A series of three Young Adult Literature fantasy books by Eric Lhomme, written in 2001 and first published by Scholastic in 2003.
The Lost Island is a strange Magical Land: Not quite magic, because people go to the same kinds of schools as we do, wear the same clothes, have electricity and all that goes with it (televisions, computers, video games, cinema theaters), etc. And it's not quite a Land, because there is no guns, cars, or cops, but carts and knights instead. And magical creatures (the korrigans) and wizards as well. The reason for this is that the island once was torn away from the (real) mainland and now is stuck between our dimension (the Real World) and a pure Magical Land, the Uncertain World.
The 12-year-old Robin Penmarch is taken in as an apprentice to the sorcerer Quadehar because he shows an aptitude for magic. Soon afterwards, Robin receives serious threats from the Uncertain World and its evil Overlord, the Shadow. The Shadow lusts for Robin for unknown reasons. Robin and his four friends soon have to do incursions in Uncertain World in order to resolve mysteries.
The Lost Island is a Magical Land with modern comforts but no disadvantages from the Real World (such as pollution). Where else will sorcerers ever use computers? Add Robin's hilarious team and fascinating magic lessons, and you have one of the rarest fantasy books from a Romance-language country.
The three books are Quadehar the Sorcerer, The Mystery of Lord Sha, and The Face of the Shadow.
Not to be confused with The book of Stars
This series provides examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: Quadehar, Kushumai, Yorwan, Urien, Charfalaq...along with Robin, Agatha, Alicia, Thomas, Amber, and Kyle.
- Adults Are Useless: The team has to do all the work to find Agatha in Uncertain World or rescue Robin later on. They're 13 years old.
- All There in the Manual: At the end of the first book, the whole rune alphabet as well as the gestures associated with spells are reproduced.
- Berserk Button: Don't try seduce Robin in front of Amber.And don't dare wound him, either. After Amber succumbed to Mind Control, she literally became The Berserker.
- Brother–Sister Team: Kids in the band are usually related. (sisters and cousins)
- Butt-Monkey: Bertram. When he's introduced to Robin's friends, he begins to tell lame jokes to everyone, and ends up on the floor beaten up by Amber.
- Dance of Romance: Amber and Robin had three parties where they could dance together. The second time Robin notices that "At the end, he found she started to look at him strangely." It helped Coralie and Romaric, too.
- Disappeared Dad: For Robin in the two first books. Then he realizes his real mom is missing as well.
- The Dragon: Eusebe of Gri, the monastery of Gri's Wizard in chief. At first, he seems like he just doesn't like Quadehar very much, but then he tried to jail him for only that reason. The truth is that he's a traitor in the Shadow's service.
- Dub Name Change:
- In the original version, Robin Penmarch was Guillemot de Troil. (Guillemot is not a real name but a common noun in French, so he was more Aerith than Bob in that version).
- Other changes in names are minor, like Agatha instead of Agathe or the particle "de" removed from all the surnames.
- The "mainland" which the Lost Island belonged at first is actually France. More precisely, it is Brittany, where korrigans and menhirs originated.
- The Lost Island was named the Island of Ys. Ys is a legend from Brittany too, about a vanished city
- And peanut butter toasts? They were "Nutella◊" (and butter) toasts. That chocolate dough from Italy is as popular there and in France as peanut butter can be in English speaking countries.
- Element No. 5: The flesh. Hum, what? All living things, actually.
- Evil All Along: Charfalaq, the Great Wizard. Also, Eusebe, Wizard of Gri monastery.
- Evil Redhead: Thomas starts as The Bully to Robin until the smaller boy saves his life.
- Expy: The gommons, aquatic monsters from Uncertain World, have a strong resemblance to the Creature from the Black Lagoon
- The Faceless: The Shadow. He looks like a literal shadow but is a real guy in that disguise.
- The Fair Folk: The Korrigans are small gnomes who enjoy dancing under the moonlight, having tournaments of wits and pranking - often cruelly - people stumbling upon them. They also have a great respect for deals.
