Grey Griffins: The Brimstone Key (Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles) [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

The Brimstone Key is a great start to what looks like it will be a promising new direction in the Grey Griffins stories. As someone who has never picked up a Grey Griffins book before, I found this story easy to understand and catch up with. I may go back and read other Grey Griffins books now, while I wait for the next book, but I won't be going back to read them because I felt I was missing something here. That said, I probably did miss some things that devoted Grey Griffin fans will squee about. There were a few characters that were clearly making cameo appearances in this book, I assume from the previous Grey Griffin escapades, but they weren't so central to this story that I minded not really knowing who they were. Of course, there also might be a bit too much information and back story in the beginning of this book for someone who has just devoured the previous Grey Griffins series. Just because I appreciated all of the explanation and introduction of characters doesn't mean that everyone else will. BUT if you are a Grey Griffins fan, or are providing readers' advisory for one, rest assured that there is a lot after those first few chapters that Max, Natalia, Ernie and Harley were surprised about, so I'm sure you (or your reader) will be too.

This book was pitched to me as a steampunk novel for middle grade readers, and I wondered just how the writers were going to pull that off with established characters from a series set in current times. They did it wonderfully and pretty realistically. Well, maybe realistically isn't the best word given that this is a fantasy novel, but the writers did not require any ridiculous suspensions of disbelief of me in order to fit the steampunk elements into the story. The Grey Griffins nemesis is a man who has spent the last century trapped in a Round Table card. When he somehow escapes, he restarts the experiments and projects that got him imprisoned in the first place. And voila! We have clockwork machines running amuck in the modern day (Templar cloaked) world. Fashions at Iron Bridge Academy also run on the steampunk-y style. At first, this was weird to me, but parts of it get explained away pretty understandably:

* The Academy is not actually in Avalon, but in Iron Bridge, a Templar community outside of the "regular" world that has maintained Victorian sensibilities.
* All the kids wear goggles because they can act out their Round Table tournaments with them.
* A lot of the changelings are depressed about their lot in life, and so bring in the sort-of goth element.
* All the grown-ups have weird weapons strapped all over them, especially when things start to get dangerous.

Put all of that together with a bunch of evil clockwork machines and a "subway" restored to its turn of the century glory and you have a good old steampunk costume party at school every day, and because the Grey Griffins are woefully dorky, fashion-wise, all of this gets explained in great detail. And while I'm a fan of the steampunk elements throughout (clearly), I don't think they are overwhelming to the story. Readers who are just looking for a fantasy or just looking for another Grey Griffins book shouldn't be put off by them.

I really enjoyed getting to know all of the Grey Griffins (and a few yet to be named sidekicks, to avoid being spoiler-y). I'm sure that fans of the previous series will enjoy heading off to school with Grey Griffins here, and new readers are sure to be sucked in as well. There is definitely a Harry Potter vibe going on with the addition of Iron Bridge Academy to these kids lives that will appeal to a lot of readers.

Book source: Review copy from publisher via the yalsa-bk listserv.

Much has happened since we first met Max, Natalia, Harley and Ernie, who call themselves the Grey Griffins. Max has become the guardian of the Codex Spiritus, which gives him immeasurable power over many things supernatural. Natalia is still considered the "brains" of the Grey Griffins and devotes her time to reading and learning. Harley continues to tinker around with machines and has a knack for mechanics. Ernie is now referred to as a changeling after being infused with faerie blood and has super speed. Max's father is still at large and considered a threat by the legendary Templar Knights. Now, though, the Grey Griffins have a new focus: Iron Bridge Academy.

Iron Bridge Academy has been reopened in Avalon, Minnesota, by the Templar Knights to train and educate young recruits against the forces of evil. The Grey Griffins begin their training in haste after discovering new Round Table cards depicting the Clockwork King. The Clockwork King is a Templar foe from days of old who brought his machines to life using unconventional methods --- he used the souls of changelings. While there is no evidence that the Clockwork King has returned, Max, Natalia, Harley and Ernie are on the lookout for anything suspicious.

Although the classes and teachers may be different, Iron Bridge Academy is just like any other school. For the first time in their lives, the Grey Griffins are surrounded by other students who share similar interests. They must navigate the muddy waters of middle school and fit in with kids who have been training their whole lives. Ernie quickly finds refuge in the other changelings, while Natalia begins to make friends with other girls. Harley is too focused on his machines to really care, and Max finally finds out what it's like not to be the most popular kid on campus. Just when the Grey Griffins find their bearings, the Clockwork King strikes!

Changelings start disappearing from Iron Bridge, and the Grey Griffins set out to find where they are being held before it's too late. They must call upon the Templar Knights, including Max's bodyguard, Logan, to stop the Clockwork King before he retrieves the Brimstone Key and resumes his gruesome experiments to power his clockwork war machines. Each of the Grey Griffins will be challenged in different ways, but will their previous experience be enough to battle against the Clockwork King?

If you've never heard of the Grey Griffins, start with THE REVENGE OF THE SHADOW KING. There you'll learn of the origins of the Templar Knights and how Max and his friends became entangled in the whole affair. Don't worry, though, if you haven't read any of the earlier books. THE BRIMSTONE KEY is easy enough to understand without all of the back story. Although it seems like Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis tend to jump around a lot in their storytelling, much of their focus is on action, which makes for a fast and fun read. They also effectively integrate numerous fantasy elements without completely bogging down the plot. If you're already a fan of the Grey Griffins, you're going to love this new series.

Reviewed for [...]

There are so many wonderful books for children that I seldom bother to review books that I can't recommend. That said, there are some I recommend enthusiastically, and some that I have more trouble with.

The Brimstone Key is the first book in a new middle-grade, steampunk-inspired series about the Grey Griffins, Max, Harley, Natalia and Ernie, with a bonus almost-Griffin, Brooke. These are no ordinary kids. Even in elementary school, they have faced monsters and werewolves and demons of one sort an another, and each has some extraordinary ability. Now, they are off to middle school at Iron Bridge Academy, a school with more than a passing resemblance to Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books.

At school, things go quickly wrong as changelings like Ernie start to disappear. The Griffins are embroiled in something big, bad and dangerous that seems connected to an adventure they had before getting to the school where they first saw a reference to the Clockwork King.

There are many creative ideas that show up in fits and starts throughout the book, but the inspirations seem to be video games and role-playing cards, as well as derivative ideas from other books, especially the Harry Potter books. The heroes are conveniently given powers or ideas or clues at the exact right moment, so what appear to be insurmountable obstacles are overcome much too easily. The pacing is also that of a video game with a whole series of dangerous situations that get resolved and lead to the next series of dangerous situations.

If the only competition this book had was far better books such as those I have been highlighting on Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays, I would not recommend it. In reality, the competition is also those same video games and role-playing cards. I used to cringe as my older son devoured Goosebumps books by the dozen, reading and re-reading them, but these sorts of books fill a need as well.

This isn't great literature, but it will appeal to many reluctant readers, and to those who have grown up with video games and television shows that also offer heart-stopping dilemmas that are resolved all too conveniently.

Three stars out of five.