Marcus

Adventures Wanted:  Gold

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. -Scifichick 1

M.L. Forman is going to give Brandon Mull and James Dashner a run for the best Young Adult series. Adventurers Wanted: Slathbog's Gold is indeed gold. Alex is a young man looking for a change in his life but little does he know how fast and unexpected that change will be. Forman starts the action right away and doesn't waste any time sucking you into the adventure. The ending is not what this veracious reader expected and it finished off just the way it started-full of excitement and wanting to turn the next page. Great debut novel for Forman and anxiously waiting the next book!! -Becky 2

Fifteen-year-old Alex Taylor spots a sign in a window that reads "Adventurers Wanted" and walks straight into a world of elves, dwarves, magic-and evil, treasure-hoarding dragons. Forman's first novel, the beginning of an epic fantasy series featuring a contemporary young man and his adventuring companions from a strange, magical world, has straightforward appeal for fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy role-players, and online gamers of all ages. -Jackie Cassada 3 "I advise you to follow your heart and not let your mind get in the way" -Iownan 4 "Words give us knowledge and understanding. They can tell us of things as they once were, as they should be, or even as they might be." -Arconn 5 "Yet your doubt remains. Perhaps that is good, as doubts often help keep pride in check." -Iownan 6​

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1) The reason I put in this quote was because it basically captured the essence of the book it tells what the book is about. It is about magic, stranger creatures like dragons goblins and trolls, dwarves, elves, and adventure. Some would call this a comming of age story because it is about a young man who very much does not like his life and longs for another one, but unlike most his wish comes true when he enters a "book store." thanks to a long and dangerous adventure he has come to learn much about his life and about the feelings of others. He no longer wishes to have a new life but is now content with his "normal" life. How much better would our lives be if we were content with the things that we had instead of always wanting more? 2) Becky said it right. This book is a great start to what will probably be a great series. This book draws you in straight away with action and it keeps you draw in and wanting more. As soon as I started reading this book it was hard for me to put it down. I would even risk reading it while walking in crowded hallways (Kids do not try that at home or without adult supervision). This book had excitement around every turn and when the book was winding down to the end it threw another turn in it and, well, you will have to read it to find out. Overall this book was a really good and easy read and I can't wait for the second book to come out. In fact it is coming out later this year. Highly recommended series. 3) Like Jackie said everything starts out with he just investigating a "magic" sign and then he gets transported to a world full of magic, goblins, trolls, elves, dwarves, treasure, and adventure around every turn. This book starts out a new series and author with a nice bang. Many of my friends have trouble getting into a book, I do to at some times, but this is a book that I would recommend for all readers that like a good science fiction book but has trouble finding one that's not too complicated and easy to read. It helps to bring some people in with just a little taste of a book. Action always gets people interested in something that's why people can get glued to a football game, because there is always action going on. 4) This book basically states the main problem that Alex is facing throught the story. He wants to believe in magic in his heart, but his mind tells him that it is not possible. In the end he finally starts to trust in his heart more than his mind, which is how he is even on this quest in the first place. If he wouldn't have had believe magic was real then he would have left the shop and returned to his normal and average life instead of living an awesome adventure and meeting some new and unusual friends. If we trust in our hearts we will go very far in this world and nothing will bea able to hold us back. Will you be like be like Alex and take the first step in a new adventure, or will you duck out of it because your scared of what may happen. 5) In this quote Arconn is discribing word to Alex while he is teaching him elfen. In elfen there are many ways to discibe something as simple as snow or a leave. While we have just snow and leaf. Unlike our language, the elfen language is more in deepth with things that is why the magic language is so close to elfen. If you miss discribed something in an incantation you could make a vortex appear when you wanted a bridge, or a kill yourself when you were aiming at a dragon. In sort, Words are one of the things that distinguish us from all the other creatures on this earth. With out words we are back to being cavemen. Eating mud and struggling to make something as simple as fire. Words help us to maintain our spot on the food chain. 6) In my last quote Iownan is talking about doubt with young Alex. Early she was trying to get him to not doubt himself as much as he was, but now she is cautioning him to not doubt to little because when you do not doubt yourself at all you are going to become arrogant and prideful. There is an old quote that says that pride comes before the fall and it is very true. Many of the great empires collapsed because they thought they were so powerful that none would dare oppose them, but then the "little guy" shows up and the take down the whole empire. Many sporting events are also won because one team thought it would be a shut-out and they end up right on the back So remember too much doubt is bad but so is too little. 7) This picture is a picture of the cover of the book. It shows a picture of Slathbog the Red and his mountain of treasure. Slathbog and his treasure are the main quest that the adventurers are trying to get to. Slathbog, like most dragons (and some people), have a thirst for mountians of treasure though many would say they are not necessarily evil. Though they may kill and destroy they only do that to fill a void in their souls and the only way thatt they know to fill it is with bloodshed and wealth. Not all are bad, but they are normally a persona of evil in most cultures. They are like people, some are bad, some are evil but there are some they you don't want to try to find out. 8) I chose to put a picture of a mirror in my wiki is because it shows Alex's stuggle for self-identity and worth. The mirror is also blank to symbolize endless possibilities that can occur in your life. It is like a clean-slate or a blank canvas onto which you can write your life's story. Don't let anyone write it for you because only you can make your story yours. If you are willing to make mistakes and humiliate yourself a bit you can make your story into a work of art, even if it doesn't look like one in your own eyes it may be beautiful in someone esle's. So take up your brush or chisel and start making your masterpiece for all to see, never be ashamed of your work because it is your own and no one else but you truly can see your vision. Video) The video is of a old bad playing a song about following your heart. In the story Alex faces many trials and tribulation which he has to follow his like a flashlight to get himself through the dark times. In these trials there are many possible outcomes like when he encounters wraiths. He could have gave into their lies and tricks but when he followed his heart he discovered the truth and was able to defeat the wraiths and remain with his friends. If he would have thought that they were right and gone with them he would probably have been killed, or worse, turned in to a lonely undead spirit, left to forever rome the earth looking for others to get to join him and, probably, regretting that decision for the rest of his undead life.