Crusade of the Flaming Sword

The Hardy Boys #131

by Franklin W. Dixon, Anne Greenberg

Joining in the fun of Avalon, a touring medieval fair, the Hardy boys are alarmed by a series of mysterious accidents that are accompanied by ominous notes that threaten to bring ruin to the fairgrounds. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Thriller, Adventure, Classics

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 1995

About the author

Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.

Reviews

[PenNPaper52 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a Hardy Boys book with all the mayhem and funny quirky adventures. Set in a medieval fair, I was hooked from chapter 1...probably because I do somewhere hold a secret desire to be a knight of the round table. It was fun and straight forward. I was enchanted by that glowing prism bouncing in the dark and the convex screen in a trailer. Being a tech geek I was very interested in Sing"s setup. Perhaps old school tech by now but still fun to read and imagine. As to the story itself it was OK, not mind blowing but anyone expecting that should read something else. The Hardy Boys books are always a nice way to wile the time without trying to squeeze deep meaningful insights.

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

You'd think I'd like a Medieval Fair better than most people, but like most Digests, they fail to do anything interesting with the concept at all.

[rabbitprincess]

Evidently I read this in elementary school but don't remember a darn thing about it! Definitely fits in with my Hardy Boys phase though.

[Arpith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for time pass well written