The Camelot Kids

Volume 1

By: Ben Zackheim

Narrated by: Kathleen Chalfant

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

What would you do if an odd girl in a cloak told you, "You know you're a descendant of King Arthur's knight, Lancelot, right?" You'd probably do the same thing 14-year-old New Yorker Simon Sharp does. Back away nice and slow.

But Simon learns the truth when he's kidnapped by a drunk troll, rescued by a 7 foot man named Merlin, and thrown into training with 149 other heirs of the Knights of the Round Table.

Can Simon survive a prophecy that predicts the world will be saved through its destruction? The Camelot Kids is about one boy's struggle to make it to tomorrow, in a world both real and fantastic.

"Zackheim does an excellent job of twisting the story away from your expectations - and in places, even uses your expectations, both of the genre itself and the source material, against you." - Nicholas Pozo, Goodreads

"Another great book by Ben Zackheim. This guy really knows how to make fun and compelling characters...You'll be hooked from the start!" - Dalia Hierro, Amazon

©2014 Ben Zackheim (P)2017 Ben Zackheim

Good start of a YA fantasy series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This book is definitely geared towards a younger audience, but I still found it entertaining. It was very reminiscent of the Percy Jackson series, but in the Arthurian Legend pantheon rather than that of the Greek Gods. It seemed like this was originally multiple small books in one boxed set. That isn't a criticism, but it seemed like there were multiple linear story lines in this book. If you are a fan of YA fantasy stories, this is definitely worth a credit.

A new twist in an old tale...

It's my first book by Ben Zackheim and it's a great introduction to his writing. The story is really engaging, and although I have known the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table since I was a kid I've found "The Camelot Kids" refreshing, lively and full of surprises. There is humour and there is depth in the dialogues, the characters sparkle from the pages - some of them irritate you, some of them move you. The troll is slow and unexpectedly warm, Molly is annoying at times though a character I'd like to befriend and have on my side, Simon and Gwen definitely are growing to take on their responsibilities. And Merlin... well, he's grumpy, sarcastic, very irritating... but would you expect such an old man to be anything else, really?:)
The plot develops swiftly, with some unexpected twists and turns, just like it should in a tale of this kind. There are fights and battles, and magic, all described in a vivid, imaginative way. And although it's the first volume in a series, it doesn't end with a total cliff-hanger - it stands well on its own, though definitely leads to the next part of the story.

As for the narration by Ms Chalfant, the only reason for me giving it 4 instead of 5 stars is the fact that I didn't like the voices of 2, maybe 3, characters. The voice of Red really irritated me (the pitch was a little too high for my ears:)) and Karadok (I hope this is the proper spelling of the troll's name - I only heard it, not read it on paper) sounded a little bit too slow and too slurred - although I know that trolls are supposed to be like that:)
But besides that, Ms Chalfant's narration is really really good - her acting abilities are great, the pace of the narration is just right and the Scottish accent of some of the characters was a real treat, especially for me - a non-native speaker of English - as it allowed me to really feel as if I was there, in Scotland:)
So it really is 4.5 stars for the interpretation.


DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Reminiscent...

I enjoyed this even though my first thought was when did Kyo Kara Maoh become a book on tape. The ending had me thinking the same but about Disney's Avalon High. I listened to this all in one day, it's a lot of fun.
Great narration, instantly drew me in.
A keeper I'll definitely be listening to it again and I can't wait for the next part.
I received this audio book at my request by the author, publisher or narrator. For a unbiased review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed, Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Funny, Great world building, Informative, Page-turner, Tragic, Twisted, Unpredictable, Whimsical, Wonderful characters.

A Vivid Adventure!

This Was A Good Overall Performance... The Story Was A Bit Far Fetched And Over Dramatic... Even For A Fantasy Book But Still A Fun Time All The Same...

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Another twist on the tale of Camelot

I enjoyed this story a lot. The ending was left open for the story to continue, but don't see where anymore were written. Am hoping the author will come back and pick it up again

A rollicking book for kids and adults

This was a rollicking good time. The humor is great. It is action packed. It is a fun listen for kids and adults. The action scenes are not too intense for younger listeners. It's one of those books that draws you in and lets you escape reality for a little while. This would be a great book to listen to with 9-14 year olds who think they don't like to read- it would definitely change their minds. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I received this audio book at my request by the author, publisher or narrator. For a unbiased review.

Different twist

I really enjoyed this book. It started out a little slow but then picked up and I found myself really caring about the characters and what was happening to them. It’s so far a nice twist on a classic tale. It is definitely different then the books I normally read/listen to and that is a good thing!

I did not like the narrator at first but then she kind of grew on me. It got much better as the book progressed. I will definitely be continuing this series!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.