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Grey Griffins #1
The Revenge of the Shadow King
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.
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.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
111 people are currently reading
4142 people want to read
About the author
Derek Benz
21 books111 followersBorn 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 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 and son in sunny Arizona, where they enjoy researching ancient civilizations and studying theology.
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 and son in sunny Arizona, where they enjoy researching ancient civilizations and studying theology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews
September 13, 2007
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. (No sense of pacing! So frustrating.) The most disappointing thing for me, though, was the fact that it was set in a small town in Minnesota, but it might as well have been set on moon for all the sense it made. There was a chapel in the gothic style that had "obviously been there for hundreds of years." I mean, that's fine and good in the UK, but Minnesota has only been a state since 1858. Reality kept snapping back my imagination over things like that. Maybe non-native-Minnesotans won't share my issues. Anyway, not a bad young reader (which is, of course, its genre) but it's no Harry Potter. Which is too bad.
March 9, 2010
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 writer doesn't have to spell it out for the reader because the character says it himself...but to make the book longer, the author does.
Spend your time on better some better series:
The Children of the Lamp
The Last Apprentice
Chronicals of Ancient Darkness
Harry Potter (of course)
The Hobbit
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 writer doesn't have to spell it out for the reader because the character says it himself...but to make the book longer, the author does.
Spend your time on better some better series:
The Children of the Lamp
The Last Apprentice
Chronicals of Ancient Darkness
Harry Potter (of course)
The Hobbit
June 9, 2015
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 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.
Our cast:
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.
May 30, 2017
First in the Grey Griffins adventurous mythic fantasy + role play gaming series for middle-grade readers and revolving around four eleven-year-old kids, best friends since kindergarten: Max Sumner, Harley Eisenstein, Ernie Tweeny, and Natalia Romanov who live in the town of Avalon, Minnesota.
My Take
Benz/Lewis take role playing games to infinity and beyond in this tale of Templars and the King Arthur legend while using the third-person subjective point-of-view, conveying thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc., through the perceptions and knowledge of one or more characters.
The story is a fun idea, but too hokey for me. Normally, I adore anything fantasy. Throw King Arthur in and I'm there. But Benz/Lewis have too many slip-ups starting with the biggest one: the role playing game that Iver plays without telling the kids the truth about it or giving them the training they are supposed to have. The need for it just suddenly jumps in. As for Max finding the Codex. Oh, boy.
Then that scene in which Max's mother insists that his backpack be slipped under Hannah's stroller was so lame. Put a little effort into thinking. Please.
Somehow the Shadow becomes the Shadow King, who doesn't seem as menacing as I would have expected. It's rather melodramatic and just too obvious in so many of the characterizations.
Of course, the deus ex machina at the end was just the frosting on the cake.
Nimmo was right. It "has all the ingredients that make for great fantasy". It's too bad the writing isn't up to it. It's almost an insult to the intelligence of children. I won't be going on to book 2.
The Story
It's been a horrible year for Max. His parents have divorced, and it seems as if his father has forgotten him.
It's an ache that is forced into the background when the truth of the game comes out, and Max, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia must battle the monsters leaping out of the Codex Spiritus.
Their town, their very world is being overrun by monsters and menacing woods, by plants that grow tens of feet over night, taking over homes and farms. Weather that rages.
If Max and his friends fail…so fails our world.
The Characters
Grayson "Max" Sumner is the hero character and eleven years old…and a direct descendant of King Arthur. His family is rich, the kind that owns entire towns, megamalls, high-row towers, acreages of farmland. His parents, Annika Claiburn (a former model) and his dad, have just divorced. Hannah is his eighteen-month-old sister. Rosa is the nanny and chief of staff…and much more of a mother than their own. The Scottish Logan is both driver and family bodyguard. Grandma Claiburn is a widow, her husband having died two years ago. Ursula is his father's assistant at Sumner Enterprises.
The Grey Griffins are…
…Max's close friends and the name of their club and role-playing team with Harley Davidson Eisenstein (who lives with his poor mother) as the Warden; Max as the Master of the Order; Ernie Tweeny, a candy-holic, is the secretary; and, brilliant and precocious Natalia Romanov who is all about protocol and traditions. Roscoe is Harley's enormous hunting dog.
Olaf "Iver" Iverson, a friend of Max's Grandfather Claiburn, owns the Shoppe of Antiquities, which is where the four, er, five, play Round Table as a team.
