Title: The Seventh tower The FallAuthor: Garth NixType: Science FictionPublication date: 2000Number of Pages: 195Plot SummaryThis book is a Science fiction book that is the fist of a series of books called The Seventh Tower. It starts out with a boy by the name of Tal Graile-Rarem receiving word that his dad was missing on a mission that he was doing for the queen. And that is when every thing goes down hill. This is because his dad has the only good sunstone that will allow Tal to pass into the world of Aerian. Aerian is the world where a boy goes to receive his spirit shadow when he turns fourteen. Right now he as what is called a shadow guard, the shadow guard is his actually shadow only it can independently take shape into different things, what ever is needed to be to protect Tal when he gets into trouble.
The thing is he need to get a spirit shadow when he turn fourteen other wise he will lose a shadow all together and not be a chosen and more. This will make him a commoner and he will have to live at the cave at the bottom of the mountain. So now Tal needs to go and find him a new sunstone powerful enough to be able to enter him into the Aerian. There were only three ways to do this the first one was to ask for one from his Aunts who had more than one of them and was in a higher order. But for some unknown reason they had a grudge against Tals father and would not give him one. The next possible way to get a stone was to win one at the achievements.
These were events that took place where people could enter to win sunstones. After quickly looking over the events Tal decided to try to win one in the achievement of agility. But some thing bad happened when he went on the day of event his name was not on the schedule for when it was his turn to race the opstickal course. When he went to the desk to ask what had happen he found out that his name was signed up for a different achievement it was the achievement of music. So now he had to participate in that when it was all done he ended up getting second place and not winning.
Now there is only one way left for him to get a sunstone and that was to climb up one of the towers and past though the black nothing ness to the top where sun stones can be found. Everything was going well he had maid it to the top and then all of a sudden this shadow guarding came out and began to attack him. As he did this it caused Tal to lose his footing and he fell off. The next thing he knew he was fling around in the nothing ness.
His shadow guard had caught him and was slowly gliding through the nothing ness and on to the ground. When they finally land Tal realizes that he is nowhere near the castle and he had enter the cold wasteland out side of the castle. With the help of his shadow guard he begins to walk back to the castle be pretty soon the coldness and exhaustion gets to him and he gets knocked unconscious. When he wakes up he finds himself on a ship that is gliding across the ice he was picked up by a bad of nomad people who live out in the wasteland. After talking with them and tell them what has happened they decide to help him for his sake and theirs. Theirs because their sunstone that provides their only light is beginning to dim and where out.
So the send Milla a strong girl with him to go back to the castle. But on their way back to the castle they run into a wild animal and Milla gets severely hurt. But then another group of nomads come and pick them up and that is where the story ends. So I guess if u want to find out what happens next were both going to have to buy the next book.
Character AnalysisThe main character in this book is Tal Graile-Rarem; he is a chosen of the Orange order. He is a thirteen-year-old boy and is of normal hieght and stature for his age. He is not always sure of him self in this story and he relies a lot on his shadow because of this. The other main character in this book is Milla of the icecarls. She is the same age as Tal but is a lot bigger and stronger. She is the brave one of the story willing to risk her life to do anything that she can to complete her task that was given to her.
SettingThe story takes place for the most part out in a wasteland. There is hard any light at all because of the nothing ness that is in the sky. The temperature is extremely cold so you need a lot of clothes to keep u warm, which in the case of Tal and Milla was wearing. The time that this takes place is in the present but only it is taking place on another world in some other galaxy. Then only other setting of this book is the castle that sits up on top of this mountain.
It is very warm in the castle and if filled with plenty of light generated by sunstones. ClimaxThe begging of the story right when he fall back into the black and is carried far away from the castle is the climax of this story. Since this book is just the begging of a series of books the climax is not resolved it rather starts the big adventure off. This was a bit unbelievable though, but that is because this book is science fiction so most of the things in this book are things that would not happen in real life.
Tal reacted to this event, bye doing what his any other normal boy in his world would do he depended on his shadow for help. ThemeThe theme of this story is courage and being out on your own. I know the theme is courage because of all the things and difficulties that Tal had to go through. Also going out on the quest makes him leave the castle and the protection of the parents. He did so tenitively but when it came time to have courage he had it. This is not really a theme that I can identify with be cause I have never really been off on my own before, for more than like three days.
RecommendationI would recommend this book to those people who like to read science fiction books. I like this book because it always kept you hanging and always made you want to keep reading ahead. The only bad thing is that this book is one of those books where the story does not end the quest that the boy is on doesnt get finished so u have to by the book to find out what happens next. Words/ Pages : 1,257 / 24
