Spiritual Journey

  There is an abundance of fiction aimed towards young adults, primarily in the media of books and film adaptations. Twilight, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, Maze Runner, all come to mind when thinking of young adult book-to-films. Most feature similar elements, such as the "chosen one" stuck in a world of fantasy or sci-fi. The Last Dragon Slayer by Jasper Fforde is another example I had not heard of before. The name alone made it more intriguing to analyze as an example of this genre. Set in modern semi-magical Britain, the teen protagonist Jennifer finds herself as an apprentice and becomes the last of the Dragon Slayers. Dragon's land is valuable in this story, and many vie to claim it for themselves. This story fits this topic's theme of understanding world complexity and presenting moral issues. The protagonist faces a world against her, and surprise surprise for a teen novel, her own government is after her after she chooses not to claim the land in their name. Her assistant betrays her, revealed to have been working for private company also trying to claim the dragon's land. Nothing quite follows the teen novel tropes and teaches the complexities of the world quite like an evil government, evil corporations, and friends that use you for their own gain, as seen in so many of these kinds of novels. Not necessarily an enjoyable read on my end, but a good read for understanding the genre of teenage spiritual education.