The Valley of the Lost

Deltora Quest #7

by Emily Rodda, Ron Haddrick (Reading)

Lief, Barda and Jasmine, searching for the seven lost gems of the magic Belt of Deltora, have almost reached their goal. Six gems now gleam in the Belt, but the last must be found before Deltora can be freed from the tyranny of the evil Shadow Lord. The companions have faced many terrors with strength and courage. Now they are about to meet dark mysteries that strength and courage alone cannot defeat. If they fail, their quest will be lost, and they will remain forever trapped in the swirling mists of the Valley of the Lost.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Magic

Audio CD

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Emily Rodda (real name Jennifer Rowe) was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1973 with an MA (Hons) in English Literature. Moving into a publishing career, first as a book editor, and finally as a publisher at Angus & Robertson, Rodda's first book was published in 1984.

Reviews

[Sara Kamjou · Rating 5 out of 5]

اینکه بعد از مدت‌ها، محافظ یکی از گوهرها نه یه هیولای عجیب‌الخلقه، بلکه یه انسان با معماهاش بود خیلی جذابیت داستان رو زیاد کرده بود و تا آخر کتاب چیزی قابل حدس نبود.
تا الان جلد یک و هفت رو از بقیه خیلی بیشتر دوست داشتم چون مسیر و خط داستانی قابل پیش‌بینی‌ای نداشتن. اینکه هیجان دارم قراره تو جلد بعد چه اتفاقی بیفته هم خیلی کیف می‌ده...

[Tina➹ lives in Fandoms · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars, Golden & Complete


always try solving this puzzle in this book with the characters & enjoy it all the way, which had a shocking answer. other riddles were fun & great, but after this many times re-read I know all the answers or where its trick was, but this one needs to be thought over every time. I picking up the clues to solve it. it's mysterious & the result is... wow... the author knows how to drop a plot twist! I loved it. felt like all those puzzle-play books I used to solve as a kid.

we came across Tora too, the half-sister city of Del in West.
-
World building: ★★★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★★★/5
plot: ★★★★(★)/5
Cover: ★★★★★/5
General idea: ★★★★★/5

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

من این جلد رو خیلییییی دوست دارم چون خیلی معمایی و هیجان انگیزه و به نظر من کل مجموعه ی دلتورا سیر داستانی جذاب و رازآلود و فانتزی قوی ای داره.
و فک میکنم باید خیلی بیشتر از مجموعه ی هری پاتر بهشون بها داده بشه و خونده بشه

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5!

[Mohadese · Rating 5 out of 5]

there are Interesting puzzles in this book and actually in these books, which involves readers mind and make it more and more interesting!

[Fatima difarko · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
اين جلدشم دوست داشتم🙂
مخصوصا اينكه محافظ ادم بود نه هيولا🙂
شايدم ٤
نميدونم

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fairly certain that as a kid this was my favourite of the Deltora Quest books. Back then I loved the change from fighting the monsters with brute force or trickery, to fighting the monster using logic and reason and completing riddles.

This novel started with the aftermath of the last one (as they all do really), with Leif, Barda and Jasmine attempting to go to the Valley of the Lost, and trying to stay in hiding and away from any Ols that might try to kill them. After realising that they can't cross the river via bridge thanks to a herd of goats (...who are Ols) they realise that instead they need a boat and start going in the other direction in the hopes of getting one from a nearby town. Lo and behold, who do they come across? The pirates from the last book... and a rather handy dingy. After travelling across the river and heading towards the pirate's ship, they are able to meet up with Dain and Chett (a polyphan, basically a thieving monkey-like creature) who have escaped from captivity - but not the boat. Because the river is (if you remember) filled with carnivorous giant worms. They manage to get Dain and Chett, but then the waters unfortunately get too strong and they end up losing oars (and Chett leaps off the boat leaving them to it as well) and get swept away... to Tora; a place they'd been meaning to visit for a while as a potential host of allies, and also the potential home of the heir to Deltora (who they kinda need if the belt is to work).

