| Title | : | The Horn of Moran (Adventurers Wanted, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1606412264 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781606412268 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 376 |
| Publication | : | First published February 1, 2011 |
The Horn of Moran (Adventurers Wanted, #2) Reviews
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Perspective of a Writer...
Alex, our wizard in training, has been back in the real world for a year and boy is it different than the respect he commands while adventuring. When he is called back on an adventure he is excited to continue his travels as he and his band quest to find the lost Horn of Moran and return it to Norsland before the nation erupts in war. They battle a goblin army, navigate an enchanted forest, and solve the sphinx's riddle... but will they make it in time?!
The short review...
I quite loved
Slathbog's Gold, the first book in the series, so it was a no brainer to continue! I was excited to see how Alex would grow as a wizard and how his magic would change... I was NOT disappointed in this. The tower in particular was super fun to me... I love the conclusions he came to and how he worked out what he needed to do. My brother quite LOVES and adores this series and I think it speaks to boys who want to feel different from the crowd. So while some readers may call out a Gary Stu personality and an certain upbeateness to the plot i say that it teaches some lessons that are lacking in father absent homes. This is one of those series you give it a go and if it isn't for you then move along and don't stress, it's written for a particular reader in mind.
This book certainly builds on the first as we are sent on the new adventure without the magic of learning how it all works that was in the first one. That made the start a little slow... because while attempts were made to make it fun, it just didn't measure up to the first adventure. This was complicated by the fact I didn't connect to the new band as much as I did the original one. While we met many of the old band members I miss the camaraderie that made the journey fun. The strength of this book is definitely the plot! Forman knows how to put Alex through his paces as a boy and as a wizard in training! Yes, he has adults he can rely on but he is the star of the book and is the character who grows a little more at the end of each adventure.
Cover & Title grade -> A-
The titles and covers have been really consistent in the series. I think this is one of the most communicative cover of all though. We meet Alex and see what the story is about. Each adventure is evident in the name too. I think a boy who read the first book or even one who is new to the series will certainly want to pick the book up and see what "adventurer's wanted" means and will be seduced by the premise!
As a Writer...
As a writer (sometimes) I feel like some readers are too critical of the writing aspect of a book. Reading reviews of book #1 on Goodreads I found it to be true. It makes me sad that readers write such debilitating criticism (if I were this author and read some of the 1 and 2 star reviews I would fall into a depression and probably stop writing for a time...) It's not that a reader shouldn't have their own opinions and nor should they "force" themselves to be positive. I think everyone has the right to believe whatever they want no matter if its foolish or wise.
Okay? Okay.
But since when do readers want to CRUSH THE VERY LIFE from a writer so they don't even want to write a second series?! And we are talking about a debut here (the criticism was about book #1)! This is only the second book this author HAS EVER WRITTEN! And the reason why only a limited number of adult readers typically read middle grade is because they aren't held to the standards of even YA. Yes, there are some extremely excellent middle grade and on the cusp of YA books! That's wonderful but there are writers out there who can become better too... given some constructive criticism.
Some writers write for the wrong reasons and when they aren't wildly successful they end up going back to their day job... very naturally without fanfare. Those writers who clearly want to entertain a young person... those writers deserve a little respect for even finishing their book!
Hahaha, no offense intended! Rant over.
The Adventurer's Wanted series is about a good boy who is allowed to grow up in a world that treats him with respect no matter his age. He is given goals to meet and obstacles to overcome and grows from each one. He's surrounded by grown ups who listen to his ideas and allow him the space to put them into action. Is this idealistic? Hell yeah! But I love it anyway. The Horan of Moran is a great second book in the series and I look forward to book #3!
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building
BOTTOM LINE: A great second installation in a stellar adventurer series for the wanderers hearted!
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You can find this review and many others on my book blog @
Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter... -
I pride myself on being a critical reader, and yet when it comes to these books I throw all to the wind.
So many things that normally bother me just don't in this series. Cliche characters, bad pacing, and no emotion.
I love it anyway. All the treasure and world building. The constant action and detail. The way M. L. Forman unashamedly crashes through the boring scenes to bring us excitement.
I love the way honor and respect are so important. These are wonderful values that hardly anyone believes in anymore. 😕
AND I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS SO MUCH EVEN THOUGH I SHOULDN'T.
Content: This world revolves around magic. Fantasy magic. And dark magic (not like Harry Potter). Fantasy violence. No profanity. Overall very clean.
I don't understand why I enjoy this series so much. I just do . . .
Do I recommend?
Yes and No. 😂
That's all I have for you, considering I can't explain my own feels toward this series/book. :P -
Okay...second book in this YA (emphasis on the "Y" somewhat I admit) series and I like it.
Why?
It's fun. If you ever played D&D this book will make you feel like you need to go get your box of dice and play along.
A young man has fallen into an adventuring universe where he travels through what are called. "the known lands". Getting back with some friends from an earlier adventure and some new friends he (we're) now off on a quest to make sure the rightful king ends up on the throne. In a land of magic swords, wizards and fantasy creatures...enjoy!
What more can I say? I really enjoyed these books, I look forward to the next.
Oh, and if I need to say it...pure brain candy.
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If you liked the first one you'll find this more of the same. Same plot formula, same strangely formal dialogue. It's nice that they are very polite and respectful, it just seems like a bit much, forced, a little more reality wouldn't hurt. Lots of talk about honor and some strange rules about it as well. Everyone but the main character are just shells of characters, but even if it's meant for a younger audience I think they could use some fleshing out... They could handle that.
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Heartwarming. Wholesome. Just...good happy fantasy. Makes you feel safe.
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Still liking this series, but if I hear, “You see much,” one more time, I’m going to start screaming.
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Despite what i am about to say, i really did like this book, i am just being picky.
it was still great, but maybe the fact that i read the acknowledgments at the beginning of the book made the book seem forced. It seemed a bit more of that Forman was just flat out telling you what was happening in the story that you very well should have been able to figure out for yourself. It also seemed a bit predictable like *************SPOILER****************** when he introduces Val, he makes him out to be a bit... shifty (?), so later on, something he does isn't very surprising.
I would recommend having Slathbog's Gold fresh on your mind because there are a lot of things in the book that directly mention things from the first book that, unless you either have excellent memory or you just read it, you wouldn't remember.
It was still very good, though it is directed a bit more at a younger audience.
I'm sorry, I'm making this book out to be not very great but, believe me, it was worth reading it. I really did like it is exciting to watch as Alex's power as a Wizard in training grows and he is able to more fully master it. And of course, there are twists on the road that make it a lot more interesting and ******************SPOILER************************** another journey to the wall.
it was a very good read despite what i have said. -
Wow another action packed adventure, Alex just keeps getting deeper into being a Wizard, in fact the best wizard in a thousand years. Of course this does come with a price but Alex is will to pay. Magic, evil, danger, long quests are all part of the adventure. Alex finds he is on his way to becoming a billionaire. I cannot in good conscience reveal even a small bit of this adventure as I want you to read it for yourself. Enjoy.
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I didn't think it would be better than Book 1, but, boy, was I wrong! THE HORN OF MORAN delivers action, suspense, and great storytelling! I couldn't put it down, and I read it in a day!
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The second installment - written for those young readers who don’t care about details and just want to get to the exciting parts of an adventure.
Hardly any time is given to characters other than Alex and even his character build is rather shallow. But, the adventure is still fun so I find myself still reading these. -
Loved this book.
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I don't much remember the first one, but I remember I really liked it, and I really liked this one, to. It is a simple, fast read that is fully entertaining and will have you laughing in every chapter. This book doesn't reach much of a climax like the last one did. The main "battle" happens more towards the middle, and from then on it's a fantastic tale about their return.
One of my father's queries about the first book was how come it took them so long to travel to their destination but not as long to travel back. Well, for the most obvious reason, it was because they had reached their goal and it didn't need to focus on their return. Well, this hook thought it had to. It took them about just as long to travel back as it did to travel there. I liked that, a lot.
Forman has created a world that I wish I could live in. It is complex yet simple enough that you can keep track of most things unlike Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time which, if you wanted to keep track of, you'd have to take thorough notes.
The book did annoy me at points, though. The characters seem real enough to me, but the only thing that makes them more unreal than real is the fact that they don't have many flaws. Alex's only flaw is the fact that he is short tempered. Most everyone they come across is very nice and kind and I just can't see everyone being like that. Of course, there is the exception of Oso. Hahahahahaha!
One of my other complaints was the use of the word "honor". Forman used that word like commas. I swear I read it at least every other page. 'It is our honor.' 'It will be our honor.' 'We are honor-bound to do so.' 'Your honor will grow.' 'Honor, honor, honor, honor.' it was put in there way too much, especially around the middle. Alex's companions on his quest kept telling him he was so generous and his honor has grown much. And it explains that being kind and generous will help your honor grow, and I couldn't help but wonder, "Everyone's honor must be huge, then, because almost everyone is super kind and super generous." I just found that a little unrealistic. Then again, it is only a middle grade book.
And my last and final complaint is the dialogue. Whenever someone would invite them to stay at their home for supper and to spend the night, or whenever they would have to pay somebody the dialogue seemed repetitive and rehearsed. At some points I found myself guessing what the character was going to say next.
I found myself surprised at the end of the book. It was a simple, amazing story of 6 adventurers who went on a quest to retrieve a magical object. The characters were likable, the humor was plentiful, and the action was exciting!
It is so worth reading! -
In book 2 of this series we find our young wizard in training acclimating quite well to his new found identity and studying in earnest to improve his talent and skill. Six months have passed and Alex has contented himself with a distance education course in wizardry from the esteemed Whalen Vankin. Now 16, Alex is eager for another adventure. He soon finds himself joining up with his former adventure leader who is leading a rather personal quest to recover the long lost horn of Moran for his beleaguered cousin, disputed King. Many of the former adventurers join the new adventure along with a couple of new faces. Other adventurers make appearances and references to characters from the first book abound. The fantasy worlds are growing complex and I would personally find a map on the end papers helpful to track the places traveled. I also may need to keep a list of names and identities for future reference if I am to keep reading. I liked the story equally as well as the first but have the same reservations too. Master Alex develops his wizarding talents with ease and aplomb. No task is too difficult, including taking on a horde of menacing goblins singlehandedly or evil incarnate. And he has a very Polly Anna-ish kind of personality which is sweet and possibly heroic, but hard to completely accept and like. Even Harry Potter and Frodo had their dark moments of the soul which made them fallible and thus more "human" and, ultimately, heroic. I think there is something here but it hasn't quite developed its full potential yet. I think the author is still finding his voice. Sometimes he tells too much rather than shows and Alex's narrative voice changes when he passes from Clutter's bookshop into the fantasy worlds to a more stilted and archaic voice, very formal and a tad affected. I am unclear what time period his modern non-wizard self lives in. Probably not 2011. However, as I said before, I think Forman will be one to one to watch. He has a rich imagination and with tighter plotting, richer rising action, and stronger character development, his books will be sure to please young fantasy readers.
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I really like it is a good book. It is about a 15 year old kid named Alex, and he lives with is stepdad. He goes on adventures with other people. In this book he went on an adventure to find the Horn of Moran and he becomes a wizard. With his sword Moon Slayer he goes to the Moon tower to get the Horn of Moran.
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Good... Good...
Interesting.
Hoping that 16 year old Alex will eventually stop sniveling. He seems overly humble and it seems like insincerity. I mean is this what I have to look forward to when my kid's go into the teenage years? The 'tween years' are pissing me off, and driving me...
I loved how many magical creatures were included in this installment. Much of the other characters are interesting, but the adventure has seemed a little too structured for my taste. If this was a story written for adults instead of children, I most likely would have given this five stars. -
A lovely sequel to Slothbag's Gold. While at times it feels, again, like you've heard some of these plots before, it's still a fun read. We meet some of the characters from the first book and are introduced to several new ones. We learn a bit more about the lands and peoples.
I love Alex, the main character. He is kind, generous and always, always does what is right. Sometimes with a little help.
This is a series I'd gladly hand to my boys to read or read out loud to them. While there is action and violence, it's not graphic or scary. -
Using my same review from Slathbog's Gold (below) because it applies to this one, too. My son liked that one the best, but he liked this one too and is really into this series. I really like how this series focuses on honor and being polite and generous. This book introduces the concept of working to controll one's emotions.
First, as an adult, I'd rate this 2 maybe 3 stars. But I'm rating it 5 because my 8-year-old LOVES this book, and that's big for him because, though he generally likes books, he hasn't really been into fantasy and doesn't do well with scary stuff (we haven't braved Harry Potter yet...but we're getting there). This book has a fun premise. It's hefty which makes it a great read-aloud book that lasts for more than a week. We could still read it at bedtime because even though lots of cool adventure-y things happen, it's like not suspenseful at all. I mean, I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but even the parts that I feared would be scary/suspenseful were over in a blink with a positive outcome. Now, it's probably a bit hefty for an 8-year-old to pick up to read on their own, but not impossible if they're motivated. But, again, it was a fun family read-aloud. Our 5-year-old listened in too and was ok with it (though she typically falls asleep at some point when we're reading the chapter book at night).
As an adult, yes, the story is pretty simplistic. The writing isn't fantastic. It bugs us to no end that there are two characters named Thrang and Thrain (especially in the third book where they show up a lot)—it's a pain to read those names aloud repeatedly and try to distinguish for the listener which is which. My husband has been reading the whole series to check to see if anything too scary happens at some point; he's in the middle of the last book now and so far so good. We're now on book three with the kids and our oldest is really into it. As an adult, the rest of the series can feel pretty repetitive, but it's still really appealing to a kid. UPDATE: We stopped half-way through book three because something sad happened and our son didn't like it. We now think we'll wait on the rest of the series. But our son really liked the first two books!
So if you don't expect literary greatness but can appreciate a hefty but simple story that seems geared toward middle-elementary school kids, then give this one a try. And if you want a fun fantasy read for sensitive kids, give this one a try (and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon--that's another we really liked). -
Continuing in the same vein of the last book, this is a superb book for young tween readers. Though very high in word count for other books for this age group, the story is involved and moves fairly quickly. It continues to entertain and I hope that the next book feels less like one dues ex machina after the next, but it may not as the target audience may just be younger than I expected out of this series.
My main wish is that the magic had a more structured background. In this book at the last, learning magic was just super simple and there was little noticed effort involved. We don't know what he can do and can't. I think the answer is he can do absolutely anything the author dreams up and needs at the moment. There are still some neat hints at a system involved toward the end and some rules (even if our rare hero may end up defying all expected standards).
My only other complaint is the hero's last name of Taylor or maybe it's Tailor. I kept being thrown off as the characters were talking to the wizard and then suddenly were talking to a Master Tailor. Kinda funny, but I think I would have chosen a different name because of it, were I ever gifted with the talent to write as M.L. Forman has been. -
The terrible continues unabated in this second book. They have a super urgent quest, but they spend two weeks partying at the start of it. They are almost never in real danger, and what little trials there are Alex is able to solve easily with his magic and his wits. He solves literally every problem in the book on his own, despite the lecture about teamwork he gets from his step dad at the start. Alex's magic is powerful and endless, and he always knows what to do in any situation despite being only half trained.
There is exactly one named woman in the whole story. She is an adventurer (yay!) but she needs to be rescued by Alex when she appears, and we learn that she's only been allowed to go on adventures that sound "safe". She doesn't get to be a hero. She's going to be a trophy, a conquest, who Alex will woo and protect, and she won't be awesome in her own right. I'm done. I quit. -
"we will hope for such happiness."- M.L Forman (p.260). The book adventure wanted horn of moran takes place in a magical secret world. Where animals beasts and monsters are real. The main character is Alex his first adventure was to kill a very powerful dragon and to take his gold as prize. This adventure he is on right know is to find a missing horn the horn tells the king if he is the real king. But it was lost about 400 years earlier then the adventure was put together. The problem is that another person is trying to say he is the king people are starting to side with him and their is only one way to stop the war that is on the edge of happening.... The horn.
