long to finish, not because I didn't want to finish it for love of the story and I didn't want it to end, but because this is some next level... bad writing. I'm still going to temper my words, but forgive me if I forget and slip up. Spoilers ahead.
This is probably one of the most confusing books I've ever laid my hands on. They set up one character, Zanna, as being taken over by a bad person, the Sibyl, but by the last like 20 pages she's good? Right up until David died (please, lord, let him be and stay dead... I felt nothing but joy when h died) I was so sure she was set up to be the bad one, and here she is being good? I have no clue how that happened or what the whole beginning half of this book was set up to be then... just... what????
They knocked Lucy, the amazingly annoying child, out for most of the book. What a vast improvement that made, not enough to drag this book out of the dumpster though, just to lift the lid. She wasn't even off-the-scale annoying this time. She was just an actual child.
Liz still rubs me wrong, she just doesn't read to me as what she's being presented to be, but that's the least of our worries with this. There's more plot holes that I just don't understand. One of the major ones being how in the world do the Fain work?
The Fain are apparently these alien type consciousness creatures that have no form but take over some of our character's bodies. There's like... a "good" one who give the characters information and is supposedly young. Okay. The older Fain is apparently the bad guy, not Zanna, and is set up to be this so powerful being that him (it?) being inside you just automatically kills you. Here's where a plot hole comes in: The old Fain takes over their old dude neighbor guy Henry Bacon, and is in him the longest out of everyone, but HENRY LIVES? Count me confused. David dies, Arthur is blinded and nearly killed AND WAS ONLY TOUCHED, but the old neighbor guy with nothing to him is okey dokey... okay.
Now let's head back to Zanna for a quick second BECAUSE WHAT IN THE WORLD??!??!?! This book takes place over a couple of months, the last time Zanna and David were together was at the Artic Research Base where others were in probably around, I don't know, let's be generous, it was most likely during summer so probably August. The end confrontation doesn't happen until February the next year, and in the final about two or three pages we are told she's pregnant with David's child...
Excuse me for a second while I slam my head against the wall.
One annoying child is enough.
Weird freaking magic dragon egg pregnancies that either make a human child (Lucy) or an actual DRAGON (Zanna's "child" apparently since the dragon called her mother). That the "mother" has to like... go into a coma huddling around the egg... this has to be the most off the wall, bonkers thing that has ever been tried to be described to me. I hate that I've read it and tried to make sense of it. I hate that these covers are wasted on such writing as this.
These dragon's names having to start with G and many of them being nonsense apostrophe abominations G'reth, G'lant...
The way the author insists on writing out "hrrr" "hurr" "hruuu" and whatever other odd combination you can think of instead of sticking with what he's described it as already with guttural sounds that come from the back of the throat, etc etc.
That all is an embarrassment.
But somehow this pregnancy thing made it past the author (honestly no surprise there), editors, proof-readers, beta-readers, etc. It was okayed through all of that and we get Zanna saying THAT SHE FOUND OUT THAT MORNING THAT SHE WAS PREGNANT is probably the MOST ridiculous thing out of this whole series and I still have plenty of horrible books to get through. When did this happen, Chris? When did they last sleep together? At the Base? So about 6-7 months ago? SHE WOULD HAVE KNOWN WAY BEFORE THAT MORNING. Let's be generous, say the research base was actually during October. THAT'S FOUR MONTHS. WOMEN GET PERIODS EVERY MONTH CHRIS (barring any other health or medical problems that is, but Zanna is a healthy, young woman, so that's null) SHE WOULD HAVE KNOWN AND GOTTEN TESTED EARLIER. Not to mention that the epilogue sets it up that it was probably a few weeks after the February event that everyone meets up, so we're talking just about 5 months there as well. I'm so baffled I'm almost at the point where I'm starting to think that most guys don't even understand that women don't pee from the same place their period happens.
This is just fantastic though because one of the only characters that was slightly interesting in the least is now reduced to: Aww... she's going to be the mother of David's BABY. Oh goodness, oh lord almighty she's going to give birth to the absolute failure's child. How precious. How planned out. How superbly needed to move the story on. Of course, you can't just follow one of the many women left after the loser David dies (please, let him stay dead...) and expand upon them and maybe make them seem like the ages they actually are. No. Make one of them get pregnant.
Let's be honest here. He's (Chris that is, the author) gonna make the baby be male. And that baby is going to be such an all encompassing major focus of the next book, if not the rest of the series.