After finding Tora empty (due to a broken magical vow, and the aftereffects from this) the team meet up with Doom and Neridah before again splitting and heading off again (Doom and Dain to who knows where, and Neridah with out team to the Valley of the Lost to get the diamond). Leif and co aren't too happy having Neridah tag along, because they don't really trust her (which, fair. she hasn't been through the previous six books with them :P) and attempt to leave her behind when they enter the valley, but with no luck. All four are captured by the guardian and given the choice - leave peacefully, or try his game to earn the diamond. If they lose, they become one of the ghostly beings that keep the guardian company, but if they win they get the last gem for the belt - bit of a no-brainer at this stage really.

After much difficulty, the team defeat the riddle and learn the name of the Guardian as a result - "Endon" - the same name as the former king, who left after the fall of Del and the loss of the belt. While heartbroken, they decide to take the gem and continue on their quest... only to realise that while the gem they were promised WAS initially the gem from the belt, it has since been switched out; because the gem was stolen by Neridah while they were attempting to get it legitimately through the solving of the riddle.

Diamonds gained by treachery or violence, or desired out of envy or greed, are ill omens, and bring bad fortune. Great evil comes upon those who gain them without honour

Unfortunately, Neridah wasn't aware of the fine print in regards to the diamond, and died shortly after stealing it (bit of "bad fortune" there), but as Leif and co managed to earn it, they are able to take the diamond with no ill effects... thus completing the belt and TRULY defeating the guardian. By doing so, they release the man that the guardian once was back to the present and also release all the "lost" in the valley, who turn out to be the missing Torans (tada!).

And thus, the book ends with just one more thing to do really.. Return to Del.

[Lidya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god this one came, conquered and cunted!!! The puzzles and wordplays in this book were so, so fun!! I actually feel kinda bad that I was listening to it on audiobook cause I think it would've been so much fun try and solve the riddle on my own (even though I've read this many a time). And even though it's becoming old news at this point, Rodda introduced another key group into the story through the reveal of the subjects of the Guardian being the lost people of Tora. There was so much satisfaction in finally having all the gems together and you just can't help but feel hyped to see the finale.

This is definitely one of the best books of the series and sets up the ending to be even more exciting!

[Armin Khodadadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

واو. در یک کلمه عالی بود.
پرداختش به داستان عالی بود.
داستانی که شکل گرفت عالی بود.
گره گشایی ها عالی بود.
هیجانش عالی بود.
این کتاب از این مجموعه, ارزش این ریت بالا رو واقعا داره!
اسپویل:
(گرچه پایانش رو زیاد دوست نداشتم. یعنی دوست داشتم محافظ, اندون باشه. تاثیرِ زیادی رو فضای داستان میتونست بذاره. گرچه نویسنده این انتخاب رو انجام نداد و اندون رو توی جبهه سفید ها نگه داشت. شخصا دوست داشتم اندون سیاه باشه)

[yas · Rating 4 out of 5]

current ranking:

1. dread mountain
2. valley of the lost
3. the maze of the beast
4. the forests of silence
5. the lake of tears
6. the shifting sands
7. the city of rats

the last gemmmm, i was so excited for this one because it essentially is the final bit of the build up before the epic finale of this first series - andddd spoiler alert it did not disappoint.

the start of it was making me so anxious because what do you mean we are walking in absolute darkness and have no idea if we have even passed the bridge?? absolutely not, we have no clue what is lurking in the shadows watching us, and we have no clue what evil could exist in the water right next to us (im sorry but did we forget the RATSSSS?? THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF WATER)

the whole herd of goats being ols was so eerie - i know ive said it before but ols are such an interesting creature and villian, honestly a great addition to the story

we found dain and somehow this boy survived the pirates - hes resilient to say the least. i was really curious with why he was so very obsessed with tora, and figured it mustve had to do with family, so i felt quite sad for him when he revealed it was his parents he was so desperately hoping to see. also, toran people, excuse me, you broke the VOWWWW. tell me why i got so offended on endons behalf, like goddamn give me a chance, do you not realise how important this is.

the ploy of king endon, queen sharn, and the heir essentially dying/suiciding was a pretty genius little misdirect. my heart sank to my stomach when we saw these bones, even though i had no doubt the heir would be alive somewhere. but i feared the death of endon and sharn.

dooooom <<3 im telling you nothing will make me hate this man, idc what anyone says, idc how many people distrust him, he has my heart thank you and goodbye.

