Goblins!: An Underearth Adventure

It's really fun and I couldn't put it down! I also loved the other book written by Royce Buckingham. It's called "Demonkeeper".

When Sam and PJ sneak out to investigate an alert along the Canadian border, they think they may stumble upon smuggler's loot. Instead, they run into a monstrous creature. And there is a tunnel that leads down in the ground to a lair of goblins. A group of humans consider themselves Guardians and try to keep the humans and Goblin underground separate. But when Sam unwittingly drops a bag of fireworks, the Goblins may find a way to cause more destruction, while learning about explosives. This may give the goblins enough leverage to overtake humans for good. Sam is captured by the goblins, and tries to outwit them. And in the process, finds a friend in the least obvious creature. Meanwhile, PJ teams up with the Guardians to take back the fireworks and rescue Sam. This was a cute, very short read for middle readers. There are only a couple instances of non-graphic death, which may not be appropriate for kids under 10. It's not completely light-hearted. There's not a lot of content or depth, but it was written as pure entertainment for children. Young fantasy fans will certainly enjoy the action and adventure, as well as bits of humor.

Goblins! is an exciting and imaginative fantasy adventure story perfectly written for middle-grade boys and just about everyone else. While always keeping up the suspense and seriousness of the plot, Buckingham is able to inject wry humor, astute observations about the human condition, and even a few moral lessons along the way. Fast-paced but not overly scary, it's good clean fun in the dirty UnderEarth. If you liked DemonKeeper, you'll LOVE Goblins! (Disclaimer: Yes, I know the author, but I'm a busy gal and don't write reviews unless I'm really impressed.)

In his second novel after Demonkeeper (2007), Royce Buckingham continues to offer thrilling adventures set in the normally unseen world with Goblins! an UnderEarth Adventure. Seventeen year old P.J. Myrmidon and twelve year old Sam Hill are forced to deal with the unknown and unexpected in the tunnels of UnderEarth. After their separation at the beginning of the story following Sam's capture by a group of goblins led by General Eww-yuk, both boys confront different obstacles and must come up with creative solutions to their problems. P.J. learns about responsibility while he works with the Guardians, who are humans responsible for keeping the goblins away from the surface world. Sam, who was sent to the goblin city of Argh, is forced to fight in the arena against insect opponents. Throughout the story, both boys learn that things aren't always what they seem. While fighting and battles occur throughout the book, the descriptions are not excessively graphic or frightening. This action packed book is sure to be a big hit with younger teen boys looking for a fantasy adventure story with a comic edge.