King's Elementary School is…
…where the four attend school. Dennis Stonebrow is the primary bully; his father is a minister. Ray Fisher is Dennis' only friend and twice as evil. Ray HATES Max despite having been one of his closest friends; Ray's dad owns the First Avalon Bank. Fellow students include Brooke Lundgren, the most beautiful and popular girl in their class, and Scottie Johnson.
Mrs. Garvey is their homeroom teacher whose place is taken by Rhiannon Heen. Gaspard "Piggy" Hamm is the principal. Dr. Diamonte Blackstone is a nasty, ill-tempered band instructor, acting assistant principal, and chief disciplinarian.
The Jacobson farm is thought to be haunted. Mr. Thorvald is the keeper for the Chapel of the Mist on Lake Avalon. Loki is his big dog.
Those Templars show up again. This time the explanation is that they were hiding the Codex and were betrayed by Morgan who poisoned Philip of France's mind against them.
Morgan LaFey was/is King Arthur's sister and the Black Witch. Her massive driver shapeshifts into a wolf. Modred was Arthur's son.
The Shadow King is…
…Oberon, ruler of the Shadowlands of Faerie, seeking Titania's Jewel. Titania had been the Queen of the Shadowlands and Oberon's wife. Sprig is the conflicted, shapeshifting spriggan Max frees — along with a Shadow and a Slayer — from the Codex Spiritus , which holds all the creatures of Faerie. Kobolds are immune to the effects of iron.
The Cover and Title
The cover is an excellent example of NO contrast between background and title or author's name. You can barely read it even with the right angle. What were they thinkin'??! I do love the background with its autumnal colors of red, yellow, oranges, and greens surrounding the substantial trunk of the tree. That peacefulness is shattered brutally by the skeleton-ish Slayer Goblin snarling, reaching out with his bony claws from within the tree's leaves. The title is at the top with the series information below it on the right while the authors' names are at the bottom. All are in a Gothic silver metallic font with the title shadowed by black.
The title is only the start of The Revenge of the Shadow King.
My Take
Benz/Lewis take role playing games to infinity and beyond in this tale of Templars and the King Arthur legend while using the third-person subjective point-of-view, conveying thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc., through the perceptions and knowledge of one or more characters.
The story is a fun idea, but too hokey for me. Normally, I adore anything fantasy. Throw King Arthur in and I'm there. But Benz/Lewis have too many slip-ups starting with the biggest one: the role playing game that Iver plays without telling the kids the truth about it or giving them the training they are supposed to have. The need for it just suddenly jumps in. As for Max finding the Codex. Oh, boy.
Then that scene in which Max's mother insists that his backpack be slipped under Hannah's stroller was so lame. Put a little effort into thinking. Please.
Somehow the Shadow becomes the Shadow King, who doesn't seem as menacing as I would have expected. It's rather melodramatic and just too obvious in so many of the characterizations.
Of course, the deus ex machina at the end was just the frosting on the cake.
Nimmo was right. It "has all the ingredients that make for great fantasy". It's too bad the writing isn't up to it. It's almost an insult to the intelligence of children. I won't be going on to book 2.
The Story
It's been a horrible year for Max. His parents have divorced, and it seems as if his father has forgotten him.
It's an ache that is forced into the background when the truth of the game comes out, and Max, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia must battle the monsters leaping out of the Codex Spiritus.
Their town, their very world is being overrun by monsters and menacing woods, by plants that grow tens of feet over night, taking over homes and farms. Weather that rages.
If Max and his friends fail…so fails our world.
The Characters
Grayson "Max" Sumner is the hero character and eleven years old…and a direct descendant of King Arthur. His family is rich, the kind that owns entire towns, megamalls, high-row towers, acreages of farmland. His parents, Annika Claiburn (a former model) and his dad, have just divorced. Hannah is his eighteen-month-old sister. Rosa is the nanny and chief of staff…and much more of a mother than their own. The Scottish Logan is both driver and family bodyguard. Grandma Claiburn is a widow, her husband having died two years ago. Ursula is his father's assistant at Sumner Enterprises.
The Grey Griffins are…
…Max's close friends and the name of their club and role-playing team with Harley Davidson Eisenstein (who lives with his poor mother) as the Warden; Max as the Master of the Order; Ernie Tweeny, a candy-holic, is the secretary; and, brilliant and precocious Natalia Romanov who is all about protocol and traditions. Roscoe is Harley's enormous hunting dog.
Olaf "Iver" Iverson, a friend of Max's Grandfather Claiburn, owns the Shoppe of Antiquities, which is where the four, er, five, play Round Table as a team.
