Today I pulled out The Ice Dragon by George R. R. Martin for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

 

book-beginnings-George R. R. Martin

The Ice Dragon* by George R. R. Martin and illustrated by Luis Royo

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary:  When the fiery dragons swoop in and threaten Adara’s community, she has a secret — in the form of an ice dragon — that could help stave off destruction.

First Sentence:

Adara liked the winter best of all, for when the world grew cold, the ice dragon came.

Discussion:

If you’ve never heard of The Ice Dragon, be prepared that this is not George R.R. Martin’s usual giant tome. Instead it is a wisp of a novella; it is short and sweet.

I have read this before and it really moved me. That’s why I like to pick it up again once in awhile.

My thoughts:

I absolutely love, love the illustrations. They are breathtaking. The way the words flow has a special quality, too.

I also love that the story has flaws. It reminds me of a really old pane of glass, one that is full of bubbles and is so wavy your view through it is a bit distorted. If you expect a piece of glass to be clear and straight and perfect in a modern way, then you will be disappointed. But if you appreciate that not everything needs to be perfect to be beautiful, then this is the book for you.

Here’s a snippet to help you decide.

What do you think? Have you read The Ice Dragon? Are you a George R. R. Martin fan?