Dungeon of Doom

The Hardy Boys #99

by Franklin W. Dixon

Trapped in an abandoned mine while playing Wizards and Warriors, Frank and Joe must uncover the identity of a mysterious Secret Wizard Master, or they may never see daylight again.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, Thriller, Classics, Childrens

Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.

Reviews

[James Kirby]

I recall this was one of my favorites back in elementary school, and I figured it'd be fun to revisit right after finishing Dungeon Crawler Carl. And while re-reading it was breezy and worth a chuckle, I probably should've left this one in the past. ;)

I'm obviously no longer the target demographic here, but this was a pretty cringe-worthy read. Aside from inaccurately portraying and parodying Dungeons & Dragons, most of the characters are extremely one-dimensional. It's especially painful when the larger-bodied kid references food in literally everything he says, and it's really tough to root for the protagonist Joe who is consistently a spiteful and arrogant jerk.

The "twist" ending was far from a surprise, but I suppose that children (myself included in 4th grade) might buy in to the obvious misdirect.

[Ethan Hulbert]

Ah yes, a late-80s novel full of misconceptions about what Dungeons and Dragons is. An entertaining read, but nothing compelling.

[Zombie_Phreak]

I read this book as a kid and it was one of my favorite Hardy Boys books of all time. I also credit it for steering me toward the world of fantasy role-playing games. I loved it! :)

[Melmo2610]

I really enjoyed this one. The story is all kinds of intriguing and fun.

[Amelia]

3.5

[Jen]

Joe telling Chet he can't fit into a hole because it's "only the size of a small Buick" 😬

[The Curious Reader]

When I first read Hardy Boys, I think I was in class 5, I had such a crush on Frank Hardy. I liked the brainy one over the brawny one and that sums up my first impression of Hardy Boys.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.

[Derek]

It about these three brother who are going to there friends house to ;lay this game. But they decide to go tho this cave. These theifs are hiding in there. They set traps for them to get by.

[Kiki]

I loved this book! The culprit surprised me because it wasn't who I was expecting it to be.