Slathbog's Gold

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 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 show more 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

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 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 show more 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

A coming of age story with enough new ideas to make it interesting. That said, there are a few things to be aware of. It's basically The Hobbit plus a little Dungeons and Dragons. It draws heavily on Tolkien's the Hobbit. There are a lot of parallels. Also, it's written in a similarly overly verbose "ye olde bedtime story" style. From D&D we get Adventurer's being a recognized profession and the bag of holding.

The last thing that annoyed me was that the protagonist did almost everything by accident. He was still roundly praised for his "heroism", though. And despite all the talk of power being a responsibility and having a cost, there was no absolutely no cost for our hero. Everything came extremely easy to him and he never had to show more struggle even once. I'm much more relaxed about Mary Sue characters than I used to be, but it's still disappointing when they're taken to the extreme.

With all that said, if you're okay with the style of prose and the idea that you won't be treading much new territory, this can be a fun read. Just go into it with the proper expectations and you'll do fine. show less

I want to find a sign in a book shop and go on an adventure. This book is a light heart, fast read that has the main character who is likeable. He is not a person who keeps on whining why me. A great introduction to the fantasy adventure genre.

When Alex Taylor enters a shop with a strange sign that seems to change every time he looks at it, he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. Alex soon finds himself joining 7 other adventurers on a quest to slay an evil dragon and recover its hoard. Along the journey, he discovers amazing things about himself and forms incredible friendships.
In classic epic fantasy form, this is a fantastic journey of a young man who comes to his own, while learning about the strange world around him. In a world of elves, dwarves, wizards, and other mystical creatures, magic is almost commonplace. And Alex is fascinated with it all. He is a likeable character and his companions even more so.
The story reminded me a lot of Eragon, yet the reading is show more easier and quicker. Highly enjoyable, fast-paced, and full of adventure; Adventurers Wanted: Slathbog’s Gold will definitely be making my list of top children’s books for 2009. Fantasy fans of all ages will enjoy this high fantasy romp. show less

An excellent start of a series. Especially since I don't particularly care for the fantasy genre, but I think this book may have changed my tune a bit. My only disappointment was learning that the publisher dropped M.L. Forman so until Mr. Forman finds a new publisher, I have to wait anxiously for the next installment.