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The Last Dragon Chronicles #5
Dark Fire
With the Earth on the brink of recolonisation by dragons, David Rain is sent on an important to seek out and destroy a trace of dark fire, the deadliest force in the universe. But with success could come a terrible price, the sacrifice of a beloved clay dragon. How much does the life of one small dragon count, when the alternative is the birth of a darkling...?
462 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
227 people are currently reading
6239 people want to read
About the author
Chris d'Lacey
87 books1,112 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews
January 11, 2011
I'm not sure if I want to finish it or not. After the third book of this series, the plot sort of... fell. I was really upset after David, the main character, died, (hey, I'm not going to add spoilers because if you're reading this review you should have read the other books yourself first before reading this so it's your fault you're shocked. XP) but now he's back and it turns out that David wasn't even human- just a creation made by the fairies... freakish goblins or whatever they were and now, suddenly, his personality and whole well... David-ness has completely shattered. He's too wise and emotionless now, and I had really fallen in love with the sweet, innocent young David. This made me really unhappy. Yes, I had wanted David to come back, but this was too much! Good God, if you're thinking of doing something so drastic, keep him dead! I would have been unhappy, but not angry.
Another thing that made me quit reading the series was that there was too much complicated crap stuffed the pages. Nice science fiction; I understand that the reader was trying to make it sound a little realistic, but sometimes the description of this magic crap went on for pages. I eventually started skipping chapters, just wanting to get back to the actual plot.
Nevertheless, it was some nice writing, and I find myself picking up one of the first three books every now and then just to read a bit.
Another thing that made me quit reading the series was that there was too much complicated crap stuffed the pages. Nice science fiction; I understand that the reader was trying to make it sound a little realistic, but sometimes the description of this magic crap went on for pages. I eventually started skipping chapters, just wanting to get back to the actual plot.
Nevertheless, it was some nice writing, and I find myself picking up one of the first three books every now and then just to read a bit.
January 1, 2021
3 stars.
Meh. Again, like book 4, the last part of the story wasn't that interesting until the last couple pages.
I still don't really understand the whole 'Ix' or 'Fain' stuff so now I'm really quite bored with it.
Still, overall, I did like it enough to want to keep reading the series. I think for me personally, I would prefer this as a tv series right now.
Meh. Again, like book 4, the last part of the story wasn't that interesting until the last couple pages.
I still don't really understand the whole 'Ix' or 'Fain' stuff so now I'm really quite bored with it.
Still, overall, I did like it enough to want to keep reading the series. I think for me personally, I would prefer this as a tv series right now.
March 19, 2018
Dark Fire continues on from the previous book With David, Zanna and co having to confront the recolonisation of Earth by Dragons Unicorns Fain and co! :D The story though takes a leap on from the previous one as we see that Tam and David have obviously struck up an alliance and that there is more skulduggery afoot on behalf of the Ix who are still trying to upset the ideals of our gang! :D
Dark Fire really lays the situation out from different POV's that keep the reader guessing as plot points are weaved together all over the place with Alexa and David in league with the dragons and having to get the others on there side and Tam and Lucy heading up to revive a dragon and a Unicorn! :D The story as with the previous book keeps throwing in new points all the time that lead to completely different plot points and developments than what you expect! :D This leads to a story that takes the unexpected in all sorts of different directions though at the same time it keeps the characters coming across as if they are developing that really has you cheering for them but at the same time wanting to knock some sense into them! :D
The plot is laid down cleverly though with hints that behind all the developments everything is being manipulated by a high technology society rather that a magical one that gives the dragons and the Ix a clever twist! :D Having the conflict and the events taking place in the public eye is also a different spin on the previous books and you have to wonder how that is going to go down in the future books though the hints are that it is clearly necessary! :D
Dark Fire really keeps you guessing what is up but at the same time it lays down new plot points all the place that literally open up or a can of worms or more truly dragons! :D It is intriguing cleverly written and has humour all the way through the complements the action brilliantly! :D Dark Fire also is not against poking fun at itself which will have you laughing away! :D At the same time it sends out a good strong eco theme as well and that is neatly written into the book! :D Dark Fire is clever, funny, observant and action packed and highly recommended crisp high five! :D
Dark Fire really lays the situation out from different POV's that keep the reader guessing as plot points are weaved together all over the place with Alexa and David in league with the dragons and having to get the others on there side and Tam and Lucy heading up to revive a dragon and a Unicorn! :D The story as with the previous book keeps throwing in new points all the time that lead to completely different plot points and developments than what you expect! :D This leads to a story that takes the unexpected in all sorts of different directions though at the same time it keeps the characters coming across as if they are developing that really has you cheering for them but at the same time wanting to knock some sense into them! :D
