ellaminnowpea

I don't typically read a lot of fantasy. Dragons and the like? Just not my cup of tea. But Jasper Fforde is such a clever, engaging writer that I felt I had to pick this one up.

Set in an alternate reality of Fforde's devising, this novel follows Jennifer Strange, an orphan who is indentured to an employment agency for magicians. Magic is a dying art and those contracted out by the agency find themselves responsible for casting spells to unclog drains more than anything else. Then seers begin having premonitions that the world's last dragon will soon die, and Jennifer fears that the world's remaining supply of magical power will vanish alongside him.

Then Jennifer learns that she has been destined as the Last Dragonslayer.

This is thoroughly charming and should appeal to any Fforde fan. He's so good at creating these alternate worlds that operate on their own rules without completely going off the rails of reality. He fills his novels with quirky, colorful characters and witty prose and even though this is targeting a younger audience, it's no exception. It's fun and wildly inventive. Fforde's creativity astounds me.

I don't know if I find myself wanting to read anymore dragon books anytime soon, but I very much enjoyed this beast.