Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Read! I Loved It!
Review: Having waded through the endless swamp of so many dull, uninspired children's books, I was pleasantly surprised when I found this novel. That's because Swords for Hire is a special children's book indeed. It will definitely hold your kids' attention. Of course, you really can't go wrong with a story that has a king, a dungeon, a damsel in distress and a villain named Boneman. Will Allen has done a masterful job of building the story and makes it easy for the young reader to follow along. His characters have delightful names like Rigby Skeet, King Olive and Boonder, and although the plot bears a passing resemblance to others, the offbeat story itself is all Will Allen's. And it's a good one. Swords for Hire is one of the few children's books out these days that is fun for kids as well as adults. Very enjoyable. You'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read! I Loved It!
Review: Having waded through the endless swamp of so many dull, uninspired children's books, I was pleasantly surprised when I found this novel. That's because Swords for Hire is a special children's book indeed. It will definitely hold your kids' attention. Of course, you really can't go wrong with a story that has a king, a dungeon, a damsel in distress and a villain named Boneman. Will Allen has done a masterful job of building the story and makes it easy for the young reader to follow along. His characters have delightful names like Rigby Skeet, King Olive and Boonder, and although the plot bears a passing resemblance to others, the offbeat story itself is all Will Allen's. And it's a good one. Swords for Hire is one of the few children's books out these days that is fun for kids as well as adults. Very enjoyable. You'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, much faster delivery than quoted!
Review: I read about this book in a story in the newspaper. It's a fantasy book that was written over 20 years ago, but the author died just after writing it. Now his brother has had Swords for Hire published, and it has won several national awards.
I bought the book for my daughter, who read it last weekend. It's pretty short, but she laughed a lot, and really liked it- she compared it to Pirates of the Caribbean (the movie, that is!).
On the Swords for Hire website it says that the newspaper article I read ran in many cities around the country, and some bookstores have sold out, but there are plenty of copies available from the distributor.
And that must be right-- when I ordered, Amazon quoted a long delivery time, but I got my copy in less than a week.
Rating:
Summary: A fast, easy read for all ages...
Review: I'm always on the lookout for a good read and found this little gem via sfsite.com, a sci-fi/fantasy website. Since the reviews there compared Swords for Hire to "The Princess Bride," (one of my all-time favorite books) I decided to take a chance and order it and, in fact, it does have a very similar tone and humor.
Short chapters (a la James Patterson) make this book a quick and easy read (perfect for younger readers) but the wit and intelligence of the writing sets Swords For Hire above the typical run-of-the-mill fantasy so that older readers can enjoy it too.
Humor isn't an easy thing to write and there were sections in this book that literally made me laugh out loud. An extremely enjoyable, witty read that I can highly recommend to readers of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: The story is fast and fun and often surprising
Review: Sam Hatcher is a normal, if a bit cynical, farm boy who is clearly not destined to become a farmer. His father recognizes this and sends him off to join the Royal Guard on his sixteenth birthday. Thus begins an adventure that teams him up with Rigby Skeet, a mentor who is slightly deranged, on a quest to rescue the true King from the dungeon in which his slimy, worm-loving brother has imprisoned him.
The story is fast and fun and often surprising, taking a classic adventure story and saturating it with humor and irony, smashing through clichés as quickly as the protagonists smash through obstacles. Sam is no starry-eyed apprentice and his mentor is no all-knowing master, and this lack of established adventure story roles leaves room for so much more. This story was loved by every kid with whom it was shared, from age seven to age fifteen, and the adults who read it loved it even more.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: Sam Hatcher lived on a farm until he turned sixteen. Then he became an apprentice to Rigby Skeet, Sword For Hire. A smuggled message landed in their hands to reveal that the "deceased king" was not really dead. Instead, King Olive was caged in a far away dungeon and guarded by "the Boneman". The two set out to rescue their true king from the evil guards. I found this story to be an absolute delight! All through the book I chuckled and often I found myself laughing out loud. The author expressed even the most common things in the most unusual and humorous ways. For example: "Imagine a dark, sinister-looking castle, then multiply by two and you'd have the castle of the Boneman." The author also added some strange personalities that kids of all ages cannot help but find amusing, such as the false king who enjoyed nothing more than putting worms on top of his head. It is things such as these that will make young readers WANT to read. Each chapter is short, which is recommended for younger readers as well. And of course, there must be (and is) a beautiful damsel in distress that needs to be rescued. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: Great piece of fun fiction
Review: Swords for Hire" is a humorous and exciting medieval adventure. Inspired by "The Princess Bride", the style is similar enough that anyone who enjoyed that book should enjoy this one. Although it is written for the juvenile market (age 9 or so and older) it is still a delightful read for anyone. For a younger person the first thirty pages are somewhat slow but required in order to lay the foundation for the rest of the book. On the other hand, once you get to the section on "The Oddball" it picks up speed, the two primary characters become well developed and the book takes off. After that it is hard to put the book down and you may find yourself sitting up to finish it. "Swords for Hire" is a highly recommended and enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Do yourself a favor: Swords is good medicine
Review: Swords is sublime. Smart, quick, funny and unexpected -- you'll gulp it down and then wish you had made it last longer. You'll share it with everyone you know just so you can talk about it again and again. Get at least two copies; one to keep and some to share. Swords stirs up classic adventure with offbeat characters and waggish dialogue to deliver a hearty, crowd-pleasing read. After I finished the book, I read it to my 2nd grade son. He was hooked at the opening line and begged, "Please just one more chapter!" Several friends' kids from 8 to 17 have quickly devoured Swords as soon as I passed it on, choosing it for book reports and telling friends about it. My first copy still hasn't made it back to me I'm told it's been read by an entire household and is making its way through another. Few books have the potential to be a favorite among multiple generations, but Swords for Hire seems to have enough magic for everyone. Though Swords is the first we've seen from the young late Allen, don't think you're getting lightweight writing with this book. Swords may be fresh and witty but it exhibits the sophistication and craftsmanship of a seasoned novelist. I found it no surprise to learn that Allen wrote for most of his short life: his Swords is an unconventional classic that can stand with the best. You'll be proud to say you read it and loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a whole lot here worth your time...
Review: There are some funny moments, and an occasional spark of brilliance, but this read is mostly tedious. It feels like a first novel--but more than that, if feels like a first novel that wouldn't normally find a publisher. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but this book isn't very well-written. Looking for fun and funny--and well written--SF/Fantasy? Read Douglas Adams, Tom Holt, Robert Asprin or Terry Pratchett.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic in the Making!
Review: This book captured the imagination of my middle-schoolers like
no other I have seen in a long while. The book swoops you up and
takes you along on a fast-paced adventure full of humor and suspense.
My boys literally couldn't put it down! I must admit I enjoyed it
every bit as much as they did - finding it clever and highly original
without any of the plodding descriptive imagery that tends to
inhabit the fantasy genre.
After finishing "Swords For Hire", my 12 year old carefully
placed it on the "shelf of honor" in his room, right alongside
his cherished copies of the "Lord of the Rings Trilogy" and
the "Harry Potter" series. I can't think of a better recom-
mendation than that!
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