The plot is laid down cleverly though with hints that behind all the developments everything is being manipulated by a high technology society rather that a magical one that gives the dragons and the Ix a clever twist! :D Having the conflict and the events taking place in the public eye is also a different spin on the previous books and you have to wonder how that is going to go down in the future books though the hints are that it is clearly necessary! :D
Dark Fire really keeps you guessing what is up but at the same time it lays down new plot points all the place that literally open up or a can of worms or more truly dragons! :D It is intriguing cleverly written and has humour all the way through the complements the action brilliantly! :D Dark Fire also is not against poking fun at itself which will have you laughing away! :D At the same time it sends out a good strong eco theme as well and that is neatly written into the book! :D Dark Fire is clever, funny, observant and action packed and highly recommended crisp high five! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2012
Dark Fire is a magical book about dragons. It is the 5th book in Last Dragon Chronicles series. I could not put it down! I give it four stars because makes you think differently about dragons but leaves you wanting more. This is probably my favorite in the series but I haven’t read the rest yet so I’ll have to find out! The book starts out with the main character coming back. In the second book the auma of the last dragon gets pumped into him. So now he is part dragon. He is trying to defeat this dark matter called the ix. His daughter becomes a magical creature that I wont tell you what. It seemed every time they fix a problem a new one would start so you couldn’t put it down. You have to read the others before for this one to make sense. It is wonderful so read Dark Fire today!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2016
Well. I am unsure what possessed me to give the fourth book four stars--I must have been in a really good and indulgent mood the day I finished it. I'm going to go and fix that as soon as I finish this. I'm pretty sure I gave the first three books more stars than they deserved too, but that can be put down to my high school naiveté when it came to quality writing.
I'm coming off harsh, aren't I? Perhaps it was reading this too soon after the fourth book that put me over the edge. I somehow managed to tolerate The Fire Eternal, reminding myself that it is junior fiction and had I read it when I was ten I'm sure I'd have loved it.
Now, though? The poor writing quality that grated my nerves once in a while in the first few books actually began to physically pain me by the end of this one. I think it's because I want so badly for the books to be so good, because of the one good thing about them--the little clay dragons. They had so much potential.
I've always recognized that Chris D'Lacey can't write realistic dialogue, so that came as no surprise. The incredible thing is how incredibly ignorant he is of the true complexities of human beings--like his characters are incredibly flat. Especially the women (other than perhaps Liz, but we hardly get to see her in action in this).
I'll start with Lucy, as she was the character who most ruined The Fire Eternal and Dark Fire for me. Let's just say there are very few middle-aged male writers who can write a well-rounded, authentic and believable teenaged girl, and Chris D'Lacey is most definitely not one of them. At first I was just like, oh, he's forgotten that this is five years later and he's writing her the same way he wrote her when she was eleven (which even then her voice and behaviour were far too young for her age). But then, no, teenage Lucy is literally the most stereotypical of stereotypical wishy washy sixteen year old girl characters and it was actually exhausting to plod through her ridiculousness. If you don't understand what I mean by that, let's see: She constantly described as having her earbuds in, she complains about literally everything (like seriously you're a freaking beautiful magical girl surrounded by dragons and people who love you SHUT UP ABOUT HOW LONG THE FREAKING ROAD TRIP TO THE FREAKING MAGICAL HILL IS TAKING), she's constantly saying she's bored (how can you possibly be bored with all of this overcrazed drama happening around you), she literally does nothing useful ever except by accident, her text talk is EXACTLY what all middle-aged people seem to think teens' text talk is like, and so on and so forth... And all of her dialogue sounds like its being spoken by a five year old.
The other female character who began to bug me a lot in this book was Zanna. I realized part way into Dark Fire that Zanna is pretty much the only character whose clothing is described, and it's described often and in a way that has absolutely no relevance to the plot. Literally just a reminder of how beautiful she is, if you forgot the last five hundred times her beauty was described. It's really irritating how beautiful every character in these books is, like come on Mr. D'Lacey, have some imagination.
Speaking of imagination, can we talk about the plot? Like what is even happening in these books any more? I feel like he wrote the first book without really having the others planned out and then literally made them up as he went along. That's what it feels like when you're reading them. The introduction of the Fain way back when and the Ix in the last book was all just so random and unnecessary... and now there are far too many non-human characters who were supposed to be human but are just weird mixes of different things (case and point: Alexa, David, Lucy, Joseph Henry-Gwillan, Tam). The story is put together in a very haphazard and sloppy way and I don't know if I can handle it for another book... or two... how many are there?
This book also got surprisingly graphic--especially for a children's book--and completely unnecessarily so. I have no idea what he was thinking talking about people's innards spilling out when impaled and so forth... he got a little carried away, I'd say.
