Super Slug of Doom: A Super Happy Magic Forest Story

Super Happy Magic Forest #2

by Matty Long

The Super Happy Magic Forest is once again thrown into disruption and chaos when Blossom the unicorn accidentally releases the super slug of doom from his hibernation beneath an ordinary rock. Can our five reluctant heroes -- Hoofius, Blossom, Twinkle, Trevor, and Herbert -- once again save their beloved forest from slimy, sludgy, yucky evil? We sure hope so. . .
A delightful, riotous, laugh-out-loud follow-up to Super Happy Magic Forest that lovers of silliness, fantasy, and lots and lots of slime won't get enough of!

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Humor, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Joshua Whiting · Rating 4 out of 5]

To make more room for freestyle dancing, Blossom the Unicorn picks up a rock in Super Happy Magic Forest and unwittingly releases Zorgoth, the Super Slug of Doom, from his millennia-long imprisonment. Now Blossom and the four other unlikely heroes (Hoofius the Faun, Twinkle the Fairy, Herbert the Gnome, and Trevor the Mushroom) must follow Zorgoth’s slimy trail of destruction and stop him before he drinks the fabled Potion of Power and slowly consumes all of Super Happy Magic Forest.

This worthy sequel to Super Happy Magic Forest continues in the same fantasy parody mode, lovingly turning many of the tropes of epic fantasy tales on their head to comedic effect. Each spread is filled with humorous characters and details, both imaginative and clichéd, making this another book worth exploring again and again. Pre- and emerging readers will love poring through this book, but it includes humorous Easter eggs for tween and adult readers as well. Fans of everything from My Little Pony to Where’s Waldo-style look and find books will find plenty to enjoy here.

Review published on Granite Media: http://www.granitemedia.org/2017/07/s...

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent instalment in what I hope is a long-running series. Hilariously menacing foe, hilariously inept heroes, fun illustrations.

This makes it sound boring but it isn't? One of our mushroom friends is almost eaten. Good grief this is a bad review.

[Lila Lovebug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best. Book. EVER!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPER SLUG OF DOOOOOM!!!!!

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is just too busy for my personal taste.

From advanced reader copy.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second picture book in the Super Happy Magic Forest series. This book has the same tongue-in-cheek humor as the first as it once again laughs at fantasy tropes. In this second book, our heroes (the same ones as in the first book: a unicorn, gnome, centaur, fairy and mushroom) must face a new danger. Zorgoth, an evil slug who has been trapped under a rock (and accidentally released by one of our heroes), heads out to destroy the forest by drinking the Potion of Power. Our heroes must journey through different fantasy landscapes and eventually defeat Zorgoth, who is munching his way across them leaving a trail of slime. How can our hapless heroes succeed?

Long’s writing is over the top and great fun. He frames the book with a Prophecy at the beginning that predicts Zorgoth’s emergence and ends it with what has become the Legend of the heroes, which doesn’t quite match what the reader just saw happen. Throughout the book, there is humor sprinkled everywhere. Speech bubbles and labels add to the fun, mixing modern-day with fantasy world in a gloriously haphazard way.

The illustrations are bright and colorful. Entire worlds of fantasy are depicted in double-page spreads that contrast with one another. There is a dragon world of fire (filled with fire puns), underground chambers of jewels where readers can try to find the missing rainbow jewel, and ogres doing yoga and trying to eat our heroes too.

This is another wild and very successful romp through fantasy in a picture book. Share it with individual kids or very small groups so that the pictures can be searched for small details. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

K- Gr 2- Out of prophecy is born a legend in the entertaining sequel to the Super Happy Magic Forest. Long's latest parody of the hero's quest, sees his band of unlikely heroes reunite to stop an ancient evil, Zorgoth, slug of doom, from attaining unstoppable power. To do so, they must traverse many lands (such as Slug Swamp), and overcome great challenges (like crossing a bridge despite rope burn), before facing their foe in a final funny showdown. Long creates humour namely by contrasting the tone, as established by the standard quest narration, with the funny scenarios pictured in the illustrations, which are done digitally in a rainbow of colours. In most spreads, readers can expect to find a brief description of what is happening, fairytale creatures saying and doing random things meant to amuse, a green trail of slime leading from one edge to the other, and the five heroes in acts of "heroism". Some pages also contain a find the item game for added pleasure, or, little nods to the first book, such as the Viking penguins. VERDICT Elementary kids who enjoy a good quest, will love this parody with its unusual heroes, and added layers of fun.

*reviewed for School Library Journal

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Zorgoth the Super Slug of Doom escapes his trap the Super Happy Magic Forest is in danger. They send out five intrepid heroes to stop Zorgoth before he can drink the Potion of Power and gain control. Can they stop Zorgoth before it is too late?

This is one of those books that feels like it was really written for the adults who read picture books though kids should enjoy the hide-n-seek elements and the crazy illustrations. I'm not complaining. I loved it. The story should be enjoyable for kids, it's a great intro to typical fantasy characters and fantasy quests, and there's even hide-n-seek elements on several pages to expand the enjoyment length (any time someone says they've lost something in a speech bubble, you can find the lost item(s) somewhere on the page). As an adult, I particularly enjoyed the humorous asides kids will probably not catch but adults will (like one of the things that makes the Super Happy Magic Forest so wonderful is a stable internet connection). Quite fun. Now I'm going to have to hunt down Matty Long's other stuff.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Happy Magic Forest is in peril once again and it's up to the gang of heroes to save the day! Zorgoth, the Super Slug wants the ultimate power and nothing will stand in his way of the Potion of Power. Together, the five heroes make it their mission to defeat Zorgoth and save Super Happy Magic Forest from a fate most treacherous. Will they satisfy their quest and bring peach to the forest once again, or will Zorgoth embrace a new power?


