The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin

Long before A Song of Ice and Fire which is now adapted by HBO into a dramatic series titled Game of Thrones, there was The Ice Dragon written by George R.R. Martin and was first published in 1980 in Dragons of the Light. It was then re-published by Starscape in 2007.

The story is about a little girl named Adara who was born during the coldest winter and whose mother died while giving birth to her. It’s also said that an ice dragon was seen on the night she was born. Hence explains Adara’s lack of emotion and always longing for the winter.

One winter, she finally met the ice dragon and came to tame the dragon over the years, though everyone believes that ice dragons cannot be tamed. Nobody knew of the relationship she developed with the dragon and nobody knew that she has been getting a joyride when the dragon comes for her every winter.


Like every story wherein  the main character has to face or go through something, Adara, her family and the rest of the community faced war that changed their lives forever. I wouldn’t want to spoil the story for you so I’ll leave it up to you to do the reading. :D Don’t worry as the story is so short it won’t take you 30 minute to read.


I love short stories but I cannot say that I feel the same for this one. It’s sad, if not tragic, and I don’t think it is suitable for very young readers. When you decide to let your kid read this, make sure to explain after reading that not all stories have happy endings and some good things come to an end. You may also want to tackle to your kid about emotions and the lack thereof.

Like A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin is not afraid to “kill” a great character (and possibly a crowd favorite) and that what makes him distinct from other writers. The death scene in this story may not be as unfair as Rob Stark’s death nevertheless you have to prepare your heart for it especially if you are a cry-baby. :D

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