Ultimately, the thing that made me love the first book is no longer enough to make me force myself through any more of this drudgery. It's what I mentioned before as being the only good thing about these books: the Pennykettle dragons. They are the only aspect of the books that are completely flawless. They are all adorable and I love their voices and personalities and how they each have a different function and their concern for their people and each other is just beautiful and I want them. But the books are barely even about them any more, so... goodbye.
Yeah, you can argue that it's Children's Literature and therefore doesn't have to be on par with the Greats, but come on. You know there is a lot of really excellent junior fiction out there (Jerry Spinelli, L. Frank Baum, Frances Hodgson Burnett, E. Nesbit, Patricia C. Wrede, Philippa Pearce, Gregory Hughes, Neil Gaiman, Kit Pearson, Roald Dahl, freaking Jo Rowling, Angie Sage, Lisa Graff, Blue Balliett, Rick Riordan, Anne Ursu, Cornelia Funke, E. B. White, Kenneth Grahame, Lauren Oliver, and so on and so on and so on), brilliantly written, exceedingly creative and full, so I'm done with putting up with this sort of twaddle. It will not be included on my future classroom's bookshelves.
I don't think I've torn up a book this much in a review since the legendary critique of The Prince of Neither Here Nor There in 2012. To be fair to Chris D'Lacey, he's not quite down at that level (hence the two stars instead of one). It's that soft spot I have for the clay dragons. Makes me feel very conflicted.
You, of course, are free to have your own opinions on the matter. I wouldn't have an issue with my children reading this if they chose... they can discover its many flaws as they grow older just as I did.
I'm coming off harsh, aren't I? Perhaps it was reading this too soon after the fourth book that put me over the edge. I somehow managed to tolerate The Fire Eternal, reminding myself that it is junior fiction and had I read it when I was ten I'm sure I'd have loved it.
Now, though? The poor writing quality that grated my nerves once in a while in the first few books actually began to physically pain me by the end of this one. I think it's because I want so badly for the books to be so good, because of the one good thing about them--the little clay dragons. They had so much potential.
I've always recognized that Chris D'Lacey can't write realistic dialogue, so that came as no surprise. The incredible thing is how incredibly ignorant he is of the true complexities of human beings--like his characters are incredibly flat. Especially the women (other than perhaps Liz, but we hardly get to see her in action in this).
I'll start with Lucy, as she was the character who most ruined The Fire Eternal and Dark Fire for me. Let's just say there are very few middle-aged male writers who can write a well-rounded, authentic and believable teenaged girl, and Chris D'Lacey is most definitely not one of them. At first I was just like, oh, he's forgotten that this is five years later and he's writing her the same way he wrote her when she was eleven (which even then her voice and behaviour were far too young for her age). But then, no, teenage Lucy is literally the most stereotypical of stereotypical wishy washy sixteen year old girl characters and it was actually exhausting to plod through her ridiculousness. If you don't understand what I mean by that, let's see: She constantly described as having her earbuds in, she complains about literally everything (like seriously you're a freaking beautiful magical girl surrounded by dragons and people who love you SHUT UP ABOUT HOW LONG THE FREAKING ROAD TRIP TO THE FREAKING MAGICAL HILL IS TAKING), she's constantly saying she's bored (how can you possibly be bored with all of this overcrazed drama happening around you), she literally does nothing useful ever except by accident, her text talk is EXACTLY what all middle-aged people seem to think teens' text talk is like, and so on and so forth... And all of her dialogue sounds like its being spoken by a five year old.
The other female character who began to bug me a lot in this book was Zanna. I realized part way into Dark Fire that Zanna is pretty much the only character whose clothing is described, and it's described often and in a way that has absolutely no relevance to the plot. Literally just a reminder of how beautiful she is, if you forgot the last five hundred times her beauty was described. It's really irritating how beautiful every character in these books is, like come on Mr. D'Lacey, have some imagination.
Speaking of imagination, can we talk about the plot? Like what is even happening in these books any more? I feel like he wrote the first book without really having the others planned out and then literally made them up as he went along. That's what it feels like when you're reading them. The introduction of the Fain way back when and the Ix in the last book was all just so random and unnecessary... and now there are far too many non-human characters who were supposed to be human but are just weird mixes of different things (case and point: Alexa, David, Lucy, Joseph Henry-Gwillan, Tam). The story is put together in a very haphazard and sloppy way and I don't know if I can handle it for another book... or two... how many are there?
This book also got surprisingly graphic--especially for a children's book--and completely unnecessarily so. I have no idea what he was thinking talking about people's innards spilling out when impaled and so forth... he got a little carried away, I'd say.
Ultimately, the thing that made me love the first book is no longer enough to make me force myself through any more of this drudgery. It's what I mentioned before as being the only good thing about these books: the Pennykettle dragons. They are the only aspect of the books that are completely flawless. They are all adorable and I love their voices and personalities and how they each have a different function and their concern for their people and each other is just beautiful and I want them. But the books are barely even about them any more, so... goodbye.