I am in love with Matty Long's first Super Happy Magic Forest book and this new addition is just as magical! I can't wait to see what new adventures and shenanigans this group will get into next. Keep them coming, Mr. Long!

[Steve Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great follow-up to Super Happy Magic Forest! Matty Long has a fun series on his hands. The illustrations and style are a lot to take in page to page - children and adults alike - but in a good way. This isn't an easy read aloud, but so much fun to sit down and explore. There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor for adults to pick up, but enough geared for kids to allow them to find laughter too.

I spent time with this series today with a few of my estute readers, and I was impressed with their level of enjoyment in exploring each page layout with me. I look forward to what lies ahead for Matty Long in this series!

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahahaha! Definitely a book to recommend to parents who play RPGs (i.e. DnD) as this is very much a tongue in cheek party quest in a semi-picture book / semi-comic kind of way. The varied speech bubbles in each double page spread mean there are plenty of Easter Egg jokes for the parents - everything from stable internet being one of the wonders of Super Happy Magic Forest to references to Lord of the Rings, canaries assessing air quality in coal mines, and losing ones marbles. The drawing style also reminds me a little of the adult-aimed cartoon series 'Adventure Time' and also of Kate Beaton's "The Princess and the Pony" satirical picture book.

[Kimberlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely CANNOT say enough about how much I adore the books in this series. Slug of Doom and Super Happy Magic Forest are really something special. Both books encourage readers to stop on each page and search for funny Easter Eggs. I haven't been so consumed with finding marbles in a children's book since the I Spy! books were in the height of their popularity. While I'm not sure child readers would get the more subtle phrases and clues within the book, I think Slug of Doom is a great book for children and parents to enjoy.

[b.andherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventure for our friends Twinkle, Hoofius, Trevor, Blossom, and Herbert from Super Happy Magic Forest! The adventure begins when the nefarious SUPER SLUG OF DOOOOOOOM is inadvertently released from his exile when Blossom moves a rock to clear up more dancing space.

Super detailed, sassy, a little subversive, and lots of fun to read in different voices, my five year old LOVES these books.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous send-up of the Lord of the Rings, with tongue firmly in cheek, for the picture book crowd. Younger (preschool) readers/listeners can just read the main storylineand examine the elaborate pictures on each double-side spread, even follow the evil slug's slime trail through the book with their finger. Older readers (K-3) can add on reading the speech bubbles for additional droll (troll?) humor. Adults will also enjoy the goofy allusions to lots of famous fantasy treks.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps even more hilarious than the first Super Happy magic Forest book. I love the quirky characters and the colourful art. I enjoy the complex scenes that allow children to search and find silly items (e.g. fire extinguisher in the dragon's lava lair) and speech bubbles that add a little more to the story.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The five, mythological creature (see details on back cover) heroes return in a quest to stop the slug of doom from fulfilling his prophecy to eat the Super Happy Magic Forest. I like how readers see how the story actually occurs but the end pages have how the legend is told; a good mini-lesson on what legends are and how they develop.

[Devon Ashby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know until I started reading it that this book is a sequel to Super Happy Magic Forest, which I haven't read yet. I chose this one because it had a darker color palate and is about an evil slug. It was a cute and funny book with very dense illustrations full of hidden jokes. Very Adventure Timey.

[Anneke Alnatour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to ALL the kids (from almost 11 to 3 years old), which is a score in my book. All of them liked it, and there was a lot of funniness to go around. A little too much for me, but I am not really the target audience, am I?

A great sequel and a revisit to the Super Happy Magic Forest. Prepare for a wild ride!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ridiculous romp to save the Super Happy Magic Forest from Zorgoth, the Super Slug of Doom, as he attempts to drink the Potion of Power. A great book of sophisticated humor, especially for older readers.

[Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book that makes me guffaw in every single page with just a throwaway joke or illustration is quite priceless. I love reading books that kids will enjoy and that are just full of groaners. Plus an unicorn and a satyr. What else can you ask for?

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, interactive, detailed, and clever - an awesome piece of children's lit to finish out the year :) Also didn't realize this was a sequel until I finished it. New year's resolution: I will read the first book!

[Lorryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this last night and my kids loved it! Anything involving magical creatures and parties is going to get a try in our house and this did not disappoint. Super cute and fun!

Side note: trying to do different voices for everyone killed my throat but it was totally worth it. =)

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book from Matty Long! In this book our heroes Blossom, Herbert, Hoofius, Twinkle and Trevor must save the Super Happy Magic Forest from the likes of Zorgoth, an evil slug that is hell bent on destroying the world.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fun and funny! If you want to read a silly, laugh-out-loud book with your children (or by yourself!) then this is the book you need. There wasn't a plot-twist like there was in Super Happy Magic Forest #1, but the ending was silly and we enjoyed it!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband and daughter are obsessed with these books right now. They read them every night and laugh. I don't quite get it, but I appreciate their appreciation. The unlikely heroes go on a journey to defeat an evil slug. Jokes abound. I found it sort of funny at times.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as much as the first!

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty darn amazing. Not AS amazing as the first one but still really great.

[Ms.Gaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious picture book...with images reminiscent of Tolkien's tales. For ages 6 and up.

[Heather Utley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious for grown-ups and awesome for 4-7yos.

[Hallie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.