Song Quest
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 First edition paperback bookcover. |
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| Author | Katherine Roberts |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Echorium Sequence |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy Novel |
| Publisher | The Chicken House |
| Released | 1 Jan 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 240 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 1903434467 |
| Preceded by | N/A |
| Followed by | Crystal Mask |
Song Quest is a fantasy novel by Katherine Roberts, which is the first book in the trilogy called The Echorium Sequence. The book was first published by Chicken House in 1999 as a hardback copy aimed at pre-teens and young adults; later on in 2001 the first paperback was published. The sequel to Song Quest is Crystal Mask, following on 20 years in the future. Song Quest is also the winner of the Branford Boase Award 2000; the first Branford Boase Award given out.
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[edit] Plot introduction
Song Quest is first set on the Isle of Echoes where the Singers live. At the academy on the island, a class of final years is sent down to the beach surrounding the Echorium to find out more about a wreckage which had appeared along the reef a few days before. The final years' teacher; Graia tells the students to keep their eyes and ears open. The merlee; half creatures can be heard along the shores of the Isle of Echoes to those who can hear them. Rialle is the only one in her class who can hear the merlee. The plot develops along the storyline of the crying merlee and a runaway novice in Rialle's class.
[edit] Plot summary
Rialle, a final year novice from The Echorium on the Isle of Echoes realises she can hear the voices of the merlee across the sea. Singer Graia; her teacher asks the class to keep their ears and eyes open; referring to the merlee. Rialle and her friends; Frenn and Chissar search the beach where Frenn finds an old mainlander artifact. Meanwhile Kherron also in Rialle's class has run away from The Echorium during their time on the beach and Graia becomes furious at this. The merlee tries to contact Rialle, warning her of peril and danger to the merlee although Rialle overreacts; screaming which brought the others of her class and Graia running towards her. Graia realizes that Rialle had heard the merlee and sent everyone to head inside to the Echorium.
Meanwhile Kherron is exploring the caves along the beaches where he discovers what he thinks is a dead mainlander who is actually asleep. The mainlander explains his broken leg from swimming ashore onto the island. Kherron attempts to make a deal with the mainlander; he helps him get back to Metz's ship (another mainlander) and heal his broken leg and Kherron gets a ride to Silvertown (a town 10 days away from the island).
Rialle is sent to the First Singer's chambers (Eliya) to discuss what she had learnt from going down tot he beach to investigate the wreckage. She actually means what she had heard referring to the merlee but Rialle does not fully understand the question at first. Rialle explains how she heard the merlee and how they communicated to her and Eliya replies by explaining how she'll teach Rialle how to farlisten; a skill which enables singers to be listen and communicate outside where they actually exist. She also explains that Rialle will be leaving The Echorium soon which she protests against as she would miss her friends namely Frenn and Chissar. Her assignment would be with Second Singer Toharo and her job would be to persuade the merlee to allow the Singers safe passage across the seas surrounding the Isle of Echoes which currently are very stormy due to the anger of the merlee; mainlanders have been murdering their race.
Kherron returns to the Echorium after 4 days on the shores of island to tell the First Singer about another Mainlander ship that could attack the island but Eliya already knows this from Rialle and sends him to the baths to wash. Afterwards Rialle goes into Eliya’s chambers to contact the merlee to see if they would stop the storms they were creating in the seas. She succeeds in communicating with them and relays the message to stop the storms but will have to keep reminding them as they have a short memory. Kherron does not go to the baths to wash instead goes back to the cave where the mainlander Cadzi is and decides to get their boat up and running which they will use to find the mainlander’s other ship.
The Wavesong which Rialle and Singer Toharo are travelling on, leaves the island heading for Silvertown. Rialle realises that Frenn has sneaked onto the Wavesong who was supposed to be training as an orderly on the island. Just after the voyage starts Rialle tries to contact the merlee to stop the storms but they're too far away and frightened.
Kherron and Cadzi row out from the island and eventually find the mainlander ship who Metz is the captain of. Kherron attempts to make a deal with the mainlanders; safe passage to Silvertown in exchange for information concerning the Singers but they are skeptical. The mainlanders agree to his terms but they put him to work extracting eggs from the merlee that they had been capturing.
Back on the Wavesong, Frenn is steering the ship and Rialle is enjoying the sunshine and fresh breeze but they encounter hundreds of merlee to port. Rialle dived into the sea and joined the merlee to "swim with them". The shoal-father leader of the shoal reminds Rialle that they should be helping the merlee save their children referring to their young who are being slaughtered by the mainlanders. But the merlee attack her thinking she'd betrayed them as the mainlanders begin capturing the merlee. Singer Toharo saved Rialle with the orderlies who found her nearly drowned.
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[edit] Characters
- Singer Rialle - a pre-adolescent novice Singer, best student in her class and sensitive to the half-creatures songs.
- Singer Toharo - Second Singer of The Echorium. Sent to investigate happenings and to search for Kherron who had run away from the Isle of Echoes to the mainland.
- Singer Graia - teaches at The Echorium.
- Singer Kherron - a pre-adolescent novice Singer who resents and envies Rialle and hates The Echorium's regime.
- Singer Eliya - First Singer of The Echorium.
- Frenn - close friend to Rialle, who becomes a non-singing orderly after his voice breaks.
- Lord Azri - the Karchlord, poisoned by his khizpriests by using merlee eggs.
- Lord Javelly - a noble owning a castle northeast of Silvertown, who helps and supplies the Khizpriest also known as Frazhin.
- Frazhin - also known as the Khizpriest, manipulator of the powerful crystal khiz and enemy of The Echorium.
[edit] Literary criticism
The majority of reviews were positive for example Jacqueline Wilson was quoted as saying "There are so many deft, exciting and original touches ... I raced through it".[1] Others such as Bookloons.com commented that "The world and the adventure in Song Quest are both interesting, though a little rough around the edges".[2]
Goodtoread.com commented that "The point-of-view characters are two youngsters, on the cusp of adolescence, our view and understanding of this world and its complexities is limited. The notion that the Singers derive their powers of healing and persuasion from the different kinds of song they sing, is original enough to give the book a certain sparkle which it might otherwise lack. Other than that, the machinations of the evil Khizpriest and the actions of the youngsters in freeing the Karchlord, a child like themselves, from the thrall of the priest is pretty commonplace stuff".[3]
Joan Aiken; an English novelist has also commented that Song Quest is "Fascinating and poetic ... extremely original too".[1]
Many reviewers agree that Song Quest has used many original touches and concepts as well creating a magical and exciting feel towards the story. Song Quest was awarded Branford Boase Award in 2000 for an outstanding first time original novel.
[edit] Release details
- 1999, UK, HarperCollins, ISBN 1902618289, Pub date September 2, 1999, Hardback
- 2000, UK, Element Books Ltd, ISBN 1902618947, Pub date May 10, 2000, Paperback
- 2001, UK, Chicken House Ltd, ISBN 1903434327, Pub date August 1, 2001, Paperback
- 2002, US, Chicken House Ltd, ISBN 0439338921, Pub date January, 2002, Paperback
