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Quest for Lost Heroes - Drenai Tales 3
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Plot Summary of Quest for Lost Heroes - Drenai Tales 3
"It has been years since the blood-mad Nadir hordes have swept over the face of the world and destroyed the noble civilizations that once grew upon it. Now, there is only, fear, death and agony where there was once splendor and wealth. A group of raiders who trade with the Nadir burn a small provincial village and steal over a dozen young women for the slave market, among them the daughter of a wealthy farmer named Ravenna. The local authorities refuse to do anything, so a young man named Kiall, who worships Ravenna from afar but has barely even spoken to her, travels to the capital of New Gulgothir and demands that justice be done. As a reward for his trouble, he is flogged in the public square. However, the earl's favorite warrior, Chaeros, sympathizes with Kiall and offers to help him save Ravenna. When they stop at a local tavern, they are attacked by a raiding party, and two mountain men named Maggrig and Finn come to their resuce. They are also aided by a loudmouthed, beer-swilling giant named Beltzer. However, these three unlikely heroes were once soldiers at the Battle of Bel-azar, the only Gothir victory over the Nadir in recent history. They journey into the bleak steppes that are the Nadir homeland, following Ravenna's trail all the way to the royal palace of the Nadir- and there they learn that their simple quest could start a series of events that can liberate the world from the frenzied hordes of the Nadir."
Rob, Resident Scholar

"   Kiall is a dreamer, a peasant boy in the lands of Gothir. A young girl from his village is stolen, along with numerous others, to be sold as slaves in the Nadir lands. Being the dreamer that he is, he feels the need to go rescue her and potentially win her love. So he sets out on his own. On the way he meets Chareos, Beltzer, Finn, and Maggrig. They are past heros whose time has come and gone. They don't know what to do with the rest of their life so they agree to help him on his quest. It seems hopeless because he wasn't there when she was taken and doesn't know anything about who took her. He only knows that it was the Nadir.
   They find a man by the name of Okas. He's like a mystic, and he follows her trail. They discover that she was taken to a Nadir merchant town. When they reach the town they end up saving the Nadir princess, Tanaki, and learning that Ravenna, the village girl, was sold to Tanaki's brother, Jungir Khan, the Nadir king. They also learn that she is going to give birth to the next king. They decide to continue the quest with the Princess' help.
"

Danielle, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Quest for Lost Heroes - Drenai Tales 3
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%




Tone of book - scarey (primal ax-wielding fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - great warrior
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - rescue mission/escape from confinement
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - farmer
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male - an entire race
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can see into the future - can cast all sorts of spells
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed - wild
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - bulging muscles - very athletic

Setting
Terrain - Desert - Mountains - Forests
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment - very explicit references to deaths and torture
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Quest for Lost Heroes - Drenai Tales 3
Perilous Seas - Man of His Word 3 by David Duncan
The Amber Citadel - Jewelfire Trilogy 1 by Freda Warrington
Faery Lands Forlorn - Man of His Word 2 by David Duncan
The Prince's Cousin by C.K. Crigger
Aeromancer by Don Callander


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David Gemmell Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Rob  

SCHOLARS:
steven vanzant  Danielle  James MacSwiney  


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