- Fake Weakness: Old Charfalaq faked his bad health and his blindness
- Fictionary: The korrigani (Korrigans's langage) and the ska (Uncertain World language)
- Green Aesop: Polluting and lethal stuff (cars, weapons other than swords...) are banned from Lost Island. Electricity is generated using solar and wind power.
- Handsplay in Theater: Amber tries to touch Robin's hand during a movie, but she only gets him to blush, so she gives up.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Urien and his butler Valentin. They're childhood friends and unmarried. Valentin had to become the butler
to avoid comments. - I Just Want to Be Special: Before he learns he is an extremely gifted and powerful sorcerer, Robin wishes to be special.
- I Owe You My Life: The reason why Thomas stops bullying Robin and starts stalking and admiring him.
- Kid Hero: Robin is barely twelve when adventure finds him.
- Knight in Shining Armor: Knights from Lost Island are literal ones. Romaric acts as one, even before he starts knighting school.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Subverted; the Shadow tries to trick Robin with that revelation once. He even gets the Big "NO!" response. But it was Blatant Lies. Subverted again when Robin believed he was Lord Sha/Yorwan's son until a spell revealed he was not. Played straight as Robin's real father is actually his mentor Quadehar; and his real mom is the witch knight Kushumai.
- Magic A Is Magic A: Inverted. Quadehar gives many details on how to invocate the runes alphabet in order to construct gladrs (spells), runes that are based on constellations shapes.
- Magical Land: Uncertain World. The Lost Island is a subversion: magical with Real World's best (technological) parts.
- Manipulative Bastard: Charfalaq / The Shadow. He manages to be the Big Good and Big Bad at the same time. And Eusebe, The Dragon.
- Milky White Eyes: The sea people. Contains a subversion as they're not blind.
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Lord Sha/Yorwan is believed to be a traitor to the Sorcerers as he stole the Book of Stars and a Dirty Coward who ran away the day before his wedding - something his intended brother-in-law never forgave him. He did all this, but it was to protect the book and he unfortunately couldn't explain himself to his fiancee.
- Parental Substitute: Quadehar is this for Robin. Hilarious In Hind Sight
- Platonic Life-Partners: Agatha and her minion Thomas. Agatha says they're "not married". And she shows interest in Robin, then in Gontrand.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Amber and her twin Coralie. One is short haired with a nasty temper and boyish manners. The other is a long-haired fashionista with hundreds of admirers.
- Powers via Possession: Amber became strong and very angry when Robin is threatened in books 2 and 3. It's mistaken for Power of Love, but Kushumai used a spell on her.
- Raised by the Community: Due to the circumstances in which he was found, Kyle was collectively raised by three tribes and considers each chieftain as a father.
- Relationship Upgrade: At first Robin thinks that Amber is the worst teasing chick of Lost Island, and Amber keeps on bothering him because she's annoyed by his weakness. Then they start to care for each other, until the First Kiss at the end.
- Agatha's feelings for Robin are at first hate and bullying that goes with it, then crush on him after he saved her, and finally friendship.
- Samus Is a Girl: Amber's reaction, when Kushumai take her helmet off for the first time.
- Save the Villain: The first travel to Uncertain World is mostly to save the school bully Agatha.
- Shout-Out: A magician from Uncertain World once invoke: "By The Power Of Gray Skull, I have the power!". No,really.
- Gontrand, mocked for wanting to play his zither every time he can, is nicknamed "Cacophonix".
- Bertram once says that "The truth is out there."
- Someone to Remember Him By: For Alicia, her son will always remind her of Yorwan, the vanishing fiance.
- Switched at Birth: Kyle and Robin. Deconstructed since both are rather attached to their adoptive families, and their birth parents have to do with this.
- Theme Naming: No matter if the hero is named Robin or Guillemot, he still has a bird name. The twin sisters Amber and Coralie are named after minerals (amber and coral).
- Trademark Favorite Food: For Robin, peanut butter and jam toast.
- True Companions: The Kids become this before they go to the Uncertain World for the first time.
- We Can Rule Together: Not sure to pull down his magical defenses, the Shadow makes this offer to Robin.
- You Mean "Xmas": The Samain celebration. That was Halloween's first name. Christmas is evoked trough "Winter Solstice".
