A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"Hazards, betrayals, and quick-witted banter abound in this gripping series opener... Clark and Eliopulos weave a thread of post-apocalyptic adventure into a classic questing saga, replete with spells, enchanted weaponry, and mythological beings—elves, kobolds, gelatinous goo, and more."
"A solidly constructed world, endearing characters, and lots of fantasy-based adventure with fast-paced action."
*"This tale is a page-turner that has the perfect mix of suspense, Princess Bride humor, and engaging characters, one that's definitely earned the sequel to come. A dazzling adventure sure to become a classic, if not a movie."—Kirkus, starred review
"The Adventurers Guild stands out within the fantasy genre, displaying a wonderfully diverse cast of characters... Simply great fun to read... A rough-and-tumble adventure story with monsters, intrigue and a heart of gold."—Shelf Awareness
"The Adventurers Guild stands out within the fantasy genre, displaying a wonderfully diverse cast of characters... Simply great fun to read... A rough-and-tumble adventure story with monsters, intrigue and a heart of gold."—Shelf Awareness
"Fast-paced adventure. The diverse group of friends... works solidly as a team, but secrets and divided loyalties create enough tension to keep things interesting...A cliffhanger of an ending sets up a larger conflict for the next volume, and readers will be eager to join the guild for their further adventures."—BCCB
"If you're someone who likes a thrilling adventure with a surprise on every page, this book is for you."—Time for Kids
"Clark and Eliopulos... establish a strong core of interesting male and female characters and thrust them into action, while setting up relationships, conflicts, and mysteries to explore in later volumes. With its quick pace and likable heroes, this fantasy adventure will readily find a following."—Booklist
Accolades
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2017: Middle Grade, selection
*"This tale is a page-turner that has the perfect mix of suspense, Princess Bride humor, and engaging characters, one that's definitely earned the sequel to come. A dazzling adventure sure to become a classic, if not a movie."—, starred review
"Fast-paced adventure. The diverse group of friends... works solidly as a team, but secrets and divided loyalties create enough tension to keep things interesting...A cliffhanger of an ending sets up a larger conflict for the next volume, and readers will be eager to join the guild for their further adventures."—BCCB
"A solidly constructed world, endearing characters, and lots of fantasy-based adventure with fast-paced action."—School Library Journal
"If you're someone who likes a thrilling adventure with a surprise on every page, this book is for you."—Time for Kids
"Hazards, betrayals, and quick-witted banter abound in this gripping series opener... Clark and Eliopulos weave a thread of post-apocalyptic adventure into a classic questing saga, replete with spells, enchanted weaponry, and mythological beings—elves, kobolds, gelatinous goo, and more."—Publishers Weekly
"Clark and Eliopulos... establish a strong core of interesting male and female characters and thrust them into action, while setting up relationships, conflicts, and mysteries to explore in later volumes. With its quick pace and likable heroes, this fantasy adventure will readily find a following."
10/01/2017
Gr 5–8—Ever since the Day of Dangers, when the land of Ferryn was attacked by monsters, the city of Freestone has been protected by wards of the Adventurers Guild. Zed and his friend Brock are anxious for the Guildculling, when those who have come of age will be assigned to one of the Guilds. Zed, who is an elf-blooded boy, hopes to be chosen as a Mage. Brock, whose parents are members of the Merchants Guild, expects to become a Merchant as well. Neither of them wants to be a Knight or a Healer—and certainly not an Adventurer, the most dangerous job of all. But both find themselves chosen by the Adventurers Guild; Zed snatched from the Mages, and Brock pressed into spying for the Merchants. Along with Jett and Liza, their fellow apprentices, they face a daunting initiation: they must survive the night outside the protected city walls. The initiation turns dangerous when monsters attack and Jett is paralyzed, while Zed discovers he possesses an innate ability to sense and use magic—and forbidden magic, at that. As the Adventurers' wards begin to fail, the apprentices must uncover the traitor and save their city. This first installment in a new series offers a solidly constructed world, endearing characters, and lots of fantasy-based adventure with fast-paced action. VERDICT Hand this to fans of Angie Sage's "Septimus Heap" and Brandon Mull's "Fablehaven" series; the ending will leave readers anxious for the sequel.—Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI
★ 2017-07-17
Zed, a half-human, half-elven boy with brown skin, and white, human Brock are best friends eager for Guildculling. Zed, the son of a single-parent human mother, has always wanted to join the Mages Guild. Brock's choice of the Merchants Guild is rooted in family tradition. Covert, orchestrated circumstances lead the boys into the lowly Adventurer's Guild, however, which only the guildless or unwanted enter. Zed and Brock soon learn that the Adventurer's Guild is a rowdy mix of humans, elves, dwarves—and an archivist who can cast a mean spell or two when he has to—run by a ragged old woman by the name of Alabasel Frond. On their very first day, they and the other new apprentices are challenged to survive their first night beyond Freestone's wall. A surprise attack by the Dangers that lurk without almost leads to the loss of life—and to a royal command that Frond eliminate the threat of the Dangers. On the mission to find the crystal that would protect the city, Zed and Brock's friendship becomes closer than ever even as their kinship within the Adventurer's Guild is deepened. Told in alternating chapters from the third-person perspectives of the two main characters, this tale is a page-turner that has the perfect mix of suspense, Princess Bride humor, and engaging characters, one that's definitely earned the sequel to come. A dazzling adventure sure to become a classic, if not a movie. (Fantasy. 8-12)
