tThe Shattering is the cleverly crafted fifth book of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. The title refers to the mind of owls who are subjected to the mind-controlling flecks used as weapons by the pure ones. It is a story that brings to the forefront advanced warfare that is waged not on the body, but within the minds of unsuspecting young victims.tThe numerous references to shattering with terms such as slivers, shards, splitting, fragmented, piece by piece, and division weave a disturbing theme through a thought provoking tale. There is an eerie foreshadowing in the previous book when Dewlap, the traitor who betrayed Ga'Hoole to the Pure Ones, bans and eventually destroys a seemingly insignificant book. We learn later that the very knowledge in this book is the key to the brutal mind shattering used by the Pure Ones to serve their purposes. The book is torn, tattered, and scattered to the four winds like so many broken shards of Eglantine's mind. It commences when Eglantine herself drops and shatters the egg that is the symbolic hope for the future of the Pure Ones. In the end the story gets back to Dewlap, who suffers something worse than a shattered mind: a broken spirit. tIn the grand theme of good vs. evil, there is a great contrast between Eglantine and Nyra concerning the egg. Nyra wants to protect the egg out of selfishness and the power it could bring her. Eglantine strives to protect it for the sanctity of life. While there comes a time when Nyra forgets about the egg for self-preservation, Eglantine is willing to die to save the egg. When Nyra discovers the shattered egg, her response is not sadness and mourning, but rage and vengeance.tAnother great discussion is brought about by the egg. Will the offspring of two evil parents, Kludd and Nyra, be born evil? Could it ever have a chance at a decent life? It prompts the question of how Kludd and Soren could have been born to the same parents. What about all of the nuances of good and evil that are in us all?tThe argument for a free society is made by the author in chapter 21. She brings up the question of how much respect the leaders of a tyranny really have from their inferiors. They fight because they fear their leaders, while in the free society, the citizens fight for what the feel is worth fighting for. She goes on to note the “fruits of an open free-thinking society.”tWhile the free-thinking society can create so much, Ezylryb is bothered by the new weapons used by the Chaw of Chaws. In fact, he is bothered by warfare altogether, and the direction the Owl World is going. Soren shares Ezylryb's feelings, though he doesn't really understand it yet. He is becoming more and more like his mentor, and one day he will be the old, battle-beaten owl who spends his older years wishing there was a better way than war to solve the problems of owlkind.tThe Shattering was a fantastic book, and the first great book of this series. It asked tough questions, had great thought-provoking issues, and resolved some of the lingering plotlines, while creating new ones to leave the reader wanting more. It's all building for a great war between the Owls of Ga'Hoole and the Pure Ones with all the flecks in St. Aggies. What kind of warfare will come out of such a clash?
The book I'm reviewing is the fifth book of the Gaurdians of Ga'hoole series, "The Shattering". It was written by Kathryn Lasky. The book was very well done, it was interesting, had a good plot, and didn't overdue the whole 'WARRIOR OWLS" thing. I would of prefered if the vocabulary was more advanced. Because the author only uses simple words and while it is extremely well done, I feel that more advanced vocabulary would make it a little more interesting. I also think that the books should be longer, because right now, there are fifteen books, each which can be read in about a day, so I think the books should be longer, because then you don't have to buy fifteen books, but instead you could buy 3 or 4 bigger books. My favorite part of the book would be when Primrose discovers how the Pure Ones have infiltrated the Ga'Hoole tree and have 'shattered' Eglatine, who is Soren's younger sister. So I would say the book is good, but not to good, since it is very short, and uses very simple limited vocabulary. So I give it a 3 star. A 4 star would also be okay if your trying to be nice.
What do You think about The Shattering (2004)?
Okay, so I had to do another book of this series because this book is my favorite out of the 15 books and the 3 spinoffs.. Before reading this one, obviously read 1 through 4 because you will have no idea what the heck is going on. So, after the siege of The Great Tree, a former enemy Barn Owl turns over to the side of the Great Tree, and lives in the hollow of of Eglantine, Soren's sister, and Eglantine's best friend, Primrose. Eglantine starts having a recurring nightmare about her mother, who has been confirmed dead in the earlier books. The new owl (I forgot her name) is "helping" her feel better, but Primrose becomes suspicious of the new owl. Thus starts a adventure full of mind control, spies, and trickery.
—Robert Murray
Cinquième tome de la saga jeunesse de Kathryn Lasky intitulée Les gardiens de Ga'Hoole, Le guet-apens prend place après le siège du Grand Arbre de Ga'Hoole par les Sangs-Purs. Soren et ses copains sont devenus des héros, mais la douce Églantine, jeune sœur de Soren, se refuse à admettre que ses parents ont bel et bien disparu à tout jamais. Elle fait des rêves d'un réalisme troublant, et n'est bientôt plus capable de les discerner de la réalité...Je suis fan de cette série, c'est simple. Elle est, à mon sens, nettement plus réussie que celle du Royaume des Loups, plus récente et toujours en cours. Auteur américain ayant commencé sa vie professionnelle en tant qu'enseignante, Kathryn Lasky sait non seulement parler aux enfants, mais également à l'âme d'enfant qui sommeille en chacun d'entre nous. Son univers est riche et fourni, ses personnages terriblement attachants et pleins de vie, son intrigue allègre et dynamique.Dans Le guet-apens, l'auteur se détache un peu de son héros d'origine, le courageux Soren, pour s'intéresser à sa petite sœur. Il est ici question de la manière dont on gère son deuil, de l'importance d'avoir des amis dans les moments difficiles, de jalousie aussi, de courage toujours. La saga des Gardiens de Ga'Hoole a tout ce qui manque à sa petite sœur, et en particulier une finalité : lutter contre les Sangs-Purs, encore et toujours. Comment ne pas faire certains parallèles avec des moments clés de notre histoire ?Un roman jeunesse donc, écrit d'une plume légère, épurée, simple, mais qui n'en aborde pas moins des sujets très adultes avec toute la subtilité et la tendresse nécessaires quand on s'adresse à des enfants. Moi, j'adhère complètement.
—Kahlan
I had decided to reread this series, Guardians of Ga'hoole after I read Rise of a Legend, which is a prequel or more of a backstory of one of the important characters of this series. As I have finished the first third of the series, I will review so far what I have read. The characters are all great and well developed with their own characteristics. The books are full of action, adventure, friendship, and bravery. The author does not shy away from telling events how they happen no matter how violent they are. But without it being too much for children. I just appreciate that the author does not paint a rainbow world with minimal probems but instead explores themes of war, violence, change and more in all its aspects. Some things that could have been improved is how the author repeats certain info various times and it gets annoying and the author condradicts herself in some details in the books. Also some aspects of life in the Great Tree are vague, like how many owls are actually living in the tree and why does it seem that the majority of the owls are young, what happens to the owls how are grown and are not rybs? But it is a satisfyingly well developed world. Overall an engaging series that gets better with each book.
—Jeremy
