The Forests of Silence
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| Author | Emily Rodda |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Marc Mcbride |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | Deltora Quest |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Scolastic |
| Released | 2000 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 131 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-439-25323-3 |
| Followed by | The Lake of Tears |
The Forests of Silence was written by Emily Rodda, and is the first book in the eight-volume Deltora Quest series. It was awarded "Notable Series in Children's Book of the Year Awards 2001: Younger Readers".
The book opens with a boy called Jarred, who after the death of his parents was raised as a companion to Prince Endon. After the death of King Alton and his queen, Endon is proclaimed King in his father's place. To consummate this, a magical steel belt, the Belt of Deltora, is set around Endon's waist.
Jarred, made curious by this Belt, researches it in the palace's library. He learns that the evil Shadow Lord, a Sauron-like intelligence located in the Shadowlands, once tried to seize the land in which is the kingdom of Deltora. Because the people of those days were divided into seven tribes (in later books revealed as the Jalis, the Dread Gnomes, the Mere people, the Del tribe, the Plains people, the Ralad, and the Torans), the Shadow Army soon overwhelmed much of the land.
From the Del tribe arose a hero; the blacksmith Adin. Inspired by a prophetic dream, he gathered the sacred talismans– a diamond, an emerald, a lapis lazuli, a topaz, an opal, a ruby, and an amethyst– from each tribe and attached them to a chain of steel medallions. The people's trust in Adin, channeled through the gems, was powerful enough to drive back the Shadow Army into its own dark home. Adin later became King of the united land called Deltora; yet he never forgot that he was one of the people, that their trust in him was the source of the Belt's magic, and that the Enemy was not destroyed. He therefore never let the Belt out of his sight.
Adin's grandson, Elstred, did not obey this. When the Belt was tight around his waist, he laid it aside. Elstred's descendants wore the Belt only rarely, until it became the custom only to wear it on the day of enthronement. Similarly, at the urging of their chief advisors, each successive generation of rulers left more and more administration to the council, unwittingly becoming little more than figureheads. The chief advisors reconfigured the kingdom according to their will, which further diminished the people's trust in their rulers.
Jarred, learning of this, urges Endon to put on the Belt and revive the custom of Adin. Before he can explain in detail, Chief Advisor Prandine enters and accuses Jarred of treason. Jarred escapes Prandine, taking the book with him from which he learned the truth. Once out of the palace, he learns that the city has fallen into disrepair, and the kingdom has become a virtual dystopia.
Jarred becomes apprentice and successor to Crian the blacksmith, later to marry Crian's grand-daughter Anna.
One day, the palace is approached by seven monstrous birds called the Ak-Baba, who serve the Shadow Lord. These Ak-Baba steal the gems from the Belt of Deltora and therefore allow the Enemy to enter the land. Jarred helps King Endon and Queen Sharn (Endon's pregnant bride) escape; where they go is not disclosed.
Sixteen years later, the Shadow Lord tyrannically rules Deltora. A person identified as Jarred's son and apprentice, Lief, has been born during this time. He has been raised to reject the Shadow Lord, but never to show any obvious opposition. On his birthday, Lief's father sends his son, accompanied by a soldier named Barda, to find the lost gems from the Belt and restore them to it.
The nearest gem, the golden topaz, is to be found in Mid Wood, which is one of three perilous Forests of Silence. En route to the said Forests, Lief and Barda are attacked and taken captive by a tribe of cold-blooded animals called the Wenn, who take them into First Wood as an offering to the predator known as Wennbar, of whom the Wenn are in awe. While they lie waiting for death, Lief and Barda are approached by a forest-dwelling girl of Lief's own age, called Jasmine. This Jasmine has lived all her life in the Forests, raised and educated largely by its trees and birds after her parents were captured by the Shadow Lord's Grey Guards. With her are a raven, called Kree, and a squirrel-like being called Filli.
Jasmine, after a brief reluctance, rescues Lief and Barda, later to lead them to the Dark in the heart of Mid Wood. There, they discover a literal wall made of steadfastly cultivated vines, enclosing a clearing in the very center of the forest. In that center grow three flowers called the Lillies of Life, whose nectar possesses healing properties. The wall of vines was cultivated by a Jalis Knight called Gorl, who sought to drink of the Nectar of Life and become immortal. Over the years, Gorl's body has rotted away, leaving nothing behind but his memories and his intentions. He captures Lief and Barda.
Under their questions, Gorl narrates all, while Barda strives to break the psychokinetic control held by the knight over the questers' bodies. Barda breaks the grip, but is given a mortal wound by Gorl's sword. As he is about to kill Lief, Jasmine persuades a tree to drop a limb onto Gorl, thus destroying him and breaching his wall. Sunlight enters the Dark, and the Lillies of Life bloom at last. Jasmine and Lief use their nectar to heal the dying Barda, bringing him back to life. As the Lillies fade, Jasmine takes the last of the nectar into a jar, so that she might use it on future injuries.
Lief takes the topaz from its position as the pommel of Gorl's sword and fits it into the Belt of Deltora, which is in his keeping. The three relax and recuperate, while animals from all over Mid Wood enter the breach in Gorl's wall and devour the vines. Later, Barda and Lief re-embark, with Jasmine and her companions Kree & Filli in company.
| The Deltora series by Emily Rodda | |
| Deltora Quest: |
The Forests of Silence - The Lake of Tears - The City of the Rats - The Shifting Sands - |
|---|---|
| Deltora Quest 2: (Deltora Shadowlands) |
The Cavern of the Fear - The Isle of Illusion - The Shadowlands |
| Deltora Quest 3: (Dragons of Deltora) |
Dragon's Nest - Shadowgate - Isle of the Dead - The Sister of the South |
| Other books: |
The Deltora Book of Monsters - How to Draw Deltora Monsters |
| Adaptations: | |
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