Author Jasper Fforde
First published 2010
Publisher Hodder and Stoughton
A fantasy novel set in an alternate world where magic has become weakened and is being replaced by modern technology.
Story
Magic has lost its… well, magic! At Kazam, an employment agency for sorcerers, business is slow. Modern technology is replacing spells and Jennifer Strange is powerless to stop it. That is until visions of the last dragon being killed by an unnamed Dragonslayer predict a big change for Kazam and Jennifer. The only question is, just what is Big Magic?
Why we chose it
A inventive fantasy full of humour and magic.
Where it came from
Following the advice of his sister, Jasper Fforde originally wrote The Last Dragonslayer in the 1990s. It was rejected for many years. But Jasper Fforde’s agent never forgot the novel and continued submitting it until a publisher finally came on board.
Where it went next
The Last Dragonslayer won the ‘best fiction for young adults’ award in 2013 with the American Library Association. Sky adapted it into a TV movie in 2016 to great success.
Associated stories
It is the first book in ‘The Chronicles of Kazam’ fantasy series by the author. Its sequels are ‘The Song of the Quarkbeast’ (2011), and ‘The Eye of Zoltar’ (2015).
In the museum
Find Jasper Fforde’s desk in the Enchanted Library.
Author Jasper Fforde
First published 2010
Publisher Hodder and Stoughton