The Forging of the Blade

Lowthar's Blade #1

by R.L. LaFevers

"LaFevers sets up an effective fantasy realm, populated with likeable characters…. A good choice for readers not ready for Lloyd Alexander’s ‘Prydian books, which features a similarly young and appealing hero." — School Library Journal

Kenric’s homeland is in danger. Fierce Mawr hounds and grymclaws prowl the land and skies, and an evil power is on the rise. Lord Mordig has killed the true king and plans to rule Lowthar by forging a new blade of power. When Kendric’s father disappears, Kendric knows he must find him, before it’s too late.

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Magic

123 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

R.L. LaFevers (Robin Lorraine when she’s in really big trouble) grew up surrounded by shelves of old dusty books and a passel of brothers. She has also spent a large portion of her life being told she was making up things that weren’t there, which only proves she was destined to write fiction. She is the author of over fourteen books for young readers, including THEODOSIA AND THE SERPENTS OF CHAOS, (Houghton Mifflin, 2007) which received starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Booksense Summer Pick, and nominated for the Malice Domestic’s Agatha Award, and the NATHANIEL FLUDD, BEASTOLOGIST series. R.L. also writes the His Fair Assassin books using her full name, Robin LaFevers, but cannot get Goodreads to link the two, so you have to check out a separate profile for that. So sorry for the inconvenience!

Reviews

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Lowthar's Blade Trilogy, Book 1: The Forging of the Blade by R.L. LaFevers (2004) -- These are dangerous times in the land of Lowthar. Fierce Mawr hounds prowl the dark roads, and grymclaws patrol the skies. There is talk of an evil power rising in the east. Suddenly Kenric's father, the village blacksmith, disappears. So Kenric sets out to find him. -- Plunged into a terrifying adventure, Kenric soon realizes things are worse than he ever imagined. Lord Mordig has killed the true king and seeks to rule Lowthar by forging a new blade of power. He will destroy anyone who gets in the way. Can one boy's courage unite humans, goblins, and the Fey folk to fight back? Followed by Book 2 - The Secrets of Grim Wood & Book 3 - The True Blade of Power (must be read in order).

REVIEW: Kenric is 11-years old and is a strong character who learns about himself and the world through his quest to find his father who has disappeared. I agree with the book jacket which describes the book as the perfect introduction to classic fantasy. It has all the elements of a classic fantasy book: reluctant hero, a quest, stumbling blocks along the way, evil Warlord wanting to rule the world, and unexpected alliances of multiple races that join together to stop him. Also included is Linwe of the Fey (a strong female character) and Hnagi (a goblin outcast) which provides some comic relief. The series would be appealing to reluctant readers especially those in grades 4th - 6th. The story is fast-paced, well-told, and very short at 123 pages. A three part series that must be read in order.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to finish the series. Kenric 11 is all-round appealing: brave enough to seek his vanished blacksmith father Brogan, "scrawny" p 6 enough to hide from Fae tribe and accept help partway from goblin Hnagi, resourceful enough to adapt advice from ghost Thorgil. Feels like a reread.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is aimed for boys, telling them to face their fear and take charge of their destiny, not waiting to see what happens. Very well done.

[Jeff_§of2014]

This book was about a boy named Kenric. He was the son of the only blacksmith in Perith, the small town in the west of the kingdom of Lowthar. Kenric and his father had a strong bond, his father wanted to teach him the ways of a blacksmith because his father has been forging an important blade, Kenric's father said this blade would protect many lives in the kingdom and it would take many tries just to shape the blade with intense skill and concentration. But one day, Kenric woke up to find his father gone, with no trace of where he went, so he went to ask his mom but she didn't know either. Later, in the middle of the night, Kenric got up and left to attempt to find his father, as he traveled, he got to Grimwood Vale, but when he saw the gatekeeper but as he approached, the gate was closing and he heard noises behind him, by now he got very worried so he rushed into Grimwood Vale and the gates shut behind him. As he looked back, he saw vicious hounds, biting and snarling at the gate, he was lucky he made it. Looking at his map, he still has to go through a forest full with fairies, also known as the Feys, also, near the forest is Hnagi's cave, Hangi is a goblin that hates humans because his kind are treated badly among humans. Will Kenric ever find his father?
I can connect this another book, Artemis Fowl. Both Artemis and Kenric live without a father, and they desperately try to find out the truth or what happened to their father, also, both their mothers give little or no support while their husband is gone so the kids are more independent.
I rate this book 5 stars because the story wasn't that much of an original, but the book was fast paced. It put in a lot of details into small and easy to read chapters.

[Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review can also be found on: Paein and Ms4Tune’s Book Blog

Well this was short. 123 pages to be exact! Honestly I picked this one because it was the smallest out of my 'really want to read' read--it-or-lose-it pile. I was surprised to see that it was by the same author who wrote Grave Mercy and I wonder if that's why I bought it? But I liked it so I've ordered books two and three so that I can find out more about this world.

This is a fast moving introduction to the 'high fantasy' genre for a younger reader. It has a simple plot line with just enough conflict to keep the reader interested without complicating anything. As the first of three, it's clearly an introduction into a world of elves and goblins and magic. And while Kenric has completed the task that he set out to do, I have a feeling his adventures are not over yet, too much is unanswered. Yet the story is written in a way that you could leave it there if you wanted to.

My copy of the book has a sneak peak at book 2 and I glanced at enough of it to know I wanted to keep reading but not enough to give too much away, which is just how I like it. I'm hoping that he'll not only solve the task(s) the king is going to send him on, but that he also unites his world once more and teaches us about all the residents.

[Zacharyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was awsome!!!I thought this book was one of the best books that I have ever read because it had three things that I absolutely love in books that I always look for: medevil,fighting,and fantasy!!!!
If I were to rate this book from 1 to 10 I would give it a 10!!This book is #6 on my list of favorite books!I just loved this book from the start and I promise anyone who reads this book is going to love this book!!!!!!!!
I loved this book so much it inspired me to get a closer bond with my dad.I hope anyone who reads this book loves it as much as I do!!!!!
I loved this book because it is filled with adventure and danger it also has a little bit of mystery and it has alot of magic.Sometimes I wish I could just make stuff come out of books into real life and the things that I read be right in front of me and be real I really wanted that to happen with this book.
You know how readers sometimes get sucked into the books that they read that sort of happens to me alot and this book really got me sucked into it!!!!!!
I thought that this book was realy cool and realy sad because it is always changing the mood it is a little confusing but once you get used to it it is truly really excititing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

You've got your nameless evil spreading over the land. You've got your elves who don't want to get involved. You've got your formerly-human enslaved minions. You've got your mysterious old mentor with a white beard. When I say there's nothing new about The Forging of the Blade, I mean there's nothing new.

On the other hand, if you've got kids who can't quite manage the names in the (much superior children's high fantasy) Chronicles of Prydain - and aren't ready for The Lord of the Rings - this isn't bad. The author can write, although the book is so slim that the young protagonist's accomplishments at the end of the book seem to come out of nowhere and be pretty unbelievable.

[jake D. D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forging of the blade is really good book it is a page turner. This book fall in adventure. I recommend it for boys more that girls because it falls in the medieval times kind off. It’s about a boy who his dad is captured and he basically goes and trys to find his dad and he run into a blade called the forging blade believe it or not and this blade can do fire and kill almost anything. The book is fast moving and it is the first book in the series. This book is very good i think so because of how it is set up and how the events acurr.The events are not boring and acurr at the right time unlike in other book it just randomly just pops like that. The character is very brave and bold. He’s just easy to understand. the reason I gave it four stars rather than five is because it was a very easy read for me but I did not like how he ended the book.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick read and a great book for the middle school age, even though my little girl could easily finish the book. The story was interesting - boy loses his father because the father was kidnapped for being a blacksmith. Seems the evil conqueror desires to have a power sword forged and have been kidnapping blacksmiths throughout the area, trying to find one who can make this sword of power. The boy leaves home in search of his father, and ends up being like Bilbo Baggins - a hero for the story in his adventures. Not as epic as The Hobbit, but a good start for this trilogy for kids.

