Swords for Hire: Two of the Most Unlikely Heroes You'll Ever Meet [Paperback]

Will Allen (Author), Nancy Cartwright (Foreword)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

National award winner, with foreword by Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson. The day Sam Hatcher turns sixteen he meets Rigby Skeet, a wise-cracking guard, and their adventure in the ancient kingdom of Parmall begins. They embark on an exciting search for King Olive, who was betrayed by his evil--and very strange--brother, and imprisoned in the BonemanÕs dungeon.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Sam Hatcher is an ordinary farm boy in the kingdom of Parmall, until his father sends him off to join the elite Royal Guard. The only catch is that the 16-year-old has no military experience. He soon finds himself teamed up with the slightly unbalanced soldier of fortune, Rigby Skeet, and they set out on a mission to find the rightful monarch of Parmall, King Olive, who has been deposed by his sneaky brother, Boonder. Wacky high jinks ensue. The story moves along at a nice clip, and Sam and Rigby develop a funny bantering relationship. The only potential sticking point is the inclusion of some details that seem inappropriate for the intended age group, e.g., Boonder beating his reluctant bride into submission, and saying that he will "put [her] in the tender care of my Elite guards" if she is uncooperative on their wedding night. However, it does not detract enormously from the value of the book.
Alison Ching, North Garland High School, Garland, TX
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Rollicking," "hilarious" and "delightful" are adjectives that keep popping up in reviews of this comic adventure tale. -- Associated Press

Hate the bad guy, love the good guys, cheer for the rescuers. How much more can you ask for? -- American Booksellers Association

Readers will revel in the charm, humor, and twists and turns. This book will delight children, teens, and adults alike. -- Foreword Reviews

Reluctant readers will find a page-turner, while older readers will delight in the humorous twists throughout the story. -- Voya Magazine

Swords for Hire is silly, gross, juvenile, highly improbable, and very much fun to read. -- Fearless Reviews

This will appeal to fantasy readers of all ages. There's something for everyone in this humorous page-turning adventure. -- The Best Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Centerpunch Press; 2nd edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972488200
• ISBN-13: 978-0972488204
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a book lover, car guy, guitar player, and publisher of one special humorous fantasy book. "Swords for Hire" was written by my brother, Will Allen in 1979 at age 22, just before his death from cancer. Over two decades later I edited and published the book, which has received rave reviews from readers young and old.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For truth, freedom, and little bunnies with pink eyes, March 14, 2003

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swords for Hire: Two of the Most Unlikely Heroes You'll Ever Meet (Paperback)

Some of the most entertaining books are the ones nobody knew about. The not-exactly-new fantasy novel "Swords for Hire" is one of those, written over twenty years ago by a very talented young man, and now available because of his brother. Fans of "Princess Bride" and the works of Craig Shaw Gardner should check this one out.

The good and kindly King Olive is dead. Actually, he isn't - he was quietly usurped from his throne by his greasy, incompetent brother Boonder (who likes to put worms on his head). Olive has been held captive for three years in a cell guarded by the horrifying Boneman. All of this is unknown to the farm boy Sam Hatcher, who is sent by his father to become one of the Royal Guard. He doesn't quite make the cut, and is sent to Rigby Skeet, an eccentric but very capable "Sword for Hire" (who likes cute little rabbits).

Sam has only been there a short time when a man carrying the king's "Help" message staggers in and dies of three arrows. Soon he and Rigby are making a desperate run for the king's prison to set him free, with the brutal King's elite on their tail. Will they free Boonder's unwilling bride, Melinda? Will they make it past a deceptive sorcerer? And will they get Olive from the clutches of the sinister Boneman?

"Swords for Hire," although it was only just published, was actually written in the late 1970s by a very bright young man, Will Allen, who gave copies of it to his family for Christmas. Sadly, he died of melanoma a few months later. (He closely resembled Sam on the cover) He was a fan of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Mark Twain, and particularly the novel "Princess Bride" (there's a clever homage to it late in the book). It also has a very nice foreword written by Nancy Cartwright, best known as the voice of Bart Simpson (yes, THAT Bart Simpson), who knew Will when they were kids.

It's a funny, quick-paced adventure story with lots of fighting, loathsome villains, feisty damsels, underestimated heroes and the occasional gruesome specter. Allen wrote several nice twists on this story: The secret of the Boneman, the growing friendship between Rigby and Sam, the thing about the worms, and the sorcerer who... well, isn't.

Sam is a likeable kid in the classic fantasy mold, although thankfully he has a lot more personality than most. Boonder is repellent in every way, especially since he isn't very smart or very menacing; Olive, conversely, is likeably blunt and unbreakable. And Rigby Skeet, a hardened and slightly weird swordsman (he dug an escape route because he was bored, and used it to avoid the neighbors), is the gem of this story. Of course, he gets all the good lines. ("Not even just a little cannibalism? On weekends?")

Fans of funny, fast-paced fantasy and adventure will definitely enjoy this, especially if they like the "Ebenezum" trilogy or "The Princess Bride."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great piece of fun fiction, April 17, 2003

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swords for Hire: Two of the Most Unlikely Heroes You'll Ever Meet (Paperback)

Swords for Hire" is a humorous and exciting medieval adventure. Inspired by "The Princess Bride", the style is similar enough that anyone who enjoyed that book should enjoy this one. Although it is written for the juvenile market (age 9 or so and older) it is still a delightful read for anyone. For a younger person the first thirty pages are somewhat slow but required in order to lay the foundation for the rest of the book. On the other hand, once you get to the section on "The Oddball" it picks up speed, the two primary characters become well developed and the book takes off. After that it is hard to put the book down and you may find yourself sitting up to finish it. "Swords for Hire" is a highly recommended and enjoyable read.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story is fast and fun and often surprising, March 19, 2003

By 

Zanne Marie Gray "[e-mail]" (Monona, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swords for Hire: Two of the Most Unlikely Heroes You'll Ever Meet (Paperback)

Sam Hatcher is a normal, if a bit cynical, farm boy who is clearly not destined to become a farmer. His father recognizes this and sends him off to join the Royal Guard on his sixteenth birthday. Thus begins an adventure that teams him up with Rigby Skeet, a mentor who is slightly deranged, on a quest to rescue the true King from the dungeon in which his slimy, worm-loving brother has imprisoned him.

The story is fast and fun and often surprising, taking a classic adventure story and saturating it with humor and irony, smashing through clichés as quickly as the protagonists smash through obstacles.

Sam is no starry-eyed apprentice and his mentor is no all-knowing master, and this lack of established adventure story roles leaves room for so much more.

This story was loved by every kid with whom it was shared, from age seven to age fifteen, and the adults who read it loved it even more.