Reminiscent of Eragon and the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini, The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen describes mankind’s attempt to settle on Mars, a planet that never wanted people in the first place. The planet is dying, and those left behind are picking treasure from the sand in an effort to survive. According to lore, each planet in the solar system is occupied by dragons. “[Ares] was the last dragon of Mars. His death was supposed to transform Mars into a paradise. A second version of Earth. But it didn’t work” (15). Because the planet is cursed, everything on Mars is “dead set on erasing” mankind from existence. With less food, less resources, less everything, the rest of the solar system is ready to give up on Mars.
On one of his trips out into the wastes, thirteen-year-old Lunar Jones, who was named after a dragon, is attacked by another group of scrappers. Injured, he stumbles into what he believes is an abandoned military bunker. Instead, he discovers a thriving habitat occupied by a dragon named Dread and a group of hyper-organized military kids led by General John Poppy.
Besides telling Dread’s story and how he chooses Lunar as his dragoon, Reintgen shares dragon history, dragon powers, and how Poppy leads the Dread Knights in a plan to save the planet. In the process, Reintgen further imparts general life lessons about how distracted minds make mistakes or how differences in the way we grow up leave impacts, memories, and scars that uniquely shape us.
Another truth with which Reintgen leaves his reader is that about maintaining harmony through fear. Ironically, the easiest way to keep peace is with the threat of violence. We are left to ponder whether other options might provide deliverance from turbulent times. The Dread Knights have a motto: We light the way. According to Poppy, “That means two things. First, we’re brave enough to land in the darkest places. No matter how much the odds are stacked against us. We’re willing to be the first ones to arrive. The second part is that we’re willing to lead others. Lighting the way means we’re not just operating for our own benefit. We use our light—our skills and our resources and our power—to lead others into something better” (101).
It is with this hope that we ponder and plan for a more harmonious future.
- Donna