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The Quest Trilogy #1
Go Quest, Young Man
When Joxer signs up for a suspicious quest seeking fortune, fame, and Gabrielle's approval, Xena discovers some old enemies are behind the venture which could only prove to be no good
273 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Ru Emerson
53 books52 followersaka Roberta Cray
Ru Emerson was born on December 15th, 1944 in Montana. She and her husband, Doug, live in Oregon with their only child, a silver mackerel tabby cat named Roberta. She likes to lift weights, run, bike, skate in-line, ski, play basketball, tennis, racquetball, garden, play guitar, scuba dive, and fly stunt kites. Her favorite reading material includes Megan Lindholm, science fiction by Larry Niven, murder mysteries by Patricia Cornwell, plus any other good historical non-fiction.
Ru Emerson was born on December 15th, 1944 in Montana. She and her husband, Doug, live in Oregon with their only child, a silver mackerel tabby cat named Roberta. She likes to lift weights, run, bike, skate in-line, ski, play basketball, tennis, racquetball, garden, play guitar, scuba dive, and fly stunt kites. Her favorite reading material includes Megan Lindholm, science fiction by Larry Niven, murder mysteries by Patricia Cornwell, plus any other good historical non-fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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September 26, 2022This was much better than the previous Xena tie-in novels because it is written more like an episode. It also references things that happened on the show and finally corrects mistakes from the other books, such as the sex of Argo and the spelling of Chakram. I was also happy that there was finally subtext in this book because the previous ones did not have any.
May 7, 2018
I would give this 2.5 stars. It is stronger than Emerson’s previous Xena novels but I don’t think it’s quite a 3.
Some time has passed since the last book and this has given Emerson time to correct some details and get to know the series better. She references a lot of different episodes which I liked. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Hercules, Iolaus, Salmoneus, Draco, and Joxer.
For me, the characterizations of Xena and Gabrielle are still the weak link. Those characters and their relationship are at the heart of the series and if they’re not right it just doesn’t work as well. I was especially bothered by Xena and Gabrielle’s attitudes towards Joxer. They are extremely cruel and even a bit hateful. This is clearly a reflection of a large part of the fan base that chatted on AOL. Joxer was much-hated by some fans but he’s not by Xena and Gabby so it didn’t work for me.
Anyway, this is the first in a trilogy. I still have hopes it may get better from here.
Some time has passed since the last book and this has given Emerson time to correct some details and get to know the series better. She references a lot of different episodes which I liked. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Hercules, Iolaus, Salmoneus, Draco, and Joxer.
For me, the characterizations of Xena and Gabrielle are still the weak link. Those characters and their relationship are at the heart of the series and if they’re not right it just doesn’t work as well. I was especially bothered by Xena and Gabrielle’s attitudes towards Joxer. They are extremely cruel and even a bit hateful. This is clearly a reflection of a large part of the fan base that chatted on AOL. Joxer was much-hated by some fans but he’s not by Xena and Gabby so it didn’t work for me.
Anyway, this is the first in a trilogy. I still have hopes it may get better from here.
June 6, 2023
A fun nostalgic read. Alot of "hey, I remember that thing they referenced" without it being too heavy handed. But unfortunately the plot develops a little slow, some bits could have been shorter. It is a trilogy so the book doesn't have a ending for any story arc.
Xenas portrayal is pretty close to what she is like in the show and that was important to me, since she was my childhood hero. But Gabrielle... Do I remember the show wrong? I remember her as the more optimistic of the two, but with limits, she could complain for the sake of comedy or relatability. But in this book she's annoyed by everyone who isn't Xena, but she gets cranky at Xena as well though. Also, the anger Xena and Gabrielle occasitionally had towards Joxer was a bit too much.
On a more positive note. The book got me interested in the plot enough to wanna read the second book as well.
Xenas portrayal is pretty close to what she is like in the show and that was important to me, since she was my childhood hero. But Gabrielle... Do I remember the show wrong? I remember her as the more optimistic of the two, but with limits, she could complain for the sake of comedy or relatability. But in this book she's annoyed by everyone who isn't Xena, but she gets cranky at Xena as well though. Also, the anger Xena and Gabrielle occasitionally had towards Joxer was a bit too much.
On a more positive note. The book got me interested in the plot enough to wanna read the second book as well.
June 1, 2021
Ru Emerson does a really good job of translating characters that are largely action and expression based into fun, episode-style dialog. There were parts that dragged on a bit or got a little bit repetitive but it was pretty good for a franchise paperback. Very fun.
July 4, 2023
Minus one star because I am never going to get that song out of my head.
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August 23, 2008isbn,original
November 16, 2010
Very fun young adult story. Wish there was a sequel!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews