The spirited third entry in Senyard’s Kingdom Quest Trilogy, which blends rousing allegorical fantasy involving quests and pirates and beasts with a satiric sense of play, wastes no time getting to the action. The king is gone but not just missing—his very existence has been erased in a devastating blitz. Citizens Jeremy, Hui, and Anelé, along with former pirate Captain Ben Porat, answer the call from the Royal Commander and are tasked with finding the king and restoring the kingdom. The team instantly has their hands full fending off attacks both virtual and real-world. Worse, there’s no margin for error; their failure will doom the kingdom. And in a land of dwarves, knights, and dragons, it’s amusing to see characters referencing Sam Spade, dialogue like “big yikes”, “glow-up,” and a villainous tech company that sells “Instant Gratification devices” (the new IG16 is coming soon!) and insists that its business model doesn’t involve slavery, just “IHM,” or ”Involuntary Human Migration.”

Senyard’s dialogue is vivid and funny, his wisecracking “Storyteller’s Note”s smash the fourth wall with on-point quips, while his descriptions of the fantastical (trolls, dwarves, a gorgon whose “bulbous eyes glint with malice from a skull adorned with constantly writhing snakes”) burst with exciting energy. Some info dumps are distracting—one storyteller’s note acknowledges this, carping “Whew, that’s a mouthful!”—and at times the asides prove cutesy, undercutting the narrative stakes.

Still, there’s much cleverness and pointed parody of our online lives as Jeremy, Hui, Anelé, and a reformed pirate captain put their formidable abilities and cleverness to heroic use and act in concert, a good trick since they are often apart. Senyard makes the heroes’ growing understanding of the dangers of constant online connection and performance a key story element—the novel makes a compelling case through its tale. It’s an intriguing journey, with laughs, food for thought, and a spirit of adventure.

Takeaway: Fast, funny fantasy of trolls, dwarves, a missing king, and social media.

Comparable Titles: Laurie Woodward’s Forest Secrets, Barbara Ferrier’s Forbidden Magic.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-