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

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

by Derek Benz, J.S. Lewis (Goodreads Author)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 1,977 ratings · 191 reviews

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 noti

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Hardcover, 384 pages

Published March 1st 2006 by Orchard Books

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Apr 28, 2012 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: second-look, i-hate-spunk, bland-protagonist

This book is the written equivalent of whipped cream. It's fun while you're eating it, but isn't very substantial and leaves a bad taste in your mouth afterward. If you want to know what a standard kid-centered fantasy novel is like, check this out. Mysterious, not-really-important prologue? Check. Set of stock characters? Check. Mildly entertaining gimmick to introduce your fantasy world? Check. Blandness? Check-check-checkity-checkface from checkville, checkania.
Our cast: Luke--Eragon--Rand-...more This book is the written equivalent of whipped cream. It's fun while you're eating it, but isn't very substantial and leaves a bad taste in your mouth afterward. If you want to know what a standard kid-centered fantasy novel is like, check this out. Mysterious, not-really-important prologue? Check. Set of stock characters? Check. Mildly entertaining gimmick to introduce your fantasy world? Check. Blandness? Check-check-checkity-checkface from checkville, checkania.
Our cast: Luke--Eragon--Rand--Harry--Peter--sorry, Max, the Bland Hero. He allegedly changes sometime during the book, but I haven't got a clue what the authors are talking about. Also, why is he fabulously rich? Honestly, it adds nothing to story or characters, so I am forced to deem it sheer wish fulfillment. Natalia, the Spunky Girl. Here Mssrs. Benz and Lewis try to shove the spunkiness down our throats, with the result that I think Natalia is an obnoxious bully. Seriously, she pinches and manipulates the others to do what she wants. Harley, the Muscle. The only cool moment in the book belongs to this bookmark, namely the line "eat iron," followed by punching a demonic former bully in the face. I think that punching is the best solution to a monster problem, but the rest of the time Harley is flatter than Max, with a random vengeance streak. Ernie the pathetic Geek/Comic Relief. I mean pathetic in every possible sense of the word. It actually feels as if the authors are laughing meanly at him. Everybody else is a stereotype.
A reviewer on Amazon said something about this book being Christian, which may be true, but I'd like to point out that even traditional mythology is more Christian than the few nods here--Titania's Jewel (a MacGuffin) coming from God, holy ground repelling fairies, et cetera.
The whole "the cards are real creatures" gimmick isn't enough to carry the book, and I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories. We did not need: Snape!Ripoff, Female!Gollum, Fat Principal, Angelic!Teacher, Superhuman Bodyguard, The Wolfman, Surrogate Hispanic Mother, Divorced Neglectful Mother or Morgan Le Fay. The fountain o'slime scene was absolutely pointless. I didn't buy Iver's "death" when I read the book the first time, and I didn't buy it this time round either. It just isn't convincing. Random: hardback books cannot unfurl, and "mortified" means "embarrassed," not "worried that your friend may have just broken his back."
Peeve time! Why can't evil be genuinely beautiful anymore? Ms. Heen was so over-the-top awesome I actually thought she'd be a villain, but I was overestimating this book. What is it with fantasy novels and bland or whiny heroes? Max's only emotion is moping about his parents' divorce; the rest of the time he just does whatever the plot requires. Why is everyone who dislikes the heroes automatically evil? I wish more people would rip off this part of JKR's writing. Severus Snape, Rita Skeeter and quite a few others are unpleasant to Harry, but they are not working for Voldemort. I hate chosen ones, and a DIRECT descendant of King Arthur? Really? Why does so much of the plot revolve around the heroes being morons? Inserting random emotions to explain it does not work, guys.
So, I wrote a review of this book, realized how little I remembered, and went back to reread it, in case there was something awesome I was leaving out. I was wrong; there were a lot of problems I was leaving out. I don't know what led me to read the other two books in the series, but I probably won't be revisiting them.(less)

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Sep 12, 2007 Jenny rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sigh. I was disappointed with this book because I think it tried to be too many things for too many audiences. This is another ARC I picked up at work, set for publication in March 2006, and clearly trying to be the next Harry Potter, not just in sales but in plot and character as well. (Tragically the writing is nowhere near as good as JKR.) I did like some of the connections and stretches of imagination the authors came up with, but most of it was trite or it came flying in from left field. (N...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Reading Vacation's Mom rated it 5 of 5 stars

REVIEW

After reading The Brimstone Key – The Clockwork Chronicles #1 earlier this year, I wanted more. So, I decided to go back in time and read the verrrry first Grey Griffins book – The Revenge of the Shadow King. I’m glad I did.