"when anger, hatred, and bitterness have left a man who lives by little else, what else is there left for him but emptiness?" i actually shut the book and had to soak in this quote

getting dooms history a little bit more was of course appreciated by me - mans escaped the vraal in the shadow area and THANK YOU FOR CONFIRMING that you were not in fact the murderer of the man in the cave at kinrest, but rather the man he looked after. this had to have been obvious, jasmines just a bitch lMAO

neridah is sorta just there i feel nothing for her and just want her to go away lowkey. ive got my cast of characters now, she just doesnt fit into my mind

the actual valley of the lost i likeeeee - it reminded me of caraval in the sense that nothing is actually the way it appears, its just 'glamoured' to look that way - the food isnt food, the palace isnt a palace, the people arent people. very caraval vibes

also the guardian was actually quite fun with his little riddle, word puzzle, escape room vibe. it was quite suspenseful knowing that once that candle burns out we are trapped as a ghosty figure forever

I FEARED THE GUARDIAN WAS ENDON OH MY GOD. when they solved his little game of guessing his name and that mf spelt endon nahhhh. i, once again, had to shut the book and pause. poor ali was exposed to much of my freakout during this.

and the man tried to scammmmm us by giving us a non-belt diamond?? and blamed neridah (also her dying in the fountain was not on my bingo card, i know i wanted her gone but i didnt mean i wanted her DEAD, sheesh be careful what you wish for i guess)

the guardians dramatic death/ curse breaking with the dogs being part of him and needing to be sliced from him was very yucky but a very interesting little thing to analyse if youre like me and enjoy deeping things. he was permanently attached to hate, greed, envy, and pride, until they literally began eating him alive and destroying him as a person. hmmmmmmm

but alas, it was a lie (thank god) and our guardian is actually a cute little man named fardeep who got manipulated and finessed by the shadow lord into delving into his bitter and evil feelings. and of course, all the people of tora had to become shadowy ghosty beings trapped in the fake palace until the belt was restored.

anddd then we had the whole belt put together and now i am so very excited for the last one. my expectations are high!

[Mr Francy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROBABLY MY FAVOURITE IN THE SERIES SO FAR!!!!

PREMISE SERIES: This series revolves around Lief, Barder and Jasmine. Lief is a prince who (in book 1) went through a corronation. During siad corronation he was given a cereminonal belt called the belt of Deltora. This belt contains 7 Gems, forged by the beings of the land and hold great powers. During the corronation it is discovered that the gems are missing. So Lief and Barder set out to locate the 7 gems. In book 1 they meet Jasmine who joins them. They also discover that an evil Shadow Lord has taken over the land and the only way to defeat him is to find all 7 Gems and reattach them to the belt.

PREMISE BOOK: In this one Life, Jasmine and Barder set out to find the 7th Gem. Along the way they run into some familiar characters. The 7th Gem is located in The Valley of the Lost. One of the familiar characters advises not to go there as "no one who went has ever made it out alive". But Lief and the gang know they must do this in order to claim the 7th Gem. Little do they know what awaits them when they arrive.

MY THOUGHTS: I think this is probably my fave book in the series so far. In every single book there is some sort of puzzle like obstacle in the way of retreiving the gem and the puzzle in this book was the best by far!!!!! A "many riddled poem" needs to be worked out in order to be granted access. Really enjoyed trying to work out all of the riddles!!!!

