| Icefire | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Chris d'Lacey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Last Dragon Chronicles |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. |
| Publication date | October 1, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback), (Hardback) |
| Pages | 421 |
| ISBN | 9-780-43967246-7 |
| OCLC Number | 56567094 |
| LC Classification | PZ7.D6475 Ic 2005 |
| Preceded by | The Fire Within |
| Followed by | Fire Star |
Icefire is a 2003 children's fantasy novel by English author Chris d'Lacey. It is the sequel to his 2001 novel The Fire Within. It is followed by Fire Star, The Fire Eternal, Dark Fire and Fire World.
Contents |
The sequel to Chris d'Lacey's bestselling novel, The Fire Within, Icefire continues the story of student, David Rain, and his life in the Pennykettle household.
Life is not exactly normal lodging at the Pennykettles - not when you're surrounded by hundreds of clay pottery dragons. Fate seems to be dictating an unusual course for David when his college tutor Dr. Bergstrom gives him a writing project on the existence - or not - of dragons. The tantalizing prize - a fully funded research trip to the Arctic - seems just within his grasp. David starts to research the subject and soon discovers a connection between dragons and the Arctic just as it begins to snow. Is it only a coincidence? Or could deeper forces be at work? As David starts to uncover more about the dragons, he finds himself drawn down a path from which there is no going back to a time when dragons really did exist, and their secrets were guarded by the polar bears of the Arctic. If David is going to have any chance of winning the research trip, he has to open his mind to the legend of dragons and the mysterious secret of Icefire... He starts receiving messages from Lorel (a polar bear with amazing knowledge, and also the Teller of Ways who seems to have a connection with the mysterious Dr. Bergstrom). He also makes friends with a Goth at his college named Suzanna Martindale, and they eventually fall in love. Zanna is invited by David over to Liz's house, and David takes her to the Dragons' Den without permission, which results in Zanna touching a bronze egg, quickening (fertilizing) it. It becomes a real egg, with a real dragon (Grockle) in it.
Unfortunately, Grockle is born without fire. Sophie returns from a trip to Africa, with Zanna in the house. David tries to tell Sophie that Zanna is not his girlfriend. Over a walk, Sophie tells him that she cannot be with him any more, and will be going on a three year trip to Africa, and tells him to look after Zanna. Sophie takes Grace with her to Africa. David learns that he has won the chance to go to the Arctic - with Zanna. Liz has a snowball she has kept since she was a child, which is the icefire. The icefire keeps all the dragons alive for without it all the dragons made by Liz would turn to stone, lifeless.
Elizabeth Pennykettle (Liz) - The landlady and the maker of the mysterious clay dragons that come to life. Her special dragon is Guinevere.
Lucy Pennykettle - Liz's daughter, an 11-year-old girl who strongly believes in dragons but can be very mischievous. She also loves squirrels and hedgehogs and tries to find them. She can also make dragons. Her special dragon is Gwendolen. She also encourages, or "pushes" David to write stories on what animals are doing with their lives.
David Rain - The main character of the series. David is Liz's tenant and he goes to Scrubbley College. He has written a book called Snigger and the Nutbeast and tries to publish it in this book. He has a writing dragon named Gadzooks and gets a new wishing dragon named G'reth. David has a girlfriend named Sophie who has job in Africa and seems to have a love interest with Suzanna"Zanna" Martindale. David is very curious about Gawain's fire tear in this book and uses G'reth to try and find out about the tear.
Suzanna Martindale (Zanna) - Zanna is a Goth college student that falls in love with David and knows a great deal about dragons. She is a descendant of Gwendolen, and a girl with the markings of a sibyl (the Mark of Oomara). She becomes David's girlfriend. they both firgure out things together piece by piece.
Guinevere - Guinevere caught Gawain's fire tear and she is from ages long past. David learns about her when Liz tells him a story about her. and left one daughter who caries the original fire and passes it down through the years
Gwendolen - Guinevere's child, "fathered" by Gawain the dragon. Doesn't tell who her mother is, and is the ancestor of Lucy Pennykettle and Elizabeth pennykettle .
Gwilanna - An evil sibyl who helps Guinevere and conjures Gwendolen for her. Gwilanna also bewitches Grockle to become a dragon. She is always trying to bring back the dragons in some devious way. She first appears using the alias "Aunty Gwyneth."
Dr. Bergstrom - David's college professor. Has the ability to turn into a fantastic polar bear; also known as Thoran (in polar bear form). and was originally thought of as a ghost
Sophie - David's girlfriend who helped Lucy in the first book, The Fire Within, when they caught a couple of squirrels. In this book, she is away on a job at an African game reserve.
Henry Bacon - Henry is the Pennykettle's next door neighbor. David has to stay with him while Gwilanna is staying in his room. and keeps a room full of stuff on polar bear and later becomes an allied charachter
Gawain - The last real dragon of the world. and the father of gwendolen
Grockle - The "son" of Suzanna Martindale and Gawain the dragon, originally intended to be a human boy; bewitched by Gwilanna to become a dragon. and born with no fire .
G'reth - The wishing dragon. Puts David's wish out to the universe. and wishes people wouldn't use the word wish or wishes after their aftermath
Gretel - The potions dragon and servant of Gwillana.until becoming zanna's dragon
Gadzooks (Zookie) - David's story writing dragon. They seem to share a powerful connection to the universe. Gadzooks was the first one to discover Lorel's presence. and tells david things on his pad helping him to write stories
Grace - Sophie's listening dragon, who plays an important part in this book. and is traumatized in the near end.
Gruffen - A guard dragon of the Dragon's Den. always not where he is supposed to be .
Gwillan - A puffler dragon, he also enjoys cleaning, and watering plants for Liz.
Spikey - An albino hedgehog.
Ragnar - One of the legendary polar bears who has fighting scars all over him. He is said to have roared so loud that a tooth came out of his mouth, and he pounded it into the ice and it formed the island called the Tooth of Ragnar.
Lorel - The Teller of the Ways. Tries to make contact with David to give him information. He is a polar bear.
Ingavar - great descendant of Ragnar who takes the tooth of Ragnar and fuses with it so he may become the ancestor before him.
Bonnington - the Pennykettles' cat who inherits a few dragon skills after drinking some of the melted icefire. and a mischeif maker