Grey Griffins

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Grey Griffins Book Series
The logo of the Grey Griffins book series.
AuthorDerek Benz and J. S. Lewis
IllustratorAugust Hall
Cover artistRichard Amari
CountryUnited States and Canada
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy,collaborative writing
PublisherOrchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc
Media typeBook Series

Grey Griffins is a novel series written by American authors Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis in collaborative writing[1]. Cover illustrations in the series are by August Hall and cover designs by Richard Amari. The series consists of three books with a fourth installment expected in 2009.[2][3][4][5][6] The series follows the story of four friends who form the Order of the Grey Griffin. The leader of the Order, Max Sumner, is a descendant of a long line of Templar Knights and the Guardian of the Codex Spiritus. The Codex releases mystical creatures into the universe and the Grey Griffins with the help of the Templar Knights battle creatures for the fate of the Earth. The series has been fairly reviewed, a recurring problem of the series are the stereotypical characters of the series.[7][8][9]

Plot

Revenge of the Shadow King

The Grey Griffins series follows the story of twelve year old Grayson Maximillian Sumner III (Max) and his friends: Natalia Romanov, Ernie Tweeny, and Harley Eisenstein, who form the Order of the Grey Griffins. In the The Revenge of the Shadow King, the Grey Griffins play a card game named Round Table. Their trainer in the game, Iver, plays with them when Max plays the Oberon card. After the game is over, Max receives disturbing news that his grandfather, William Caliburn, has died in a mysterious accident. That night Max discovers a magical book in his Grandparent's and accidentally summons a spriggan by the name of Sprig into the world. Max takes the book home and starts to have strange nightmares (usually of his death). Max soon discovers that he has released Oberon the King of Shadows. Max soon discovers that he is a descendant of a long line of Templar Knights who all have guarded the Codex. Max discovers that there are fairies and magical creatures every where in the world and that most of them must be destroyed. Max is later told that Oberon had not yet been released into the world but was still residing in his gate. Max then fights and defeats Morgan le Fay and closes Oberon's Gate forever.

The Rise of the Black Wolf

In the The Rise of the Black Wolf, The Grey Griffins travel to Scotland with Max's bodyguard Logan for Christmas. The Griffins soon discover that an ancient society of werewolves has been resurrected and are planning to bring the end of the earth with the help of the "The Spear of Ragnarök". Soon Max starts having super-natural bursts of energy when he becomes enraged. Max had never met his father until he was tricked by Morgan le Fay and his father, Lord Sumner, into finding the pieces of the spear and bringing it to their base in Antarctica. Once the spear was handed over to Max's father, Ernie was put into a magical coma putting him in the hospital under critical condition.

The Fall of the Templar

In the The Fall of the Templar, The Grey Griffins embark on a journey to stop the end of the world by traveling into the pits of the Underworld. The Grey Griffins constantly visit Ernie in the hospital as he drifts farther into his magical coma. Meanwhile Max's father (Lord Sumner) and his army of wolves destroy Templar outposts across the world. Soon, the end of the world begins and the only way to stop it is to travel into hell and find the "Eye of Odin". With the help of the Codex, Max's new power triggered by his emotions, the help of the T.H.O.R. special agency, and the Grey Griffins, Max confronts his father at the world tree. Lord Sumner's stabs the world tree, taking on its power, and is forced to fight The Great Dragon. He wins after Max decides to help his father and kill the dragon with the spear. The spear is then stolen by a T.H.O.R. agent(Athena)who works for The Order of the Dragon.

Each of the Griffins have a special talent making them each useful in a serious situation. Natalia has a pink book of clues which she uses to record all useful information that is found during missions. Harley is the burly member of the Griffins. He owns a iron ring which he uses to punch fairies as a weakness. Ernie was once the weakest link of the four but ever since he was saved by Fairy Blood, he has become a changeling. Everyday he gains new powers and becomes a fairy every time he uses one of his powers. Max is the guardian of the Codex, from which he can use to fire Skyfire from his arm.

List of novels

File:BenzDerek.jpg
Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis

List of major characters

File:Grayson.jpg
A character sheet for Grayson Max Sumner

Promotional video

A promotional video was released on the Grey Griffins official website. The video gives first look at the trading card game to be released in 2009. It also features quotes from teachers, librarians and others who have read the book across America.[14]

Reception and criticism

The Children's Literature Review states that The Revenge of the Shadow King is "imaginative" and that "the story's fast-paced, adventure plot is compelling" but that it "lacks depth, as it fails to connect with the larger question asked by great fantasy literature."[15] The review concludes that "Overall the book is a good read, even if it is not great literature."[16] Numerous reviews[17][18][19] describe the characters as "stereotypical." The School Library Journal said in their review of The Rise of the Black Wolf that the book is "practically unreadable" due to its "surfeit of strung together clichés and hyperbole."[20]

Historical References

The series also ties the story of the Knight Templar and King Arthur to fit the history of Max Sumners and the present day Templar Knights.

Adaptions

Grey Griffins Podcast

A podcast has also been released of the prologue and first chapters of all three books.[21]

References

  1. ^ Official Grey Griffins Website
  2. ^ The Immortals
  3. ^ The Immortals Chapter One
  4. ^ The Immortals Chapter Two
  5. ^ The Immortals Chapter Three
  6. ^ The Immortals Chapter Four
  7. ^ School Library Journal's Review of the Revenge of the Shadow King
  8. ^ School Library Journal's Review of The Fall of the Templar
  9. ^ Children's Literature's review of The Revenge of the Shadow King
  10. ^ The Revenge of the Shadow King synopsis
  11. ^ The Rise of the Black Wolf synopsis
  12. ^ The Fall of the Templar synopsis
  13. ^ The Immortals preview
  14. ^ Grey Griffin Promo video
  15. ^ Children's Literature's review of The Revenge of the Shadow King
  16. ^ Children's Literature's review of The Revenge of the Shadow King
  17. ^ School Library Journal's Review of the Revenge of the Shadow King
  18. ^ School Library Journal's review of The Fall of the Templar
  19. ^ Children's Literature's review of The Revenge of the Shadow King
  20. ^ School Library Journal's review of The Rise of the Black Wolf
  21. ^ Grey Griffins Podcasts

External links

Template:Grey Griffins Multimedia

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