Shadewell Shenanigans (The Illmore Chronicles Series #3) Book

Groan Teethgrit and Gordo Goldeaxe have looted one village too many, and now the Lords of Illmoor are baying for their blood. Can Duke Modeset, exiled Lord of Dullitch, devise a plan clever enough to topple the duo AND Groan’s equally reckless half-brother? Although Duke Modeset is little more than useless…he does have a secret weapon: an extremely beautiful princess who is willing to do absolutely nothing for the good of her country.

Arlene Garcia - VOYA

Barbarian Groan Teethgrit and dwarf Gordo Goldaxe, the heroes of the great Ratastrophe Catastrophe of Dullitch (Hyperion, 2004/VOYA December 2004), are back, and the rulers of Illmoor are not happy about it. Duke Modeset, promoted to Chairman of the Grand Assembly after saving Illmoor from renegade Yowlers, has come up with a foolproof plan to get rid of the politely pillaging pair forever-have a beautiful princess send them on an impossible quest from which they will never return. But this is Illmoor, where nothing ever goes as planned and the unexpected should be expected along with many laughs along the way. This installment is the least impressive of the series so far and very disappointing, falling back into standard humorous fantasy mode and lacking the uniqueness of the previous volume. The author takes a step backward in returning Modeset to standard bad guy; he was much more interesting when he had some redeemable human qualities. His intriguing female companion has been dismissed with a sentence, and the princess filling the lead female role is a fairly standard headstrong heroine. In fact, the characters seem stock fantasy: dwarf, barbarian, wild man, well-meaning but bewildered king. The humor is not as funny because it has all been heard before. Stone demonstrated with his last book that he is a gifted storyteller and humorist; with the hint of more Illmoor Chronicles to come, one hopes that the next installment will live up to potential. VOYA CODES: 2Q 3P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Hyperion, 306p., Ages 11 to 15.