The Obsidian Quest - Laraine Anne Barker Book Review

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"The Obsidian Quest"
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Review Summaries

" Hard Shell Word Factory, Jan 2004, 163 pp. ISBN: 0759904987 While his stepfather is away on business in Australia, twelve years old Peter FitzArthur visits his Uncle Paul and Aunt Angela Merrilyn in New Zealand. Angela's twin sister Marian was Peter's deceased mother so they share their grief though several years have passed since the car accident took her life. Peter and Paul's dog Dreyfus wander around the land exploring as lads often do. However, someone abducts Peter, trying to determine if the youngster is the one to find King Arthur. Peter manages to escape, going back to Paul's home, but says nothing about his ordeal to his relative. When Dreyfus is injured while fighting the three headed Cerberus, Peter is forced to reveal his secret to Paul so that he can help the canine. On the trek to the spot where the canines battled, Peter and Paul find a stone wall blocking their passage. Informing his nephew that he is Merlin the Magician and persuading the lad that they have a world to save, Paul and Peter risk their lives seeking the Chosen and to reconstruct the Obsidian Orb to accomplish their quest. The story line is non stop action from the moment Peter is abducted to the final confrontation with stops in between on the globe and in time. Harriet Klausner

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Harriet Klausner, Resident Laraine Anne Barker Scholar

"When Peter comes to stay with his new-found Uncle he is astonished to discover his Uncle Paul is none other than Merlin the Enchanter, carrying on his fight against evil forces right into the 20th century. The Earthlight trilogy is full of symbolism. Young readers should gain more from it with each reading.

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Lariane Anne Barker, Resident Laraine Anne Barker Scholar

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Overall Review

Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%

Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy story on current Earth
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - a powerful magician
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - magical artifact
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a kid - a teen
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - mind reading
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - mage/magician
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount - throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Mountains - Forests
Earth setting: - 20th century - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
Is this an e-book? Yes
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript - significantly more descript than dialog

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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