 |
| Tour Schedule |
Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him.
As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
EXCERPT
“You
really don’t know anything, do you? Your bloodline, if the information I have
is true that is, makes you something like royalty among our kind. That’s why so
many monsters have gathered to kill you tomorrow.”
I swallowed hard. Having someone
talk so casually about my death was a little unnerving.
“What are they waiting for? If they’re
already here, why don’t they just attack me now?”
“The Rule of Quattuordecim.”
Before I could stop myself, I
blurted out, “What’s the Rule of Quarter…Quantero…”
She smiled. “And that’s question
five. Quattuordecim. It means fourteen in Latin. Hundreds of years ago, there
was a terrible battle between man and monsters. The Black Guard, of course, was
at the heart of it all, but the monsters were so brazen that we were forced to
enlist the help of normal men to help fight them. In a midst of the war, a
terrible mistake was made. Blinded by the bloodlust of war, the Black Guard
found and massacred an encampment of monster children.”
“But…they were monsters, right?” I
asked.
She looked at me through narrowed
eyes. “Yes, but they were still children.” I looked down at the ground, feeling
embarrassed. “After seeing what the humans had done, the monsters were overcome
with rage. They systematically hunted down the human children of the Black Guard
and took their revenge. The pain inflicted on both sides was so great that a
meeting was held between man and monster to call a truce. The terms of the
truce stated that all children, whether man or monster, were off-limits until
sundown on their fourteenth birthday. The Rule of Quattuordecim.”
“So, you’re saying there are
monsters all over Sunnyvale, just waiting for me to turn fourteen…so they can
kill me?”
“Oh, they don’t only want to kill
you. They want to inflict so much pain that you literally beg for death. After
they do that, then they’ll kill you.” Eva stood up, drew her sword and sliced
it through the air. “Right,” she said cheerily. “That’s it for questions. Are
you ready to get started?”
“So I’m supposed to learn how to
fight off a horde of monsters between now and tomorrow? I don’t even know what kind of monsters are
coming after me.”
Eva cried out and lunged at me with
her sword. I jumped, falling to the ground, barely dodging her blade.
“Are you crazy?” I yelled.
But she was back on the attack,
swinging the sword over her head like it was an ax. I rolled to one side and
the sword buried into the soft soil where my head had been only seconds before.
I scrambled to my feet and grabbed a
tree branch from the ground. A day earlier, I would hardly have been able to
lift the branch, so I was glad to have my newfound strength. I held it in front
of me with two hands, mimicking the way Eva held her sword.
With a cry, Eva launched her attack.
I fended it off with the tree branch but it was no match for her sword. The
metal blade took huge chunks out of the branch with every blow.
Finally, she landed a solid blow and
sliced the tree branch in half, then knocked the rest from my hand. Lightning
quick, she stepped forward, put a foot behind mine and pushed me over. I landed
hard, knocking the wind out of my lungs.
As I looked up, Eva jumped, her
sword twirling in her hand as her battle cry filled the air.
I held my hands up to my face and
closed my eyes.
But the expected pain never came.
Slowly, carefully, I opened my eyes.
Eva was poised over me, a foot
planted on either side of my chest. She was leaning down, her face inches from
mine. The tip of her sword hovered over my eyeball, so close that I could feel
the blade with my eyelash when I blinked.
“And, just like that, you’re dead.”
Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.
Kirkus Reviews
"Gunhus brings young readers a monster-filled romp to read at their own risk. In the first few pages, Jack, the storyteller and main character, warns readers not to read about these real-world monsters that would seem to only exist in fiction. The tone is set--sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek and likable; rooting for Jack is easy...Gunhus masterfully introduces fully realized characters with whom readers can connect almost instantly. The pacing is quick but not rushed, and events seamlessly progress, complete with action, cliff-hangers and surprise reveals. "
Amazon Reviews
Watch out Percy Jackson here comes Jack Templar
Move over Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, there's a new kid in town - Jack Templar, and he will take you on a wonderful adventure of good vs evil, with friends and enemies at every turn. The twists and turns keep the reader on a roller coaster of entertainment in the way of JK Rowling and Rick Riordan. ~ Penny Brein
Fast paced adventure through and through
Written for middle school aged students, this book is action-packed from the beginning and will hold the attention of young readers. Not only that, as an adult reader, it was hard to put down, so parents will enjoy it as an easy read. ~ bluejellybean
Kids will love it!
Not only will kids love it, adults will too! I don't want to give the plot away but this is a book worth reading. This book is creatively written drawing in the reader to be a participant in the story. There is lots of action with enough blood and guts to be interesting without being gross. Girls will like it too with the strong female role models and the hint of romance. Even though this is a children's book, I couldn't put it down. I will definitely be adding this to my classroom library. I am looking forward to reading the book in this series and sharing it with my students. Awesome book! ~ pixiep
Purchase
Book Trailer
WARNING
Yeah, you read it right. I’m a monster hunter. Back before I actually became one, I would have thought that sounded totally awesome. And don’t get me wrong, in a lot of ways it is. But most of the time, I’m either running for my life or hiding in the shadows, praying the monster chasing me doesn’t pick up my scent. And I’m almost always scared to death. In a few pages, I think you’ll see why.
But there are a few things I need to warn you about before I tell you my story.
First, this isn’t a cartoon. These are bloodthirsty creatures who will stop at nothing to kill. They are scary. Very scary. Second, the only way to stop them is to kill them first…and that gets gross and messy. Third, this is all real.
You think I’m kidding, don’t you? I can almost see you smirking as you read this. But this isn’t a joke. Monsters are real and the story I’m about to tell you really happened. If you’d rather walk through life believing that monsters are only found in books or on the movie screen, then you should shut this book right now and go do something else.
I give you these warnings because the story I’m about to tell you isn’t for everyone. Not everyone can handle it. The blood. The gore. The monsters.
This life was thrust onto me. I had no choice but to take up a sword and fight. But you can still walk away and pretend this dark world doesn’t exist. Or you can walk through the door that I’m about to open and find out the truth about the world around you.
But I warn you (and this is a big warning), if you read this book, if you learn about the monsters that roam among us and the hunters who fight them, if you decide to learn the truth, then you will become fair game for the monsters to chase.
Make sure you understand what I’m saying.
If you read this book, you will be part of this world and the monsters will come after you too. You will start to see things that no other humans can see. The shadows will move when you walk near them. The creatures of the night will seek you out, testing the doors and windows of your house, looking for a way in.
And, at some point, they will find you, just like they found me, and you will be forced to defend yourself.
So, think carefully before you turn the page, because once you do, there’s no turning back.
Ever.
Once a monster hunter, always a monster hunter.
See you on the other side.
If you’re brave enough.
Blog Tour $50 Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash + Swag
Ends 2/18/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hi! Thanks for hosting Jack Templar Monster Hunter and helping to get the word out. I appreciate it!
ReplyDelete