Yeah, you can argue that it's Children's Literature and therefore doesn't have to be on par with the Greats, but come on. You know there is a lot of really excellent junior fiction out there (Jerry Spinelli, L. Frank Baum, Frances Hodgson Burnett, E. Nesbit, Patricia C. Wrede, Philippa Pearce, Gregory Hughes, Neil Gaiman, Kit Pearson, Roald Dahl, freaking Jo Rowling, Angie Sage, Lisa Graff, Blue Balliett, Rick Riordan, Anne Ursu, Cornelia Funke, E. B. White, Kenneth Grahame, Lauren Oliver, and so on and so on and so on), brilliantly written, exceedingly creative and full, so I'm done with putting up with this sort of twaddle. It will not be included on my future classroom's bookshelves.
I don't think I've torn up a book this much in a review since the legendary critique of The Prince of Neither Here Nor There in 2012. To be fair to Chris D'Lacey, he's not quite down at that level (hence the two stars instead of one). It's that soft spot I have for the clay dragons. Makes me feel very conflicted.
You, of course, are free to have your own opinions on the matter. I wouldn't have an issue with my children reading this if they chose... they can discover its many flaws as they grow older just as I did.
May 8, 2020
This is probably my fifth or sixth reread of this book. Out of the entire series, Dark Fire is the peaking point. This is a such a delightful read with teen angst from Lucy, classic Liz behaviour, annoying tension between David and Zanna, and a heartbreaking death or two. Yes, this book remains my favourite of the series. I look forward to my next reread.
January 3, 2020
4.5/5 stars.
I didn't quite like how they put so many characters in different chapters instead of all being together, but I do kind of like how they were all brave and nice and how nobody got hurt.
I didn't quite like how they put so many characters in different chapters instead of all being together, but I do kind of like how they were all brave and nice and how nobody got hurt.
November 18, 2012
So it had taken me a few days to finally fathom my thoughts about this one. And I've gotta say, this was another bad yet kinda good in some way episode.
The fifth installment of the Last Dragon Chronicles had just gotten a bit darker and actually contained a number of unfortunate demise. But I've only had those doleful moments rather transient 'cause I just wasn't getting it. Not only did it have a BUNCH of plot lines to follow (which you'll be lost wandering in case you had missed something), but the intensity of those subplots had escalated quite quickly which left me turn the pages forthwith and contemplating about what had just happened and what'd happen next. I think that's a good thing, really. LOL. Props to the author for making that happen. But anyway, it had certainly taken the previous book up a notch albeit it's not quite there yet where I'm so WOW-ed up to my core. But I'm hoping it'll get better and better for the end of the series is finally approaching. Also, I'd like to mention this one moment in the book where David Rain (oops) was thinking back to the time when he was just a normal guy who applied as a tenant in the Pennykettle household, and then kinda got involved with the history of dragons which apparently is of great importance. He was like saying goodbye to the world or something. It was a bit melodramatic but I liked it, anyway. LOL.
I've actually started reading Fire World, the next book in the series; and I'm liking it so far. I hope it just gets better eventually. No more confusing subplots though I know d'Lacey's writing-style can be really confusing at times. But I've somehow learned to forgive him for that. Ha-ha. Just don't kill my precious clay dragons. I love 'em.
The fifth installment of the Last Dragon Chronicles had just gotten a bit darker and actually contained a number of unfortunate demise. But I've only had those doleful moments rather transient 'cause I just wasn't getting it. Not only did it have a BUNCH of plot lines to follow (which you'll be lost wandering in case you had missed something), but the intensity of those subplots had escalated quite quickly which left me turn the pages forthwith and contemplating about what had just happened and what'd happen next. I think that's a good thing, really. LOL. Props to the author for making that happen. But anyway, it had certainly taken the previous book up a notch albeit it's not quite there yet where I'm so WOW-ed up to my core. But I'm hoping it'll get better and better for the end of the series is finally approaching. Also, I'd like to mention this one moment in the book where David Rain (oops) was thinking back to the time when he was just a normal guy who applied as a tenant in the Pennykettle household, and then kinda got involved with the history of dragons which apparently is of great importance. He was like saying goodbye to the world or something. It was a bit melodramatic but I liked it, anyway. LOL.
I've actually started reading Fire World, the next book in the series; and I'm liking it so far. I hope it just gets better eventually. No more confusing subplots though I know d'Lacey's writing-style can be really confusing at times. But I've somehow learned to forgive him for that. Ha-ha. Just don't kill my precious clay dragons. I love 'em.
Read
June 22, 2010I was eagerly awaiting this book. It was as compelling as the others in the series and had some of the lighter magical appeal of the first but there were some truly frightening scenes in there..
Don't want to give away the ending but it easily opens to a 6th book for this series. Very unsettling end.
I find the spiritual and physics elements of this series very intriguing. The way characters move through time rifts and space is enviable. Just imagine what we could accomplish if we didn't always have to factor in travel time? Altough, as a literature student many, many moons ago, I always used the travel time to catch up on my reading and now, as a mother of five, I use it to do some quiet thinking, and often some one-on-one bonding. I guess I do value my travel time after all:)
The mysteries around the Pennykettles continue to unfold. While some important questions are answered, many more are presented for us to puzzle over. Lucy goes on yet another adventure where her red hair is the key and the question of who to trust is as urgent as ever.
Don't want to give away the ending but it easily opens to a 6th book for this series. Very unsettling end.
I find the spiritual and physics elements of this series very intriguing. The way characters move through time rifts and space is enviable. Just imagine what we could accomplish if we didn't always have to factor in travel time? Altough, as a literature student many, many moons ago, I always used the travel time to catch up on my reading and now, as a mother of five, I use it to do some quiet thinking, and often some one-on-one bonding. I guess I do value my travel time after all:)
The mysteries around the Pennykettles continue to unfold. While some important questions are answered, many more are presented for us to puzzle over. Lucy goes on yet another adventure where her red hair is the key and the question of who to trust is as urgent as ever.
June 15, 2010
It's a really good book so far! The only problem for me, was that it's been like a year since I finished reading "The Fire Eternal" so I got confused at times. Other than that, it's really cool how there's all these relationships between humans, dragons, and polar bears! I'm definitely going to read the whole series over again to make everything more clear. Amazing book, hope it's not the last!!
December 5, 2014
This book is a very good book. Action, because there is lots of fighting. Mystery, because there is lots secrets. Comody because of the way they are to each other. I read 6 of the books in this series. One of the best series I had read in a long time. Do you like any type of mystery, action, or comody? Then this is the book for you.
June 4, 2017
MY FAVORITE BOOK OUT OF THE SERIES. All of the details you know comes together but leaves you wanting more in the next book. It shows you the deep and scary things that are behind David's world. Really intense, and is definitely a book for those people like I who LOVE action!
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October 30, 2018The main characters get stuck in a time rift after the final battle
May 24, 2024
loved it and the ending was WILD but someone pls explain how this is a middle grade book
June 10, 2024
I read these as they came out in middle school, and loved them to pieces.
July 21, 2012
Just realised I have in fact read this one aready, but re-read it anyway. I find the dragon names irrtating and I enjoyed this less on a re-read: too much direct speech and not enough narrative. It is a strange series - I becomes more YA as it goes along and some of the ideas and references are quite complicated or sophisticated.
I'm not alays convinced Chris D'Lacey know where his narrative was going to end when he started the series or that might be because I read the first few in the wrong order and got confused, but essentially the world as we know it is ending and will be restructured with dragons (constructs from another world) re-emerging to engage in a universal war of good (represented by the Fain) and evil (embodied through the Ix)focussed around eatth and the human race.
It ends with the beginning of the final battle/cliff hanger leading to the last book.
Confusing at times.
I'm not alays convinced Chris D'Lacey know where his narrative was going to end when he started the series or that might be because I read the first few in the wrong order and got confused, but essentially the world as we know it is ending and will be restructured with dragons (constructs from another world) re-emerging to engage in a universal war of good (represented by the Fain) and evil (embodied through the Ix)focussed around eatth and the human race.
It ends with the beginning of the final battle/cliff hanger leading to the last book.
Confusing at times.
March 3, 2023
2023 review:
...Everything had been so wonderful then. Conker. Mr Bacon being grumpy. Gadzooks on David's windowsill. The birthday gift of Snigger and the Nutbeast. The library gardens. Sophie...
such a wonderful book!!! it’s always meant so much to me. possibly my favourite in the series, though i say that about every one i read. zanna spends this book trying to understand what exactly david is, whether his love was real, and i like to think that it really was.
this one is far darker than the ones before: rather gory at times, and much greater threats. but mixed in with this is the absolute sweetness of lucy’s relationships with both tam and david; she runs to david for comfort like a younger sister, and her teenage crush on tam is very cute. onto the next!
David's eyes slipped into their scalene profile [...] "I owe a great debt to Liz and Lucy. They taught me what it's like to feel human, Tam."
...Everything had been so wonderful then. Conker. Mr Bacon being grumpy. Gadzooks on David's windowsill. The birthday gift of Snigger and the Nutbeast. The library gardens. Sophie...
such a wonderful book!!! it’s always meant so much to me. possibly my favourite in the series, though i say that about every one i read. zanna spends this book trying to understand what exactly david is, whether his love was real, and i like to think that it really was.
this one is far darker than the ones before: rather gory at times, and much greater threats. but mixed in with this is the absolute sweetness of lucy’s relationships with both tam and david; she runs to david for comfort like a younger sister, and her teenage crush on tam is very cute. onto the next!
David's eyes slipped into their scalene profile [...] "I owe a great debt to Liz and Lucy. They taught me what it's like to feel human, Tam."
September 10, 2020
I have hit a slight bump in the road in this series. The trouble I'm having is that this series started very slowly and very quaintly and then as of the third book all hell broke loose. I enjoyed the cataclysm, however it feels slightly like the story has outgrown the characters so now they're all acting out of character because of necessity. They have changed drastically since the first book, too much for my liking and the tone of the series has also gotten a lot older. Therefore this is a series you probably should't binge read but also too much goes on in them for the reader to easily remember all that happened in previous books. I enjoy the concepts and I loved the characters as they were, I hope they become better balanced soon and I also hope this is just a dip in the road. At the moment I do think this is a hard series to pitch to kids because of it being a cute little middle grade in the first one and now it is so much more complex and serious.
July 20, 2016
The fifth book in the Last Dragon Chronicles. David Rain has returned and so have the dragons. Can David and his friends manage to free the dragons and defeat the Ix before the evil race manages to create a darkling? It's a race against time and the lives of everyone David loves, as well as the planet itself hangs in the balance. This book has much more action than the previous installments. The ending leaves you wondering if there will be a book six.
February 17, 2012
This is the only book in this series I have read recently, so it's the only one I have criticism of. I have come to not like d'Lacey's writing anymore. He adds too many types of animals and connections to the earth in each book, so it's hard to remember every animal in the later books. When I was reading the earlier books, they were so epic because I was a little kid. I never really understood why David did all the crazy things he did.
June 10, 2019
this series is getting exhausting now. for some reason I thought this was the last book and I was so glad to be done, but theres ANOTHER that I have to read! I sure hope thats the end of it. I’m disappointed - I loved these books in school but never got to finish the series, so when I got a library card I was full of excitement at finally rereading and finishing one of my favourite nostalgic series. but now I’m just tired.
October 21, 2021
Kind of enjoyed the concept of the dragons being apart of the normal world but I didn't enjoy how the book played out as well. The ending was kind of weird too. I know that the next two books take place in an alternative timeliness pr something, but I wouldn't know by reading. Plus, I was kind of enjoying the polar bears and the Inuit legend aspect rather than David being some sort of gate between dragons and humans.
April 29, 2018
This book is the fifth in its series and it is not as good as the previous books. The book just became too confusing. The author of this book adds too many connections to animals which makes the book harder to understand. The book is good in some parts since this includes lots of detail. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
August 30, 2020
I have no words....this one is the best one yet. It kept my attention from start to finish. The ending was mind blowing. I'm still trying to comprehend it. Absolutely loved this one. Can't wait to read the next one.
April 17, 2013
this book was magical. I couldn't put it down. I read it nonstop I didn't even stop to eat dinner. I love these books.
August 19, 2017
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I found this series fascinating, magical, and entertaining.
I found this series fascinating, magical, and entertaining.
Read
November 15, 2019IT was great, Excpet the ending.
November 10, 2021
So... this series is absolutely the weirdest fucking thing I've ever had the misfortune of thinking I would like as a kid. I was a child myself when I picked out these books to buy and read, and let me tell you. There is no way in any universe I would have enjoyed these as a kid. Not the first three which were just an abject disaster. Not these next four from what has been set up in these two that I've read.
I thought it was bad when there were squirrels and dragons and witches. Then it got really weird with the addition of bears and this weird concept of fictionalizing a real crisis with climate change. No. That's not even where the weirdness really started. I think it really started in the second book, where you learn that these people aren't even people and somehow are automatically created via an egg and hatched by their mom going into a coma or something while the witches just watch.
Then we get around to the main guy dying and coming back in the fourth book because HE was never really a person and is actually like a dragon, bear, human, alien hybrid. Yeah, there are aliens. Two different kinds that are invisible by the way. The "daughter" he had with the one character that was kinda actually okay (who becomes a witch, because plot, also is relegated to mother of next plot device in fourth book); yeah, that daughter is actually an alien that is actually an "angel" that will harken in a "new age" for the planet and save the world... at like... 5 years old. Yeah. Also there are unicorns.
The annoying little kid in the first three books grows up into an absolute wreck of an annoyance in these next four. Who is in love with a mid-20s reporter from Scotland, who was like, banished, DESERVEDLY by the mother of angel witch lady. But, oooooh noooo, we had to bring this weirdo back, and OF COURSE he has to be weirder now as well, not just a near pedophile, no. Let's make him into some sort of guardian for the annoying teen who now has two bear spirits inside his palms. Let's also just retcon the whole flirting with a teenager while being a mid-20 year old. I get that the annoying teen can be in love with him, that's fine, that's actually normal.
