Basilisk

by N M Browne and N.M. Browne

Book Overview

This evocative story of greed, power, and deception sweeps from the underground cave network of the Combers, living like spiders among the endless tunnels and ropes, to the beautiful city inhabited by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158234910X
• ISBN13: 9781582349107
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

book club

Arrived on time-I like the product, would order from this company again. I love this author and have read most of her books. I liked this one too.

Better than most fantasy out there

I started reading this book at my old highschool library and was really impressed. Most fantasy books I have read are a bit homogenous, and tend to follow plotlines that don't really strike me as groundbreaking or original. This book was a nice surprise then, it actually fleshes out the fastasy world without just blandly rehashing a Dungeons and Drangons style Middle ages, and it remains intriguing throughout. I was gladdened by the fact that I was being patronized or lectured by this book and that it didn't try to shove morals down my throat. The story was pretty good, though I felt the conclusion was a bit chaotic, and the characters proved realistic and were more than predictable cardboad cutouts. My only real complaints were the suddenness of the resolution and the fact that some of the terms they use aren't really explained. Some of the made up slang was a bit painful, but that wasn't a major floor. I'd happily reccommend this book to anyone who's into fastasy/sci-fi.

Nate's Review

I liked this book because it made me want to keep reading. It was very exciting and never boring. There was a lot of action in the book, such as when there was a huge battle between the Above People and the People of the Underground. I think the type of reader who would like this book would be a fantasy reader because it talks about mythical creatures and a dream realm. It is a very enthralling book. Living in the underground world of the combs, a boy named Rej finds the body of the dead Doctor Esteemed Harfoot. Rej makes a vow to avenge his death and kill the murderer responsible for Harfoot's death. Meanwhile Above, an oppidian, a person who copies notes for the Doctors Esteemed, named Donna, is told to copy the notes for Doctor Esteemed Melagair. Rej and Donna find out that they both share the dreams of flying freely as dragons. They must save the combs from the ultimate weapon of war used by the Arkel.

Basilisk (actually 13, but this is faster)

I enjoyed this book immensely. The world it is set in is intriguing, if not completely realistic, and the characters are fairly good. Rej lives underground in the Combes below the city of Lunnzia. The "combers" are forced to live underground by a fifteen-year treaty. He dreams of being a dragon, soaring above the city. One day, he finds an injured "Abover" in one of the burial chambers. He goes to find help, but when he returns, he finds the Abover murdered. Donna is an Abover, the daughter of the Poison Lady and former Low Lady (before possessions were outlawed and Donna became an "oppidan" slave). She also dreams of the dragons. She is summoned to help the Doctor Esteemed Melagiar copy his treatise on dreams. The Doctor Esteemed's mute, half-crazy sister lives with him, and one day Donna sees a strange tattoo of the dragon she dreams of on the woman's chest. A friend helps Rej escape the Combes to Lunnzia, pretending to be mute and "moon-witted" and is shown around by Donna. After the Doctor Esteemed Melagiar is murdered, he reveals to Donna that he is not crazy and can speak and that he has dreams of dragons. They both discover a plot by the ruler of Lunnzia to scare the combers to death involving dragons, and must stop it. I am surprised that this is not more popular. It is suspenseful and unique and I would be quick to recommend it.

Basilisk is a book filled with courage, hope, and LIGHT!!!!!

This book was described incredibly! The world of Rej and Donna felt real and was original. This is the first time I have ever seen a dragon portrayed as the symbol of good and, being the huge dragon lover that I am, that satisfies me very much. I enjoyed reading it sooooo much and if you begin to get bored because the very beginning is a little slow, don't be discouraged because by chapter ten you'll be walking around all day reading this book. Despite the sad ending, Basilisk is an amazing book.