King's Elementary School is…
…where the four attend school. Dennis Stonebrow is the primary bully; his father is a minister. Ray Fisher is Dennis' only friend and twice as evil. Ray HATES Max despite having been one of his closest friends; Ray's dad owns the First Avalon Bank. Fellow students include Brooke Lundgren, the most beautiful and popular girl in their class, and Scottie Johnson.
Mrs. Garvey is their homeroom teacher whose place is taken by Rhiannon Heen. Gaspard "Piggy" Hamm is the principal. Dr. Diamonte Blackstone is a nasty, ill-tempered band instructor, acting assistant principal, and chief disciplinarian.
The Jacobson farm is thought to be haunted. Mr. Thorvald is the keeper for the Chapel of the Mist on Lake Avalon. Loki is his big dog.
Those Templars show up again. This time the explanation is that they were hiding the Codex and were betrayed by Morgan who poisoned Philip of France's mind against them.
Morgan LaFey was/is King Arthur's sister and the Black Witch. Her massive driver shapeshifts into a wolf. Modred was Arthur's son.
The Shadow King is…
…Oberon, ruler of the Shadowlands of Faerie, seeking Titania's Jewel. Titania had been the Queen of the Shadowlands and Oberon's wife. Sprig is the conflicted, shapeshifting spriggan Max frees — along with a Shadow and a Slayer — from the Codex Spiritus , which holds all the creatures of Faerie. Kobolds are immune to the effects of iron.
The Cover and Title
The cover is an excellent example of NO contrast between background and title or author's name. You can barely read it even with the right angle. What were they thinkin'??! I do love the background with its autumnal colors of red, yellow, oranges, and greens surrounding the substantial trunk of the tree. That peacefulness is shattered brutally by the skeleton-ish Slayer Goblin snarling, reaching out with his bony claws from within the tree's leaves. The title is at the top with the series information below it on the right while the authors' names are at the bottom. All are in a Gothic silver metallic font with the title shadowed by black.
The title is only the start of The Revenge of the Shadow King.
June 18, 2024
Just as good as I remember it being when I was a kid!
March 25, 2024
This book had wonderful descriptions about the creatures that were in it. I really liked how invested the author was in the imaginative world that he created. However, it wasn't enough for me to love it.
I found it hard to maintain excitement because it seemed like the author couldn't decide whether to make the main character the center of the writing or allowing the other children to have their moments. It made the flow feel off. Also, I noticed more than once that the exact same sentence would be used a page later, which made me pause and verify. Kind of frustrating.
It was a fine read, but I doubt I will move to the next book.
I found it hard to maintain excitement because it seemed like the author couldn't decide whether to make the main character the center of the writing or allowing the other children to have their moments. It made the flow feel off. Also, I noticed more than once that the exact same sentence would be used a page later, which made me pause and verify. Kind of frustrating.
It was a fine read, but I doubt I will move to the next book.
January 18, 2015
It's not a waste of time to read. I certainly don't regret reading the book either, however there are some cons along with pros for this book. Summarizing: The main character Max and his three friends play a game similar to "Dungeons and Dragons" The place they play is an antiquities shop and the owner plans their adventures that they play out through special cards that are so rare and were supposedly once played by King Arthur and his knights of the round table. The girl in their group even dresses like an elf to get into the mindset of playing the game. Now the cards are NOT like in "Jumanji" where you play the game and the creatures come out to kill you and you have to finish the game to return them to the game. However they are more a training game that the owner of the antiquities shop uses to help introduce these important children to the world.
When Max discovers a book that was kept by his grandfather of a bunch of mystical beings filling it's pages that were identical to that of the cards (He alone since he is the man's grandson can open the book) he is curious. Hears a voice in his head and repeats magical words that release two creatures....which only adds to the crazy things that have been happening to him and his group of friends. Morgan Le Fey shows up and there are some interesting characters including the Knights Templars are thrown into the mix bringing it to a climactic save-the-world from evil themed book. It is written as a Young Adult Fiction/Fantasy book. So if you are an adult don't expect big words and fancy writing. It's inteligently written, but it Is for Young Adults. Again...I found it a decent read but since I am not too interested in Dungeons and Dragons myself and it seems to have been inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's "Jumanji" and "Zathura" (but not by much) and written by someone who probably plays Dungeons and Dragons or the card game Magic, makes me not entirely in love with this book. But that is because I am biased in that way.
Give this book a shot. I was surprised. Perhaps I will read it again later and see if my biases change. It's worth a shot.
