Deltora Quest

Image credit: Book Depository

This week at our house, it’s been an interesting journey of reading and observing. For Christmas, I got my partner the entire Deltora Quest series –books that he loved from his childhood- and it has proved to be a wonderful present for both of us as he reread them on a delightful wave of nostalgia, and then he got to witness me reading them for the first time (which he has said he's quite enjoyed).

I recall having the first two books when I was little, but I never actually read them, having been given them when I was just getting out of the habit of reading. Yep, I missed out! But this week I have made up for lost time!

Deltora Quest establishes the world of Deltora, a realm of seven tribes that has been united under one King for centuries. But over the years, the Kings’ rule has grown lapse and the evil Shadow Lord has used that weakness to infiltrate the kingdom and take over! Sixteen years after the Shadow Lord usurped the throne and began his dictatorship, young Lief discovers an amazing truth about his family, which sends him on a great quest to travel the lands of Deltora to find the seven powerful gems that fit into the fabled Belt of Deltora, which, when worn by the true king, is the only thing that can defeat the Shadow Lord and save Deltora. Lief’s quest is dangerous, filled with monsters and magic, but with the help of an ex-palace guard named Barda and a wild girl called Jasmine, he rises to the challenge to save his home from tyranny.

This first series of eight books is just good, fantasy fun. It’s a recognisable hero’s journey, written in very simple prose for its young audience and positively filled to the brim with exciting action and adventure.

While the story itself can be a tad predictable for an older audience, the brilliance of Deltora Quest lies in the amazing visual world that Rodda has created. Every book is filled with beautiful or barren settings that one can easily picture, not to mention striking characters about whose trustworthiness we keep being buffeted back and forth on, and piles upon piles of impressive and terrifying monsters. Yeah, these books are all about the monsters! Rowling’s great basilisk has got nothing on the slimy, blood-soaked slug creature from The Maze of the Beast and her Devil’s snare is tame and tickling when compared to the grippers! Don't even get me started on who would win if a boggart faced off with an ol!

Image credit: Dymocks

The other thing that I particularly loved about this series is Rodda’s adherence to recognisable fantasy tropes and tricks, and then turning a few of them completely on their ears. On more than one occasion during the books, she indulges in that common trick of hiding secrets in plain sight, –riddles and that sort of thing- but she mixes them up so that some are metaphorical and others are very literal so that when the answer is revealed, you’re kicking yourself for not realising it earlier. It all adds to the suspense and excitement that makes up the rich reading experience of these books; being a perfect blend of fantasy adventure and -sometimes- detective mystery novel!

I am officially hooked and already into the next instalment of the series. See you all next week!

Deltora Quest is a fantasy series of 8 books written by Emily Rodda and published by Scholastic Australia in 2000. In order the books are: The Forests of Silence, The Lake of Tears, City of Rats, The Shifting Sands, Dread Mountain, The Maze of the Beast, The Valley of the Lost, and Return to Del.