The Last Dragon on Mars

by Scott Reintgen

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Here be dragons, as they say, and by here, we mean in space. This high-octane blend of science fiction and fantasy is perfect for kids looking for a little Wings of Fire in their Star Wars.

“Nail-biting action scenes, relatable characters, and a fantastic new take on dragons...a thrilling ride!” —A.F. Steadman, New York Times bestselling author of the Skandar series

A boy living on Mars unexpectedly becomes a dragon rider in this “rip-roaring” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) first book in the sci-fi and fantasy mash-up The Dragonships series, sure to delight fans of Skandar and Eragon.

Keep your eyes down and your feet moving, or this planet will rust you.

That’s what Lunar Jones tells the other kids at the relocation clinic. All of them were born on Mars, a planet that never wanted people in the first place. With resources scarce and hope even scarcer, it’s easy to get distracted looking up. After all, their ancestors descended from the stars.

Martian history always starts with Earth. The first astronauts discovered that space was already occupied. Not by little green men or flying saucers. It was full of dragons. One for every moon, every planet, every star. When humanity discovered that Earth’s dragon had sacrificed herself to make their home planet habitable, they set their sights on Mars. If one dead dragon could breathe life into a world, why not create another one? Mankind won the war that followed, but with one catch. As the dragon died, he whispered a curse over Mars. The first settlers found their crops wouldn’t grow. Animals hunted them. Storms raged endlessly. It took three generations to figure out the truth: Mars was doomed.

Lunar knows all the old stories about dragons and space, but no one up there’s planning to help him or his crew. Instead, he focuses on scrapping valuable gear that the storms uncover in the war zone. Until one day, a salvaging run goes wrong. Desperate to find shelter, Lunar goes underground in a restricted zone. What he finds there, buried in the Martian dust, might just be the only hope left for a dying planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665946513
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Series:	The Dragonships Series , #1
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	10 - 18 Years

About the Author

Scott Reintgen is a former public school teacher from North Carolina. When he’s not writing, he uses his imagination to entertain his wife, Katie, and their three children. Scott is the New York Times bestselling author of the Waxways series, the Nyxia trilogy, the Dragonships series, and the Celia Cleary series for younger readers. You can find him on Instagram @Reintgen, on X @Scott_Thought, or on his website at ItsPronouncedRankin.com.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: The Martian Relocation Clinic

There’s a storm coming that looks right nasty.

It looks like a heavyweight boxer, swaggering out from the opposite corner of the world. The kind of storm that whispers “Stay down” after landing another hook across the world’s jaw. I watch the darkening vortex set its eyes on our city and know we’re in for a treat. Storms that big unearth the best treasures. Time to get moving.

I glide through the other rooms in the house, waking up the early-shifters and hushing the late-nighters. There are twelve other boys and girls who call the Martian Relocation Clinic home. It’s a garbage name, honestly. None of us have been relocated in years. The adoption list we’re on is a long one. Praying for a rich donor to come sweep us away is a waste of breath.

Calling it a “clinic” was a real choice too. That word makes it sound like we’ve got a nurse on staff who tucks kids in and makes sure everyone’s getting the right vitamin injections. But no one like that has stepped through the front door in years.

“Martian” is the only word that fits. We’re Mars-born, each and every one of us. Dusty kids with iron bones and sharp faces. Never not been in a fight. Never known a world that wasn’t trying to grind us under its heel. So far, the world hasn’t been quick enough. We’re slick like that.

“Feet off the table,” I grumble, entering the kitchen. “Sylvia, get moving. If you’re late again, they’ll pack you up and ship you out with the rest of the scrap. Hey, John, are you and that coffeepot dating? No? Well, if you’re not gonna propose, pass it over here...”

The rest of the kids shift and shuffle. I watch Sylvia tuck a piece of toast into her zip suit before ducking out the back door. John pours me a cup of coffee, but his eyes are glued to the tablet that’s self-scrolling in front of him.

“Earth is cutting us off again,” he mutters. “One month with no supplies. Guess we won’t see any dragonships in the sky for a while.”

I take the mug before he spills. “Oh yeah? Who needs Earth? Or their dragonships for that matter? We live like kings and queens out here on Mars.”

John snorts at that. All of the trade and travel between our two planets happens with the help of dragons. We learned about them in science class when we were just five years old. How human crews partner up with dragons and form flight crews. On planet, the crew rides on the back of the dragon like something out of an old-school fantasy book. But up in space, the dragons can power massive ships that fly faster than any human-made tech that exists.

Every math problem in elementary school focused on them. “If your dragonship has room for thirty passengers and one trip to Earth takes two hours—how many trips would you have to take to escort one hundred and fifty friends for a birthday party on the moon?” As a kid, I remember dreaming about that stuff. How cool it would be to board a dragonship and go to someone’s birthday in some distant part of the solar system.

These days, I know better than to dream about dragons or other worlds. The same goes for my crew here at the clinic. I want them focused on what’s right in front of them. The next shift at work. The next exam in their trade studies. The stuff that actually matters.

“This means no more chocolate,” John says.

“Never liked the stuff,” I reply. “Tastes like another world.”

“Chocolate. I’d fight every single one of you just to try some.” This comes from Muriel. Our youngest roommate. Girl is tough as nails. “Well, I guess I wouldn’t fight Lunar. If I knifed him, we’d have to find a new dad.”

I almost spit my coffee out. I’m thirteen. About to be fourteen. Not that we keep track of birthdays around here. Thirteen, and I’m getting called “Dad” at the breakfast table. It’s an insult and a compliment. Muriel grins at me over the rim of her bowl.

“Whatever,” I snipe back. “You couldn’t take me down if you tried. Look at you. Nothing but bones. I’d have you flat-backing before you reached for your belt.”

John pounds his fist twice on the table in agreement. I reach over his shoulder and swipe his screen. Away from the headlines and back to the engineering lesson he’s supposed to be studying.

“Eyes on the prize,” I say to John. “When I get back this afternoon, you better be able to walk me through Ohm’s law, forward and backward. Otherwise, I’m booting you out of this house for good.”

He reaches out and taps my coffee mug with his. I take one final sip, ruffle John’s hair, and throw a scowl at the rest of them. “For crying out loud, someone do the dishes.”

By the time I reach the back door, Muriel is already at the sink. I take one more look at the dusty group and then I’m out the door. Sometimes I wish I had more to give them than food. I wish I had words that could actually brighten their mornings. But I was never all that good at lying. Either they keep their feet moving and their stomachs full, or this planet will rust them.

Mars is a place for survivors, and that’s exactly what I am.

A survivor.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/22/2024

In this rip-roaring series launch from Reintgen (the Celia Cleary series), dragons are the living embodiment of celestial bodies; Earth is only habitable because its dragon, Gaia, sacrificed herself. A century before the tale’s start, people headed for Mars, assuming its dragon, Ares, would be similarly selfless. Ares refused, however, sparking a war that ended when the dragons of Mars’s moons killed Ares. With his dying breath, Ares turned Mars’s plants, animals, and weather against humans. Now Martian society is nearing collapse, and orphaned 13-year-old Lunar Jones must risk his life salvaging scrap to support himself. While hiding from murderous rivals, Lunar finds a secret bunker that’s home to juvenile dragon Dread and a squadron of kids training to be his flight crew. Dread has the potential to help save Mars—and wants resourceful Lunar to be the crew’s new captain. Reintgen’s latest balances fraught interpersonal drama with expertly choreographed action and gleefully imaginative worldbuilding. The keenly rendered, racially diverse cast boasts jocularity, heart, and derring-do, enthralling readers while illustrating the revolutionary power of forgiveness and teamwork. Ages 10–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"With echoes of influences as diverse as Orson Scott Card and Anne McCaffrey, this innovative adventure effortlessly draws readers into Lunar’s predicament.... The pages turn so quickly that readers will get to the end almost without realizing it—then wait eagerly for a sequel."

January/February 2025 - Horn Book Magazine

"This fantastic first entry in the Dragonship series is incredibly imaginative, combining intriguing dragon lore, fierce friendships, and full-tilt action into a whirlwind story sure to keep readers riveted. It’s part sf (dragon spaceships!), part fantasy, and all enormous fun, complete with a twist ending will leave the audience eagerly awaiting future installments."

10/01/2024 - Booklist

Nail-biting action scenes, relatable characters, and a fantastic new take on dragons—readers are in for a thrilling ride!” —A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series

From the Publisher

2024-08-03
A tenacious 13-year-old battles to save Mars, the only home he knows, in this series opener.

Lunar Jones, called “Dad” by the other orphans at the understaffed, underfunded Martian Relocation Clinic, is a scrapper in the dying Mars settlement, which is ironically named Harvest. Although the atmosphere supports human life, Martian plants, animals, and weather pose threats to survival, and the salvagers risk their lives with every expedition. A century ago, people killed Ares, Mars’ King-Dragon, hoping to make the planet “a paradise. A second version of Earth.” But that plan backfired. After a bloody attack by a rival salvage group, Lunar regains consciousness in an underground bunker, under the care of Gen. John Poppy, who’s secretly rearing a dragon named Dread. Poppy has rallied a group of young people with assorted special skills. Soon Dread will choose his dragoon, the human he bonds with for life. In the world of the story, which is reminiscent of Mad Max and Star Trek, each celestial body has its own dragon avatar. The backstory is fairly well developed, and the short chapters are packed with action. Lunar and some other key characters show positive growth, while the minor characters feel more like types. Lunar presents white; there’s some diversity in race among the supporting cast.

Fast-paced dragon flights and mid-space fights—plus underdog heroes who are easy to root for.(Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews