The Revenge of the Shadow King (Grey Griffins Series #1)

by Derek Benz, Heather O'Neill (Narrated by), Erik Steele (Narrated by), J. S. Lewis

Overview

This irresistible first novel tells the story of four friends who find themselves caught up in the dangerous quest to save their town when the wicked creatures from their card game come to life.

Max Sumner and his three best friends, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia--who form the secret club The Grey Griffins--seem to be the only people in their very normal Minnesota town to notice that strange things have started to happen. When creatures like goblins and fairies and unicorns, all characters from a card game the Grey Griffins play, begin to make appearances in Max's backyard, Max and his friends know something is terribly wrong. And it's up to them to stop the wicked creatures of the cards from destroying their town-indeed, their world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439875929
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/15/2006
Series:	Grey Griffins , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged, 9 CDs, 10 Hours 25 Minutes
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Born in the wrong place, and unquestionably the wrong time, Derek spent most of his early years trying to figure out where he was and why he was different than everyone else. By the age of five, he had stumbled upon the answer: the rest of humanity was really nothing more than an elaborate hoax of cleverly disguised robots, and he was the only real human among them. Having overcome that mystery, he set out with other young members of the Grey Griffins (a super-secret club) to protect the world from darkness and bring about a better world through friendship, wit, and superbly-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

He's climbed volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, fished for sharks in the North Atlantic, scandalized the Cathedral of Barcelona, been mauled by an angry kitten off the coast of Turkey, narrowly avoided being blown up outside Belfast, learned the meaning of defenestration in France, and even jumped off a few cliffs in Greece. His interests spanned a wide spectrum: archaeology, linguistics, mythology, cosmology, conspiracy theory, religion and a host of others. At the same time, he managed to catapult himself to the top of his game in a Fortune 100 company doing what some idly speculated to be nothing less than international computer espionage.

But there was always the desire to change the world around him. And since the age of fifteen, he had become obsessed with writing as a means to this end. Year after year, he labored to prefect his craft, until he felt the time was right. In 2000, he teamed up with J.S. Lewis and with an eye to the stars, they launched The Revenge of the Shadow King.

Benz met and married his lovely wife in sunny Arizona, where they enjoy researching ancient civilizations and studying theology.

Editorial Reviews

Strange things have started to happen in Max's hometown, but nobody else in this quiet Minnesota hamlet seems to notice. Creatures from a card game are escaping into reality, causing all sorts of mischief. Fortunately, Max and his trio of best friends (Harley, Ernie, and Natalia) are on the case. But how do you control an unruly brigade of goblins?

Gr 5-8-Weird things are happening in tiny Avalon, Minnesota in this predictable novel by Derek Benz (Orchard, 2006). Goblins, fairies, and unicorns have begun to appear to Max Summer and his fellow Grey Griffin Club members. The Grey Griffins and the elderly proprietor of the Shoppe of Antiquities participate in a role-playing card game involving characters from Arthurian legend. Max and his friends seem to be the only people in town who realize that the characters have come to life. It's up to the Grey Griffins, with help from a few adults, to save the world from the evil that has been unleashed. The dialogue is mind-numbingly dull, and even narrator Erik Steele has a difficult time bringing the characters to life. The main characters are stereotypically the rich kid, the tough kid, the whiny kid, and the smart girl. The plot is more Scooby-Doo than fantasy.-Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

A collectible card game introduces Max and his friends to the battle against ancient evil in this undistinguished but entertaining series opener. Grandfatherly shopkeeper Iver has sold the four a rare card game in which they fight goblins, faeries and the powerful Shadow King. It's only a game at first, but soon their town of Avalon, Minn. is plagued with horrors. Max finds a magical book, real goblins attack and Iver vanishes. Along with spunky Natalia, poor Harley and cowardly Ernie, Max determines to defeat the Shadow King. Luckily, he's the one true heir to powerful magical ability, born to make a stand in the age-old fight against evil-perhaps in the Gothic temple in town, built by Templars 500 years before Europeans came to the New World. Constant danger and some humor keep this adventure moving despite clunky prose. Not a bad option for fans of the genre. (Fantasy. 9-12)First printing of 50,000

Kirkus Reviews

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