A Review of the first three books in the Grey Griffins Series
Reviewed by: Chris Tilley
About the authors:
Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis have been best friends since diapers. They grew up sharing birthday parties, Saturday morning cartoons, comic books and baseball cards, and spent much of their childhood exploring the sprawling woodlands behind Derek’s family farm, which they secretly suspected was enchanted. They are the authors of three previous books featuring The Grey Griffins: The Revenge of the Shadow King,The Rise of the Black Wolf and The Fall of the Templar.
Derek Benz currently lives with his wife and son in New Jersey.
J.S. Lewis lives with his wife and daughters in Arizona.
About the books:
THE REVENGE OF THE SHADOW KING
Max Sumner and his three best friends, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia — who form the secret club, The Grey Griffins — seem to be the only people in their very normal Minnesota town to notice that strange things have started to happen. When creatures like goblins and fairies and unicorns, all characters from a card game the Grey Griffins play begin to make appearances in Max’s backyard, Max and his friends know something is terribly wrong. And it’s up to them to stop the wicked creatures of the cards from destroying their town – indeed, their world. A thrilling new legend is born in the first book of the Grey Griffins’ magical adventures.
THE RISE OF THE BLACK WOLF
When Max Sumner and the Grey Griffins (Ernie, Natalia, and Harley) are invited to Lord Sumner’s castle in Scotland, they look forward to a relaxing vacation. But things go horribly awry when Max’s dad goes missing, and a band of seemingly indestructible werewolves comes after them. Will Max and the Grey Griffins be able to save his father and keep the powerful Spear of Ragnarok from falling into the wicked clutches of Morgan LaFey?
THE FALL OF THE TEMPLAR
The secrets to the Spear of Ragnarok have been unlocked, unleashing a power th
The Grey Griffins Clockwork Chronicles: Book 1 – The Brimstone Key by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis
Reviewed by: Chris Tilley
This is Part 2 of a the review. Read Part 1 here
Like father like son, I had to turn off the lights on him two nights in a row. One of those nights it was close to midnight. He had gone to bed, lights out and couldn’t sleep. So he turned on his light and started reading. I got up to get a glass of water and walked past his door. It was a little tough getting him up in the morning. The bottom line is he loved the book and had trouble putting it down.
What my son liked about the book
* What was your favourite part? Why?
This turned out to be a tough question because he liked all of the book. He kept thinking about what was the best part and finally settled on the end of it.
* Who is your favourite character? Why?
Ernie. Because he’s a changeling. He can go really fast. My son at this point bolts from the room, runs down the hall and back.
* Did any part of the book surprise you?
Yes. We had a good conversation about some of the twists and turns of the book that I won’t mention so others can be surprised as well. He was surprised by some of the same things that got me. For me that was part of the charm of the book was that it kept me guessing. I asked him if he found it hard to put down because of the twists and he agreed.
* Should we put the first three books on your Christmas list?
Yes. So they are now officially on my and my son’s Christmas lists.
* Did you find any part of the book scary?
Some but not too scary. Again we can not mention the scenes. Needless to say the book is an adventure and scary things happen.
* What was the coolest technology? Why?
The zephyr, a subway train that was alive.
My son also came up with three questions for author, Jon Lewis:
Question 1: What would you advise to an 8 year old who wants to be a writer?
To write whatever he/she loves to write about. If you love stories about sports, then write lots of stories about sport. Dragons? Then fill up a notebook with stories about dragons. Spies or detectives? Then write about them, too. Writing is like practicing a sport or an instrument, the more you do it the better you get — but you’ll work even harder if you focus on subjects you really like.
Question 2: What were your favourite books growing up?
Picture Book: Where the Wild Things Are
First Chapter Book(s): Narnia series
Novel(s): Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Question 3: What gave you the idea of Grey Griffin’s Series? Did the story change from your original idea?
Derek and I wanted to write a mixture of our favorite mythologies with our own exp
A Review of the first three books in the Grey Griffins Series 
THE REVENGE OF THE SHADOW KING
THE RISE OF THE BLACK WOLF
