Category: Young Adult/Teen ISBN-10: 0985324708
Type: Fiction
Pages: 361
Copyright: July 7, 2012
ISBN-13: 9780985324704
Price:FREE! (eBook)
Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight is Book One in D. M. Fife's epic Light & Dark series. These exciting fantasy-adventure books are full of magic, mystery, friendship, and humor, and are perfect for fans of books like Harry Potter and Ender's Game.
Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight is Book One in D. M. Fife's epic Light & Dark series. These exciting fantasy-adventure books are full of magic, mystery, friendship, and humor, and are perfect for fans of books like Harry Potter and Ender's Game.
With themes of friendship, self-discovery, and courage; both boy and girl main characters; fierce creatures to battle; a mystery to solve; and a magical school that could be described as Hogwarts on an island, there’s something for every reader to enjoy in this contemporary—and fantastically imaginative—series.
When twelve-year-old Danny Firoth discovers that a simple card game, designed to pit the forces of the Light against those of the Dark, is more than simply a game, he discovers acceptance into a magical school to train young squires into the legendary knights of old. Together with his friends Sabrina, Chris, Matt, Alonso, Doug and Anthony, Danny must master his magical talents in time to stop the looming threat of a traitor within the ranks of the Light.
Excerpt
"I have something for you," holding the cloaked item in the palm of his hand.
Danny took it, he could feel the weight of something heavy and solid.
Starting the car, Tyramear turned around. Shifting gears, he said, "Go ahead, open it."
Danny un-wrapped the red cloth, one fold at a time, revealing the splendor of polished metal. He was looking at a slender dagger sheathed in a silver scabbard, with the symbol of Light engraved into the middle. The hilt of the small blade resembled the head of a dragon. Danny held the brand up to his eyes to get a better look at it, he gasped at the intricate artisanship.
"Take it out," urged Tyramear, as he navigated the long driveway.
Danny wrapped his fingers around the base of the hilt. The metal was cool in his hands as he pulled the blade free with a slight ring of steel. The moment the naked edge left the scabbard, it bathed the car in a soft white light.
"It's beautiful, thank you," said Danny, admiring the sharp blade as it glowed with a pale luminescence.
"It is for your protection," said Tyramear before Danny could ask. "You must keep it on your person at all times."
"I can't take this to school," argued Danny, holding the dagger before him, raising both eyebrows in question.
"It is enchanted. Those without the gift of sight, will see a common ink pen. It is imperative that you keep it with you at all times. Without it, you will be helpless against a Shadow attack."
"...Helpless?"
"The Shadows are creatures of magic. They can only be destroyed by magic. Crafted with Dwarvin skill, the dagger in your hand is charmed for the specific purpose of felling Shadows."
"Charmed?"
"It is magical. Only magical weapons can harm a Shadow. Mortal weapons are useless against their kind."
"So that's why the rock went right through the Shadow's head."
"Yes," affirmed Tyramear.
"Then how could Sabrina hurt it? She wasn't using any kind of weapon that I could see."
Tyramear smiled and took his eyes off the road to look at Danny. "Like me, Sabrina is of the Dragonic, dragons are naturally magical creatures."
"Oh," said Danny, pausing for a moment while thumbing the engraved symbol of Light upon the scabbard of the dagger, a solid white chain interlinked with a black chain of seeping dark flames. "What does the symbol of Light stand for?" he was mesmerized by the emblem.
Tyramear followed Danny's captivated gaze down to the small sheath. "At the core, the symbol is meant to represent a balance of a sort, a union between both good and evil." Glancing at the road and then at Danny, he continued. "You see… good cannot exist without evil and vice versa. The white chain represents the Light, the forces of good, while the black chain represents evil, the forces of the Dark. The white chain is solid and pure because we of the Light acknowledge the presence of the Dark and strive to maintain the proper balance. However, the black chain, warped with escaping tendrils of dark flame, symbolizes the Dark's desire to overthrow that balance. Evil does not know boundaries, Danny. The forces of the Dark will work tirelessly to unravel everything, even at the risk of their own destruction."
"I see," said Danny, tracing his pointer finger around the circular symbol of the Light. Tyramear's words settled heavily upon his shoulders.
Professional Reviews
Dragons and Shadows!
Did a popular card game of middle school students come to life? The game was called `Knights.' The middle school students who played the game were Danny, Doug, Matt, Alonso, and Chris. Of course when they played the game of Knights it was just a perfectly innocent card game. Until one day . . .
The boys started playing Knights over the summer. It was a game based on using fantasy creatures and knights of legend to ultimately defeat opposing players. The basis of the game was to confront the forces of neutral, good, and evil against one another. The three groups were Light, Gray, and Dark.
When the summer was over, Danny and all his best buddies were looking forward to their last year of middle school. Everything was the same until, yup, you guessed it, a really hot girl! Her name was Sabrina. And yup, you guessed it, much to Danny's surprise, she knew about the card game, Knights. So Danny had the biggest crush on her for her beauty and the fact she played the game, Knights.
This is where the story, Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight, really began with the fantasy adventures. When Danny was confronted by the school bully, he took him down, but can't figure out how he did it. Of course later he finds out it was Sabrina who helped him. But how? How can a little tiny girl break the nose of a big bully without being seen? Here was the story's first fantasy adventure. And oh, there were many more to come if you read this wonderful book by Daniel Fife.
Sabrina had a nice family. I didn't say normal, but I did say nice. What exactly do I mean? Is Sabrina a real person? Is she a dragon? Is she a shadow? Are her parent's real people? Danny finds out when he meets Sabrina after school one day. He saw a fight between two creatures, a dragon and a shadow. Sabrina became one of these creatures, but which one? Normal humans don't have the ability to see these creatures, but Danny did! So Sabrina explained why to Danny.
Being shocked for a few days was in order, wouldn't you say? However, because Danny possessed this rare ability, he decided he wanted to fight the forces of darkness with Sabrina, and her parents. He wanted to become a Knight of the Light.
Come to find out all his buddies possessed the same rare ability. So they all joined Danny to fight the forces of darkness. They attended a summer school in Florida called the White Rock Academy of Illumination. Of course none of the parents knew what this school was really about. They thought it was just an innocent fun summer school adventure.
Here there was magic on a magical ship. With danger lurking a wizard named Navi helped navigate, so they arrived safely and began their training to become knights. They learned how to fight along with learning the history of the Shadows.
Not all the teachers were on the up and up. Danny thought some in the Order of Light were betrayers. He felt he had a strong ability to become the Mageknight, so Danny used all his new knowledge he was trained for to see if he was right. Was he? Does he become the Mageknight?
This was a great fantasy adventure story all ages will enjoy. We see Danny and his friends, including Sabrina; grow up from immature middle school students to mature thinking students ready for high school.
If you want any of the questions answered here in my review, you must read the beautifully written book, Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight by Daniel Fife. You won't be disappointed!
A Fantastic YA Fantasy!
Review 7*******
I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
WOW!! This is a fantastic YA coming of age fantasy novel! I loved it!
Danny Firoth is a fantastic character! He is a typical teen. Or is he? He likes to play a card game called Knights of the Light, which would be comparable to children's card games played in all school playgrounds. (Think Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon). He is surprised to find out that he can see "shadows", which are a type of being from the land of Dark. As he is one of the few able to see these "shadows", he is tested, and then accepted into the White Rock Academy of Illumination to become a Knight of the Light.
I have been eagerly wanting to read this book, because I'm a huge fan of Fantasy, whether YA or otherwise. I must admit that once I started reading this book, I did not want to put it down! This book is an amazing and exciting read from the first page! The characters themselves are very interesting, and come alive on the page. Danny's five friends are an eclectic mix. They are Chris, Alonso, Matt, Doug and Anthony. They each have their own personalities. I liked them all, even Alonso, who is the most egotistical and hot headed of them all. This book did remind me slightly of the Harry Potter books, with a dash of Dungeons and Dragons (a game played in the 1980's - not sure if it's still popular) thrown in for good measure! However, there are some differences that made this book totally unique! Instead of wands, there are swords! There are various weapons in the Knight's arsenal, but their best weapon is their sword, called Bondeds. Each sword is unique, and has amazing powers. The descriptions of sword play and the uniforms used is fantastic! The attention to detail makes the school come alive! I could actually see this as a movie, it's that good!
I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series: Light & Dark: The Black Bonded.
D.M. Fife has written an exciting YA fantasy/action adventure/coming of age novel filled with dragons, elves, dwarves, sword fights and memorable characters. I HIGHLY recommend this book to children in the 11+ age range, and to adults who love YA Fantasy. - Lynn Worton
Great read!
Not really certain about what to expect, I started reading "Light and Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight" by Daniel M. Fife. A few hours later I was already hooked and couldn't stop reading this intriguing YA novel about magic, dragons, knights, a school everybody wants to go to (if they dare) and recognizable characters.
Daniel M. Fife did a great job in describing the life of a common thirteen-year-old boy, Danny Firoth (yup, I think Daniel based the name of the main character upon his own name and told us the story about the boy he was in his dreams during childhood years). Danny deals with a very normal life and is not always happy about that. Normal life includes school, a loving but sometimes annoying mother, the girl he thinks he can't have as a girlfriend and some bullies. This rather quiet life changes abruptly when Danny discovers some strange powers he seems to have. Is he dreaming? Is he mixing up reality with the card game he likes to play: Knights?
Danny and his friends discover this game, Knights, is a lot more than just a card game where you need to defeat the others with the figures on you cards. The game contains three "camps", Light-Gray-Dark, with fantasy creatures. The purpose is to defeat the other players with the creatures on your cards (and the abilities/weapons they have). The boys discover that this `game' exists in reality, that they can be part of it and that losing from the opponent isn't that innocent in the real world of Light-Gray-Dark... The biggest surprise for Danny isn't the fact that he owns mysterious powers but the fact that Sabrina, the girl he really likes, knew about these things and this parallel world all along. She's the one that takes Danny and his friends to the White Rock Academy of Illumination, a school where many more things are about to be discovered! (And I'm not going to spoil it for you... You have to read it yourself!)
Although I'm usually not into fantasy, I must admit a really liked this book! After two pages I needed to know what happened further and I kept on reading. "Light and Dark" is a book that can be turned into a movie without real problems. The author is good in describing things integral (what I appreciate in a book for YA because it gives them a lot of freedom to imagine their own world, but at the same time gives them a foothold) and gives us a story that's already like a movie in our head with great special effects. Also the book has the ability to have successors. I think lots of readers will be waiting the sequel with impatience ;)
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Reviews for "Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight"
I am Daniel M. Fife, the author of Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight. As you can see above, I have given my own work a collection of five stars. This of course is not any attempt at vanity in my own regard. I simply think that any artist who has created any kind of work has to feel that their creation is special and dear to them. Otherwise, what’s the point? I have spent a tremendous amount of time attempting to put together a story that not only I would enjoy reading, but that you the reader of nearly any age would enjoy reading as well. Thus, I do believe that my own creation is deserving of the best, because, it is indeed my own creation and special to me. Whether it truly deserves a full five stars is of course up to you, the reader.
During the creation of Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight, I almost felt like the novel was writing itself. I have read through it several times during the reviewing and editing process, and every time I chuckle to myself when I come across a fantastic scene or piece of dialogue that I had forgotten I even wrote. I truly enjoy reading Light & Dark, because it takes me back to my childhood days, and I am able to re-experience the joy of being a teenager while allowing me to join the characters on a fantastic tale that only existed in my daydreams during the said age that seems so long ago.
The characters themselves are very close to my heart as many are based on friends who populated my own life as a young adult. It was my attempt to make them as genuine and organic as possible. Each has their own personality and personal quirks. During the beginning of the book, it was my attempt to give you the reader a jumpstart on each main character and then allow them to populate the pages with their own development as the story progressed.
Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight is a derivative of several of my favorite books, anime, comics, cartoons, and movies that I have come to enjoy, all mixed into one. If I could give you comparison with other works, I would have to say that is an ideal concoction of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Enders Game by Orson Scott Card, the anime Bleach, Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, and Magician by Raymond E. Feist with my own twist on magic, swords, and fantasy.
Some things that you will find to be unique in Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight, is the use of a Bonded, which are magical weapons solely used by the Knights and Squires of the Light. They are powerful weapons imbued with abilities unique to the wielder and blade. However, if you read the book, you will realize that the ingredients used in the creation of these weapons are quite costly and adds a very distinctive personality to the Bonded weapons. Additionally, another exclusive idea to the story is the system of combat used during duels between the Squires of the Light as well as the duels between the armies at the Academy of Illumination, the school that teaches one to become fully knighted member of the Light. In these mock duels, which are meant to represent the rules and consequences of real combat, both combatants wear a suit of enchanted armor that paralyzes parts of the body when struck. For example: if struck on the arm at the elbow, one would lose the function of that appendage from the spot hit down to the extremity of the fingers, the armor freezing one’s hand from the elbow down.
Thus, if you enjoy a good hearted coming of age story that threatens to cause one to regress to a time when things were but a little simpler, childhood, and add in a few fantastical flights of fantasy, good morals, heart racing sword fights, a magical world of relatable characters, Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight is most definitely for you.
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