Edda

by Conor Kostick

Overview

Edda is a 'virtual' world ruled by the electronic intelligence of Lord Scanthax. Penelope is a teenager ensnared in Edda. Can she uncover the truth about her human past and gain her freedom? And are there other humans still 'out there'? A fast-moving fantasy from the author of internationally acclaimed Epic and Saga. Edda has all the exciting elements of avatars, mythical beings, magic, and cataclysmic battles, but also challenges the older reader to think deeply about humanity and power. 'A captivating page-turner.' School Library Journal, starred review of Epic, Conor Kostick's first novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847174178
Publisher:	Irish American Book Company
Publication date:	08/29/2012
Series:	The Avatar Chronicles , #3
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	962,702
Lexile:	940L (what's this?)
File size:	613 KB
Age Range:	12 - 10 Years

About the Author

Conor Kostick is a writer and historian living in Dublin. As a novelist he was awarded the Farmleigh writer's residency for the summer of 2010 and a place on the nominees list for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2012 and 2013. At their 2009 awards, the Reading Association of Ireland gave him the Special Merit Award ‘in recognition of his significant contribution to writing for children in Ireland’.

 

Epic is Conor’s most successful book, selling over 100,000 copies worldwide. It was awarded a place on the International Board on Books for Young People "White Ravens" list for 2006 and on the Booklist Best Fantasy Books for Youth list for 2007.

As an historian, Conor Kostick's holds a PhD and a gold medal from Trinity College Dublin. He won first prize in the 2001 Dublinia Medieval Essay Competition, and has held fellowships from the Irish Research Council and the University of Nottingham. In 2013, he was awarded a Marie Curie research grant from the EU.

Conor was twice chairperson of the Irish Writers' Union.

His facebook readers page is here.

Editorial Reviews

STARRED REVIEW Just as Saga (2008) exploded beyond opener Epic (2007), this third volume ratchets up this science-fiction gaming series to a whole new level.Inside electronic world Edda, created and once played but now long deserted by humans, sentient Lord Scanthax rules all. He vanquishes other electronic realms via portal, killing everyone—sentient or not, he doesn't care. But Scanthax, lacking DNA, can't script new weapons. For that, he's preserved the life of the only human left on the uninhabitable planet that houses Edda's servers. Scanthax-controlled robots tend 15-year-old Penelope'sunderused physical body inside an airlock. Penelope's brain and consciousness are healthy and angry: Her avatar, Princess, has the run of Edda, but only as long as Penelope scripts the weapons Scanthax demands. Penelope wants, as Princess, to search other electronic worlds for avatars with humans behind them; having known only Scanthax her entire life, she craves human connection. Meanwhile, across this chain of worlds that were once games, electronic but very real Ghost from Saga sets out with human Erik from New Earth—as avatar Cindella—to find the conqueror threatening Saga's sentient inhabitants. Combatants clash; worlds clash (techno/punk, traditional fantasy, military); philosophies clash (pacifism, preservation, revenge); loyalties hold steady.Humans, electronic beings and servers are separated by light years and metaphysics, but Kostick's action-filled series conclusion is immediate and relevant. (Science fiction. 13 & up)

From the Publisher

Gr 8 Up—This book continues in the same adventurous world in which Epic (2007) and Saga (2008, both Viking) took place. The protagonist of Edda is Penelope, the lone human in a computer world, whose avatar lives freely while her human body lies nearly immobile. When war in her universe is imminent, the characters from the previous two novels become part of the story and the three, Erik, Ghost, and Penelope, work together to bring peace. The novel is action-packed, exciting, and full of moral quandaries. For gamers, lovers of fantasy, and readers of the previous books, it's not to be missed.—Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

Just as Saga (2008) exploded beyond opener Epic (2007), this third volume ratchets up this science-fiction gaming series to a whole new level.

Inside electronic world Edda, created and once played but now long deserted by humans, sentient Lord Scanthax rules all. He vanquishes other electronic realms via portal, killing everyone—sentient or not, he doesn't care. But Scanthax, lacking DNA, can't script new weapons. For that, he's preserved the life of the only human left on the uninhabitable planet that houses Edda's servers. Scanthax-controlled robots tend 15-year-old Penelope'sunderused physical body inside an airlock. Penelope's brain and consciousness are healthy and angry: Her avatar, Princess, has the run of Edda, but only as long as Penelope scripts the weapons Scanthax demands. Penelope wants, as Princess, to search other electronic worlds for avatars with humans behind them; having known only Scanthax her entire life, she craves human connection. Meanwhile, across this chain of worlds that were once games, electronic but very real Ghost from Saga sets out with human Erik from New Earth—as avatar Cindella—to find the conqueror threatening Saga's sentient inhabitants. Combatants clash; worlds clash (techno/punk, traditional fantasy, military); philosophies clash (pacifism, preservation, revenge); loyalties hold steady.

Humans, electronic beings and servers are separated by light years and metaphysics, but Kostick's action-filled series conclusion is immediate and relevant. (Science fiction. 13 & up)

Kirkus Reviews