Paladin Pawn

Chess Quest, Book 1

By: Michael Young

Narrated by: Scott Connolly

When nerdy Rich Witz unwittingly becomes a Paladin, a white knight in training, he is thrust into a world where flunking a test can change the course of history, and a mysterious bully is playing for keeps with his life.

Rich’s grandmother leaves him with one thing before disappearing for good: a white chess pawn with his initials engraved on it. The pawn marks him as the next in an ancient line of white knights. He must prove himself in a life or death contest against his Nemesis, a dark knight in training, all while dealing with math homework and English projects.

With the ghost of an ancestor for his guide, he has seven days to complete four tasks of valor before his Nemesis does, or join his guide in the realm of the dead. As Rich rushes to complete the tasks, he realizes the chilling truth: his Nemesis is masquerading as someone at school, and will stop at nothing to make him fail.

As the tasks grow ever harder, the other knights reveal to him that his failure will break a centuries-old chain and bring the Paladin order to ruin. If he fails, the dark knights win the right to control the fate of the world, a world without hope or the possibility of a new dawn. So this is one exam Rich has to ace, with no curve or extra credit to save him.

©2015 Michael D. Young (P)2023 Michael D. Young

Fun Fantasy Mix- Knights of the RoundTable & Chess

Parents- PG- middle school and up - drug usage shown
Language- None
Violence- PG- normal to genre nothing too graphic
Sexual Content- none

This is the start of a fun new fantasy in a real-world setting with a mix of the Knights of the Round Table and Chess. Rich is a nerdy 8th grader who gets pulled into this new realm and meets some of his ancestors who start him on a quest of his own and send him a guide that's his age but from a much older time. The world-building is great and the characters are relatable and keep you engaged in the story. This is a series that ends kind of abruptly and pushes you into getting the next in the series. I do recommend this one to fantasy and chess lovers, it is a fun read.

Narrator- He did great with the differentiations and was easy to listen to.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Interesting

Definitely an interesting story and the Chess pieces were an interesting object to see used. I do think the story could have been a bit better, however with the style that it was written it is still a fairly good book even for younger readers.

A spectacular quest begins

Received as an audio review copy from Story Origin, this is an honest review. Wonderfully narrated by Scott Connolly, Paladin: Pawn is a witty and intense adventure as Rich, an eighth grader bully magnet whose life changes the day he receives two boxes each containing a chess pawn along with a mysterious challenge Rich accepts- unknowing what he's just gotten into. From that moment onward, family secrets Rich could have never fathomed spilled forth that changes how they young man views his family; now Rich gets the chance to prove his worth and discover his future as a knight in a world that's beginning to unfold before him.


Highly recommended.

The Beginning of the Quest

I enjoyed this first book in the series. I appreciated that the author used both a piece from the game of Chess and a character group from the game of Dungeons and Dragons which added a more contemporary feel to the story. I thought the character of Rich Witz was written with a realistic flair. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I thought Scott Connolly's narration was good, and his performance enhanced the story's entertainment. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to leave this review which included my honest opinions regarding this story.