When Alex sees the sign "Adventurers Wanted: Apply Within" in a shop window, he can't help but inquire. He is soon steamrolled into his first adventure by the shop owner, finding himself packed off to a fantasy world as the eighth member of a group going after the dragon Slathbog. This first novel plays out like a game of Dungeons and Dragons, with the reader in the role of Alex as he learns to play, making the story entertaining but disappointing in its lost potential. Nearly every genre cliché since Tolkien is present, yet Forman does nothing new with his cool premise; the quest and Alex himself are led through predictable paces. While Alex is an agreeable character, he is too perfect to be credible: after the umpteenth time praise is heaped upon him for something that he did accidentally or much too easily, readers will be rolling their eyes. Still, the laws in the Adventurer's Handbook that govern the group are an entertaining remix of the laws that govern RPGs, and the camaraderie among the group members is a strong draw. For those looking for a straightforward, uncomplicated quest, this will do the trick, and the series potential is limitless.

After fifteen-year-old orphan Alex Taylor responds to a sign stating "Adventurers Wanted," he finds himself traveling to a magical land. There he joins a quest to defeat a legendary dragon. In this derivative story, Forman creates a hero who slowly discovers his own strength as well as the power of magic. Fantasy fans may be entertained by Alex's adventures.

Boy meets adventure in a paint-by-numbers fantasy quest. Young Alex toils with mild discontent in his stepfather's tavern when he spots a sign in a shop window declaring ADVENTURERS WANTED. Succumbing to impulse, he inquires within and is recruited willy-nilly to help slay the evil dragon Slathbog and claim his treasure. His cookie-cutter companions include painfully generic dwarves, elves and human stereotypes, all of whom regard Alex with inexplicable delight and wonder, especially as he starts to reveal a dazzling range of hitherto-unknown powers, while remaining so gosh-darn modest and likable that every person of note wants to be his friend and every villain makes him his target. After an interminable journey through vaguely described fantasy locales, the company eventually catches up with the Big Bad Beast, whom Alex (naturally) dispatches in a few paragraphs. Cue another chapter divvying up the loot, before Alex can return home to receive a SHOCKING!!! revelation, just in time to set up threatened sequels. Wait for the collectible card game instead. (Fantasy. 10-14)