When Max discovers a book that was kept by his grandfather of a bunch of mystical beings filling it's pages that were identical to that of the cards (He alone since he is the man's grandson can open the book) he is curious. Hears a voice in his head and repeats magical words that release two creatures....which only adds to the crazy things that have been happening to him and his group of friends. Morgan Le Fey shows up and there are some interesting characters including the Knights Templars are thrown into the mix bringing it to a climactic save-the-world from evil themed book. It is written as a Young Adult Fiction/Fantasy book. So if you are an adult don't expect big words and fancy writing. It's inteligently written, but it Is for Young Adults. Again...I found it a decent read but since I am not too interested in Dungeons and Dragons myself and it seems to have been inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's "Jumanji" and "Zathura" (but not by much) and written by someone who probably plays Dungeons and Dragons or the card game Magic, makes me not entirely in love with this book. But that is because I am biased in that way.
Give this book a shot. I was surprised. Perhaps I will read it again later and see if my biases change. It's worth a shot.
April 29, 2014
The revenge of the Shadow King
The book I am writing a review is “The Revenge of the Shadow King” by “Derek Benz”. The book takes place in a town in Minnesota called Avalon. The main character is Max Sumner and his friends. Him and his friends have a group called the Grey Griffins. They play a ancient card game that only they have. Iver the man that gives them their cards said ‘They’re one of a kind’. Max’s grandpa has passed away for a while and Max uncovers some deep history. What did max find? Will he save Avalon?
I think It Is a great fantasy book for 6th grade-8th grade. I feel sorry for the people who dislike this book because they're missing out on what I think is
The book I am writing a review is “The Revenge of the Shadow King” by “Derek Benz”. The book takes place in a town in Minnesota called Avalon. The main character is Max Sumner and his friends. Him and his friends have a group called the Grey Griffins. They play a ancient card game that only they have. Iver the man that gives them their cards said ‘They’re one of a kind’. Max’s grandpa has passed away for a while and Max uncovers some deep history. What did max find? Will he save Avalon?
I think It Is a great fantasy book for 6th grade-8th grade. I feel sorry for the people who dislike this book because they're missing out on what I think is
January 6, 2010
Max and his freinds Natalia, Harley, and Ernie play a very unpopular game round table only to find that the monsters witch's and last but most definitely not least the Templar are real! They go on and adventure fighting the which's and monsters with help from the Templar to save the world.
I thought this book was amazing it had alot of action was thrilling/suspencful.
I think this would be a good book people who have a wide imagination.
I thought this book was amazing it had alot of action was thrilling/suspencful.
I think this would be a good book people who have a wide imagination.
May 17, 2008
This book is great!!! I'm done!
March 19, 2008
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.
October 5, 2012
This is one of my favorite books! It has the right amount mystery, adventure, and fantasy all mixed together, making the perfect combination.
Read
April 14, 2023I remember this book being straight up spooky
September 30, 2020
The Revenge of the Shadow King is an exciting middle-grade fantasy adventure that will appeal to those enjoying their fantasy with a little history and magic! This is the first in the Grey Griffins Trilogy, which combines mythology and folklore into the world of here and now. It follows the Grey Griffins, four kids in a small town who have made their own secret society and play a card game full of monsters and other creatures. Max, Harley, Natalia, and Ernie begin to notice the strange appearance of those same creatures around their town. As trouble continues to brew and it becomes clear that there is more going on than what seems, will they be able to save not only their town but possibly the world?
I have had this book for years! I loved the series as a kid and continue to love it as a young adult reader! It is exciting, full of magic, adventure, and friendship. I love the mix of magical creatures and the real world. It is so exciting and I love the characters! It is always so fun to read about friends who are despite their differences connected through a shared interest. As always, the characters are some of my favorite part. From Logan, to Iver, to Max's Grandma Calibrun, the characters make the book so much more fun!
This is for any young fantasy reader and especially for those who enjoy fantasy games! Also there are old English and European mythological elements in this book too, which is always exciting! I gave it to my younger brother, who is much more interested in sports and active things and he enjoyed it! He rarely reads series, but he finished the entire series and even the next one!
I have had this book for years! I loved the series as a kid and continue to love it as a young adult reader! It is exciting, full of magic, adventure, and friendship. I love the mix of magical creatures and the real world. It is so exciting and I love the characters! It is always so fun to read about friends who are despite their differences connected through a shared interest. As always, the characters are some of my favorite part. From Logan, to Iver, to Max's Grandma Calibrun, the characters make the book so much more fun!