Is there anything else? The squirrels still keep popping up. No joke. I thought they were a gimmick for the first book, but no, they're still popping up as something needed this far along. Dragons, witches, bears, squirrels, aliens, "angels"... oh yeah, there are unicorns too. Which somehow is actually something that seems like the least wildest thing here. It's not that all these things are IN there (other than the aliens and angels... seriously?); it's that they are wildly important to a series that's supposed to be about dragons and ends up being surprisingly not about any of that, but about CLIMATE CHANGE with a side of the world is changing.
At this point I'm just reading to see how messed up all this is going to become and for punishment to show myself that really, you can't trust a book cover or anything that's written as "praise" about a book. "The Last Dragon Chronicles" give me a break. There are like 57 dragons and like 23 of those weird dragon humans and a good handful of witches. Witches aren't called witches, they're called sibyls by the way. I always thought don't judge a book by it's cover meant don't look at a book that's all worn down and old and not read it just because of that. No, it means don't fall for the pretty covers and think that it's gonna be good because they spent a good chunk of time trying to make a good cover. I also can't pinpoint why any of the covers are the way they are. They're just like... yeah let's do red here, oh, and let's make this one gold, how about a white one because this is when I'm gonna start writing about climate change in a fictional way so that it kinda comes off as something not important and all we need to do is wait for dragons to save us. Not to mention the annoying teenage girl says something like: Oh, they described the dragon as having the color of clay, which means they are more legit and I'm inclined to believe them because OF COURSE dragons aren't red. Yet there are two books with red dragons on the cover.
I'm absolutely flabbergasted with how this one ends as well. I'm guessing everyone who matters is now written into a story, by the dragon Gadzooks, which by the way, the explanation of why dragon names start with a "G" is because the first dragon's name was something that started with a G. And now dragons all worship the shape of the letter "G" and having a "G" in their name is some type of honor. If everyone has a "G" in their name then nobody does, you know? If everyone is special, nobody is and everyone is just annoying.
WHAT IS THIS BOOK? WHAT IS THIS SERIES? WHAT AM I DOING READING THIS TRASH STILL???
I thought it was bad when there were squirrels and dragons and witches. Then it got really weird with the addition of bears and this weird concept of fictionalizing a real crisis with climate change. No. That's not even where the weirdness really started. I think it really started in the second book, where you learn that these people aren't even people and somehow are automatically created via an egg and hatched by their mom going into a coma or something while the witches just watch.
Then we get around to the main guy dying and coming back in the fourth book because HE was never really a person and is actually like a dragon, bear, human, alien hybrid. Yeah, there are aliens. Two different kinds that are invisible by the way. The "daughter" he had with the one character that was kinda actually okay (who becomes a witch, because plot, also is relegated to mother of next plot device in fourth book); yeah, that daughter is actually an alien that is actually an "angel" that will harken in a "new age" for the planet and save the world... at like... 5 years old. Yeah. Also there are unicorns.
The annoying little kid in the first three books grows up into an absolute wreck of an annoyance in these next four. Who is in love with a mid-20s reporter from Scotland, who was like, banished, DESERVEDLY by the mother of angel witch lady. But, oooooh noooo, we had to bring this weirdo back, and OF COURSE he has to be weirder now as well, not just a near pedophile, no. Let's make him into some sort of guardian for the annoying teen who now has two bear spirits inside his palms. Let's also just retcon the whole flirting with a teenager while being a mid-20 year old. I get that the annoying teen can be in love with him, that's fine, that's actually normal.
Is there anything else? The squirrels still keep popping up. No joke. I thought they were a gimmick for the first book, but no, they're still popping up as something needed this far along. Dragons, witches, bears, squirrels, aliens, "angels"... oh yeah, there are unicorns too. Which somehow is actually something that seems like the least wildest thing here. It's not that all these things are IN there (other than the aliens and angels... seriously?); it's that they are wildly important to a series that's supposed to be about dragons and ends up being surprisingly not about any of that, but about CLIMATE CHANGE with a side of the world is changing.
At this point I'm just reading to see how messed up all this is going to become and for punishment to show myself that really, you can't trust a book cover or anything that's written as "praise" about a book. "The Last Dragon Chronicles" give me a break. There are like 57 dragons and like 23 of those weird dragon humans and a good handful of witches. Witches aren't called witches, they're called sibyls by the way. I always thought don't judge a book by it's cover meant don't look at a book that's all worn down and old and not read it just because of that. No, it means don't fall for the pretty covers and think that it's gonna be good because they spent a good chunk of time trying to make a good cover. I also can't pinpoint why any of the covers are the way they are. They're just like... yeah let's do red here, oh, and let's make this one gold, how about a white one because this is when I'm gonna start writing about climate change in a fictional way so that it kinda comes off as something not important and all we need to do is wait for dragons to save us. Not to mention the annoying teenage girl says something like: Oh, they described the dragon as having the color of clay, which means they are more legit and I'm inclined to believe them because OF COURSE dragons aren't red. Yet there are two books with red dragons on the cover.
I'm absolutely flabbergasted with how this one ends as well. I'm guessing everyone who matters is now written into a story, by the dragon Gadzooks, which by the way, the explanation of why dragon names start with a "G" is because the first dragon's name was something that started with a G. And now dragons all worship the shape of the letter "G" and having a "G" in their name is some type of honor. If everyone has a "G" in their name then nobody does, you know? If everyone is special, nobody is and everyone is just annoying.
WHAT IS THIS BOOK? WHAT IS THIS SERIES? WHAT AM I DOING READING THIS TRASH STILL???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2023
'Dark Fire' I would say is the best installment in the series so far. This book is definitely a step up from the last two installments, which were both okay but ultimately held back by their own specific flaws, with 'Fire star' being a little too long while have a relatively messy structure, and 'Fire Eternal' not really doing anything to warrant its own existence since it didn't really feel like the characters or the story itself really accomplished much by the end. Now, I'm glade to say that 'Dark Fire' doesn't really suffer from any of these problems. It only seems to have two, possibly three, main plot lines, and actually does quite a few things that actually shake up the world and characters of this series; like the dragons returning to Earth and attempting to establish a colony; Tam now having the power of the polar bears that David gave to him; David's daughter being revealed to be some kind of dragon-human hybrid; and David himself being revealed to be a Fain creature that was given a human body. The book also ended on a pretty big cliffhanger, with the fire inside the core of the Earth seemingly being corrupted by the Dark Fire and most of the main characters being teleported away to some unknown location, which I found pretty enticing.
Now, there are few gripes that I had with this book, but they're pretty miner compared to the stuff I did like. These gripes include the fact that the reveal of David being a Fain construct was revealed in the very first chapter of the book, which was a bit jarring; that towards the end so much stuff was happening in the last few chapters that it started to feel a little like narrative overload; and few events in the story that were probably meant to be serious or awe inspiring, but just came off as silly or unintentionally hilarious. Like I said before though, these gripes don't take much from the rest of the book, and are pretty miner in retrospect.
Before I give my final statement on this book, I just want to make a quick note of some things I found interesting about d'Lacey's style of writing. As you read through one of his stories you'll start picking up on what it's about and begin building expectations of what that story is about; however, halfway or three quarters of the way through the plot, d'Lacey will throw you a narrative curveball that warps or completely shatters those expectations you built up. These "curveballs" can for the better or worse, but usually for the better in my opinion. The other thing I want to note about d'Lacey's writing is that while the man seems to prefer the fantasy genre, it really seems like the guy would do pretty good at writing science fiction. Given how this series has incorporated traditionally sci-fi concepts like alternate dimensions, transcendent aliens, and exotic dark matter; I could really see this man writing a book for the 'Star Wars' or even 'Halo' franchise, but that's just my takeaway.
Now, at the time of me writing this I would say that 'Dark Fire' is the peak of the series so far. It doesn't suffer from the same problems as the last two books, but it also has relatively high concepts and an energizing story that elevates it above the first two book. This story could be a good time for most general readers.
Now, there are few gripes that I had with this book, but they're pretty miner compared to the stuff I did like. These gripes include the fact that the reveal of David being a Fain construct was revealed in the very first chapter of the book, which was a bit jarring; that towards the end so much stuff was happening in the last few chapters that it started to feel a little like narrative overload; and few events in the story that were probably meant to be serious or awe inspiring, but just came off as silly or unintentionally hilarious. Like I said before though, these gripes don't take much from the rest of the book, and are pretty miner in retrospect.
Before I give my final statement on this book, I just want to make a quick note of some things I found interesting about d'Lacey's style of writing. As you read through one of his stories you'll start picking up on what it's about and begin building expectations of what that story is about; however, halfway or three quarters of the way through the plot, d'Lacey will throw you a narrative curveball that warps or completely shatters those expectations you built up. These "curveballs" can for the better or worse, but usually for the better in my opinion. The other thing I want to note about d'Lacey's writing is that while the man seems to prefer the fantasy genre, it really seems like the guy would do pretty good at writing science fiction. Given how this series has incorporated traditionally sci-fi concepts like alternate dimensions, transcendent aliens, and exotic dark matter; I could really see this man writing a book for the 'Star Wars' or even 'Halo' franchise, but that's just my takeaway.
Now, at the time of me writing this I would say that 'Dark Fire' is the peak of the series so far. It doesn't suffer from the same problems as the last two books, but it also has relatively high concepts and an energizing story that elevates it above the first two book. This story could be a good time for most general readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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