4.5 Stars,
xoxo.

[Zahra Labbafan · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمره ۳.۵
کتاب هفتم و پیدا شدن آخرین گوهر کمربند دلتورا
و بر خلاف بقیه جلدها محافظ الماس آدمی بود که عاشق بازی و معما بود
اتفاقات و روند داستان به نسبت جلدهای اولیه خیلی بهتر شده و خوب حالا میمونه کتاب آخر که ببینیم وارث کیه😁

[Tammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read- May 2020
- At this point I'm just excited for this series to be over because I haven't truly loved any of the books.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was good but not as great as the previous ones to me. The puzzle I think was great. The next book finishes the series so I hope they finish out strong.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, our heroes use their numeracy and literacy skills to save the day. Would it be unethical to put my students through similar trials in order to show them the importance of listening in class?

[Kimia the girl who lives in wonderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

بین 8 جلدی در جست و جوی دلتورا به نظرم این کتاب از لحاظ معماها قوی ترین کتابه
عاشق این جلدم و هربار میخونمش مجذوبش میشم :))

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the seventh book in the Deltora Quest series. Make sure to read the previous books, The Forests of Silence, The Lake of Tears, City of the Rats, The Shifting Sands, Dread Mountain, and The Maze of the Beast, prior to reading this one.

In The Valley of the Lost, the trio head in the direction of the ancient magical city of Tora in search of the last gemstone for the Belt of Deltora, the diamond. Upon their arrival in Tora, they find the city empty except for a familiar face, Doom. But Doom knows why they are travelling to the Valley of the Lost and tries several times to dissuade them from travelling there. Each of the books in this story features a theme, with the theme of this book being honesty versus deceit. Keeping along the lines of this theme, the ending reveals Doom's backstory and the reason why he founded the Resistance, see I found this quote to be particularly telling.

“Only one other has ever done so,” he said. “And he — he found the truth so hard to bear that he refused to enter this room and claim his prize. He left the valley, cursing me. Saying that he and his cause, whatever that may be, wanted nothing that had been tainted by my possession.”

Just who is Doom, truly, and why does he feel so strongly about King Endon? Why is he so committed to the cause?

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Credevo che dopo Il labirinto della bestia la serie non potesse migliorare ancora ma di nuovo mi sono ricreduta. Questo libro è fantastico.
A cominciare dai primi capitoli, che sono già di per sé un colpo al cuore. Dain è tornato, ed è già completamente traumatizzato. Destino è tornato, e non solo mi sono completamente innamorata di lui, ma qui si vede ancora di più l'amarezza che lo pervade, e quel poco di introspezione che ha lo rende probabilmente il personaggio migliore della serie. Non c'è letteralmente un istante di pausa, ogni singola pagina presenta un pericolo o quantomeno una brutta sorpresa. In altre parole, questo libro è molto più cupo degli altri. Stavolta l'ambiente in cui è racchiusa la pietra è particolarmente agghiacciante, e il suo Guardiano è forse il più interessante, se non altro per la sua intelligenza e la sua astuzia, oltre che per il suo background. L'unico peccato è che c'è stato un colpo di scena relativo a lui che poi però si è svelato essere clamorosamente falso. Peccato perché sarebbe stato molto efficace.
Ormai i protagonisti sono pienamente maturati dal primo libro, il che ha reso molto soddisfacente vederli agire in base alla propria crescita. Inoltre, il worldbuilding ancora una volta si è rivelato piuttosto creativo e davvero interessante.
Siamo ormai giunti al termine, ormai manca solo la risoluzione finale, e io sono pronta.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

SN: I remember loving this series when I was a kid but I don't remember if I actually finished it. I might have moved on to another series by the time the last book was published. So here goes my attempt at rereading the entire thing!