What I got, and it was what I wanted, was some background on the main characters. Max, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia were best friends from the start and they spent their time playing a card game called Round Table. I can only imagine how scary it was for the kids when the...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Halkovic's-Classroom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Four best friends that formed a group called “Grey Griffins”, lived in a small town called Avalon. With not much to do, they always hang out at a Shop of Antiques with Iver , the owner. They have the wildest imaginations which came from a card games called Round Table. Until it all became true and suddenly they’re battling creatures in there own town of Avalon.
Max found a book of codex in his deceased grandfather’s attic, and as soon as he opened it creatures, goblins, unicorns, faeries, and eve...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Blue lightning bolt boy. That's Max. The only clue to his superpowers is thunder, the color blue, and electrical energy that crackles over his skin. Unfortunately, not enough is explained as to how Max got these powers. This is just one of many missing plot elements that makes this story fall short of its potential, BUT, students will like this series. There is plenty of action and the monsters are fun and scary. Just don't go looking for deep character and plot development. It ain't there folks...more Blue lightning bolt boy. That's Max. The only clue to his superpowers is thunder, the color blue, and electrical energy that crackles over his skin. Unfortunately, not enough is explained as to how Max got these powers. This is just one of many missing plot elements that makes this story fall short of its potential, BUT, students will like this series. There is plenty of action and the monsters are fun and scary. Just don't go looking for deep character and plot development. It ain't there folks.

WHOOHOO, the setting is in Minnesota - I'm thinking this will be fun - the state I grew up in. But it wasn't. Fun that is... The setting could have been anywhere. Max lives in a rural town in Minnesota. The authors don't capture the agrarian, small town atmosphere and don't have much by way of details. Max's dad is a billionaire landowner, but it isn't clear why the family doesn't live in Minneapolis by the major airport for dad or Mall of America for mom. Perhaps if they had moved to Avalon after their divorce so Max's mom could be by her mother it would have made sense. But this is just one of many questions I have throughout the book. So all you Minnesotans out there, don't read this for local flavor. WHOOHOO, most readers will say, over the creepy Slayer goblin who scares the bejeebers out of Max when he shows up in his bedroom in the prologue. There's nothing like a sharp-nailed creepy killing monster at the top of the food chain threatening human beings to hook a reader. You will like that.

Max plays a card game with his three best friends called, Round Table, that is being taught to them and played by Iver, an older man who owns an antique shop. When the characters on the cards come to life and Max discovers a powerful magic book, he unleashes a monster that wants to rule the world. The monsters not only take over a fellow student turning him into a faerie, they attack adults and unleash chaos on the weather and inhabitants of Avalon. Will the four save the world?

The adults move the plot along in a contrived way. They do not react in normal ways to things that happen to the kids especially in the scene where the four pass out from smoke inhalation and are almost burned to death. Rather than being worried about their health, the adults instantly blame them for the fires and ground them. Max's mom is particularly dippy. Iver doesn't explain circumstances either when he saves their lives. Instead he withdraws and makes cryptic comments. Other times I have a glimmer of hope for the adults, such as when Ms. Heen sparkled some blue energy of her own. I thought, oh good, we will finally find out how blue boy got his powers. But we never do. She's just another member of the blue energy wonders. Emphasis on wonder. Even Iver has a brilliant blaze of light that he unleashes on a goblin. But it isn't blue. And it isn't explained.

The characters are not really developed and don't have much internal conflicts. Max is upset about his parents divorce but it isn't explored much. The villains are one-dimensional with no complexities or understanding as to why they became the way they did. Ray was jealous and that's about it. Blackstone is greedy. Max's mom has no redeeming qualities that I could see. Iver is supposed to have a connection with the kids but that isn't developed well either. He doesn't explain things to them after he saves their lives and as their mentor he should have explained the existence of goblins and their connection with the cards. Harley is the big strong friend. Ernie is the clown. Natalia is the brain and adult voice of reason reminding the others right from wrong. That's it in a nutshell. Blue nutshell, that is.

The plot meanders and I couldn't picture a time frame for the setting. The kids have email, but no cell phones. Natalia rides a banana seat bicycle which is what I rode in the 70s. The girls are wearing dresses at school and I'm picturing my moms generation. The setting never took root for me. There is plenty of action even if it jumps all over. There are portals with tests and monsters trying to kill the kids most of the time. It oozes external tension even if it doesn't always make sense. If you can overlook the plot inconsistencies and don't care too much about characters, you will enjoy the hopscotch action in this fantasy novel. I think I'll even read the sequel. I've got blue wonder.

