The Outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh: The Sign of Qin - Book #1 (Outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh, 1) - Hardcover

Bass, L.G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786819189 ISBN 13: 9780786819188

Publisher: Hyperion, 2004

Synopsis

A volcanic eruption releases a vanguard of demons, sealed away for centuries beneath the earth. Soon after, the Emperor's first son is born, marked with the sign of the Qin-the brand of the outlaw! Could the child be the new Starlord, destined to restore justice to the land? The emperor plots to kill his only heir before the boy can usurp his throne. But the assassin is foiled by a mysterious monk whose magical tattoos foretell the future, and a trickster monkey who longs for immortality. A host of warring guardians must ultimately unite to help the Starlord unlock the kung fu secrets of the Twelve Scrolls and save the earth from destruction. But first, the Prince must fulfill his destiny, and join the twin leaders of the legendary outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh in a war against the Lord of the Dead. The first in a trilogy, Sign of the Qin draws upon Chinese myth and legend in a tour de force of classic storytelling. L.G. Bass is a student of martial arts, a former teacher and journalist, and a fan of kung fu films. The author lives with her husband and two sons in New York City.

About this title

About the Author

L.G. Bass is a student of martial arts, a former teacher and journalist, and a fan of kung fu films. The author lives with her husband and two sons in New York City.

From Booklist

In a post-Potter world where Oscars accrue to films set in Middle Earth, publishers' "big" books (the ones that receive the lion's share of publicity) are often fantasies. Though Sign of the Qin, doesn't boast the celebrity of Harry Potter or G.P. Taylor's Shadowmancer, its lavish galley copy suggests that it has been launched with similarly high expectations. The real question is whether the book will continue to circulate after the initial buzz fades.

Readers whose spirituality inclines toward Eastern traditions may find Bass' treatment of the good-versus-evil theme enticing. Bass draws upon the myths, legends, philosophies, and classic literature of China to craft her complex epic, set during an unspecified period in Chinese history. The first volume in a planned trilogy, the novel introduces the main players, earthly and otherwise, in an epic battle between the King of Heaven and the King of Hell. What works here is Bass' evocative language, her colorful cast of demonic enemies, and scenes of whirling, knife-throwing kung fu warriors that call forth Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But the story's mythic tone and the sheer number of characters have a distancing effect; the third-person narrator never settles on its primary young protagonists (the child-hero Prince Zong, the outlaw White Streak) long enough for readers to feel involved in their grand struggles. This is a better and more original novel than G. P. Taylor's Shadowmancer , but in the end, it suffers from a similar problem: characters too overshadowed by pyrotechnical plots and thematic enthusiasms to fully fire the imagination. -Jennifer Mattson Jennifer Mattson
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About this edition

• Publisher: Hyperion
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0786819189
• ISBN 13: 9780786819188
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 398