Monster Slayers

By Lukas Ritter

When vicious, dog-headed gnolls kidnap everyone living in the small village of Hesiod, only Evin and his fighter friend Jorick manage to escape. With help from an ancient guidebook of magical beasts called A Practical Guide to Monsters, the two boys and a new friend--elf wizard Betilivatis--must trek through ancient ruins and face one menacing monster after another in order save their families.

But Evin soon realizes that not everything is as it seems. Someone--or something--has taken leadership of the gnolls and has dangerous plans for the kidnapped villagers. Betilivatis often disappears mysteriously and has strange conversations with someone only she can see. And Evin is having unusual dreams of a place he's never been, a place that feels more and more real with each passing day.

The pace never falters in this page-turning adventure, as Evin, Jorick, and Betilivatis bravely battle gnolls, a chimera, an ormyrr, and a lich, and it ends with a shocking twist that will make readers want to start the story all over again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9780786957569

Reviews for Monster Slayers

[bretjordan_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Evin is a mischievous young man who dreams of excitement and adventure in a small village where those things seldom happen. He and his friend Jorick soon find more adventure than they bargained for when gnolls ransack their village and kidnap everyone they ever knew. Together they track the gnolls to a distant wizard’s tower where they find Betilivatis, Bet. She is an elven wizard who holds a strange tome of monster information and a secret that draws Evin’s suspicions. They soon realize that nothing is what it seems as friends become strangers, and enemies become allies. Monster Slayers is a book for young readers. The first few chapters seem shallow, the characters lack depth and Jorick’s brutal straightforwardness comes across too strong and prevents the reader from feeling sympathetic to that character. There is a purpose in the shallowness though, one that should catch the reader by surprise as the plot twists and morphs into surprisingly good story. As the tale unfolds Jorick’s attitude becomes far more bearable and he begins to develop into a three-dimensional character that the reader will be able to associate with. The author does a fine job of creating creatures that the young reader will easily be able to visualize. Older readers who are fond of their Dungeons and Dragons days will remember those times as they see the rogue in Evin, the fighter in Jorick and the magic-user in Bet. Monster Slayers would make a fine addition to a young reader collection or for anyone who enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons.MonsterLibrarian.com Review