The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha

The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha is a standalone novel written by Lloyd Alexander 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.

The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha
First edition cover
AuthorLloyd Alexander
Cover artistLaszlo Kubinyi
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy novel
Published1978 (E.P. Dutton)
Media typePrint (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages213
ISBN0-525-29748-0 (first edition, hardcover)
OCLC3516518
LC ClassPZ7.A3774 Fi 1978

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, and The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen.[1]

It received the Silver Pencil Award in 1981,[2] and the Austrian Children's Book Award in 1984.[2]

gollark: They could at least use something more creative, like the Colossal Telescope, the Big Space Eye Thing, the Somewhat Bigger Than The Last One Telescope, sort of thing.
gollark: Or shoot down the satellites if they pass too close.
gollark: Is this Satisfactory?
gollark: Which sets everything on fire?
gollark: Isn't it a very evil horrible chemical you should avoid?

References
  1. Silvey, Anita. Children's books and their creators, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995, p. 13. ISBN 0-395-65380-0
  2. 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. ISBN 0-8264-1516-4
  • - Review of The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha.
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