The Adventurers Guild is the first book in The Adventurers Guild series by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos. This YA Fantasy was released 2017 by Disney-Hyperion and I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Johnny Heller.
The story is focused on the two friends Brock and his half elven friend Zed. When they become of age, they must join a guild. Zed, being half elf is in risk of being refused because of his blood, but too his luck he was chosen to become a member of the Mages Guild, but his dream was snatched away by the Adventurers Guild, the guild which no one survives. The Guild no one wants to enter. Brock, seeing his friends’ distress is the first to volunteer to become a member of the Adventurers Guild. Soon after they meet new friends, all while the city of Freestone is threaten as the wards protecting the city is weakened by the monsters outside, but the Adventurers Guild suspect that the threat comes from the inside, and only they can find the threat and save the city.
There are a bunch of characters in this one, so I will outline the most important ones. Zed is a half elf, growing up as an outcast and being one of the few people in the city being able to become a sorcerer, one naturally able to use magic. He is shy and uncertain of himself but has a strong will to help people, even willing to put himself at harm to save others. Brock is a child of the Merchant Guild, cocky and constantly cracking jokes. He is a cunning guy with a secret mission to spy on the Adventurers Guild so that he can pave a path out of the guild for Zed and himself. He is very protective of Zed, even willing to face down intrigued and betrayal to protect him.
We also have the girl of the group Liza, a noble from a family filled with knights but was denied the right to be one since girls aren’t suppose to fight. She volunteers for the Adventurers Guild in order to become a fighter and is one of the few in the group actually prepared for the new life in the dangerous guild. I would call her a token girl but they did try to do something with her. I just feel like they stumbled a bit. First she was the snobbish girl no one wanted, then they turned her into a capable leader only to make her run off crying, forgetting her weapons. Then she is the support of Zed, who is without a doubt the most powerful in the group. I feel like they wasn’t sure what to do with her.
We also have some other characters such as the dwalf Jett who gets hurt and doesn’t show up until the end, pretty much not doing anything other than to show us readers that this is a dangerous life they are living. Micah show up at the end, entering the group as a healing being thrown out of the healers’ guild and begging the Adventurers Guild to take him. We have the leader of the Adventurers Guild, Front, who is a grumpy, battle worn woman with a bitter view of the world.
Frankly, other than Zed and Brock and don’t think the rest had much importance. They tried to make Liza more important but she falls a bit flat, having little importance to the story. The story itself feels like a fantasy version of the Divergent series, with walls and a dangerous outside and guild you get selected for and if you don’t you will live on the streets as a guild less, and starve. It’s not a copy, but you will feel the similarities in the base if you have read that series. This one just focuses on the dangers outside more, actually showing it to us and has the danger of warlocks and witches instead of divergents.
The writing is easy enough to follow, the characters are fine if a bit too many. Some of them, such as the dwalf Jett could easily been removed from the story, and probably Liza as well, but I guess a girl is needed. I mean sooner or later someone will need to get a girlfriend. It will probably end in a love triangle with Zed and Brock. Girls are good at destroying friendships after all, but I shouldn’t blame the book for tropes it hadn’t used… yet.
There were a few infodumps, very common for fantasy, many of them were unnecessary, at least in this book, but they weren’t too long or too annoying so I won’t hold it against them. Overall, it was a decent book. Nothing really stuck out for me, but it was wholesome. I would recommend it for children, around 10-15 years old who want a fantasy adventure. I personally would rate it a 7 out of 10, it was a good book with a familiar feel too it. Nothing too new, but decent enough to lift above the tropes. I can understand if this would be someone’s favorite book.
With Kind Regards
Senefer.
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