Elizabeth A. Lynn Resident Scholar Profiles TOP SCHOLAR: Sharon SCHOLARS: Deby Fredericks
Would you like to be a scholar and make five dollars per review?
Click here to submit a review!
Review Summaries
"Twin sons are born to the Dragon-Lord, Kojiro Atani: Karadur and Tenjiro. Karadur, the elder by a few minutes, inherits his father's power to change into a savage dragon. Tenjiro does not. As the two boys grow to maturity, rivalry gnaws at Tenjiro, even though he has his own innate wizardly ability. Tenjiro leaves Ippa, hoping to find a teacher. He returns, subtly changed. Shortly after, Tenjiro tricks Karadur's lover, Azil, into helping him create a box of black magic, in which he seals the amulet that will permit Karadur to change shapes. Tenjiro leaves, taunting Karadur even as he forces Azil to come with him. Tenjiro and Azil vanish for three years.
During this time, the story shifts to Wolf, another shape-changer whose alternate form you can guess from his name. Wolf courts a village girl, Thea. They marry and have a son, Shem, who will one day also be a shape-changer. Evil powers are stirring in the countryside north of Ippa. Winters are longer, more terrible. Then, the wargs appear, evil wolves which destroy people and livestock with savage joy. One stormy day, Wolf finds a man nearly dead in the snow: Azil, escaped at last from Tenjiro's tortures.
Karadur knows the bad weather and wargs must be Tenjiro's work. He gathers his army, including Wolf and his friend Hawk, a lady shape-changer whose alternate form you can guess from her name. Tenjiro strikes first. Knowing, through an unwitting spy, that Wolf stands high in Karadur's army, he sends his wargs to kill Wolf and Thea and bring Shem back as a hostage. Karadur marches anyway. Along the way he is joined by a mage, Sennet. After various trials, he comes to Tenjiro's fortress and issues a challenge of single combat. The two brothers do battle, and Karadur is triumphant. He hasn't got his amulet back, though, and all seems hopeless until Sennet discovers its hiding place.
Returning to Ippa, all seems well. Only one pack of bandits is left in Karadur's domain, and he sets out to quell them. In the final pages of the book it is revealed that the bandit leader, Treion, may in fact be Karadur's half-brother, giving Karadur yet another brother to battle in future volumes of this series."
Deby Fredericks, Resident Elizabeth A. Lynn Scholar
Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!
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 - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%
Tone of book
- depressing/sad
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy world/fantasy past
Mental/magical powers focus
Yes
magical powers:
- clash between evenly matched magical power(s) (fantasy)
War or Invasion
Yes
Major kinds of combat:
- sword fights
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has magical/special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- can change shapes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- bulging muscles
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mage/magician
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- fire/thunder/weather cntrl
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Terrain
- Mountains
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- explicit references to torture
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
TOP SCHOLAR: