Seeker: Book One of the Noble Warriors (Noble Warriors Series) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

William Nicholson (Author), Michael Page (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006 | Series: Noble Warriors Series (Book 1)

On the rocky island of Anacrea, in a garden within the great castle-monastery called the Nom, lives the All and Only, the god who made all things. He is protected by an elite band of fighter monks. These are the Nomana, the Noble Warriors. Seeker, who lives on the island, is now sixteen, at last old enough to follow his brother into the ranks of the Nomana. Far away, Morning Star, also just sixteen, is leaving home to achieve her lifelong wish to join the Nomana. And when a beautiful, violent river bandit known as the Wildman finds himself helpless before two Nomana, he, too, is determined to become a Noble Warrior. But these are dangerous times. Secret enemies have sworn to destroy Anacrea, and in the imperial city of Radiance, where human sacrifices are thrown to their deaths every evening, elaborate plans to attack the Nom are in place. Soon, in a shocking turn of events, Seeker, Morning Star, and the Wildman are caught up in a bloody and harrowing race to save the god of the Nomana – and themselves – from destruction.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–On the island of Anacrea, monks protect and serve the All and Only god, who created the world. Seeker has always wanted to be a Noble Warrior like his older brother. Morning Star, a hill girl, wants to become a fighter for justice. Wildman, a river bandit, decides he wants the peace and power of the Nomana, a revered order of warrior monks, for himself. Each hopes to be selected to join the community. Together, they forge a bond that tethers them through a storm at sea, a kidnapping, and a plan brewing in the golden city of Radiance to destroy Anacrea. The scheming Soren Similin's complicated maneuverings are thwarted by coincidental meetings and the hand of fate, leaving plenty of room for sequels. Anacrea and Radiance, with their attendant theologies, are built carefully in this slowly paced story. The main characters struggle to find their identities and places in the world, and begin to show the characteristics they will need to fulfill the larger destiny that the All and Only has in store. Michael Page does a fine job with the narration of this first book (Harcourt, 2006) in William Nicholson's projected series. Seeker's quiet determination, Morning Star's soft sarcasm, and Wildman's exuberance are deftly conveyed, and Soren Similin shines with devious greed. This fantasy will be popular with fans of the genre in public and school libraries.–Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. If one were to categorize fantasies with respect to religion, Nicholson's first entry in his new Noble Warriors series would side with C. S. Lewis, not Philip Pullman: its 16-year-old hero vows to protect his compassionate, monotheistic religion from destruction, even as his rejection by its exclusive sect of warrior-monks tests his faith. Seeker's quest brings him to the culturally distinct city of Radiance, where evildoers plot to send a suicide bomber into the Noble Warriors' stronghold. Tight plotting and numerous perspectives, including those of a devout shepherd girl, a not-quite-reformed bandit, and Seeker's elder brother (a shamefully defrocked Noble Warrior), lend the novel a cinematic breadth perfectly consistent with Nicholson's background as a Hollywood screenplay writer. Less appealing is the often heavy-handed moralizing, particularly apparent in the portrayal of Radiance's mercenary citizens, who offer human sacrifices to prove their wealth and status. All the same, readers with a strong belief in their own god may welcome a novel that depicts such unswerving devotion in young people, and fans of Nicholson's Wind Singer trilogy will find many of its same attractions reincarnated here. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio Unabridged Lib Ed; Unabridged edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423318390
• ISBN-13: 978-1423318392
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.1 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,256,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, February 11, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seeker: Book One of the Noble Warriors (Hardcover)

Seeker (full name Seeker after Truth) has dreamed, his whole life, of becoming a Nomana, a Noble Warrior. A protector of the All and Only, the god who made all things. The desire to be one has only grown stronger since his brother, Blaze of Justice, became a Noble Warrior. Seeker knows that this is his destiny, never mind that his father expects him to become Teacher. Now he is sixteen, old enough to go before the Nom and offer himself, and hope that they accept him.

Morning Star is the daughter of a sheep herder. Years ago her mother left them to become a Noble Warrior. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, Morning Star intends to leave the hills she's always known, and join her mother in service to the All and Only. Her only worry is leaving her father; she is his world. She's not too worried about being denied by the Nomana; after all her mother is a Noble Warrior. If that's not enough, there are the colors. The colors surround all people, and change a little based on someone's mood and intentions, but everyone has colors around them. Morning Star can see them, and has learned to read them. She will journey to Anacrea to find her destiny.

Wildman has never known his family. He's never even really known friendship, or loyalty, or honor. He certainly doesn't know about the All and Only. All he's ever known is survival at any cost. In the midst of an attempted robbery, Wildman encounters a Nomana, though he doesn't know what that is. What he knows is that he's glimpsed a power far stronger than his own, and a peace he never imagined. Wildman wants these things, and what Wildman wants, Wildman always gets. He too will offer his services to the Nom, though he doesn't really think of it in those exact terms.

A stranger, more disjointed group could hardly be imagined. But through drastically unexpected circumstances, a group they become. As it turns out, they can all learn an awful lot from each other. Maybe they can even help each other. Maybe they can even save Anacrea and the Nomana from the threat of their enemies. If they can survive their journey, they may even find their destinies.

