Quadehar The Sorcerer (Book of Stars, Part 1) [Hardcover]

Erik L'homme (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

The first book in an action-packed fantasy trilogy--THE BOOK OF STARS--from an up-and-coming talented new French author.

Welcome to the island of the Ys, a piece of land lost somewhere beween the Real World and the Unsure World. On the Ys, children go to school and play games just like other children . But they also live among knights and wizards who protect them from the dark forces of the Unsure World--a place where bandits, giants, and monstrous creatures live on a treacherous landscape.
On the Ys lives is a twelve-year-old boy named Guillemot de Troil, who dreams of becoming a knight. Guillemot lives with his mother, his father having mysteriously disappeared years ago. (continued in Ext. Summary).

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Robin Penmarch, 12, is an ordinary boy, with a gang of ordinary friends, who discovers that he has an extraordinary gift for magic. His talent is observed one night by Quadehar, a powerful sorcerer who immediately takes him on as an apprentice. Robin gradually accepts his talents under Quadehar's tutelage, and learns how to control the Graphems that hold the power to controlling the universe. His world is known as "The Lost Isle" and appears to be a refuge from "The Real World," which is clearly the world we know. There is also a third place, "The Uncertain World," where an evil known as "The Shadow" resides. It is there that Robin leads his friends in search of Agatha, a nasty classmate who has been kidnapped by monsters called Gommons. L'Homme has set himself up with an almost insoluble plotting problem as all of Robin's friends end up in separate places in this world. Readers find themselves jumping around among five separate plot lines as he attempts to reunite these young people. In spite of the title, Quadehar's primary function in this story is to appear suddenly in dramatic fashion to rescue Robin at various junctures. This book is larded with exclamation points, and the breathless descriptions of the action sound more appropriate to the "Hardy Boys" than to high fantasy: "They might still make it, but only by a hair's breadth!" This story may hold some appeal for ravenous fantasy readers, but others can and should pass it by.
Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: The Chicken House; First edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 043953643X
• ISBN-13: 978-0439536431
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,640,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Well..., June 22, 2004

By 

C. Carnevale "Children's Book Reader" (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quadehar The Sorcerer (Book of Stars, Part 1) (Hardcover)

There are only a few books in my life (at least that I can remember) where I put down with the purpose of not finishing them. This was one of those books. Don't get me wrong the plot had tons of potential; it was very good sounding plot but the way the book was written was...well....bad. It's been a while since I set this book down so I don't remember the specifics. Maybe the words did not flow or the description was flat. Whatever the case, I put it down planning to never pick it up again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT HARRY POTTER BUT FUN ANYWAY, December 1, 2003

By 

Phillip B. Spotts "cintibookworm" (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quadehar The Sorcerer (Book of Stars, Part 1) (Hardcover)

This is the first book in a series, number unknown, concerning a young man and his adventures in and out of his home on the Lost Isle. Robin Penmarch is a small, puny appearing boy aged twelve whose home, the Lost Isle, is caught between the Real World, ours, and the Uncertain World. Protected by magic it has many of the Real World comforts and few of its problems.

His adventures start when it is found he has a talent for magic and becomes the apprentice to Quadehar the Sorcerer. After starting down the road to becoming a sorcerer, he and his friends, and even a few enemies, become the target of a mysterious force called the Shadow. This leads Robin and his band on some rollicking adventures in the Uncertain World trying to rescue Agatha the school bully.

All in all a decent story that should keep the attention of the pre-teen and younger teen demographic. Although I casually compared this to the Harry Potter series it really doesn't compare well. Here the focus is on the adventure and much less on the magic. For another it is a much shorter, less detailed story and far easier to read for the younger set.

The only real problem I had with this book is the author's selection of ages for the youngsters involved. I deal with twelve year olds on a daily bases and just couldn't get the age to fit the action. The dialog and reactions, especially to the girl-boy situations would be much more appropriate with fifteen to sixteen year olds. Pet peeve of mine I know but it still bugged me

Still it was a fun read that I would RECOMMEND to any youngster that likes the Harry Potter or the SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD type of stories. Personally I am looking forward to the next volume.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Prevails, November 24, 2003

By 

Kyle Kays (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quadehar The Sorcerer (Book of Stars, Part 1) (Hardcover)

This is Erik L'Homme's first novel series and hopefully not his last. Homme's Quadehar The Sorcerer catapults you and the
main character, 12 year old, Robin Penmarch and his friends into
another dimension. With his creative writing style, you are taken to a place that lies between The Real World and The Uncertain World, The Lost Isle! Here, Robin and his four friends enter a world of bandits, giants and bizarre creatures that await them. Robin is one of the good guys in a plot of good vs. evil. His ordinary life takes an eatraordinary turn
when he discovers his magical potential. His good heart,
magical talents and strong friendships find him rescuing his
nemesis, Agatha, allowing good to prevail. The five children
in this book come upon the greatest challenge of their lives. L'Homme gives us great detail, action and character development
which includes their great camaraderie. You will find yourself
cheering out loud and running to the store to buy Part Two of
the series.