The Great and Terrible Quest [Paperback]

Margaret Lovett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

Set in the late Middle Ages, a quick-witted orphan, abused by his grandfather, risks his life to care for a wounded knight who is on a quest but can't remember what he is searching for. Exciting, engrossing, enchanting!

Reading Level: Ages 11-13.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Avyx (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188784032X
• ISBN-13: 978-1887840323
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #671,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great and Terrible Quest, December 12, 2005

By 

Lisa - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great and Terrible Quest (Paperback)

This book is currently back in print. I found it for under ten dollars from Sonlight Curriculum. It's my 14 and 10 year old daughters' all-time favorite book. We actually wrote the author, who is over 90, and she very kindly wrote us a lovely letter back. It's a terrific adventure story and really stretches the imagination as you keep wondering how the characters in the book all fit together. The little boy, in his unselfishness and bravery, is a true hero.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful book for teens, December 29, 2005

By 

Margaret P. "mhp2027" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Great and Terrible Quest (Paperback)

I found this book in my local library when I was a teenager. I loved it so much that a decade later, I both remembered "The Great & Terrible Quest" and recommended it to a younger relative. He loved it so much that decades later, he both remembers it and recommends it to others. Really, how many books can you say this about, decades after you've read them?

This story centers on a young boy, an orphan, who is growing up in the care of a cruel man. The young boy helps a wounded stranger, an act of generosity and kindness, and saves the wounded stranger from his cruel guardian. The stranger is an old man who is suffering memory loss but must desperately complete a very important quest to save their country. The young boy sets off to help the old man with his quest.

"The Great and Terrible Quest" is a wonderful book, exciting and vivid, with a wonderful ending, well worth reading over and over again. This book is still in print, according to the publisher, but appears to not be available through Amazon.com at this time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Must Be Done, Can Be Done, May 8, 2008

By 

Brian Groover (Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great and Terrible Quest (Paperback)

This riveting story of a boy escaping abuse and an old man on a quest is not only a gripping read, it is a subtle declaration of the power of choice and the strength of will in making a difference between good and evil.

Set in a mythical kingdom in Middle Ages Europe, the story revolves around Trad, a ten year old boy who came to live with his evil grandfather after his parents died. Despite severe treatment and contempt from his grandfather, Trad has compassion and courage, and reaches out to help any in need.

One of those he assists is a broken old man, at the end of his strength, who thinks he is a knight on a quest. Knowing that his grandfather would kill the old man if he found him, Trad runs away with the old man to seek help for him. As their journey progresses, Trad joins the old man on his quest, and their futures are far more tangled than Trad would have guessed.

There is a mystery to unravel, and nothing is as it seems. They find themselves facing impossible odds in a larger struggle of good vs. evil, but there is an undercurrent throughout the entire book that nothing is impossible. "What must be done, can be done," is the motto of the old man, and we see in his life and that of Trad's that this is true.

Those who have lived through a time in which every day is a questionable struggle for survival will recognize the deep truth behind these words. No one is aware of just how much is humanly possible until they tackle supposedly impossible challenges with that level of determination.

There is no fairy-tale magic in this book (although there are fake magicians,) no sorcery, and no mythical beasts. Yet there is a deeper thread of purpose and conviction that is all the more wonderful and powerful for not having been propped up by anything missing from today's world.

As a story, it is magnificent. You can enjoy it even if you miss all the subtext. It never preaches at all, but the sense that good can triumph if it is absolutely determined is there.

Read this book. It not only is highly enjoyable, it just might change your life. It did mine.