"..But to me he was very much more than special. In fact, I'd wager there wasn't another father like mine in the whole wide world." Finding out that Alistair Grim, inventor of the Odditorium, was your father would be quite a surprise for any young lad - but Grubb, an orphaned, "ordinary" chimney sweep really can't seem to wrap his head around it.. But here, next to all the Odditoria and kindly magical creatures, Grubb knows that he is truly happy, for he has found his true home.. That is, if there wasn't a looming threat in the form of the villainous Prince Nightshade, who seeks revenge after the adventures of the first volume in the series, and is right on the tails of Alistair Grim and his crew. If his army of Shadesmen (otherwise known as the walking dead) obtain enough "animus" to rise onto the lands of Earth, Prince Nightshade will be indestructible.. and the only thing standing in his way is a master plan formulated by Alistair Grim, involving a crucial sword from the depths of Arthurian legend - the infamous Excalibur, hidden deep inside the beautiful, but dangerous underwater kingdom of Avalon. Grubb and his friends will have to battle their way through terrible creatures seeking revenge for the magical sword - but at what cost? Will Excalibur have the power to vanquish the terrible Prince Nightshade, once and for all? Please read this spectacularly written book to find out.. Well, the truth is, I already had fallen in love with this book before I even got to the first page.. I cannot express how much I love the "steampunk" genre, and this was a particularly rare find! This book was quite dark at times, especially since this book dug so deeply into the desires of the rather interesting villain, Prince Nightshade.. but mostly it was pretty cheerful, subtly exploring the relationship between Alistair and Grubb, revealing how classic Arthurian elements tied in with the story in general, and introducing a whole cast of well-developed, colorful and vivid characters.. The ending left me yearning for more books to devour - more books with chocolate-loving fairies and mischievous banshees with soft sides and most of all, kindly chimney sweeps with loving fathers.. What a wonderfully magical read - my hat is off to author Gregory Funaro!
Alistair Grim's Odd Aquaticum
By Gregory Funaro
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grade 7 | n/a | 6.4 | 79895 |
-Kirkus Reviews, starred review
With the evil prince hot on their trail, Grim, Grubb and the rest of the Odditorium's crew embark on a perilous adventure to find the legendary sword Excalibur: the only weapon capable of penetrating Nightshade's magical suit of armor. As expected, their quest turns out to be anything but ordinary. Not only can the Odditorium fly, but it can also swim! And so the crew battens down the hatches and sets off on an underwater voyage to the otherworldly realm of Avalon, home to Excalibur. Along the way, they must battle a banshee assassin, sea monsters, and a witch who seeks revenge on Alistair Grim for stealing her magical objects.
But that's not all. Unbeknownst to Grubb and the others, their fate has been written in an ancient Avalonian prophecy-a prophecy that holds the key to a destiny not even Alistair Grim could have imagined.
Book Reviews (12)
really good book
This book is really good, I recommend it!
looks like a good book
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this looks good
Meet Grub, an orphaned chimney sweeper... After finding out that Alistair Grim is his father, they take a mysterious father-son journey... with some friends they encounter during the journey... The only issue is that the "public's number one enemy" is... well... er... Grim... but the real enemy here is the Prince Nightshade.... (oooh such a "scary name") however this prince is not your ordinary "sleeping beauty, charming prince" in fact he is quite an imbecile... honestly he drove me crazy in the book... but later he reveals his secret identity... and who he really is... which I really liked (I know I am contradicting myself saying that he drove me crazy) but usually authors don't really like to explore into that much details towards the villain unless it's truly about the,... but the way the author explored the prince's background is quite peculiar and interesting at the same time which kept me hooked... I'm so sorry for showing a bit bias towards Grub and Grim (also because they are the main characters)... but honestly the "family chemistry" is soooooo adorable... Anyways Grim has this "odd aquaticum" which can fly, swim, and do soooooo much more... SO the group must go on an underwater quest to help save the day which includes fighting against mechanical sharks, crazy witches, and so much more... I really like the author's style of writing because it feels like it's really realistic (although this tale is complete fiction)... the author implemented so many different types of mythologies and it weaved perfectly... connecting all of these points together... If you like fairy dust, adorable stories, mystery, and an adventure... this book is perfect for you!! My only disclaimer is that I did not have the chance to read the first book... so it was confusing in the beginning at first... but I quickly caught on this adventurous read... So after I'm done posting this review... I'm going to head out to my local bookstore to hunt for the first book! So do you think Prince Nightshade will het his hands on the Aquaticum... or can Grim, Grub, and his friends help get it and save the day??? Read and find out!!! This read is perfect for those who love mythology and it can be quite compared with Rick Riordan's style of writing. Enjoy!!!
this is cool
This book is the best and awesomest book I ever read
This book is the best book ever
When I first started reading this book, it seemed very boring, and I soon lost interest. But soon, I could see that the book was getting better, and I kept on reading. It is a great book about magic and sorcery, It was really good, and surprisingly interesting.