Jesus fucking Christ almighty... Save from this actual trash touted as a refreshing take on the genre. I told my sister this and I might as well write it here on the internet, but this series is going straight to a secondhand shop when I'm done. What a waste of paper, ink, time, and money. I'll give the series this though. Better than the Black Widow books I've read. Those ones hurt, if only because I had actual expectations of it being good going in, while with these books I try to remind myself that my blood should stay inside of my body so I can try to save someone the total mistake of paying money for this sticking pile of shit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2017
it was very easy to read in the beginning but they keep adding more and more perspectives it made it a bit overwhelming but other than that there is nothing except spoilers ahead so stop reading it if you do not want spoilers the main character they have been following the whole series is either dead or gone missing.
January 27, 2021
This is the third book of a series of 5 books. It again will keep you captivated and you won’t put it down. Check out all 5 books it’s definitely worth the read.
Read
July 5, 2023fun fact i read this book as a ten year old and absolutely hated it which was funny cause i loved all books back then. either way thought i’d write this because nostalgia yk
Read
September 29, 2021IT IS AN AWSOME BOOK AND I REALLY RECOMMEND IT
May 25, 2017
Personal Response:
I really enjoyed this book. Chris D'Lacey does a great job explaining the plot and gives good detail. He also made a good storyline even better.
Plot Summary:
David and Zanna left for the Arctic, and stayed there for a few months. Lucy disappeared with Gwilanna to the Tooth of Ragnar. Lucy was used to try and bring Gawain back to life. Zanna was attacked by a polar bear and disappeared with the one that attacked her. David felt hopeless, but eventually saved Lucy and Zanna. When he saved Lucy, he died.
Characterization:
David was immature and wasn't very knowledgeable with the whole dragon thing. Throughout the book, Liz taught him about the dragons, eventually leading to him saving Lucy and Zanna.
Lucy was a young girl who wasn't used to life without her mom, so when she disappeared with Gwilanna, she became afraid. After her many experiences, she grew more confident.
Recommendation:
I really enjoyed this book and recommend people the age of 13 to read it. It is a fiction book with dragons, so if anyone has interests in that, then read this book. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book. Chris D'Lacey does a great job explaining the plot and gives good detail. He also made a good storyline even better.
Plot Summary:
David and Zanna left for the Arctic, and stayed there for a few months. Lucy disappeared with Gwilanna to the Tooth of Ragnar. Lucy was used to try and bring Gawain back to life. Zanna was attacked by a polar bear and disappeared with the one that attacked her. David felt hopeless, but eventually saved Lucy and Zanna. When he saved Lucy, he died.
Characterization:
David was immature and wasn't very knowledgeable with the whole dragon thing. Throughout the book, Liz taught him about the dragons, eventually leading to him saving Lucy and Zanna.
Lucy was a young girl who wasn't used to life without her mom, so when she disappeared with Gwilanna, she became afraid. After her many experiences, she grew more confident.
Recommendation:
I really enjoyed this book and recommend people the age of 13 to read it. It is a fiction book with dragons, so if anyone has interests in that, then read this book. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.
April 25, 2019
3.5 stars!
Summary:
Fire Star is the third installment in The Last Dragon Chronicles and the first one that I think REALLY breaks the world out from its small containment of the first book. The basic concept of this series follows David Rain, university student, who is lodging with Liz and Lucy Pennykettle, who make clay dragons that may or may not be real dragons.
Characters 4/5:
I'm obviously decently connected to the characters by Book 3. I think David was a little less irritating in this installment than the previous one, which is a positive. I really like Zanna and Lucy, and I can't wait to see more of them in the next installment.
Plot 3.75/5:
The plot was DEFINITELY elevated in this one. I do think the first half was pretty slow, and took a while to really get into what the PLOT was, with most of the actual plot happening in the last 50 or so pages. Also, I don't know if the main plot was explained particularly well, in an effort to maintain mystery. But, like, I did really enjoy it? I don't know I'm confused haha. The sci-fi elements probably did not help in this regard.
Setting and atmosphere 3.5/5:
The stuff going on in the arctic was really cool, same as in Scotland. I think this book did a good job of broadening the setting out, and they were well described.
Writing style 3/5:
Eh, a lot of what I mentioned in plot really comes down to this probably. As I said, I think there were some pacing issues between the start and the end and I would have really struggled with this if I wasn't breaking it up over about a week. So much of the action happened in the last 50 pages and until about halfway through, you didn't even really know what the plot was meant to be which was weird. But the ending definitely was good so?
Can you tell I have no idea how to rate this book? I'm just all round confused, it's a weird one. I'm definitely keen after this one to continue on with the series though, and see where it continues to go from here!
Summary:
Fire Star is the third installment in The Last Dragon Chronicles and the first one that I think REALLY breaks the world out from its small containment of the first book. The basic concept of this series follows David Rain, university student, who is lodging with Liz and Lucy Pennykettle, who make clay dragons that may or may not be real dragons.
