Sword Mountain

Children's Literature - Peg Glisson

Fan continues her third book in the "Swordbird" series with the return of Prince Fleydeur to Sword Mountain, bringing with him his music and the young eaglet, Dandelion. Her parents were killed protecting her from the villainous Kawaka, who has vowed to carry on the mission of claiming Sword Mountain for the archaeopteryxes. Dandelion is a lowly valley eaglet and is not accepted by those living in the Castle of the Sky, a very caste and rule-driven group. Taunted and bullied by most, she is nurtured by Fleydeur and Cloud Wing, a handsome and popular eaglet. As Kawaka's accomplice on the inside strives to move their treachery along, Dandelion is adopted by Fleydeur, dreams of becoming a warrior like Cloud Wing, and begins training with Fleydeur to make that happen. When the kingdom's most precious possession is stolen and Fleydeur is imprisoned, she recruits Cloud Wing and his friends to help her retrieve the treasure and clear Fleydeur's name. This fast-paced adventure is at times witty and clever while dealing with serious issues such as prejudice, the importance of the arts, self-identity, and justice. Readers new to the series will be slightly off balance at first but should be able to soon understand enough of the background for the story to make sense. Striking cover art will likely draw youngsters to the book; if they are looking for an exciting and relatively easy read, they will be glad it did.

Kirkus Reviews

Set directly after the defeat of the archaeopteryxes, this third in Fan's bird fantasy series follows the golden-eagle princes, Fleydur and Forlath, to their home in the mountains. Unbeknownst to them, the villainous Kawaka (introduced in a prologue) also journeys there--but not with good intentions. Fleydur and Forlath find an orphaned eagle fledgling, Dandelion, whom Fleydur insists on bringing into the stuffy, stratified golden-eagle society. The narrative, hinging on Dandelion's acceptance in the eagle community as well as Kawaka's stratagems for taking over Sword Mountain, is fast-moving, engrossing and entertaining. Characters new to the series include an unexpectedly diverting villain, Kawaka's accomplice, an owl leader whose clan occupies the caves in the heart of the mountain. Story elements may initially seem unrelated, but they come together nicely in the exciting, suspenseful climax. Sparkling humor, from amusing personality portraits to hilarious segments (at one point, the king of the golden eagles, during his funeral ceremony, rises from the dead), offers insights to characters and their actions. Readers new to the series may experience some initial disorientation; fans of these tales will welcome this further installment. (map, dramatis personae) (Fantasy. 9-12)

School Library Journal

Gr 3–6—On Sword Mountain, the social status of birds is based on where they live and the color of their feathers. Dandelion is a dark-feathered valley eaglet, indicating low birth. Soon after hatching, she's attacked by an archaeopteryx, a vicious soldier bird. She narrowly escapes being eaten, but her parents are killed. Fleydur, a once-exiled prince, finds the broken little bird and introduces her to palace life. Her high-born, golden-feathered classmates are cruel to her, except Cloud-wing, the most handsome and popular eaglet at the palace. But he soon goes off to a special school to prepare him for battle and she loses her only friend. Luckily, Fleydur, who seems to be back in favor with the court, adopts Dandelion, making her a princess. But Dandelion wants to fight their enemies alongside Cloud-wing. She eventually gets her chance when a thief steals a magic stone and tries to frame her. Readers who haven't read Swordbird (2007) or Sword Quest (2008, both HarperCollins) will struggle with this one. New plot lines appear abruptly and fizzle out, and motivations for the characters' actions aren't always clear. Cutesy devices, such as changing indefinite pronouns such as "everyone" to "everybird" quickly wear thin. Overall this is an overwritten, underdeveloped tale.—Mandy Laferriere, Staley Middle School, Frisco, TX