Sword Quest (Swordbird) [Paperback]

Nancy Yi Fan (Author), Jo-Anne Rioux (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Swordbird

One magical sword. Two rivals.

Wind-voice the half-dove, formerly enslaved, is now free, and Maldeor, the one-winged archaeopteryx, hungers for supreme power. The adversaries will both embark on their own epic quest to find the sword that will determine the future of birdkind. An exciting prequel to the New York Times bestseller Swordbird.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–6—In this good-versus-evil story, a prequel to Swordbird (HarperCollins, 2007), readers see a legend taking shape as evil forces attempt to conquer the inhabitants of a bird world. Prophecy says a hero will emerge on Hero's Day, but no one knows who it will be. Scattered in unknown regions of the world lay strategically placed Leasorn gems that hold clues to where the hero's sword waits. It is up to the hero to discover where and to retrieve it. The archaeopteryxes, an army of birds intent on cruelty and destruction, support the desires of the villainous leaders. Maldeor, a leader with a batlike wing forged from evil magic, has cast his eye toward claiming the sword. But unlikely birds lay down their lives to uncover the clues so they might save the sword for its true master. Fleydur, eagle prince of the Skythunder tribe, Stormac the mynah, and Ewingerale the woodpecker all play pivotal roles as companions to 013-Unidentified, a dovelike bird trapped as a slave. Readers will find the characters credible and well suited for their roles in this fabled adventure. The tightly crafted story line is nicely executed, but the most important element, and one that truly touches the heart, is the underlying theme of love.—Robyn Gioia, Bolles School, Ponte Vedra, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

In this good-versus-evil story, a prequel to Swordbird (HarperCollins, 2007), readers see a legend taking shape as evil forces attempt to conquer the inhabitants of a bird world. Prophecy says a hero will emerge on Hero's Day, but no one knows who it will be. Scattered in unknown regions of the world lay strategically placed Leasorn gems that hold clues to where the hero's sword waits. It is up to the hero to discover where and to retrieve it. The archaeopteryxes, an army of birds intent on cruelty and destruction, support the desires of the villainous leaders. Maldeor, a leader with a batlike wing forged from evil magic, has cast his eye toward claiming the sword. But unlikely birds lay down their lives to uncover the clues so they might save the sword for its true master. Fleydur, eagle prince of the Skythunder tribe, Stormac the mynah, and Ewingerale the woodpecker all play pivotal roles as companions to 013-Unidentified, a dovelike bird trapped as a slave. Readers will find the characters credible and well suited for their roles in this fabled adventure. The tightly crafted story line is nicely executed, but the most important element, and one that truly touches the heart, is the underlying theme of love.

--Robyn Gioia, School Library Journal --School Library Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006124337X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061243370
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nancy Yi Fan is the New York Times Bestselling author of Swordbird (2007). She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and has been a straight-A student since elementary school. She spent the first part of her childhood in China, where she was born in 1993. Birds, a lifelong passion of the author's, provided the inspiration for Swordbird and her new fantasy novel Sword Quest (2008). When she isn't talking and writing to readers worldwide, she kayaks, performs martial arts, and takes good care of her pet lovebirds, Ever-sky, Dippler, and Pandora. She currently lives in Florida with her parents.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chinese elements in Sword Quest, January 12, 2009

By 

Tjien N. Zeng - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sword Quest (Swordbird) (Hardcover)

I must admit that I was skeptical of how a story about birds at war with each other could have much essence of Chinese culture. However, my skepticism quickly died. Nancy Yi Fan's Sword Quest contains several Chinese elements. The key and more obvious elements that I was able to find are the importance of family, nonviolence, Yin and Yang and the belief in good and bad spirits.

A major Chinese element in Sword Quest is the importance of family, as shown by the eagles. Though I do not know all that I wish to know about my parents' culture, the importance of family is permanently drilled into my head. One of the quotes from the Old Scripture describes this importance well; "One of the hardest things to break is the tie of family". However, Fan takes this key belief and goes a step forward by challenging it. One of the main characters, a former prince of the eagles, Fleydur, had to choose between what he know to be the right thing to do and the people he loved more than himself. In the end, he chose to do the right thing and did not regret it. However, the pain of separation from his family after so long is evident. Fan also takes it a step further when Wind-voice proclaims his companions his brothers, as if they were a true blood-related family.

