The Spell of Undoing: Book One of Quentaris, Quest of the Lost City [Paperback]

Paul Collins (Author)

Book Description

Series: Quentaris: Quest of the Lost City | Publication Date: October 14, 2008

Calamity has befallen the city of Quentaris! Due to a vengeful plot by warlike Tolrush (which backfires), Quentaris is uprooted city, cliff-face, harbour and all and hurled into the uncharted rift-maze. Lost and adrift in this endless labyrinth of parallel universes, encountering both friend and foe and facing unknown dangers, Quentaris must somehow forge a new identity and find its way home.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Younger readers will greatly enjoy the fast-paced, actions-packed story and larger-than-life characters. The lively dialogue would also make it an enjoyable story for parents to read aloud to younger children. --ALIA's InCite journal

About the Author

Paul Collins has written many books for younger readers. He is best known for his fantasy and science fiction titles: The Jelindel Chronicles (Dragonlinks, Dragonfang and Dragonsight), and The Quentaris Chronicles (Swords of Quentaris, Slaves of Quentaris, Dragonlords of Quentaris, Princess of Shadows The Forgotten Prince and The Spell of Undoing). His trade books published in America are The Earthborn, The Skyborn and The Hiveborn.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Ford Street (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1876462531
• ISBN-13: 978-1876462536
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,006,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewer: Jenny Mounfield, June 25, 2009

By 

Olive Rish (Tasmania, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spell of Undoing: Book One of Quentaris, Quest of the Lost City (Paperback)

Imagine a city wrenched, harbour and all, from the earth and flung into a void where it is destined to float from one world to another like an untethered island. Welcome to Quentaris.

More than anything orphan Tab wants to be magical. But when she is tested by the Magicians' Guild there isn't a scrap of magic to be found. So it comes as quite a surprise when, after being coerced by the cowardly actor Fontagu into stealing an icefire crystal, she discovers an ability to mind-meld with animals.

Fontagu flees with the crystal. Tab follows and discovers the actor's true intention is to use the icefire to cast the spell of undoing and bring ruin to Quentaris. But the bumbling actor makes a mistake and uproots the city instead.

The industrious Quentarans soon adjust to life aboard a flying city. Giant sails are erected in order to gain control over their flight and it would seem their only real dilemma is finding the way back to their own world. But little do they realise the botched spell also caused the enemy city of Tolrush to be thrown into the void. And with murderous intent, it is closing in on Quentaris. With her new-found ability, Tab discovers Tolrush's plot and with the aid of a friend or two (and the despicable Fontagu) sets about saving Quentaris.

The Spell of Undoing is an action-packed adventure of the highest order; the image of a flying city so seized my imagination that it stayed with me long after finishing the story. Without a doubt Collins is a master of the fantastical. His description is rich and vivid and his characters well-drawn - and at times all too real. This is essential reading for fantasy fans -- and would-be fantasy fans -- 10 to 100.

It should be noted that this is the first in the second series of Quentaris Chronicles. Series #1, which consists of 26 stand alone titles, was published by Lothian Books. Stay tuned for the forthcoming titles in the Quest of the Lost City series, The Equen Queen by Alyssa Brugman and The Gimlet Eye by James Roy.