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The Quest for the Fallen Star
Beneath the twin suns Ellistar and Deneob, the Realm of Infinitera is menaced by the Dark One and his minions, the Illcreatures. And in these strange times has come a thing never seen before: a star which has tumbled from the sky, holding a power of evil even more dangerous than the Dark One himself.
Now, to save the Realm, the High Bishop charges a lonely group of travelers with a crucial task: carrying the mightiest weapon every known, the Thunderwood Staff, to safety in the Holy city of Norivika.
Running before the storm, the doughty band must traverse the world, and learn the true nature of the Fallen Star, in order to stave off the Dark...
Now, to save the Realm, the High Bishop charges a lonely group of travelers with a crucial task: carrying the mightiest weapon every known, the Thunderwood Staff, to safety in the Holy city of Norivika.
Running before the storm, the doughty band must traverse the world, and learn the true nature of the Fallen Star, in order to stave off the Dark...
673 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
3 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
441 books4,215 followersThough he spent the first four years of his life in England, Piers never returned to live in his country of birth after moving to Spain and immigrated to America at age six. After graduating with a B.A. from Goddard College, he married one of his fellow students and and spent fifteen years in an assortment of professions before he began writing fiction full-time.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 7, 2014
This is a fun adventure, well-written and just the sort of intricate plots I would expect from Piers Anthony. I was captivated by the characters and found the world to be intriguing enough to not feel like the sort of generic fantasy world I was worried it would be.
But there were two points that I didn't like. Firstly, there is a romance that develops later in the story that I don't particularly like or believe. That might be just because of my personal tastes, but it bothered me and made it harder to read the end third of the book. Also, the end of the book and the revelation of what the fallen star was somehow just rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, it was a good read and I would definitely recommend it.
But there were two points that I didn't like. Firstly, there is a romance that develops later in the story that I don't particularly like or believe. That might be just because of my personal tastes, but it bothered me and made it harder to read the end third of the book. Also, the end of the book and the revelation of what the fallen star was somehow just rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, it was a good read and I would definitely recommend it.
December 22, 2022
Quest for the Fallen Star is both typical epic fantasy and a syncretistic tale that weaves together panentheistic religion, biblical allusions, and philosophical/psychological insights. The biblical allusions are clear in that the threat to the good creation comes in the form of a “fallen star.” Students of both Isaiah 14 and Revelation 12:7-9 would likely recognize that imagery (though the Isaiah reference was originally directed at the King of Babylon, mockingly called Lucifer). There may also be a subtle (or maybe not so subtle) reference to Plato’s Timaeus in that the perfection of the geocentric universe (at least, planet-centric) is pictured as a sphere of perfection.
At one point, the length of a ship is given in cubits, being 50 cubits (=75 ft.) in length (p. 191). Admittedly, cubits are a historical metric used throughout the ancient Near East, but it does have a biblical resonance when a cliff goes down 12 cubits (= 18 ft. – p. 278) or a cylindrical opening in an underground passage is two cubits (1 yard) wide and four cubits (2 yards) deep (p. 280). The use of the ancient measurement is handled consistently throughout the book and adds to the suspended disbelief of a more primitive society. I wasn’t as excited by the use of (again echoes of biblical, as well as ancient, history) talents for the monetary unit. Five (5) talents per day as a docking fee would have been outrageous in either the era of the Hebrew Bible or the Christian New Testament (p. 368). Of course, inflation devalues monetary units and fantasy civilizations are generally closer to medieval than ancient, so that’s probably not as relevant to others as it seemed to me at the time.
There is also an interesting dynamic between two types of spirituality in that one sacred space, the Holy Land, is designed to encounter peace in community while another sacred space (located roughly halfway through the book) is designed for one encounter peace on the personal level (p. 295). The story is also rich in ethical angst as certain of the heroes have to struggle with the nature of their commitments, the constraints of their racial/cultural backgrounds, and the nature of the struggle. Real heroes have to deal with complexity and each one on the quest must do so—some fatally. This adds to the richness of the story. Plus, there is a balance between power and accountability that is illustrated in a fascinating way after what seemed to be a rather typical battle gone wrong (pp. 516-544).
In epic fashion, it takes roughly 150 pages to put the “fellowship” of adventurers together. In the process, there is race prejudice (vs. humans, goblins, and a female elf protagonist) and lots of soul-searching to be considered. There are even occasional touches which suggest that at least one of the authors might have read Green Lantern comics in that A’toc’s use of green emanations of Earthpower is countered (but not entirely neutered) by yellow emanations of Ill-power (p. 290). Fortunately, at least serving my personal taste, the book’s point-of-view is primarily from the experience and thoughts of Chentelle. In general, the elf enchantress constantly underestimates her role in the overall quest, making it all the more satisfying when she accomplishes something no one else could do. And it makes the story all the more interesting when, roughly two-thirds of the way through the story, she undergoes a self-deprecating (maybe even self-abrogating) questioning of her role in the quest.
At one point in preparation for actually venturing forth on the quest, there are two haunting phrases from a holy book which come to bear: “The song exists in silence, between notes; / In shadows do we learn to love the light.” (p. 179) I suspect it is no accident that the final line sounds vaguely like the prophecy in Isaiah 9:2: “2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” However, it was the reflection of the appropriately named Chentelle (my mind tried to make it into “Chantelle” when I first started reading) that impacted me. “…if you could play all the notes of all the different Chentelle notes that she would become in her life, you would have a song. But the song didn’t live in the notes. It lived in the experiences that made those notes different, in the process of growth and change.” (p. 180)
Of course, what good would an epic fantasy novel be without epic battles? There are defensive battles with combined arms (magic and mundane) versus attackers (supernatural and corrupted natural), naval battles with a clever mix of medieval tactics and magical twists, Left for Dead-style horde attacks (though with skeletons or supernatural creatures unique to the novel’s world rather than zombies), and arcane magical skirmishes in both enclosed and open spaces. Though Quest for the Fallen Star offers plenty of introspective scenes, no one can claim that the triumvirate of authors have not given plenty of thunder for the talent (okay, “bang for the buck”).
There were some lines that simply force one to put down the book long enough to meditate on them. One such is a thought from Chentelle: “She was following a dream she didn’t understand to a place she had never seen, in order to destroy an evil she could not comprehend.” (p. 200) Another was a caveat from the High Priest: “The judgment of the ignorant should be feared only if it flatters.” (p. 231) That’s probably wise until it becomes mob wisdom. When one of the leaders of the quest seems to put too much faith in allies during a time of uncertainty and upheaval (Hey! It is an epic after all!), one of the fellowship warns: “You trust too quickly in the constancy of children.” (p. 370) Truth and, perhaps, foreshadowing.
Despite the epic cast of characters, Chentelle is clearly the protagonist. Understanding and insights are regularly conveyed through her thoughts and the exercise of her “gift” for harmonizing with life. So, it is no wonder that at a critical point, her self-appointed (or perhaps, “divinely”-appointed) protector offers important counsel for her. “Do not chastise yourself for who you are not, mistress. Find the strength in who you are.” (p. 449)
I was pleasantly surprised by Quest for the Fallen Star. Normally, I would avoid these multi-author collaborations designed to trade on the fame of a best-selling author. Indeed, if one looks closely, Piers Anthony’s name at the top of the billing has golden letters with white shadow accent while the two lesser-known authors have white letters with golden shadow accent. Having been the ghost-writer for a major section of a more well-known computer journalist’s book, one can’t help but wonder how much or how little the celebrity author had to do with writing the novel. [NOTE: In my case, the “celebrity” had absolutely nothing to do with the book and didn’t even know the identities of the ghost-writers since I surprised him by identifying myself to him at dinner some years later.] But, even if you have the same kinds of reservations that I usually do, I want to suggest that this one is a level or two above the bulk of those other marketing efforts disguised as novels. Indeed, the way the collaboration of the three authors is described in the back-matter of the book ties nicely with one of the themes of transcending one’s limitations through trusting in the group.
At one point, the length of a ship is given in cubits, being 50 cubits (=75 ft.) in length (p. 191). Admittedly, cubits are a historical metric used throughout the ancient Near East, but it does have a biblical resonance when a cliff goes down 12 cubits (= 18 ft. – p. 278) or a cylindrical opening in an underground passage is two cubits (1 yard) wide and four cubits (2 yards) deep (p. 280). The use of the ancient measurement is handled consistently throughout the book and adds to the suspended disbelief of a more primitive society. I wasn’t as excited by the use of (again echoes of biblical, as well as ancient, history) talents for the monetary unit. Five (5) talents per day as a docking fee would have been outrageous in either the era of the Hebrew Bible or the Christian New Testament (p. 368). Of course, inflation devalues monetary units and fantasy civilizations are generally closer to medieval than ancient, so that’s probably not as relevant to others as it seemed to me at the time.
There is also an interesting dynamic between two types of spirituality in that one sacred space, the Holy Land, is designed to encounter peace in community while another sacred space (located roughly halfway through the book) is designed for one encounter peace on the personal level (p. 295). The story is also rich in ethical angst as certain of the heroes have to struggle with the nature of their commitments, the constraints of their racial/cultural backgrounds, and the nature of the struggle. Real heroes have to deal with complexity and each one on the quest must do so—some fatally. This adds to the richness of the story. Plus, there is a balance between power and accountability that is illustrated in a fascinating way after what seemed to be a rather typical battle gone wrong (pp. 516-544).
In epic fashion, it takes roughly 150 pages to put the “fellowship” of adventurers together. In the process, there is race prejudice (vs. humans, goblins, and a female elf protagonist) and lots of soul-searching to be considered. There are even occasional touches which suggest that at least one of the authors might have read Green Lantern comics in that A’toc’s use of green emanations of Earthpower is countered (but not entirely neutered) by yellow emanations of Ill-power (p. 290). Fortunately, at least serving my personal taste, the book’s point-of-view is primarily from the experience and thoughts of Chentelle. In general, the elf enchantress constantly underestimates her role in the overall quest, making it all the more satisfying when she accomplishes something no one else could do. And it makes the story all the more interesting when, roughly two-thirds of the way through the story, she undergoes a self-deprecating (maybe even self-abrogating) questioning of her role in the quest.
At one point in preparation for actually venturing forth on the quest, there are two haunting phrases from a holy book which come to bear: “The song exists in silence, between notes; / In shadows do we learn to love the light.” (p. 179) I suspect it is no accident that the final line sounds vaguely like the prophecy in Isaiah 9:2: “2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” However, it was the reflection of the appropriately named Chentelle (my mind tried to make it into “Chantelle” when I first started reading) that impacted me. “…if you could play all the notes of all the different Chentelle notes that she would become in her life, you would have a song. But the song didn’t live in the notes. It lived in the experiences that made those notes different, in the process of growth and change.” (p. 180)
Of course, what good would an epic fantasy novel be without epic battles? There are defensive battles with combined arms (magic and mundane) versus attackers (supernatural and corrupted natural), naval battles with a clever mix of medieval tactics and magical twists, Left for Dead-style horde attacks (though with skeletons or supernatural creatures unique to the novel’s world rather than zombies), and arcane magical skirmishes in both enclosed and open spaces. Though Quest for the Fallen Star offers plenty of introspective scenes, no one can claim that the triumvirate of authors have not given plenty of thunder for the talent (okay, “bang for the buck”).
There were some lines that simply force one to put down the book long enough to meditate on them. One such is a thought from Chentelle: “She was following a dream she didn’t understand to a place she had never seen, in order to destroy an evil she could not comprehend.” (p. 200) Another was a caveat from the High Priest: “The judgment of the ignorant should be feared only if it flatters.” (p. 231) That’s probably wise until it becomes mob wisdom. When one of the leaders of the quest seems to put too much faith in allies during a time of uncertainty and upheaval (Hey! It is an epic after all!), one of the fellowship warns: “You trust too quickly in the constancy of children.” (p. 370) Truth and, perhaps, foreshadowing.
Despite the epic cast of characters, Chentelle is clearly the protagonist. Understanding and insights are regularly conveyed through her thoughts and the exercise of her “gift” for harmonizing with life. So, it is no wonder that at a critical point, her self-appointed (or perhaps, “divinely”-appointed) protector offers important counsel for her. “Do not chastise yourself for who you are not, mistress. Find the strength in who you are.” (p. 449)
I was pleasantly surprised by Quest for the Fallen Star. Normally, I would avoid these multi-author collaborations designed to trade on the fame of a best-selling author. Indeed, if one looks closely, Piers Anthony’s name at the top of the billing has golden letters with white shadow accent while the two lesser-known authors have white letters with golden shadow accent. Having been the ghost-writer for a major section of a more well-known computer journalist’s book, one can’t help but wonder how much or how little the celebrity author had to do with writing the novel. [NOTE: In my case, the “celebrity” had absolutely nothing to do with the book and didn’t even know the identities of the ghost-writers since I surprised him by identifying myself to him at dinner some years later.] But, even if you have the same kinds of reservations that I usually do, I want to suggest that this one is a level or two above the bulk of those other marketing efforts disguised as novels. Indeed, the way the collaboration of the three authors is described in the back-matter of the book ties nicely with one of the themes of transcending one’s limitations through trusting in the group.
October 14, 2012
Chentelle the enchantress sang one crisp morning. Birds sang with her song welcoming her gift. A bird came to her windowsill. The bird had a note on its leg. She opened the note and it said that the great magician, Apon Boemarre is dead. Her gift must of set the bird off course. She had to hand it to Astoc the apprentice of the wizard. She went on her journey that led her to an ocean shore. There was a boat out in the water. Huge waving tentacles ripped the boat apart. The boat floated asunder on the sea water. A man came swimming toward the ocean shore. He was cut up up and battered. She mended him with her gift stitching the torn muscle and tissue back together. He awoke later that night. He told her his name, Sulmar of Tengaria. The strong man bowed to her and graduated her for saving him and that he would be her liege. They arrived at Astoc's hidden cave. He was drunk and miserable. He hated himself because he believed that he had caused the Desecration of the last war. Most life on the planet had not survived after the Desecration. And Astoc believed that it was all his fault Infernetra had to go through so much destruction.
Chentelle told gave him reasons that he was innocent. She says it was Apon Boemarre's fault. He had used the tree of life as a weapon. She finally convinced him to leave this dreary place. They set their minds to The Holy Land, a magical place where no evil could not enter. When they arrived they met men with vopal swords, weapons that could fight back against the evil. When they told Father Marcus, High bishop of the Holy Land. About the Ill-creature that attacked Sulmar, he said that this is true that the Dark One lives once again. But he said there is a greater evil than the Dark one, It is a fallen star. It came beyond the abyss, If the Dark One reclaims the star all of Infernetra will be destroyed, their planet will look like the Desecration except it will last forever. The men, Astoc Sulmar And Chentelle had to do a quest. A Quest For the Fallen Star.
I thought this book was amazing. This 400 page book was very well written. Even though some people would back away from this 3 co-author book. I was surprised that it all came together nicely. I would recommend this book to people who like Action, Adventure, and suspense. This book was a page turner, I could not put down the book!
Chentelle told gave him reasons that he was innocent. She says it was Apon Boemarre's fault. He had used the tree of life as a weapon. She finally convinced him to leave this dreary place. They set their minds to The Holy Land, a magical place where no evil could not enter. When they arrived they met men with vopal swords, weapons that could fight back against the evil. When they told Father Marcus, High bishop of the Holy Land. About the Ill-creature that attacked Sulmar, he said that this is true that the Dark One lives once again. But he said there is a greater evil than the Dark one, It is a fallen star. It came beyond the abyss, If the Dark One reclaims the star all of Infernetra will be destroyed, their planet will look like the Desecration except it will last forever. The men, Astoc Sulmar And Chentelle had to do a quest. A Quest For the Fallen Star.
I thought this book was amazing. This 400 page book was very well written. Even though some people would back away from this 3 co-author book. I was surprised that it all came together nicely. I would recommend this book to people who like Action, Adventure, and suspense. This book was a page turner, I could not put down the book!
March 8, 2024
This book and I have a love/hate relationship. I love the book and hate that I forget to re-read it yearly!
While there are many differing opinions on the romane underplay and the idea that there is always something extreme going on, I love how it's all woven into a tapestry that feels like it could exist. While the elf appears younger, she's just as old and experienced as the wrinkled wizard. It's only the filter we view our world with that makes this feel different from other romances in other books. And, it's that almost existential approach to the whole book that drawes me back to it.
When I was younger, I remember the way good and evil are presented and handled as a very unique and interesting take. Life isn't always cut and dry, and neither are the choices in this books. People have to make decisions that matter and have consequence. They have to accept the realities of those decisions, and it's not all fun/games when the ending comes.
I have loved many different genres in my life, by hundreds of authors. But, I will always come back to this solitary book as how I perceive the battle of good and evil in a fantasy setting. It makes you wonder, it makes you think, but most of all, it makes you feel!
While there are many differing opinions on the romane underplay and the idea that there is always something extreme going on, I love how it's all woven into a tapestry that feels like it could exist. While the elf appears younger, she's just as old and experienced as the wrinkled wizard. It's only the filter we view our world with that makes this feel different from other romances in other books. And, it's that almost existential approach to the whole book that drawes me back to it.
When I was younger, I remember the way good and evil are presented and handled as a very unique and interesting take. Life isn't always cut and dry, and neither are the choices in this books. People have to make decisions that matter and have consequence. They have to accept the realities of those decisions, and it's not all fun/games when the ending comes.
I have loved many different genres in my life, by hundreds of authors. But, I will always come back to this solitary book as how I perceive the battle of good and evil in a fantasy setting. It makes you wonder, it makes you think, but most of all, it makes you feel!
February 27, 2025
I enjoyed this. It's generic fantasy, but it is well done. I especially liked how religion was handled.
October 26, 2023
2 star review for now, but I need to re-read it. Having read it in high school originally, I recall finding the romance and plot rather dull, while the concept at the core of the story, especially the ending twist, to be fare more interesting than the novel itself.
And might I add, I had forgotten how terrible the tagline on the cover is.
ADDENDUM: The romance is actually TERRIBLE. Like, sure, the two characters (a wizard and an elf) are technically age appropriate, but it gives me the heeby jeebies when the man is like, a shriveled old guy and the woman is still this like, idyllic youth. Still haven't re-read it tho lol
And might I add, I had forgotten how terrible the tagline on the cover is.
ADDENDUM: The romance is actually TERRIBLE. Like, sure, the two characters (a wizard and an elf) are technically age appropriate, but it gives me the heeby jeebies when the man is like, a shriveled old guy and the woman is still this like, idyllic youth. Still haven't re-read it tho lol
September 18, 2011
This book wasnt great. It was ok for a first attempt. Piers Anthony and James Richie seemed to have only marginal roles in the writing of this book.
To me the book was too melodramatic. There was always some incredible magical thing happening all the time or some emotional outbursts and struggles by many of the characters. The melodrama needed to be used as spice rather than punctuation at the end of every sentence. But a decent first attempt.
To me the book was too melodramatic. There was always some incredible magical thing happening all the time or some emotional outbursts and struggles by many of the characters. The melodrama needed to be used as spice rather than punctuation at the end of every sentence. But a decent first attempt.
August 10, 2011
AHH! I found it!!!
For some unknown reason whenever I try to recall each and every book I've ever read (and there are many), this one ALWAYS comes to mind first, but until now I had forgotten the title!! Of course it's by Piers~ he was my very favorite back in the day. Strange enough, I can't recall much about the plot other than the climax....but perhaps that's how Piers would like to be remembered, hahaha.
For some unknown reason whenever I try to recall each and every book I've ever read (and there are many), this one ALWAYS comes to mind first, but until now I had forgotten the title!! Of course it's by Piers~ he was my very favorite back in the day. Strange enough, I can't recall much about the plot other than the climax....but perhaps that's how Piers would like to be remembered, hahaha.
February 13, 2009
Surprisingly good. Very nice story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews