The Fall (Seventh Tower #1)
by Garth Nix
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Book Summary Information
Author: Garth NixEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-07-01
ISBN: 0439176824
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Book Reviews of The Fall (Seventh Tower #1)
Book Review: Another winning story by a consistently great writer
Summary: 5 Stars
Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others
THE CONTENT:
This is a story for ages 8 - 12, though as an adult reading it with my kids I'm enjoying the series too. Nix's Abhorsen trilogy is for teens and his Keys to the Kingdom series is also for ages 8-12.
THE STORY:
Tal is in a bind. His father has been missing. His mother is ill. And his family doesn't have a strong Sunstone to elevate their position and provision. It falls to Tal to provide for his mother and little brother by seeking out a sunstone. But there are forces in his way that stop him from achieving these goals. It doesn't help in the opening scene that he falls from the Red Tower in his attempt to gain a stone. The fall leads to adventure Tal never would have thought possible.
THE CHARACTERS:
Tal is a likeable kid caught in a bad situation. He wants to do the right thing and provide for his family, but he just can't. We empathize and sympathize with him as a character. The rest of the cast is equally likeable in their own way and those that are meant to be disliked are definitely dislikeable. Overall, a great cast of characters that add to this story of Tal's quest
THE SETTING:
Not your typical fantasy world, but that is one reason why I love reading Garth Nix's books. . .there isn't anything typical only new and imaginative about them. The world is richly described in just the right words that a short paragraph leaves an easily visualized scene in one's head.
THE PLOT:
A nicely constructed quest story, which leaves our character no choice but to follow certain paths. Helper characters and hindering characters line his path that lead to a world we experience with amazement just as Tal does. The progression is logical and a well paced story. There is plenty of action in this story! Creatures that want to eat people, treacherous "natives" and more.
OVERALL:
My 8 year old and I are thoroughly enjoying this story and each chapter cliff-hanger keeps us turning the pages.
NOTE - This is the first of 6 books. You must keep reading! The first book resolves very little if anything. We are in the 2nd book now and the same great story/writing continues on there.
Summary of The Fall (Seventh Tower #1)
Bestselling author Garth Nix's amazing Seventh Tower series is back--now with a great new look!
Tal has lived his whole life in darkness. He has never left his home, a mysterious castle of seven towers. He does not see the threat that will tear apart his family and his world. But Tal cannot stay safe forever. When danger strikes, he must desperately climb the Red Tower to steal a Sunstone. He reaches the top...and then he falls into a strange and unknown world of warriors, iceships, and hidden magic. There Tal makes an enemy who will save his life--and who holds the key to his future.
Tal has lived his whole life in darkness. He has never left his home, a mysterious castle of seven towers. He does not see the threat that will tear apart his family and his world. But Tal cannot stay safe forever. When danger strikes, he must desperately climb the Red Tower to steal a Sunstone. He reaches the top...and then he falls into a strange and unknown world of warriors, iceships, and hidden magic. There Tal makes an enemy who will save his life--and who holds the key to his future.
Tal, a Chosen of the Orange Order, is having the worst luck lately. Just when he is getting ready for the Day of Ascension--a day when all the 13-year-old Chosen from the Castle of Seven Towers enter the spirit world of Aenir--his father disappears with the family's only primary Sunstone, which Tal needs for the ascension. Without it, he cannot enter Aenir and bind himself to a Shadowspirit--a kind of guardian being that serves as a friend and protector to the person it is bound to. And without a Shadowspirit, Tal will lose both his Chosen status and any hope of finding a cure for his mother's mysterious wasting illness, a cure that can only come from Aenir. Tal tries to beg, borrow, and even steal a Sunstone. But his attempts fail, and in his final act of thievery, Tal is thrown off the Castle of Seven Towers by a powerful Shadowspirit Keeper and into an adventure beyond his imagining.
Australian fantasy author Garth Nix (well known for his novels Sabriel and Shade's Children, both ALA list picks) has joined with Lucasfilm to launch a six-book fantasy series about Tal's world, of which The Fall is the first installment. Packed with excitement and wonderfully weird creatures like the living sea of Selski and the hungry, one-horned Merwin, Nix's latest tale will enchant readers. Containing elements of The Golden Compass and the Harry Potter books, The Seventh Tower is an epic fantasy not to be missed. (Ages 11 to 14) --Jennifer Hubert
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