The Ice Dragon
AuthorGeorge R. R. Martin
IllustratorAlicia Austin
Val Lakey Lindahn and Ron Lindahn (1987)
Anne Yvonne Gilbert (2007)
Luis Royo (2014)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy
Published1980 (Dragons of Light anthology); 1987 (Portraits of His Children collection); 2007; 2014
PublisherAce Books, anthology edition; Starscape Books, 1st edition; Harper Voyager, 2nd edition
Media typeNovella

The Ice Dragon is a children's fantasy novelette by George R. R. Martin, originally published in 1980 in the Ace Books anthology Dragons of Light, as illustrated by Alicia Austin.[1] It was later included in Martin's 1987 collection Portraits of His Children, as illustrated by Val Lakey Lindahn and Ron Lindahn. The story was reworked in 2007 with artwork by Anne Yvonne Gilbert, and again in 2014 with a series of original paintings by Luis Royo.[1]

The Ice Dragon, in translated form as El dragón de hielo, won the 2004 Ignotus Award in Spain for best translated foreign short story;[2] in 2005, it was nominated for a Seiun Award in Japan for translated short story.[3]

Plot

The novella follows the story of a young girl, Adara, who befriends an ice dragon after the death of her mother.

Martin has stated on his LiveJournal blog that The Ice Dragon is not set in the same world as Westeros of A Song of Ice and Fire fame, commenting: "The world of Ice & Fire did not exist when I wrote The Ice Dragon".[4] Despite this, several press releases, book covers and commentaries have claimed that it is set in the same world.[5]

Film

In May 2018, Warner Animation Group acquired the rights to make a feature-length animated film based on the book, with Martin producing and his manager, Vince Geradis, as executive producer.[6] In October 2022, during a livestreamed interview moderated by author David Anthony Durham, Martin said that the adaptation would be going forward with Durham writing the screenplay.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Game of Thrones author George RR Martin to republish The Ice Dragon with illustrations by Luis Royo". The Independent. August 6, 2014. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2014-12-01.
  2. ^ "Premios Ignotus 2004 – Asociación Española de Fantasía, Ciencia Ficción y Terror". www.aefcft.com. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  3. ^ "Awards DRAFT | George R.R. Martin".
  4. ^ "Gary Gianni signing?". George R. R. Martin's livejournal. February 25, 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
  5. ^ "George RR Martin republishes children's book". The Guardian. August 6, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-01.
  6. ^ Kit, Borys (May 23, 2018). "George R.R. Martin's 'The Ice Dragon' to Get the Animated Movie Treatment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  7. ^ A Conversation with George R R Martin | A Celebration of the Targaryen Dynasty. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2022-10-28 – via YouTube.
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