Characters 4/5:
I'm obviously decently connected to the characters by Book 3. I think David was a little less irritating in this installment than the previous one, which is a positive. I really like Zanna and Lucy, and I can't wait to see more of them in the next installment.
Plot 3.75/5:
The plot was DEFINITELY elevated in this one. I do think the first half was pretty slow, and took a while to really get into what the PLOT was, with most of the actual plot happening in the last 50 or so pages. Also, I don't know if the main plot was explained particularly well, in an effort to maintain mystery. But, like, I did really enjoy it? I don't know I'm confused haha. The sci-fi elements probably did not help in this regard.
Setting and atmosphere 3.5/5:
The stuff going on in the arctic was really cool, same as in Scotland. I think this book did a good job of broadening the setting out, and they were well described.
Writing style 3/5:
Eh, a lot of what I mentioned in plot really comes down to this probably. As I said, I think there were some pacing issues between the start and the end and I would have really struggled with this if I wasn't breaking it up over about a week. So much of the action happened in the last 50 pages and until about halfway through, you didn't even really know what the plot was meant to be which was weird. But the ending definitely was good so?
Can you tell I have no idea how to rate this book? I'm just all round confused, it's a weird one. I'm definitely keen after this one to continue on with the series though, and see where it continues to go from here!
October 30, 2011
Fire Star is the third installment of the Last Dragon Chronicles, and the plot is finally beginning to heat up. Much of the setting takes place in the arctic, where serious events are beginning to escalate. Now three books into the story, I am devouring Chris D'Lacey's writing with a passion. I am now very familiar with his writing style; the way he incorporates vast, complicated, and fascinating ideas into a a simple script that anyone could read with ease. I am in awe. ;-)
In this fascinating book, Chris describes a race of beings that reside on a different vibrational frequency than humans. They exist in the realm of Dark Matter, where thoughts are substance. They are called Fain. The Fain have mastered inter-dimensional travel and often visit us humans, influencing our thoughts and overall aiding us in achieving spiritual enlightenment. This is a thought-provoking idea. . .
The concept of a fire star (a portal from the world of fain & dragons to Earth) is extremely exciting. It carries the same vibes as a mass revolution, shift of global consciousness, or any other momentous event. Throughout the novel, any reader will realize that tensions are beginning to increase. You can tell something high-scale is coming. When the climax finally comes to pass, readers will not be disappointed.
In this fascinating book, Chris describes a race of beings that reside on a different vibrational frequency than humans. They exist in the realm of Dark Matter, where thoughts are substance. They are called Fain. The Fain have mastered inter-dimensional travel and often visit us humans, influencing our thoughts and overall aiding us in achieving spiritual enlightenment. This is a thought-provoking idea. . .
The concept of a fire star (a portal from the world of fain & dragons to Earth) is extremely exciting. It carries the same vibes as a mass revolution, shift of global consciousness, or any other momentous event. Throughout the novel, any reader will realize that tensions are beginning to increase. You can tell something high-scale is coming. When the climax finally comes to pass, readers will not be disappointed.
October 21, 2016
In this story, we follow the happenings of the dragons, as they try to assist their creator, Liz Pennykettle, her daughter, Lucy Pennykettle, and their friend and tenant, David Rain. In this edition of The Last Dragon Chronicles, the dragons are trying to stop the awakening of a large, actual dragon, instead of a clay one. We also meet a new character, Brother Vincent, or by David, Arthur, as well as travel to many places, such as the Arctic, Wayward Crescent; the Pennykettles's town, and an island where the monks, such as Brother Vincent, live. We also discover that sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
I thought that this book was very well written, and it also held lots of suspense. Some areas were hard to follow, such as when the chapters switch points of view, while leaving the previous point of view on a cliff hanger. This book also had chapters where it would skip days, and then resume the story to where it is now, instead of where it left off. I would recommend this book to a friend, as well as continue reading the series.
I thought that this book was very well written, and it also held lots of suspense. Some areas were hard to follow, such as when the chapters switch points of view, while leaving the previous point of view on a cliff hanger. This book also had chapters where it would skip days, and then resume the story to where it is now, instead of where it left off. I would recommend this book to a friend, as well as continue reading the series.
November 14, 2014
I really like the context of the book, it really keeps you on the edge of your seat. Firstly the book starts out slow introducing the characters, the plot, and the setting. I think the rising action was really exciting because it gives so much information of the conflict between the protagonist and his own state of mind. When the climax hits that's when most of the action happens, the protagonist finds what he's been looking for the whole book. When the falling action comes the story calms down that's when the main character resolves and he goes home. The resolution was very suspenseful and left me hanging. I really like the book and I recommend the book to everyone who enjoys action and adventure. Therefore I give this book 5 stars for the fact it was a very action packed book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 570 reviews