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Knights of the Kingdom: Heroic Adventure in Walt Disney World
In 1938, Walt Disney smuggled Aladdin’s magic lamp out of Europe and away from the Nazis. Much later, Roy Disney buried the lamp in Walt Disney World and threw away the key to its hidden vault. Now the key has been found. Evil gathers in the Magic Kingdom. The world hangs in the balance! An unlikely band of heroes, including an aging Imagineer, a security chief, and a Disney-obsessed teenaged boy, follow the clues left behind by Roy, in a thrilling race to find the lamp and foil the plans of the mercenaries and Neo-Nazis who have infiltrated the park. As "knights of the kingdom", these amateur champions race from one attraction to the next, including Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, the Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, and many others, seeking clues and staying one step ahead of their foes. From their headquarters in the "bunkhouse", a secret apartment built by Roy in Frontierland, the knights ponder the history of the Magic Kingdom and the power of the magic lamp&until a chance discovery by their youngest member sends them to a showdown in Fantasyland, where their deadliest challenge awaits. FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTION AND ADVENTURE&IN THE DISNEY TRADITION!
174 pages, Paperback
Published December 10, 2015
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September 25, 2017
A Grand Adventure
With this intricate adventure story, Bill Gowsell’s Knights of the Magic Kingdom enshrines another rich level of Disney lore. Venerable imagineer Jake Barnes and teenage Disney acolyte Will Clark lead a quest to rediscover the ancient lamp of Aladdin long buried in the Magic Kingdom by Roy Disney.
That journey for the lamp allows the reader to follow along as the narrative sweeps across the Disney theme parks with deftly shifting perspectives from the vacationing Clark family to Disney legend Barnes to the mysterious insider villain Handler and his ruthless henchman Shaw. The time spent with the Clark family on the rides, at the meals, and through the parks transports the reader into the heart of a Disney holiday even as the looming dangers give focus and tension to the plot. Doggedly stalking, undermining, and attacking, Handler and Shaw keep the stakes high throughout – possession of the powerful lamp could change the world. Yet I would be remiss in not mentioning the novel’s many other pleasures.
Through Jake and a rising imagineer Owen, Gowsell reveals the psychological nuances of giving Disney visitors a transporting experience, designing every detail from the scale of the tunnel at the entryway of the Magic Kingdom to the angle of the late turns of Space Mountain. As Jake and Owen look to refine and reshape the parks for the new era, the reader can’t help but join the reimagining process. These ideas swirl about the reader’s head while Jake and Will find themselves in deeper trouble and more precarious situations. As Jake explains one particularly thorny predicament: “It was odd because here we were both tied up in the middle of a 19th century fort, and we were being threatened for a thousand-year-old item, in a kingdom of make believe.”
Gowsell also makes some clever connections with Indiana Jones and Nazis that combine with the novel’s opening scenes to give reader a stronger grounding in a bygone era. Even more impressive is Gowsell’s creation for the Treasures of the Kingdom interactive game, which sounds like it would indeed be quite attraction if Disney ever developed such a quest. As children and families are running around the park trying to solve these fantasy mysteries, Jake and Will confront very real dangers. Gowsell’s mix of the authentic and the make-believe gives the narrative a layered complexity as characters course through kingdoms that are real, imaginary, and metaphorical.
Despite menacing moments, the upbeat tone and the wonderful evocation of the theme parks make Knights of the Kingdom terrific company for any traveler, or as a charming vicarious experience for those whose trips to Disney are not currently in the cards.
With this intricate adventure story, Bill Gowsell’s Knights of the Magic Kingdom enshrines another rich level of Disney lore. Venerable imagineer Jake Barnes and teenage Disney acolyte Will Clark lead a quest to rediscover the ancient lamp of Aladdin long buried in the Magic Kingdom by Roy Disney.
That journey for the lamp allows the reader to follow along as the narrative sweeps across the Disney theme parks with deftly shifting perspectives from the vacationing Clark family to Disney legend Barnes to the mysterious insider villain Handler and his ruthless henchman Shaw. The time spent with the Clark family on the rides, at the meals, and through the parks transports the reader into the heart of a Disney holiday even as the looming dangers give focus and tension to the plot. Doggedly stalking, undermining, and attacking, Handler and Shaw keep the stakes high throughout – possession of the powerful lamp could change the world. Yet I would be remiss in not mentioning the novel’s many other pleasures.
Through Jake and a rising imagineer Owen, Gowsell reveals the psychological nuances of giving Disney visitors a transporting experience, designing every detail from the scale of the tunnel at the entryway of the Magic Kingdom to the angle of the late turns of Space Mountain. As Jake and Owen look to refine and reshape the parks for the new era, the reader can’t help but join the reimagining process. These ideas swirl about the reader’s head while Jake and Will find themselves in deeper trouble and more precarious situations. As Jake explains one particularly thorny predicament: “It was odd because here we were both tied up in the middle of a 19th century fort, and we were being threatened for a thousand-year-old item, in a kingdom of make believe.”
Gowsell also makes some clever connections with Indiana Jones and Nazis that combine with the novel’s opening scenes to give reader a stronger grounding in a bygone era. Even more impressive is Gowsell’s creation for the Treasures of the Kingdom interactive game, which sounds like it would indeed be quite attraction if Disney ever developed such a quest. As children and families are running around the park trying to solve these fantasy mysteries, Jake and Will confront very real dangers. Gowsell’s mix of the authentic and the make-believe gives the narrative a layered complexity as characters course through kingdoms that are real, imaginary, and metaphorical.
Despite menacing moments, the upbeat tone and the wonderful evocation of the theme parks make Knights of the Kingdom terrific company for any traveler, or as a charming vicarious experience for those whose trips to Disney are not currently in the cards.
Displaying 1 of 1 review