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Sword Quest (Swordbird)

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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.

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.

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.

I really like this book because it was much more exciting then Swordbird. One part is very sad because one of the main characters dies. I would recommend this book to people you like adventure with little violence.

The legend of Swordbird, who defeated the darkness that threatened to prevail over the Great Spirit, has been passed down by generations of birds. However, few know the story behind the myth and how a humble fledging became a hero.

For the wicked Emperor of the Archaeopteryxes, Hungrias II, there is no limit to his hunger for power and the lengths to which he would go to ensure it. For years, he has sought the Leasorn gems of the fabled Great Sword. His armies have wreaked havoc, destroying villages and families in order to meet the Ancient Wing's demands. For those who become slaves, they face a life of relentless hard work with little chance of being released; a few are even confronted with the grim possibility of being the emperor's latest delicacy.

On the first day of winter, during one of the emperor's many banquets, a soldier takes kindness on a young bird slave referred to as 13-Unidentified. His origins are a mystery, and the soldier is baffled by the emperor's insistence that he must be guarded at all times, when the visibly exhausted bird toils as a kitchen servant. The young captive is surprised but grateful for the respite. Unfortunately, he gets into trouble when another guard threatens him and then when he rescues a young woodpecker scribe named Ewingerale (Winger). The meeting prompts 13-Unidentified's memory: his real name is Wind-voice.

Wind-voice is captured once again, but Winger manages to escape and get help from a small group of kingfishers and other species of bird. Meanwhile, Wind-voice is living every bird's worst nightmare. Just when it looks as though this will be his last moment, however, he is transported into a shadowy world where a strange bird named Yin Soul agrees to save his life in exchange for Wind-voice's help. Wind-voice is interested in the story of the magical sword but is rightfully suspicious of the offer and refuses. The seemingly sage bird reveals his monstrous true self, but Wind-voice is transported back just in time and makes a fiery grand escape. He is rescued by the woodpecker and taken to the unique community. There, Wind-voice and Winger meet a tough-looking myna named Stormac, and the three unlikely companions are told of the importance of the Leasorn gems.

Wind-voice becomes determined to find the sought-after relics and stop Hungrias's evil empire once and for all. When the trio sneaks out of the emperor's territory, they befriend a good-natured eagle named Fleydur. The traveling minstrel offers to join them as they seek to locate the knowledge of the remaining gems. The quest will be a difficult one, as the band must travel to various lands, while events have begun to take shape that may further endanger the future of the birds.

SWORD QUEST is a thrilling adventure brimming with equal amounts of suspense and hope. Nancy Yi Fan's prose and creativity take flight in this exciting prequel to the 2007 bestseller SWORDBIRD. We hope that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful career for this talented teenage author.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

Following the enchanting Swordbird, Sword Quest is better! How interesting that this book is a prequel and can be read alone but is better when reading them in order. Nancy Yi Fan says her next book will fall between the two books sequentially so there looks like we may have another great series in the making. As a Reading teacher, my 6th graders loved this book and so did I! The way the birds become human-like characters is so interesting and engages your emotions and heart!

Ranks up there with the Warrior and the Seekers series. If you like them, you will love these!