Simon Fayter and the Tomb of Rone

Simon Fayter #2

by Austin J. Bailey

"Never give your name to a demon. Everyone knows that. Even I know that, but I did it anyway...."

Shortly after Simon joins the powerful ranks of the Circle of Eight, his discovery of an ancient secret at Skelligard castle sends him on a journey of epic proportions. He and his new friends will travel with pirates on a voyage across space toward a destination as dangerous as it is mysterious. Their goal: to find a wizard who has been imprisoned with his secret for hundreds of years. Behind them, a treacherous enemy follows, seeking revenge. Now Simon must harness the capricious magic of the turncoat to save his friends from the danger that lies ahead…and behind…

Author Austin J. Bailey has entertained over 200,000 readers with his bestselling children's books, and his latest work is better than ever. Featuring an endearingly overconfident and hilarious boy genius, Simon Fayter and the Tomb of Rone is the second in a planned series of five middle-grade fantasy novels for kids of all ages. This book, like it's predecessor is full of edge-of-your-seat action, and guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and procrastinate bathroom breaks until the wee hours of the morning. Don't forget to read the footnotes!

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Humor, Audiobook

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2018

Reviews

[Jeanineitsme]

I’ve read a few of Mr. Bailey’s books but this is the first in this particular series that I’ve read. It’s actually Book 5 in this series. Not having read the preceding books had me at a disadvantage as there were references throughout this book to previous characters and storylines that I was unfamiliar with, however, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and would still recommend it to anyone looking for a book with a great plot and colorful imagery, plus well fleshed out characters. The author is well read and scatters references to other books and authors at the beginning of each chapter. I found it fun to read each reference and ponder why he had inserted that particular reference. Some made perfect sense, others had subtle innuendo, and still others I didn’t catch the meaning but they showed a well rounded author with respect for other authors both in the past and in the present who had something that had resonated with him.

Simon Fayter has been time traveling with a turncoat loaded with switches that each have some kind of power. The only problem is, most of them have no label and Simon has no idea what will happen when he turns them. In this story, he has landed in a new land while leaving Drake, Tike, and his other friends behind in a dangerous situation. He feels guilty but he knows he had to continue on in order to make the situation work for the better for all.

His travels now land him in Tarinea. Everything is strange to him and he feels out of place. He ventures out to find out if he can make sense of where he is and he is captured along with an old man, a woman, and Tav, who is strangely familiar and someone he had seen on the side of a hill right before he was captured. They are given the choice of dying by torture forever or life beyond pain, but no guarantee how long that might be. He and Tav both opt for life beyond pain. They are immediately taken to a tall cylindrical pit, where it is quickly apparent that they are to fight for their lives. This is only the first of a number of exciting adventures as Simon and his new mate Tav try to figure out how to make it out of their predicament and Simon tries to rescue his friends. I look forward to reading more of these stories and now I want to go back to the beginning to see what I missed. I give this book a thumbs up and suggest that it be read by anyone looking for a great adventure with lots of imagination! Well Done!

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Austin J. Bailey does it again with this jam packed adventure story full of magic, magical creatures and the most wild imaginings ever. The characters of Simon, Tessa, Drake and Tike are such a fun bunch of friends, full of teenage teasing of one another yet out to watch each other's backs and always there for one another especially looking out for Simon. He is the Fayter who is meant to hold the balance of the universe in his hands yet he is a most unlikely candidate for this role. However unlikely though he might be things do turn up right when least expected for him and though he wields no magic to mention he still manages to do some amazing things with the help of his fancy jacket full of magical knobs which are meant to help him when in a spot but very often put him in tighter spots than before. He is searching for the bloodstones, which a previous Fayter had hidden from his evil brother the shadeking known as the Jackal. The group travels through space in a spacesail vessel called the Calliope with a group of pirates and they are looking for the fabled island of Yap in the sea of Timidity by the star of dark haven to look for a man called Colm the Insane. Amongst other things Simon has a dragon who lives in his boot, and gets caught in a soul trap and to top it all the book ends on a cliffhanger which left me clamouring for the next book. The adventures and craziness in the book are so fantastical this book just needs to be read.

[Krista Jasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Faytor and the Tomb of Rone is the 2nd book in the Simon Faytor series. As with the first, this is a continuation of Simon’s “autobiography”. It too, is written in First Person as Simon speaks directly to you while making numerous asides in the way of footnotes/endnotes. He’s very much a teen with a tude but in an upbeat not putdown way. With all that, there is an actual story - a good story.

Simon only found out he was a wizard when he reached adolescence. That is when magical beings’ powers show up. Simon’s were kept from him. As Simon often refrains, “Read Book 1”. Simon’s destiny is to save the universe. That is the role of a Faytor! To do this, he must locate the remaining bloodstones. They have been hidden to keep them from Rone. Rone is evil incarnate and powerfully magical. Simon is supposed to be the first one who can beat him. Yet, besides a few minor tricks and Simon’s enchanted turncoat that can do AMAZING magic, the Faytor doesn’t seem up to the challenge of beating Rone. Yet, Simon has had some incredible luck so far ... every other day is a good luck day after all ... Read Book 1.

I would recommend the Simon Faytor series to all who enjoy an epic tale of magic, including wizards, dragons, and coming of age ... perhaps a hero in the making. I’m set to start the next book in the series... exciting!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is hilarious. There are footnotes, which can be hard to pull off in a work of fiction, but they just add to the humor. If you haven't read the first book, you really should before reading this one. This is not a series that can easily be understood if you do not have the backstory.

