M. L. Forman (–2022)

Really liked the premise. A present day teen is walking past a storefront and sees a sign that says "Adventurer's Wanted - Apply Within" and is curious to find out what it means. Turns out, you can only SEE the sign if you have a certain amount of magical ability and he is whisked off to another world on an adventure with elves, dwarves, trolls and the like. The characters are well developed and the companionship works well. The only drawback is that every time the group enters a new city or show more kingdom, EVERYBODY is so nice and cheerful and helpful and "Here have a feast in your honor." The few times they actually do meet up with adversaries, the action is so quick you barely have time to "feel" the danger before it's all over. Even the fatefull meeting with the dragon, Slathbog, at the end of the book... you know, "the big finish" is only about a page or a page and a half long. With all that in mind, it is probably meant for younger readers, perhaps 4th through 7th graders.
Despite its over cheeriness I still liked it and those younger readers will LOVE it! I almost gave it 3 stars for MY personal tastes, but the extra star is for the parent approval rating :) show less

Wow. I would not typically recommend reading the last book in a series. Yet, this is what I did. However, it was like I had been following along since the being. This is how easy the reading was and the fact that I was able to connect to the characters and the story. As I was reading this book I could not help but feel a little influence of The Sword and the Stone as well as The Hobbit.

The world that this series takes place in is magical. Yet, the true star is Alex. While, he may be young, show more he is brave and smart. There was a point in the story where Alex had to travel on his own but he was up for the challenge. Than when it came time for him to face Jabez, he did so with everything that he had. A fitting conclusion to this series. You could say that I was transported to another world. This is the best part of books. I plan to go back and read books one through four. Although, I will not be alone as I will be introducing my nephews to this series as well. show less

It's somewhat bland at first but it does get a little better.

...If only all those familiar things didn't stand out so much. The whole time it felt like Bilbo, then there were some Frodo moments mixed in. Can't honestly say that it's bad.

The story is pretty interesting but execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Author's attitude towards kids is irritating. Yes, kids are young ... but they AREN'T stupid!

Posted to my Livejournal in January 2009:

This is one of those rare books that I enjoyed the hell out of even as I recognized one clich̩ after another and disparaged over the amateurish writing. (It's never a good sign when the author has the main character look into a mirror or window and reflect on his or her own appearance, which in my opinion is an unforgivable cheat.) Alex sees a sign in a shop window -- Adventurer's Wanted: Apply Within -- and he's intrigued enough to go inside. The show more shop owner soon steamrolls Alex into his first adventure, making him fill out an application and then sending him off to become the eighth member of a party journeying to the dragon Slathbog's lair, where they will defeat the evil dragon and get hordes of treasure. This adventure plays out very much like a beginner's game of Dungeons and Dragons, with the reader playing the role of Alex. I think this premise is kind of cool and could have been so much more then it was: it could have been a parody of genre conventions, or at least a book that was a little more winky-winky self-aware of just how much it "borrowed" from other well-known fantasy authors, Tolkein being the main one. Parts of the plot felt almost directly lifted from LotR. Though I will admit many of the details of how the "adventuring" job works, including the laws in the Adventurer's Handbook that govern the group, including things like the division of treasure among the group members and how long to look for comrades who go missing before you can continue adventuring, are an entertaining re-mix of the laws that govern RPGs. While the characters are by and large stock types -- the elf, the dwarf, etc. -- the camaraderie among the group as a whole made it work. The fantasy world Alex is sent to is a kind of basic setting that would provide a decent basis for lots of adventures, again, kind of like a game environment in WoW or something. In this alternate plane, time passes differently: even if Alex gets old adventuring in this world, when he returns to home, he'll be the same age he was, and when he starts his next adventure, he can choose to be any age he was on a previous one. (Maybe I think too much, but I have major logistical problems with this premise, not the least of which is that Alex will one day be the most precocious kid ever, having lived several adulthoods in the other world; and the idea that Alex can basically live forever this way.) But what really annoyed me about this book was Alex himself -- it is impossible for one character to be so perfect, have so many things go right without effort, be the source of so many prophecies, and be so continually humble about it (half the book is people praising Alex for the amazing, miraculous things he does accidentally or without any effort). He is a Mary Sue. Period. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it. Go figure. It was satisfying in that weird way some fanfiction is satisfying, where nothing really goes wrong and the characters are all agreeable and/or perfect and even when someone is hurt you know the main character will suddenly have amazing healing powers or whatever. I'll read the second one, if only to find out how this premise continues to play out. show less