The most obvious Chinese element is Yin and Yang. Its most obvious appearance is when the robin uses a tapestry that depicts the symbol of Yin and Yang to tell the future. Fan's description of the piece sounds poetic, like right from a translation of a Chinese poem; "tadpoles swimming together, encircled by orderly lines". Fan imbeds some Asian décor into the novel. The Yin and Yang tapestry is one example but another is the kite-shaped flying carriage with a frame of bamboo that Maldeor rides in.

Yin and Yang's other apparent appearance is in the form of the most evil and greedy villain, Yin Soul. In Chinese culture, Yin is thought of as the dark side representing all of the evil. I am surprised that the author did not go the whole way and make Yin Soul male, seeing as Yin is usually paired with any feminine. Its less obvious appearance in the story is when the main character, Wind-voice, realized that birds are not easily separated into "white and black, good and bad". Life and people have a lot of gray in them. This belief is depicted in Yin and Yang by the small circle of the opposite color in the fluid shapes of white and black.

Yin Soul is also linked to anther aspect of Chinese culture; spirits. The evil monster is turned into a spirit that must find a physical body to inhabit if he wants to live. Hence, he attempts to convince other birds to take his essence. The idea of essence and one's spirit seems a bit of place in the American culture but it is not so in the Chinese culture. However, not all spirits are evil. An obvious example is Wind-voice, who turns into a spirit to become an everlasting protector of peace, and his possible father, the Great Spirit. In China, ancestors are believed to be good spirits that protect families. Due to spirits not being a major role in American culture, Americans might confuse Fan's Great Spirit to mean the Christian God.

I do not know if it was the author's intentions but the name of her main character, Wind-voice, sounds like an English translation of a traditional Chinese name. However, I am certain that Fan named Wind-voice as 013-Unidentified because he is the hero that everybird, good and bad, has been looking for and because 13 is considered a lucky number in China. This is less obvious and may be confusing to Westerners who believe that 13 is one of the unluckiest numbers possible.

I remember silently agreeing with one of the characters when they questioned how a weapon, specifically a sword, could bring about peace. It seems that martial arts use weapons but only as a tool for nonviolence and peace. I noticed that when Wind-voice goes against Maldeor, Wind-voice does not actually physically fight Maldeor. Even when he had the hero's sword, Wind-voice uses it to protect himself but he does not harm his opponent.

My mind and heart were both touched by the words of Wind-voice; that true peace is not possible through force. Thought it does not directly deal with Chinese culture specifically, it applies universally. However, we humans easily forget it. The most obvious event that shows this is the Iraq war. Though the details of the mater are extremely complex and there are many gray areas, it is impossible for America to believe she can create peace in the Middle East through force. It seems so simple in this children's book in which it is the lives birds that are destroyed by war. Yet adults have not grasped this seemingly simple concept when they are in the real world impacting other human beings.

I must commend on the author, Nancy Yi Fan, for the brilliance of her writing and the universal teachings within. To me, Sword Quest is emboldened with hidden elements of Chinese culture but those are not themselves the key messages. They are tools used to inform readers of greater and broader messages.



---Lensa Z.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for adults and children alike, April 17, 2008

By 

D's mom "nanur" (SFO Bay Area) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sword Quest (Swordbird) (Hardcover)

My 7-year old son and I read Swordbird first before reading this prequel and I enjoyed both books every bit as much as he did if not more. To think a 12-year old girl imagined this wonderful story filled with rich characters is both humbling and fascinating. I dearly hope Nancy Yi Fan will continue writing this series. I would put her series in a league near Harry Potter.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third Grade Son Loves It, May 23, 2008

By 

K. A. Evans "GeorgiaNative" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sword Quest (Swordbird) (Hardcover)

My third grade son claims Sword Bird as his favorite book and says that he liked this prequel "almost as much." He reads constantly, so naming a book as a favorite is a big claim for him. He and a number of friends his age have reporting loving Sword Quest because the characters and action are so interesting. I think they also are intrigued that it was written by such a young person.