Reading Level 5.1
2 out of 5 Smileys(less)

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Dec 15, 2011 Miriam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

I was loaned this book by a friend's daughter who recommended it very highly. I loaned her a book in return and set to explore what 13 year old fantasy enthusiasts are enjoying nowadays. Now I'll admit it's been a while since I was thirteen and my tastes have expanded and refined since then but I firmly believe that even at 13 I would have felt this book was mediocre at best.
The plot in The Revenge of the Shadow King is the standard 'young boy discovers he has magical powers and a destiny to ful...more I was loaned this book by a friend's daughter who recommended it very highly. I loaned her a book in return and set to explore what 13 year old fantasy enthusiasts are enjoying nowadays. Now I'll admit it's been a while since I was thirteen and my tastes have expanded and refined since then but I firmly believe that even at 13 I would have felt this book was mediocre at best.
The plot in The Revenge of the Shadow King is the standard 'young boy discovers he has magical powers and a destiny to fulfill. He and his friends are plunged into adventure'. I have no problem with an author using a rote plot, especially in children's books where a child can allow themselves to explore the fantastic elements of a story more deeply when the outline of the plot is familiar to them. However when a standard plot is used the details of the story become extra important, both to set the story apart from the thousands of others just like it and to create a story that, while being familiar, is still interesting. Unfortunately it seems the Benz and Lewis were not up to the task of sculpting these details and created a book that is uninspiring, disjointed, and frustrating.

At the beginning of the book I saw Harry Potter similarities on almost every page. A couple similarities include Max, the seemingly very average 11 year old main character with a broken and unaffectionate family. His three friends which include a startlingly familiar spunky, sassy, know-it-all, bookworm Natalia, and Ernie, the gawky, clumsy, cowardly comic relief. The third friend, Harley who fits nicely under "good natured muscle" doesn't have a direct Harry Potter parallel which is dismally small relief from the other similarities which go on to include an evil teacher and "slimy" arch nemesis classmate who relies on his dumb but strong sidekick.

In addition to lifting the main characters directly from the most successful series in the genre the villains and "heroes of the past" are taken from legend and myth. Like the rote plot this would not bother me if their character development did not seem to be based solely around the desperate hope that the reader is already familiar with Titania, Oberon, King Arthur, and Morgan Le Fay. The reader must then be willing to bend the traditional myths around these characters for the sake of a shaky plot. A bit of a tall and confusing order ask from a preteen audience.

Benz and Lewis seem unable to maintain a consistent narrative tone throughout the novel. Most of the book is written with a passive narrator who lets the children go about their adventure free of interference but every so often the narrator sprinkles in confusing snippets or active narration, along the lines of "little did they know..." Stylistically this creates a confusing and frustrating reading experience where the reader is jerked out of the flow of the story when confronted with these inconsistencies.

One aspect in which The Revenge of the Shadow King differs from Harry Potter is that Max and his four friends are constantly being rescued by adults whereas Harry and his troupe received very little help from grownups. While there definitely can be debate over what message is being sent, as a reader it meant that the characters became stagnant from consistently being protected from situations that would have given them opportunities to grow. This sheltering also leads to no actual interaction with the villains and days of down time in the adventure where the children go to school, obey groundings and fail to recognize how lucky they are that the villains are apparently too incompetent to take advantage of these fabulous opportunities to rid themselves of the children who improbably manage to succeed in foiling their plans.

Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Preteen
Characters: Max Sumner, Ernie , Natalia Romanov, Harley
Iver , Logan, Ray , Sprig, Rhiannon Heen, Morgan LaFay, Dr. Diamante Blackstone, Brooke, Gaspard Hamm.
Locations: Avalon, Minnesota; The Old Forest
Critters: Slayer Goblin, Spriggan, Shadow, Goblin, Kobold, Garden Faerie, Gargoyle, Unicorn, Werewolf.
Randiness: About as racy as Winney the Pooh.
Fright Factor: Make a quick check for the monster under the bed.(less)

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Apr 11, 2009 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's been said that Jon Lewis and Derek Benz, the authors of this story, were childhood friends who used to hang out together and pretend that they were running from goblins, monsters and other things as they acted out fantasy stories. For better or for worse, it shows in this book and helps shape it.

The Revenge of the Shadow King is a fantasy book about a group of friends who always hang out together, and enjoy playing a card game called Round Table. When strange events start to occur, it begi...more

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Jul 29, 2009 Barb Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Max Sumner is 11 years old. He and his best friends Harley, Natalia, and Ernie have formed a group they call the Grey Griffins. They love to play a card game called Round Table. When a goblin from the game appears to Max and tries to attack him, it leads to the discovery of a book called the Codex Spiritus. When he opens the book, Max unleashes a creature called a spriggan. Soon more and more creatures from the game appear in the real world and an all-out war between the Griffins and the magical...more

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May 29, 2012 Taylor Larsen rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The Revenge of the Shadow King," is a book filled with fantasy, fiction and non-fiction. Max sumner and his friends form a club called The Grey Griffins. They are noticing that strange things are happening in their small town. Nobody else seems to notice them or see them. Creatures like goblins, fairies and unicorns come alive from a card game that they play. They soon realize that their world is in danger and they need to stop it.

My favorite part is when Max finds the Codex. This is the boo...more

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Jan 12, 2012 David J rated it 4 of 5 stars

The group called "Grey Griffins" were made up of normal kids. But they soon found themselves in a dangerous world of goblins and faeries, they struggle to survive their very realistic trading card game. Max summer and his friends the Grey Griffins find the book called the Codex that contains all monsters in existence, but one bad move started this story. Throughout the story there are many battle, betrayals, mysteries, and monsters. Who will die? Who will triumph? And will the evil Shadow King t...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Caroline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the best book of the Grey Griffen series. Well, at least that is my opinion. Max Sumner and his three other friends- Natalia, Harley and Ernie, form a club called the Grey Griffens. The card game they play is not like any other card game. In fact, no one else in Avalon, Minnesota plays Round Table. So in a way, this threesome of friends is very special, but also unlucky. When Max visits his grandmother's, he finds a mysterious book in her attic. The Codex is a magical book. Max neve...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Cassidy Washburn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, middlegrade

I mainly picked this book up because it was only 5 bucks at a local store and the cover art is fantastic, but I normally do not read middle grade novels.

When reading this book, I had to keep in mind that it was aimed at a younger audience. Maybe thats why it had some pretty obvious and pathetic lines.

Still, for a middle grade novel, I thought it was well done and enjoyable. The four main characters, Max, Natalia, Ernie, and Harley are apart of a club known as The Grey Griffins. They are just no...more

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Mar 09, 2010 Stef rated it 1 of 5 stars

Trite - don't bother - Here's some other recommendations...

Don't bother with this book. The story has potential but it's writen for a reader that is assumed to be completely unintelligent (and so are the characters).

Example: Kids are told not to do something...in the NEXT SENTENCE they go and do it. No story build up, no circumstance that forces the kids into it.

Example: Here's a common writing method in this book...
"I don't get it" said Ernie. He was confused.
-Obviously he was confused. The wri...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Victor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 40-book-challenge-2010-2011

This book was such a very adventurous and exciting book for me to read,unlike other books I've read. To me, the cover of the book was very strange, as it shows only some sort of goblin with spikes on it's back. When you start reading this, you have no idea what's going on in the book. But once you read the next 5 pages of the book, You just want to keep reading more and more. This book has a combination of like mythical creatures, like goblins and garden faeries, with a bunch of background stori...more

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Jul 22, 2007 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-books, supernatural-fantasy

Max and his three best friends, Harley, Ernie and Natalia, must stop creatures from their favorite card game, from entering and destroying their world, not to mention the infamous and wicked Morgan LaFey, half-sister of King Arthur

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Mar 17, 2011 Nechelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Revenge of a shado wking by derek benz is a 373 page novel that is gripping action jump-out-your-seat book.When a card game goes wrong the monsters come to reality and it is up to max and his three best freinds,Natalie, Ernie, and Harley to save the town and their peoples from harm.This is a really great book and is a 5 out of 5 stars no doupt.This novel goes the whole nine yards from courage,over coming fear with the characters,and yelling at sad parts of the book.It really makes you want to ch...more

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May 26, 2009 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Gray Griffins, a secret club comprised of four best friends, Max, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia—begin to notice strange happening in and around their small Minnesota town. Max is from a VERY wealthy family, his mother and father is now divorced and Max is dealing with the trauma of not have his father around. The Gray Griffins gather to play a game with cards that describe magical creatures. Coincidently, Max finds a book of magical creature in his grandmother’s attic. Goblins, unicorns, witche...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Shannon Hamling rated it 3 of 5 stars

I gave this a 3 out of 5 stars because I read this in 2006 or 2007 when I was a freshman in high school at a 'read-in' event. During which the participants stayed overnight at the school to read this book. The experience, I think, severely over-shadowed the actually content of the book; a book I'd probably read to the 6 year-old I'm a nanny for.
As a participant in this event we also got the second book of the series for free and had them signed by the authors, who are fabulous men and very kind...more

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Nov 13, 2012 William C rated it 5 of 5 stars

First, Max and his friends are about to discover somthing horrific.In a small town of minnisota there is a creature lurking in the shadows after Max let him out.The creatureis gruling.Max first finds this creature in his attic.He will have to fight this creature. but he has other problems his parents are divorced.But his mom is to obsesed with money.He only likes going to his grandma's.He will have a lot of trouble.

Second,my favorite charecter is Max.Max is my faorite charecter because he is e...more

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Mar 19, 2008 Raven rated it 4 of 5 stars

My 9 year old and I both really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a good book for his age and up. Great books for boys.

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Sep 15, 2007 Legolas rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: m

Excellent children's book, but equally enjoyable for adults. My son and I both loved it.

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Jan 31, 2013 Brianna Marie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I loved this book as a child. Unfortunately, it no longer has any charm to it. I'm ok with children's books and try not to be too critical, but this book bothered me. This really read like a book for children written by a child.

The similies annoyed the heck out of me. They were really obnoxious and slowed the flow of the book. The adults acted like the children and were unnecessarily vague. There wasn't much suspense and all of the dramatic moments seemed to turn out kinda flat.

In short, whate...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Keilani Ludlow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great series. Best in the beginning, of course, but still good. Apparently the world of fairies still hovers around our world, and the evil king Oberon is getting tired of his confines. One boy finds out that he has the ability, with the help of a book, to bring creatures out of the world of fairy, and he and his friends get pulled into quite the adventure as the boundaries between their world and the world of fairy start to cross. We've read all of them and the first book of a second series has...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Dayna Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first installment in the Grey Griffins series. Avalon, Minnesota is a small quiet town - nothing ever happens there. That is until goblins, unicorns, fairies, witches, and Knights Templar begin to put in an appearance. Max Sumner and his three friends play a mysterious and ancient card game called the Round Table. They begin to notice that characters from their game are appearing in town. They soon find themselves caught up in a deadly struggle against the evil Shadow King and his minions. A...more

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Mar 30, 2009 Ben rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 4th-12th graders

The Revenge of the Shadow King is a hard book for me to review because first, it's been a year since I've read it and second, it is just another realistic-fiction novel but a very good one at that. It combines the history of The Knights Templar and mixes it with traditional fairy tale creatures. It is a easy-to-read book and is also very interesting. It is a book that I would say "I really liked that book". I recommend that, if you liked this book, that you read The Rise of the Black Wolf!

Altaîr...more

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May 16, 2008 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who liked the Spiderwick Chronicles (Ages 9-whatever)

Recommended to Michael by: My teacher, Mrs. Morris.

Shelves: already-read

This book is great!!! I'm done!

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Jul 14, 2012 Legolas Greenleaf rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who love fantasy books

Recommended to Legolas by: The book chose me ;)

There was a time I despised reading, especially since we were forced to read books in school which I thought completely boring. Well, this book changed my perception forever. One day, during a book sale in catholic school in 5th grade, I saw this book lying on a shelf with a bunch of others, but this one stuck out to me - it spoke to me. I felt intensely drawn to it. And you know that a book will be incredible when it speaks to you - this book spoke, and it chose me. After buying it, I delved ri...more There was a time I despised reading, especially since we were forced to read books in school which I thought completely boring. Well, this book changed my perception forever. One day, during a book sale in catholic school in 5th grade, I saw this book lying on a shelf with a bunch of others, but this one stuck out to me - it spoke to me. I felt intensely drawn to it. And you know that a book will be incredible when it speaks to you - this book spoke, and it chose me. After buying it, I delved right into the pages, and it was VERY hard to put it down. In about 5 days, I finished it, and I read it over again :).
I honestly don't know why people are giving this book such a poor review - maybe they just don't care for fantasy books. And too many keep forgetting that a lot of fantasy literature nowadays is inspired through the works of Tolkien, so of course there will be similarities. How can people dislike this then, if they claim to love Tolkien? It's always interesting when people make this foolish claim - I wonder if they didn't even bother to read Tolkiens books and just made up their minds through the movies (not to say that the movies are bad, however). We must remember that even authors like JK Rowling have used some of Tolkien's ideas in their own books - an example is the similarity between the spiders of the Forbidden Forest compared to the ones in Mirkwood. This is just one example. Need I say more? Come on, people.
Anyway, a few years ago I lost this book whilst cleaning out my room (which used to be an utter mess). I looked everywhere for it, but I think it got accidentally thrown out :(. However, I was fortunate in finding another copy of 'The Revenge of the Shadow King' a week ago in a stack of books that the same catholic school was going to toss out. I grabbed it, as well as a few others ('Lost Book of Tales 2' by JRR Tolkien, 'The Fellowship of the Ring - Part 1 ~ The Lord of the Rings', 'The Two Towers - Part 2 ~ The Lord of the Rings', and 'The Return of the King - Part 3 ~ The Lord of the Rings'). I couldn't believe that the school was going to just chuck 'em.
But after finding that copy of 'The Revenge of the Shadow King', I can once again enjoy reading such a marvelous and well-written work of Magic! :D
The book is worth much more than its cost ;).(less)

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Mar 19, 2009 Koblerevan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and it's a good start to a series. This book is about a club of four kids who play a game called Round Table. Their names are Max, Ernie, Natalia, and Harley. One day, Max notices a dark figure lurking around his house in the night. Then, all of a sudden, he starts seeing more characters from their game. All this is happening to them because he found a book in his grandpa's attic one night. Soon, Max and his friends are put up for an adventure like they have never had...more

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Dec 03, 2008 Fallen*63 rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy lovers

This book is about a boy, Max Sumner, who lives with his rich mother in Avalon, Minnesota. His parents were separated, and his dad lives in Scotland. Max is the leader of The Order Of The Grey Griffins, a club that he and his friends, Natalia Romanov, Ernie Tweeny, and Harley Eisenstein, created. They play an ancient game called Round Table, and buy the cards from an old man named Iver, who also plays the game. He also has a private martial arts trainer (who is, oddly, paid in expensive exotic s...more This book is about a boy, Max Sumner, who lives with his rich mother in Avalon, Minnesota. His parents were separated, and his dad lives in Scotland. Max is the leader of The Order Of The Grey Griffins, a club that he and his friends, Natalia Romanov, Ernie Tweeny, and Harley Eisenstein, created. They play an ancient game called Round Table, and buy the cards from an old man named Iver, who also plays the game. He also has a private martial arts trainer (who is, oddly, paid in expensive exotic sports cars), named Logan. Max goes to his grandparents house. While trying to sleep, he hears noises, and eventually sees the same monster that he had seen in a dream in the prologue. He runs to hide in the attic, and finds a book. He opens it to find that all the pages are filled with odd-looking creatures and a description under each one. He accidentally releases one creature, known to be a trickster, called a spriggan. He names it Sprig, and it leaves, along with the monster form the bedroom. He keeps the book, even though he now knows that it can do horrible things, and that it was what released the monster he saw. He is tricked by Sprig into releasing a shadow creature, and then things just get weirder and weirder. An evil, immortal witch arrives in their town and controls many demons and minions, all from the book. A bully from their school turns into a blue monster who sets a field on fire and blames it on Max and the Grey Griffins, Logan, his private martial arts teacher, turns out to be a Knight Templar, a secret organization said to have died out long ago, along with his grandpa and Iver. The Shadow King, also known as Oberon, the fearsome, deadly, havoc-reeking god of evil is also released, and Max, his friends, Iver, and Logan and the Knights Templar get into the battle of their lives. Just before they are greeted by their demise, Max's school teacher shows up, and reveals her true form as an angel. She does not defeat the witch, The Shadow King, or their army, but drives them away from the Earth back to their own realm, for now at least.

I learned from this book that things could turn on you any moment. Max lives a peaceful life, but it ends up that he is put in more danger than probably anyone else that has ever lived. Also, there is much more danger and perilous adventure to come in the next few books.

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Dec 27, 2008 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

A student gave me this book to read and it was an enjoyable project. The four friends-three boys and a girl-are the Grey Griffins. They fine themselves in a live version of the magical card game they play and discover that one of their number is a descendent of King Arthur and the guardian of a magical book that houses a number of evil magical characters bent on escaping and destroying the world. It's a good mixture of fantasym legend, and 12 year-olds. One to Book 2!

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Born in the wrong place, and unquestionably the wrong time, Derek Benz 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 myste...more

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