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Written by Mark Frost (co-creator of Twin Peaks), The Paladin Prophecy introduces us to Will West and the set of rules that his dad insists he memorize. Injected cleverly into the story, these rules silently guide Will as he is thrust into a mystery featuring other-worldly mechanical creatures, dangerous men in dark glasses, and Will's own exceptional mental and physical abilities.
From the beginning, the tone of the book reminded me of Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief. While the two books share a common fantasy thread, The Paladin Prophecy stretches into territory that will entertain the older teens and even adults who felt that Riordan's books were too juvenile for them. The author builds page-turning intrigue, but manages to introduce some scientific topics and historical details without bogging the story down.
As Will comes to grips with the fact that he's been relocated to a boarding school that's home to many hyper-intelligent students – and a few that are less than savory – he finds the friendships that have been lacking in his life up to this point. The dialogue between friends is believable and at times laugh-out-loud funny. The technology available to the students will make a geek's heart go pitter-pat: Holographic computing devices, avatars that can do your bidding from afar, and automatons of sorts bring an element of science fiction to the story.
After finishing the book, I found myself wishing for more, so it's a good thing that it's the first in a planned trilogy. Also? If I am ever assigned a guardian angel, I totally want one that wears a leather jacket and is named Dave.
The publisher provided an advanced reader copy of this book for review purposes.
