Showing posts with label Cryptid Hunters series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cryptid Hunters series. Show all posts

Monday, March 9, 2015

Mutation by Roland Smith

After Grace and the dinosaur hatchlings’ rescue from Noah Blackwood, Wolfe and Ted take Marty, Grace, Luther, and Dylan to Brazil to aid in the search for Marty’s missing parents. The tweens and the two adults split into two traveling parities as they head towards Dr. Lansa’s jaguar preserve. Before and after the two groups arrive, several members of the preserve disappear into the rainforest with no trace. Finally only Marty, Grace, Dylan, and the hatchlings are left behind with Noah's henchmen close on their trail.

The final book of Cryptid Hunters will not disappoint fans of the series. Mutation is a dangerously exciting ride as Smith takes readers soaring along the Amazon, zip-lining through the rainforest, and pursing two determined baby dinosaurs. It seems Marty, Grace, Luther, and Dylan will do anything to keep the people they love safe from Noah’s clutches. What sets these books apart from other YA adventure novels is the way Smith integrates his past characters and settings into his current writings. Besides resolving Marty and Grace’s conflicts, Smith also settles unresolved dilemmas found in Sasquatch. Also, Smith uses the setting and characters from Jaguar as the stage for Mutation. Fans of these books will enjoy their characters being spotlighted again.

Friday, March 6, 2015

Chupacabra by Roland Smith

Ever since Grace left with her grandfather, Noah Blackwood, Marty never felt Grace was safe. While all the eWolfe adults are gone, Marty, Luther, and their new friend, Dylan, decide to rescue Grace and the Mokélé-mbembé hatchlings from Noah’s zoo, Seattle Ark. Meanwhile, Grace has been searching for any information exposing Blackwood. When she uncovers several secret passageways in Noah’s mansion, they lead Grace to Noah’s private quarters and his secret taxidermy display of rare or extinct animals. Noah's horrific display and the evidence that the boys are in the park help Grace resolve to escape Noah's clutches.

An edge-of-your-seat read, Chupacabra throws readers right into the action with Marty, Grace, Luther, and Dylan as they try to infiltrate and then escape Noah’s estate with their lives. The boys are completely on their own as they sneak into Noah’s park. They must rely on each other’s intellectual gifts and the dragonspy to help them make it out alive. Besides following the tweens adventures, readers will learn more about Noah Blackwood’s diabolic plans and his evil empire as readers delve deep into the bowels of the Seattle Ark. Many mysteries about Noah are still left unanswered, which will make readers excited for the final book, Mutation. Also, fans of Smith’s work may recognize Dylan’s character from Smith’s 1998 book, Sasquatch.


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Tentacles by Roland Smith

Travis Wolfe and his business partner, Ted Bronson, are in need of money to help finance their search for cryptids. The two men agree to a paid expedition to capture a giant squid for the Northwest Zoo and Aquarium of Seattle. Marty and Grace join Wolfe on the sea voyage, along with Marty’s boarding school roommate, Luther. Because Noah Blackwood poses such a threat, Wolfe secretly brings the Mokélé-mbembé eggs onboard under extreme security measures. But Blackwood’s spies and his best hunter, Butch McCall, infiltrate the ship to stop Wolfe's expedition by any means necessary.

In this book, Smith gives more insight behind the reclusive Ted Bronson and his amazing inventions for eWolfe. Marty and Grace have heard rumors that Ted Bronson is a reclusive, geeky genius who has not left his hut on Crytpos Island for three years. However, Marty finds out the truth onboard Wolfe’s ship when Marty discovers a fellow passenger is not who he claims to be. As Marty, Grace, and Luther prove their loyalty on the voyage, they are entrusted with information regarding eWolfe’s secret inventions, like a dragonfly-robot, a miniature nuclear-submarine, and impenetrable aquasuits. Tentacles is an extremely action-packed, imaginative book that will keep any reader glued to its pages late into the night. The next book in the Cryptid Hunters series is Chupacabra.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith

After hearing news that their parents may be lost in the Amazon, Marty and Grace O’Hara are told they will live with their uncle, Travis Wolfe. Wolfe is a cryptozoologist, someone who studies legendary creatures to prove their existence. After Marty and Grace join him, Wolfe sees evidence of a Mokélé-mbembé—a small dinosaur—living in the Congo. But spies warn Dr. Noah Blackwood, a supposed wildlife expert, about Wolfe’s trip and he hires men to steal both the Mokélé-mbembé evidence and Grace. As Wolfe’s expedition heads to Africa, Marty and Grace are accidentally dropped into the Congo. With only a small device to guide them, Marty and Grace must work together to find shelter while dodging Noah’s henchmen.

Cryptid Hunters is a rousing read that is totally original in its story, setting, and characters. The story is based on a true scientific study called cryptozoology, where scientists try to prove the existence of many cryptids like dinosaurs, the Sasquatch, or the Loch Ness Monster. Then there is the setting on Wolfe’s private island, Cryptos, off the coast of Washington where he and his partner, Ted Bronson, invent revolutionary technologies. Finally there are the two main characters of Marty and Grace. They may be related and geniuses in their own way, but Marty and Grace are far from being similar in looks or thinking. This is part of a four book series with Tentacles as Cryptid Hunters’ sequel.