This fantasy trilogy follows three generations of young Singers as they join forces with the half-human creatures of their world to battle the evil Khizpriest and the power of dark crystal. When it was first published by Element Books,
Song Quest won the inaugural
Branford Boase Award (now awarded annually to the best debut novel for young readers by a UK author). The book's editor Barry Cunningham also received an award, and later re-issued the entire trilogy under his new company Chicken House with US publication by Scholastic.
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| First edition hardcover, Element Books 1999. |
The three books are best read in order.
Several posts on this blog mention the Echorium Sequence. Here is a selection:
Mermaid Mania - yes,
Song Quest features mermaids! You'll also find a roundup of other great mermaid stories and their authors, courtesy of Serendipity Reviews.
What's your Song of Power? - there are five Echorium Songs used by my blue-haired Singers to control people... and it turns out song magic is not just fantasy!
Five Rules of Writing - Robert Heinlein's fifth rule might seem redundant in today's digital publishing world, but I used it to find my first publisher for
Song Quest!
