The Shifting Sands
core novel 2000 Deltora Quest
Record
| First published | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.99 (10,176 ratings, collected 2026-08-27) |
| Page count | 131 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780439253260 |
| Internal chronology | 4 |
Synopsis
The Shifting Sands is the fourth book in the Deltora Quest series. With three gems already recovered, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine must reach the fourth, hidden somewhere in the barren, treacherous Shifting Sands and jealously kept by an unknown guardian. Short on money for the journey, they encounter an orchard owner who turns out to be the cider-maker Queen Bee, and they resolve to earn travel funds by entering the Rithmere Games, drawn by the promise of substantial prize money. Once inside, they discover the Games are not the contest of skill they expected but brutal fighting bouts, and after being attacked and locked away by a rival competitor, they choose to compete regardless.
Where it sits
- Universe: Deltora Quest
- Series: Deltora Quest core; position 4 of 8 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Emily Rodda
Notes
- From the series record (Deltora Quest): Founding 8-book quest saga; the original Deltora Quest.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Deltora Quest: position 4 of 8: previous City of the Rats (2000) · next Dread Mountain (2001)
- Internal chronology, within Deltora Quest: position 4 of 15: previous City of the Rats (2000) · next Dread Mountain (2001)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deltora_Quest_(book_series)
- https://deltoraquest.fandom.com/wiki/The_Shifting_Sands_(book)
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