[KidsFiction Teton County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

TCL Call# J SHORT CHAPTER LA FEVERS R

Chris's Rating - 3.5 Stars
Kendric's father (the local blacksmith) is missing and he and his mother are about to be kicked out of their home. Rather than give in to the accusation that his father left them because he didn't want them, Kendric sets out to find his father coming across elves, goblins and other creatures.
I'd place this book somewhere in the lines of a "first chapter book," maybe for boys grade 1-3. The story bears similarities to Lord of the Rings (in a very simplified manner) but doesn't contain great depth. Still, Kenric's heart is in the right place and I feel this book could appeal to a younger audience.

[Eli Beyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would happen if a rain of darkness fell over a village. The Forging of the Blade written by R.L. LaFevers. The first element is adventure. This is adventure because this kid goes on a journey to find his dad. Mystery is the next element. Mystery is one of the elements because this boys dad disappears one day and he doesn't know where he is. Courage is the last element. This is an element because this boy has the courage to go get this dad from somewhere that could be dangerous or really nice. This book is really interesting and it has a really good adventure in it.

[Camille Stanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a short, fairly generic adventure fantasy: an evil overlord, a quest for family, the old mysterious guide, a powerful sword, and a dangerous forest. What made it different to me was the three different stones for the Fey (a mooonstone), the Goblins (a firestone), and the humans (a bloodstone) and the fact that these races seem to not have a strong enmity for each other as other books do.
It squeaks its way into the category of "eh. I liked it."

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay beginning to a trilogy. Definitely one of R. L. LaFevers' early works: it doesn't compare well to Nathaniel Fludd. And one can tell that she took her inspiration from other characters in fantasy/sci-fi, notably, the goblin who's described an awful lot like Gollum.

For kids, it's a pretty good read.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like an elementary version of The Lord of the Rings. It's similarities/simplicities kept me from really getting it. But I think young children would find it rather entertaining. It contains wholesome messages of family, courage, and the quest to do good.

[Denae Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the age group, this is a great story to introduce 3rd-6th graders to the fantasy genre, the hero's tale, and the typical medieval world with magic, elves, and bad guys who want ultimate power and can be taken down by the smallest of heroes.

[Kristen Gurri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic questing tale. The minor characters are more memorable and humorous than the lead. This is a good book for young readers because the chapters roll over fast, the fantasy names are easy to read and the plot clips along.

[Rose]

JF LaF

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple storyline. Easy read. Gives me a boost of confidence that I can be a writer too.

[Tommy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love it, but it was worth reading. I thought it was a little too short. It was a big story that needed more meat. I never ended up reading the rest of the series.

[Sallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book for kids.

[Evilphenix1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

action packed and full of aww i give this book 5\5

[Jill Miskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little series much like LOTR, but for the younger set. Things would be scary, but only for a moment. I would recommend for emerging readers.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brayden(4th grade) devoured this book! He can't wait to get his hands on the next one in the series.

[David K · Rating 5 out of 5]

when a kid gets on a journey to find his dad, evil creatures are all around him and he is in danger to find his dad. Will he make it?

[Cathy | A Case Full of Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

After loving Theodosia and the Beastologist series, this was a let down for me. I had such high hopes for it, and it just didn't have much depth to it.

[Sara Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asher, 9, loved it. We have requested book 2 from the library.

[Xaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Read this and was compleatly drawn into it!
This and the other two are just Amazing!!!

[Tyas · Rating 1 out of 5]

A boy. An evil. A journey. A legendary weapon.

Why do I think I've heard it all before?

[Nickey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very LOTRish without a lot of depth.

[Katherine]

Currently reading this with Jordan's class reading group.