Sword Quest (Swordbird Series) » (Bargain)

Nancy Yi Fan is the New York Times bestselling author of Swordbird. Her Chinese translation of Swordbird was published in a bilingual edition. Nancy spent the first part of her childhood in China, where she was born in 1993. Birds, a lifelong passion of the author's, provided the inspiration for her novels. When she isn't talking and writing to readers worldwide, Nancy gets straight A's in school, practices martial arts, and takes very good care of her pet lovebirds, Ever-sky, Pandora, and Dippler. She lives in Florida with her parents.

One magical sword. Two rivals.

Wind-voice the half-dove, formerly enslaved, is now free, and Maldeor, the one-winged archaeopteryx, hungers for supreme power. The adversaries will both embark on their own epic quest to find the sword that will determine the future of birdkind. An exciting prequel to the New York Times bestseller Swordbird.

VOYA

Long ago, the Great Spirit of the birds, saddened because of incessant war and strife, cried tears that transformed into gemstones when they fell from the heavens. In the land below, an avian blacksmith fashioned a sword with a sacred gemstone at its hilt. The communities that received the jewels guarded them as treasure until the power-hungry archaeopteryxes began to steal them. In a shadowy realm, an exiled bird forged a bond with a ghostly menace in exchange for a chance to regain his glory and ruin his opponents. Now prophecies abound that on Hero's Day, a messianic bird will appear to wield the sword and save them all. Wind-voice the slave bands together with his friends to find the remaining stones. In an epic struggle for the treasure, friends become enemies, enemies forge alliances, and every bird stands for himself. Sadly this sequel to Fan's avian saga Swordbird (HarperCollins, 2007/VOYA April 2007) will not ensnare new aficionados to the talking-animal genre. The book has similar elements that made its predecessor successful-a dictatorial overlord and a humble hero accompanied by wacky, intrepid friends. Yet the book combines the overabundance of winsome characters with an overwrought narrative and flimsy allegory. It verges on hagiography to the extent that Wind-voice is tiresomely good, noble, and boring. Dastardly opponent Maldeor, while not victorious, is at least interesting. Short chapters and copious illustrations make this one a speedy, although uncompelling, read. Save some money unless fans request this one. Reviewer: Angelica Delgado