Written for young fantasy lovers who can't yet tackle Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain or Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series on their own, The Forging of the Blade introduces Kenric, who stumbles into danger when he goes in search of his missing father. The evil Lord Mordig has been capturing blacksmiths--including Kenric's father--to forge the legendary sword that will ensure his dominion. Kenric's courage takes him to Mordig's fortress to challenge the dark lord himself. Reassuringly concise and brimming with spine-tingling adventure, the Lowthar's Blade Trilogy leads young readers straight to the heart of high fantasy, preparing them for the classic works of the genre. -- From Amazon.com Product Description