Swordspell

Spell #4

by C.J. Busby

Max and Olivia have discovered that Morgana Le Fay is plotting to use a mysterious 'Swordspell' against King Arthur at the Festival of Chivalry.
They don't know what the spell is or how to stop it, and Olivia also has her training for the Squire's Challenge to worry about. But things are made even worse when Merlin is called away unexpectedly, leaving Max and Olivia without his magical protection.

With the help of Sir Lancelot, Sir Bertram and Adolphus the dragon, Ferocious the rat and Vortigern the duck, the Pendragon children must quickly uncover Morgana's evil plan, before it is too late for Arthur and Camelot.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Mythology, Magic, Dragons

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I wanted to be a children's writer from the age of about 10, but got distracted and became an anthropologist instead. I did fieldwork research in south India and then worked for ten years as an academic. I wrote my first children's book, Frogspell, while taking a break between jobs. The sequels, Cauldron Spells, Ice Spell and Swordspell are all now out and I'm working on a new trilogy, starting with Deep Amber which is out in March 2014. My books are fantasies, aimed at ages 7-10, with lots of humour and adventure. They are equally aimed at girls and boys - and grown-ups seem to quite enjoy them too!

Reviews

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action-packed, LOL story that ends Morgana’s reign of terror in a very child-friendly way, none of the fights include bloodshed and death, and it has a feel-good ending.

Gawaine and Lancelot have great sword fights; Max and Merlin team up against Morgana; Arthur falls in love with Guinevere; and the bad guys get their just deserts.

I liked that Max had to work for what he wanted, instead of things coming easily to him.

A great series full of Arthurian myth, a dragon who can’t be serious, a rat who is too serious, a brother and sister who works as a team, and a duck who is happy as long as there is bread – and magic.

Highly recommended.

[Elfeeza Ehsan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful ending to the series. I'm sad that it has to end. I would really love to read more about Max and his friends and their schemes and just watch them grow in their respective roles in the court of Camelot. A must read series for children and adults who loves children's books.

[Namratha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Pendragon is receiving magical training from the great Merlin himself. It is and endeavor to be rather proud of but Max is also dedicated. He knows that he has to really concentrate and delve deep into the powerful stranglehold of Morgana Le Fay’s sorcery and try his hardest to learn how to unravel her magic. Matters are taking a dangerous turn for Morgana truly has a dark and devious plot up her goth sleeves this time. She intends to use something called a “Swordspell” that will, once and for all, put an end to good King Arthur and his rule.

Yet again, it is up to Max, Olivia, Adolphus, Ferocious and a host of brave knights to save the day. With wonderful twists, introduction of two more familiar characters from the Arthurian Legend (Gawaine and Guinevere ) and a fast-moving plot, Swordspell is a fitting climax to a rather enchanting series.

I really and truly enjoyed the four books in the SPELL series. And I earnestly hope that the author comes out with a few more instalments.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is it, the last one in the series and the toughest challenge yet. Morgana is determined to get rid of Arthur once and for all so Max, Olivia, Merlin and friends must try to find a way to stop her, forever.

With no idea what the Swordspell involves it's hard to make a plan, but once again they fall into mischief and end up in the middle of the plot.

This book wraps the series up nicely, I didn't think it was quite as exciting as the one before it (Icespell) but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There were some interesting twists and turns and it was great to see Snotty get what's coming to him!

These really are excellent, fun little books that I'm sure kids will love and it's a great way to introduce them to the world and time of King Arthur.

I'm actually a bit sorry to see the series end.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the final tale in this enjoyable series and once more Max needs to protect King Arthur from Morgana Le Fay but he doesn’t have Merlin’s help. He sets of on a quest with his friends to use his wits, magic, and skills to save the King and destroy Morgana once and for all. This was the perfect ending to this series. It was still full of adventure and action, it has adults helping the children, and it finally has an ending that wraps everything up which was fantastic. Of course, you can imagine that this is not really the end of Max’s misfortunes and you can tell he will likely be on many more adventures in his life but that is simply the magic of this ending. All is okay for now but it leaves you feeling the love for all the characters you’ve just read about.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final story in the tales of Max and Olivia, and their toughest challenge yet.
I'm sorry they are over, I shall miss them.
I've read all four books in six days - no mean feat for me!
As I said before, I'd really like to see these turned into kids cartoons.

The only little niggle - I found the 'recaps' a bit annoying and unnecessary. But then again, I'm nowhere near the target audience. Young readers may welcome the reminders about what has happened in previous stories. It certainly wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment.

[Margaret Pemberton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final part in a series aimed at younger readers. Based on the myths about king Arthur, but with a twist, this will really appeal to the young audience, both boys and girls. It is extremely funny with lots of action and strong characters. A great lead in to deeper interpretations of the myths.

[Crystal Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best one of the series and a wonderful way to wrap things up. I will definitely be recommending these to my son when he is older!