St. George killed his dragon -- centuries ago. But there is more to the legend. He was but one of many dragonslayers and now the task has fallen to George's last living descendant: Georgia Quincey. Unfortunately, Georgia, the last hope to stop the Dragon, is also an addict.
It's great to see ChiZine, publisher, continues to support the novella because Chasing the Dragon packs a lot of action and character into its 134 pages of text. For once we have a dark fantasy character who had a happy life (or at least did, until the monsters came). The regret, loss and determination imbued in Georgia in so short a span is quite remarkable.
Georgia's obsessive quest and her addiction run parallel. She chases the warm embrace of a heroin fix with the same passion for which she tracks her ancient nemesis. Indeed, her drug use seems to be the only thing keeping the Dragon's poison -- a reminder of their first encounter -- at bay.
Kaufmann draws dragon lore from a multitude of legends and cultures and forges it into something unique. The result is a darkly fantastic read.
| Categories: Reviews, Staff Pick, SciFi & Fantasy, Horror |