Ooooooookay, I can see what the goal was. I can see how I would have been mad annoyed as a kid. This one just didn't touch me in the feels the way how the previous ones did. The whole name guessing aspect was interesting. I enjoyed the riddles and the puzzle, but I did not enjoy this whole "friend-or-foe" thing that's been going on for a hot minute. I am stressed at this point. Will I enjoy the final book? Or will I be disappointed that I committed myself to rereading/finishing this series?

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all the others, this was another easy, fast-paced read that again focused on the mystery and gave me escape room vibes!

I mean, who doesn't love escape rooms? lol

Leif, Jasmine, and Barda have no choice but to participate in order to retrieve the gem as well as to solve the puzzle of the identity of the Guardian, the last foe who has challenged them to a game.

If they win, they get the gem. If they lose they will stay trapped inside the Valley of the Lost forever.

Plus this book gives the audience more of a hint about Doom's past and how that plays out was very interesting and thrilling for me!

Only one more book to go before the finale! Bring it on!! 😄👏

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book stands out for the twists the unfolding of many secrets. It feels like Emily Rodda was carefully laying the foundations for this book in the previous volumes, knowing that when truths were revealed it would blow the mind of the reader.

Another thing that sets this book apart from the others is the challenge is mental and not physical for the heroes. Yes, they've had puzzles to master on the way, but this is the hardest yet. And defeat felt all the more likely.

I love how Emily Rodda wrote this, especially given it's aimed at the young end of the YA spectrum. It's so engaging and gripping, and the twists at the end are wonderful.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

UGHHHH MANNNN THIS WAS INCREDIBLEEE THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF PUZZLES I WANNA SEE!!!

WOULD have been 5/5 stars because of the FUCKING MAGNIFICENT plot twist they introduced at the end (if only they hadn't backtracked it two pages later....... so it was a fucking LIE). if they had the courage to stick with it, my god it would have changed the story so much - though i understand why they didn't.

STILL. rocked my socks for a good minute there.
excited to finish this series ...

[Ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best ones so far, if not the best! Dain, Doom, and Neridah were given a new layer of depth. The Valley of the Lost as a setting was particularly dismal, and the wizard was more threatening, mysterious, powerful, and human than past foes. The game they played (guessing his name) was clever and fun to play along with. I'm excited to see where the story goes now that they have all the gems! :)

[Caleb Likes Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites in the series so far. Some interesting conflict, good worldbuilding, a couple twists, and an interesting encounter with the guardian of the final gem needed to complete the belt. From memory this was my favorite as a kid, and while it’s not anymore it is definitely one of the better books in the series. Really enjoyed this one.

Rating: 9/10

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Podobała mi się bez wątpienia bardziej niż tom poprzedni, ale nie zmienia to faktu, że męczy mnie już to, jak bardzo te książki są pisane na jedno kopyto. Już od kilku tomów mam wrażenie, że czytam ciągle to samo, tylko w innym miejscu.

Ale podobał mi się plot twist pod koniec (:

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is simply the best book in the series so far. The riddles, the character development, the plot twists, this is literally a perfect book. Nothing more to say.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - English Ebook

Review follows later.

[Landon Shimpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books for the fun puzzles and twists that take place. Another memorable part of their journey.

[Anahita Solot · Rating 5 out of 5]

واقعا هر جلد داره بهتر و بهتر می‌شه. محافظ این جلد خیلی داستان جذابی داشت و چه پیچش جالبی. خیلی از خواندن این جلد لذت بردم. باورم نمی‌شه که جلد بعدی آخرین جلد این مجموعه‌ست.

[Ethan Westerfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about! This is such a good series and I gotta give it to 10 year old Ethan, he had impeccable taste in child/teen fantasy. This book follows our trio of heroes as they explore the dreaded Valley of the Lost.

The residents of the valley are sad, dreary, and caught between life and death. Presiding over these throngs of the not dead is the Guardian and his demented pets. I loved the Guardian as an antagonist and his game was really fun to play along with.

Gotta say though, idk that I trust this Dain guy. He sure didn't react well to the magic of Tora.