The characters are great and have developed since the last book, which is what they should do in a series.

These books are great for middle grade readers or those that just want an entertaining story. I will say, the ending of this book had me ready for the next book. I know the author is being awesome and releasing it soon, but I still have some time to wait and wonder what is going to happen next.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Austin J. Bailey
Publication Date: November 22nd 2018

[Cassity P · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a nice adventure story that is very creative. The only thing that makes it difficult to read is the narrator who is a bit annoying and goes on long tirades about things unrelated to the story itself. I even skipped one of the chapters because it was unrelated to the story. Overall it’s a good book once you get used to the narrator. It’s also written for middle schoolers, who might enjoy the narrator’s style as the narrator is closer to the age of the intended audience.

[David Thorp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book in the series and couldn't wait for the second book. Now that it's here, I devoured it in two sittings! It's a compelling read, packed full of action and good lessons for kids (and adults too)! I recommend it!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

More adventures with Simon Fayter!
As the adventure continues Simon joins the guardians of the Circle of Eight, and is sent with his friends to find a wizard that has been imprisoned for hundreds of years so he can find out the secret that has caused so much trouble.
Simon has obtained a magic turncoat that he needs to learn how to use. As they travel with space pirates to find this wizard they encounter magic, magical creatures and things that will drop from the sky.
As this lighthearted and funny adventure takes you on this magical journey, you will be entertained beyond you wildest imagination. Don’t forget to read the footnotes.
Join along with this adventure as the mystery unfolds and travel through the magic of this journey.
I think you will really enjoy this book, I know I did!!

[Beth Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️to a read does make them a tad less rare, but this one deserved it! I love/hate a cliff hanger but Simon Fayter did not disappoint with #2 so I didn’t mind one bit! Simon says the things out loud that I am sure everyone thinks while reading a fantasy book.

All his voices give me life 🙌 I listened at work to this one and don’t even care that my laughing out loud got me teased a bit.

I wish I could chart out and anticipate my lucky and unlucky days. I’d love to be able to travel to a long ago time and visit places before time destroyed them. I can’t wait to find out who the boy in the cave was ooOoo

Just like marvel … don’t leave your seat after the credits. Keep listening! 😂

[Kress F · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire Simon Fayter series is very good. My children and I really enjoyed the later books in the series, although all of them are quite excellent. Good clean fun, creative, exhilarating storyline; age-appropriate writing for pre-teens, tweens, and early to mature teens. I even enjoyed these greatly as an adult, especially the later books. Simon Fayter as a character has a bit more sass and attitude than the Magemother characters, which is appropriate I believe... and it speaks well to the teen crowd... but my pre-teens LOVED the series. Highly recommended.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This second book in the Simon Fayter series kept frustrating me. There were a lot of aspects of this magical world that I liked, but it seemed like so many of them were just thrown in there randomly when convenient, or some were very quickly half-explained then never talked about again, probably included so it could be used later in the series. I am somewhat interested to find out what happens because this one ended very unresolved, but my library doesn’t have the next book, so I probably won’t continue for now.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was fun, and Simon never ceases to offer the snarkiest comebacks. My only beef with this one is the middle. The time leading up to a certain battle lasted about 4-5 chapters. The narrative slowed down too much, and I kept wondering when we were going to get back to the story since Simon and Drake were goofing off. I think instead of devoting some chapters to boys' goofiness, their fun could have been placed a little more strategically so that introducing some of the turncoat's powers felt more natural in the story. other than that, I really enjoyed the pirate adventure.

[De · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY well written.

I am on the edge of my seat with every sentence of this book. It is never boring or drawn out. Every second is filled with adventure and action. I think this is the best series I have read in a really long time. The best part is, it’s all clean and there is NO adult stuff. I get so tired of being inundated with that at every turn so, to be able to escape from that into these books has been a really nice experience. So glad to have found this author!

[Adrianne Lemke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun addition

Simon and his friends were able to learn a lot in a short time as they trained to face Rone. Of course, they run into trouble before their planned training period is over, so they embark on their next adventure before they're ready. The ending left me itching to see how Simon's impulsive plan plays out. Looking forward to the next book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE these books so far. They are actually hilarious and I often find myself laughing out loud.

I think the style takes some getting used to (all the footnotes etc, especially in the audio version), but once you get accustomed to it, I found it to be fantastic storytelling and humor.

There are some bonus recordings at the end that are golden. Be sure to catch them if you are listening!

[Rachel Stansel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a good cliffhanger but hate when I feel like nothing at all is wrapped up. Grr.

[Alysa H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun, but not as good as the first one. Cliffhanger ending is a doozy, but in a good way!

[Mary Lee Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books in this series just get better. If you like fantasy stories and love humor these books are for you. Be sure to read the footnotes as they add to your pleasure!

[Zete · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's funny, full of agony, new interesting stuff like new words (hahha) and easy going. The story continues with power way and you don't get bored! Don't make a mistake to not read it!

[Yanira Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is killing me

I truly love that t this hero makes and owns his mistakes. That being said I am hanging off a cliff here. Excellent read.

[Clyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

GOOD continuation of story! Highly recommend for middle school!!!

[Maria]

The adventure continues as Simon learns his powers but I don’t care about the characters because I don’t really know their goals and motivations

[Emily Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning; milk sexism