Song Quest

by Katherine Roberts

Overview

* Winner of the Branford Boase Award. *

When novice singer Rialle hears the cry of the merlee, she knows her life will never be the same again. Taken from the Echorium as part of a dangerous mission to punish the hunters, she finds herself a prisoner of the Karch, where the evil Khizpriest wields black crystal that can control people's thoughts.

Meanwhile, class rebel Kherron has fled the Singer Isle, and also finds himself facing the power of the Khiz. He has friends in the Karch - but when the Khizpriest tries to use Rialle's songs against the Isle, which side will Kherron choose?

"Fascinating and poetic... extremely original too." Joan Aiken.

This debut novel from award-winning UK author Katherine Roberts is the first part of a trilogy, followed by 'Crystal Mask' and 'Dark Quetzal'.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781717270511
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	06/21/2018
Series:	Echorium Sequence Series , #1
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.58(d)
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

Read an Excerpt

Shipwreck: The day everything changed, Singer Graia took Rialle's class down the Five Thousand Steps to the west beach. They followed her eagerly enough. A Mainlander ship had broken up on the reef in recent storms, and the Final Years were being allowed out of the Echorium to search for pieces of the wreck. This was such a rare treat, the very air thrummed with snatches of the laughter-song 'Kashe' as the class gathered around the rock that Singer Graia had adopted as a lecture podium. Graia's formal robe of grey Singer silk billowed in the wind, but she'd plaited her thick blue hair into a rope which hung over one shoulder, softening the effect. When she called for silence and led them all in the Echorium anthem, the Final Years sang with more enthusiasm than usual - most of them, anyway. Rialle had a nagging headache which even the 'Kashe' failed to shift. Frenn and Chissar, forever doing silly things to try to impress her, were mouthing the less reverent pallet-ditty under their breath. While at the very back of the group, jaw set in typical Kherron fashion and eyes burning a hole in Rialle's back, the most unpopular boy in the class wasn't singing at all.

Table of Contents

Map: The Silver Shore (2-3, 2)
Echorium Anthem (4, 1)
Guide to the Silver Shore (9-13, 5)
Shipwreck (15-32, 18)
Echorium (33-49, 17)
Storm (50-62, 13)
The Hunters (63-74, 12)
Merlee (75-83, 9)
Lies (84-102, 19)
Truth (103-114, 12)
Khizpriest (115-127, 13)
Quetzal (128-145, 18)
Captive (146-166, 21)
Karchlord (167-186, 20)
Chase (187-201, 15)
Battle (202-213, 12)
Song Power (214-230, 17)
Echoes (231-236, 6)

Editorial Reviews

The first volume of the Echorium Sequence introduces the Isle of Echoes and the "Singers," who keep the peace. They alone hear the messages of the island's mute magical half-creatures and keep the powers of good and evil in balance. Ages 9-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly