The Goblin Crown (Billy Smith and the Goblins Series #1)

by Robert Hewitt Wolfe

Overview

Billy Smith is having a rough first day of high school. The new kid at exclusive Francis Drake Prep, Billy embarrasses himself in front of fiery, beautiful Lexi Aquino. He makes an instant enemy in Kurt Novac, the school’s surly star quarterback. Then suddenly Billy, Lexi, and Kurt are mysteriously transported to an underworld teeming with goblins, strange animal hybrids, and powerful magic—the fact that they’re stuck there is probably Billy’s fault, too. With help from an unlikely goblin leader named Hop, the teens soon discover that goblins can be both fierce and friendly, with their own rich language, culture, and history—a history that foretells of a human arriving to claim the Goblin Crown and lead them to victory against the deadly, invading Hanorians. Could Billy—anxious, awkward Billy—be the mythical Goblin King? Could saving the goblin race be his destiny and the key to getting him, Lexi, and Kurt back home?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681626123
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	11/15/2016
Series:	Billy Smith and the Goblins Series , #1
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 3.10(d)
Age Range:	11 - 16 Years

About the Author

Robert Hewitt Wolfe is the writer and Co-Executive Producer on the hit CBS mystery Elementary. Wolfe broke into television on Star Trek: The Next Generation, writing the popular episode “A Fistful of Datas.” He worked on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for five seasons, writing or co-writing over thirty episodes, as well as co-authoring the humorous tie-in book Legends of the Ferengi. Wolfe developed the syndicated hit Andromeda from notes by Gene Roddenberry, serving as the showrunner for its first two seasons. Wolfe went on to develop The Dresden Files and help launch The 4400 and Alphas. Wolfe has also worked on The Twilight Zone, The Dead Zone, The Gates, and Star-Crossed. He has a BA in Motion Pictures/Television from UCLA and an MFA in Screenwriting.

Tom Fowler's art has appeared on the covers and in the pages of comics from Marvel, DC, Valiant, and Oni Press, and his cinematic style also graced the cover of Tom King's debut novel, A Once Crowded Sky (Touchstone, 2012).

Editorial Reviews

"The characters are well-developed, believably imperfect, and multicultural (Billy himself is biracial); the plot moves briskly; and the goblin dialect—sometimes humorous, sometimes startlingly poignant—is a real strength [...] It’s a solid start to the Billy and the Goblin series."— Publishers Weekly

"Readers who fervently wish for the ability to jump into a mythical world like Middle-earth will enjoy this tale."― School Library Journal

"Wolfe, a television screenwriter, offers a story full of a surprising amount of emotional heft [...] a compelling series beginning."― Kirkus

4/5 Stars: "Robert Hewitt Wolfe’s The Goblin Crown is the start to the fantasy series, Billy Smith and the Goblins, and combines the elements of goblin culture, disasters in high school and destiny, and is layered in mythology, adventure and magic.
The Goblin Crown is sprinkled with themes and lessons from handling guilt to responsibility. Readers will relate to both the characters’ experiences and connect with the lessons learned. This is a coming of age novel that will delight readers who enjoy imaginative fantasy worlds full of suspense, adventure, and descriptive world building."— Portland Book Review

"Robert Hewitt Wolfe accomplishes something magical. He creates a Tolkienesque fantasy world for young adults that feels lived in, original and accessible. He also gives us Billy Smith - a real boy from the real world, who discovers that “not fitting in” is what makes him so special. The Goblin Crown is exciting, emotional and unflinching."― Ashley Edward Miller, co-author of Colin Fischer and co-writer of Thor and X-Men: First Class

" The Goblin Crown is the smart, morally complex version of the heroic coming-of-age story that you've been waiting for."― Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky

" The Goblin Crown is a riveting, relatable, compelling journey into another realm. I found myself staying up late to read about Billy's adventures and his unlikely alliance with goblin leader Hop. Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who I know from his legendary work in the Star Trek universe, has set his sights on the fantasy genre with great success! Can't wait for more installments."― Jennifer Brody, author of The 13th Continuum

From the Publisher

2016-08-17
Transported into an underground world of goblins, war, magic, and hybrid beasts, a trio of reluctant human heroes must brave the strange in this morally complex, action-packed fantasy epic.The first day of high school gets rough for biracial (black/white) Billy Smith. When he and two schoolmates—Lexi, a young Filipina with little self-discipline, and Kurt, a brooding, white quarterback—end up in Kiranok, an underground goblin city, the three teens unwittingly arrive in the middle of a human-goblin war. Persecuted and almost beaten, the goblins hope for the return of the Goblin King, a leader destined to guide them to salvation. Aided by the cunning yet world-weary goblin Hop, Billy, Lexi, and Kurt uncover new powers and truths about themselves to discover who among them is the rightful heir to the Goblin Crown. Making matters worse is Gen. Sawtooth, a power-hungry, arrogant goblin with a tragic past. Wolfe, a television screenwriter, offers a story full of a surprising amount of emotional heft. Although his exploration of what constitutes a racialized identity is underdeveloped, it’s more forthright than many of his contemporaries’. The story shifts perspective among characters with ease (for the most part), filling in narrative gaps with a balanced mixture of exposition and action and soaring in those moments when these transitions glide. A flawed but compelling series beginning. (appendices) (Fantasy. 10-16)

Kirkus Reviews