A wonderfully, beautifully, frighteningly well-imagined world, full of strong and interesting characters. No one is one sided; Morning Star is strong but capable of vulnerability, Seeker is determined but still scared sometimes, and Wildman is primal but lovable. Actually, I think Wildman is my favorite character.

This is so many different stories all in one great book. It's a story of strength and power. It's a story about friendship and loyalty and family. It's a story about faith and destiny. It's a story about life, and a story about people. It may not take place anywhere you could recognize, but all of the characters contain bits and pieces you see in other people and in yourself. The bad and the good. The best part is, it doesn't end here. This is only book one. I don't know how many there will be, but I'm very much looking forward to all of them.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fans of The Wind on Fire Trilogy will definitely be pleased, April 18, 2006

By 

JRG - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seeker: Book One of the Noble Warriors (Hardcover)

Nicholson's first trilogy astounded me with its intricate plot and very lovable characters. And although Seeker lacks something I can not place exactly, it still amounts to the brilliance of that first trilogy. First is its plot. Both unique and deep, it keeps you guessing continually throughout the book. Even though there are certain points where you know exactly whats going to happen next, it is still quite fascinating when it all comes together. The style- where he turns from character to character instead of focusing on only one through out the entire book- keeps you hooked. And at the conclusion of the book there is still more hint that the plot extends to a far greater complexity than it has shown before. Which will hopefully, be as powerful as his first trilogy.

But what I found still more promising are the characters. The main character is called Seeker after Truth (I was a little put off by the names at first). Seeker's determination and leadership are clear, although at times its difficult to determine his character- for me anyway. As for Morning Star, she's as spunky as Kestrel was and has a unique gift that I absolutely adored. I won't give it away, but I found it rather fascinating. ANd finally, the third main character is Wildman. Who is in fact, a wild man. At first he irritated me, but he rather grows on you after a while. And between his amusing remarks and Morning Star's occasional come backs to them, William Nicholson had me laughing.

These two factors help create yet another thrilling trilogy by Nicholson and one that I'm looking forward to seeing progress. And again, although I feel it lacks something that I can not really pick out, it was still an amazing read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ok, I'll give it a thumbs up, June 28, 2006

By 

N.P. "Noble Poet" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seeker: Book One of the Noble Warriors (Hardcover)

Seeker was a book I debated about purchasing, since I'm pretty picky about what I read. I'm not a big spender on books, and many times I put down a book in its middle pages, never to return to it. So if I finish a book, you have to give great credit to the author! Either the story is very fascinating, or it is just well-written. In this case, it was just well-written. The story certainly captivates you, but what spoiled it was how it ended. Don't worry, you can read on because I won't spoil the ending.

So the story is not necessarily about the spiritual seeking I carelessly presumed it was by the title when I first picked it up. It is about three teens who all want to be Noble Warriors; all with different objectives, but sharing the same passion to protect others from harm. A 16-year old boy named Seeker feels his life needs to walk a different path than his father's paved out plans. Seeker wants to be part of the Nomana, or a Noble Warrior, just as his older brother did. Who are the Noble Warriors? The best comparison I can tell you is that they are like Jedi Knights, but without the lightsabers and fancy atmosphere of special effects. Or like suped-up monks with mysterious powers. They are powerful beings who are brought together to protect their Creator, and to mantain peace and balance on its island, Anacrea. But when Seeker finds that his brother gets cast out of the Nomana (a very rare and shameful event), Seeker's feelings become mixed with frustration, anger, and passion to understand why his brother was cast out.

Morning Star is a young farm girl who runs off to seek her mother. Morning Star's mother had left her and her father when she was only 3 years old. All that was left was a small note explaining to them that she had left to join the Nomana. Now that Morning Star is 16, she is eligible to join, so she, too must leave her father. Knowing already his daughter's plans, Morning Star's father accepts her destiny and supports her decision to go. Morning Star hopes to find her mother and join the Nomana to be with her, as well as to protect their Creator and the righteous.

"Do you looove me?" is the Wildman's slogan. He is an obnoxious young lad who loves to showoff his skill with a blade. He's kinda like a pirate, which in their terms, is a spiker. The Wildman had a crew of his own, and was feared by many civilians. Give him what he wants or else he'll slice your throat! But when the Wildman gets his rear kicked by a Nomana, in seemingly effortless fashion by the Noble Warrior, he realizes his vulnerability. He now desires their power, their strength, but most of all, their peace. He does not know his parents, nor does he have any family outside of the spikers who took care of him in youth. Can the Nomana bring peace to even the most selfish?

Somehow, fate runs the three young people onto the same road together. When they learn that there is a secret weapon out to destroy the Nomana and Anacrea, they decide to join forces to find it. All they know is that it lies in a city called Radiance. They don't know what it is, or what to look for, but they do know that it is powerful enough to destroy the entire island in one blow. Soren Similin is the villian who's ugliness disguises his ability to outsmart others into getting what he wants. He has the perfect weapon hiding in Radiance, but first has to seek out a volunteer willing to sacrifice itself. Can the 3 young teens come together to save Anacrea from total destruction and become true Noble Warriors?

The reader will learn the value of working together to achieve monumental goals. William Nicholson, the author, does a great job writing the book. It is easy to read and flows well. I knocked off a star because of its ending, but it's nothing serious. It is still worth the read. Like I said, I'm not a frequent reader, so if I can finish this book in 2 in a half weeks (which is super fast for me), it must be a good read.