This is for any young fantasy reader and especially for those who enjoy fantasy games! Also there are old English and European mythological elements in this book too, which is always exciting! I gave it to my younger brother, who is much more interested in sports and active things and he enjoyed it! He rarely reads series, but he finished the entire series and even the next one!
March 2, 2022
It’s all right, but I didn’t finish it because the plot kept looping. A disaster happens, reaction to it, disaster happens, reaction to it. The plot never gets started. Instead, we get “prophecies”, which now I’m getting sick of–they’re an artificial way to create tension and foreshadowing. You’re supposed to go “ooh, ahh, I wonder what that means” and meanwhile I’m over here with “this is meaningless until I know the context for this”.
I picked it up because I guess the author lives near me and based the setting on where I live. But I don’t see the resemblance. The main character is supposed to be a super-rich kid, and there’s no one like that around here. I also couldn’t differentiate the characters. There were too many and they sounded too alike to figure out who was who. Basically, it was a poorly written novel and too long.
It’s basically about a card game like Magic: the Gathering comes to life and the creatures start invading reality, and I don’t even know how it happens. I think the author was going for a feel like “The Neverending Story”, but that didn’t come across at all because there’s no empathy for the characters. Why bother having empathy for a kid with a driver/bodyguard and his friends whose biggest problem is getting rare cards. Someone who appreciates a good, well-written story will not like this book.
I picked it up because I guess the author lives near me and based the setting on where I live. But I don’t see the resemblance. The main character is supposed to be a super-rich kid, and there’s no one like that around here. I also couldn’t differentiate the characters. There were too many and they sounded too alike to figure out who was who. Basically, it was a poorly written novel and too long.
It’s basically about a card game like Magic: the Gathering comes to life and the creatures start invading reality, and I don’t even know how it happens. I think the author was going for a feel like “The Neverending Story”, but that didn’t come across at all because there’s no empathy for the characters. Why bother having empathy for a kid with a driver/bodyguard and his friends whose biggest problem is getting rare cards. Someone who appreciates a good, well-written story will not like this book.
July 3, 2025
The Revenge of the Shadow King was ten-year-old me’s gateway into fantasy. It showed me how vivid descriptions could suck you into a story and make you feel like you were right there alongside the characters. Each character has a distinct voice that matches their personality, and their banter feels natural, like a more magical version of the Scooby-Doo gang. A group of friends solving mysteries, uncovering secret identities, and unearthing fun lore.
Max Sumner, brave, curious, and rich, is our Fred. Natalia is the observant, fiercely independent Velma. Harley, suspicious of strangers and quick to react, is our Scooby, but with the bite to back up his bark. And if Scooby-Doo’s Shaggy is known for his mountainous sandwiches, Ernie copes with chaos by devouring sour patch kids and chocolate bars. Fear might haunt them, but snacks never fail them.
I’m so glad I revisited this story as an adult. Turns out, kid me had great taste.
Max Sumner, brave, curious, and rich, is our Fred. Natalia is the observant, fiercely independent Velma. Harley, suspicious of strangers and quick to react, is our Scooby, but with the bite to back up his bark. And if Scooby-Doo’s Shaggy is known for his mountainous sandwiches, Ernie copes with chaos by devouring sour patch kids and chocolate bars. Fear might haunt them, but snacks never fail them.
I’m so glad I revisited this story as an adult. Turns out, kid me had great taste.
October 7, 2019
this book wasn't bad but it wasn't good. It's because of all the stuff here like unicorns. I know it's a fantasy book but why. I will probably read one more book about this series maybe. This book was about a kid named Max and his friends find mystical creatures all around there town like witches, goblins and unicorns.
July 17, 2012
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
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
June 1, 2013
I do not understand how this novel received so many positive reviews. It is really bad. The plot is predictable, the characters are two-dimensional and clichéd, new characters or unexplainable magic pops up to save the central characters from mishaps of their own creation; adults are absent and/or stupid.
The ��hero” is a poor little rich boy from a broken home. His posse includes an asthmatic, cowardly young boy with a junk food jones, an uber-smart yet unpopular girl who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut and her nose out of places it doesn’t belong, and a poor but sensitive boy from the wrong side of the tracks. They call themselves the “Grey Griffons,” in a ridiculously derivative way.
Worst of all, there is too much narrative. So often the reader is told information, rather than shown.
I only slogged through the book to see if it would be appropriate for my niece, who is a big Harry Potter/ Percy Jackson/ Spiderwick fan. While the content is not offensive, the quality of the novel is so poor that I can’t recommend it.
The ��hero” is a poor little rich boy from a broken home. His posse includes an asthmatic, cowardly young boy with a junk food jones, an uber-smart yet unpopular girl who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut and her nose out of places it doesn’t belong, and a poor but sensitive boy from the wrong side of the tracks. They call themselves the “Grey Griffons,” in a ridiculously derivative way.
Worst of all, there is too much narrative. So often the reader is told information, rather than shown.
I only slogged through the book to see if it would be appropriate for my niece, who is a big Harry Potter/ Percy Jackson/ Spiderwick fan. While the content is not offensive, the quality of the novel is so poor that I can’t recommend it.
July 29, 2009
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 creatures ensues.
An interesting character is Iver, who is the proprietor of Avalon, a magical shoppe. As the story progresses, it is uncovered that Max is a descendant of King Arthur and that his family has been members of the Knights Templar.
Sequels to this novel include:
#2 Rise of the Black Wolf
#3 Fall of the Templar
Fans of Harry Potter and especially Artemis Fowl will enjoy this series.
An interesting character is Iver, who is the proprietor of Avalon, a magical shoppe. As the story progresses, it is uncovered that Max is a descendant of King Arthur and that his family has been members of the Knights Templar.
Sequels to this novel include:
#2 Rise of the Black Wolf
#3 Fall of the Templar
Fans of Harry Potter and especially Artemis Fowl will enjoy this series.
December 16, 2015
This was everything I look for in a Middle Grade Fantasy book. The characters were original, amusing and loveable (although Natalia felt very cliché at times), the plot was exciting, and the writing flowed well with some awesome description. A very strong first book to this trilogy – I'm certainly intrigued to see where it goes next! The audiobook, narrated by Erik Steele, was thoroughly enjoyable – definitely recommended – as Steele does a superb job of distinguishing each and every character's voice. (Although I do warn you, there are sound affects at the beginning of each chapter, and some character's echoing voices can get kind of grating after a while *cough*Sprig*cough*) If you like Middle Grade Fantasy, I would say ignore all the bad reviews this book seems to have for some reason, and go pick this up!
April 22, 2015
The book “The Revenge of the Shadow King” by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis, told a story of how four friends fight off dark forces that are invaded their peaceful town of Avalon. In my opinion the book was quite boring. The book seemed to be more for a younger audience than myself, and it told of your average spooky story. I kept waiting for something to get me excited, or on the edge of my seat, but instead it felt like reading the book was a chore. The book talks about goblins, witches, unicorns, etc., so I didn’t think it was that original. Furthermore, I didn’t come along any surprises, because I can usually predict the outcomes of a situation. There are more books in the Grey Griffins series, and “The Revenge of the Shadow King” happens to be the first one, but I don’t think that I could continue to read them.
April 26, 2018
This book did not make any sense. The setting is in Minnesota but described as if it is in Europe. The name Natalia is supposed to be Russian but the other names she was given - Felicia Anastasia - that just does not make any sense. Russians do not give girls multiple female names. It is always first name, name of father and last name. The author obviously did not bother researching this. When Max starts seeing monster in his dream, he decides to go to the woods. This just makes no sense. Strange things start happening, is it a great idea to have a sleepover at the tree house in the woods? Apparently, boys from this story think it is and do just that. Iver let’s kids play the card game knowing the dangers but not alerting them about it. Nothing in this story makes sense. I’m quitting.
May 24, 2018
I was looking forward to reading this book because it was recommended by a friend at just looking at the cover it looked great, especially since I love fiction/fantasy books, but after reading this it was one of the most boring books I've read and the kids power in this book wasn't even cool. I do not recommend this book to anyone unless your a boring person.
July 23, 2007
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
February 21, 2010
this book was filled with adventure and danger at every turn with not just monsters but with bullies!i had to sneak it into my room to read before i went to sleep!!!can they save the world from the evil shadow king?
October 31, 2014
This book was decent it wasn't the best one I have read. It was a good starter to the year short and quick to read. It was a fantasy book so I get into it really fast which is why I read the whole thing even though it wasn't too good.
September 15, 2007
Excellent children's book, but equally enjoyable for adults. My son and I both loved it.
September 26, 2010
If you think you might want to read it don't it's terrible
August 17, 2016
Wow!!! This book was amazing. If you like fantasies you will enjoy this. Will be reading the rest of the series soon
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