The First Two Lives Of Lukas-Kasha
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''The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha'' is a children's novel written by
Lloyd Alexander Lloyd Chudley Alexander (January 30, 1924 – May 17, 2007) was an American author of more than 40 books, primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults. Over his seven-decade career, Alexander wrote 48 books, and his work has been tran ...
in 1978. It follows the adventures of a young man named Lukas-Kasha who finds himself in another world after paying a street magician to perform a magic trick.


Plot summary

Kasha spends his days playing pranks on the people of Zara-Petra and doing as little work as possible. After participating in a magic show, he finds himself transported to the strange world of Abadan. Upon his arrival to the royal city of Shirazan, he is proclaimed king. At first, Kasha enjoys being royalty, but soon discovers that there is more to being king than eating good food and enjoying his lavish surroundings. When Kasha attempts to take control of his kingdom's laws and policies, he meets with strong opposition from his Grand Vizier, Shugdad Mirza. Soon Kasha is forced to flee for his life and escapes the palace with the help of a slave girl and a public versifier.


Settings

*Zara-Petra: Kasha's home town and where the story begins. *Abadan: Kasha's kingdom, where most of the story takes place. *Shirazan: The royal city of Abadan. *Bishangar: The territory north of Abadan. It used to be an independent kingdom before it was conquered by a previous King of Abadan. *Jannat al-Khuld: The main city and former capital of Bishangar.


Characters


Main characters

*Lukas-Kasha: The hero of the story, a lazy young man turned into a king overnight. *Nur-Jehan: A Bishangari girl, who Kasha meets while she is enslaved in the Shirazan palace. *Kayim: A versifier and friend of Kasha.


Other characters

*Shugdad Mirza: Grand Vizier of Abadan. *Locman: Court Astrologer who predicted Lukas-Kasha's arrival. *Nahdir Aga: Commander of the Abdanian army. *Osman: A soldier in the Abdanian army. *Ardashir: The mysterious king of the Bishangaris. *Namash: A water seller who comes to Kasha's rescue more than once. *Shir Khan: An infamous bandit. *Katir: A dishonest horse trader. *Haki: A young Bishangari boy who acts a Lukas-Kasha's guide.


Analysis

When classifying his works, Alexander described ''The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha'' as "unquestionably a fantasy", placing it in the same category as '' Time Cat'',
The Chronicles of Prydain ''The Chronicles of Prydain'' is a pentalogy of children's high fantasy Bildungsroman novels written by American author Lloyd Alexander and published by Henry Holt and Company. The series includes: ''The Book of Three'' (1964), ''The Black Cauld ...
, and '' The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen''.Silvey, Anita. ''Children's books and their creators'', Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995, p. 13. It received the Silver Pencil Award in 1981,Goldsmith, Francisca. "Lloyd Alexander", in ''The Continuum encyclopedia of children's literature'', ed. Bernice E. Cullinan and Diane Goetz Person, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003, p. 20. and the Austrian Children's Book Award in 1984.


References


External links



- Review of ''The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha''. {{DEFAULTSORT:First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha, The 1978 American novels American children's novels American fantasy novels Children's fantasy novels Novels by Lloyd Alexander E. P. Dutton books 1978 children's books