The Lost Heir

The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1

By: E.G. Foley

Narrated by: Jamie du Pont MacKenzie

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Strange new talents....

Jake is a scrappy orphaned pickpocket living by his wits on the streets of Victorian London. Lately he’s started seeing ghosts and discovers he can move solid objects with his mind! He has no idea why. Next thing he knows, a Sinister Gentleman and his minions come hunting him. On the run for his life, Jake is plunged headlong into a mysterious world full of magic and deadly peril. A world that holds the secret to who he really is: the long-lost heir of an aristocratic family - with magical powers!

But with treacherous enemies closing in, it will take all of his wily street instincts and the help of his friends - both human and magical - to solve the mystery of what happened to his parents, and defeat the foes who never wanted the Lost Heir of Griffon to be found....

©2012 E.G. Foley (P)2013 E.G. Foley

A fun read but borrows many themes from others

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the book, it was a good listen which I was happy to keep turning on during the car trip. Younger listeners were riveted and couldn't wait. Well read listeners will be quick to note the many borrowed themes in the book, orphan gets magical powers at 13, main characters making stupid decisions, history lessons, and an over protective body guard. Despite this I don't think anyone will be disappointed with this book.

Hidden Gem

I initially bought this book with low expectations. I enjoyed the narrator on the sample but otherwise I expected the book to so-so. I was surprised to find that the book is fun, imaginative, magical, and witty. The book is right up there with Harry Potter. The story is intended to be YA but it is written intelligently and the author, wisely, did not dumb down the language. The narrator is excellent and a joy to listen to. This is a great book for kids and adults alike. Well worth the credit.

Enjoyable, even if a bit derivative

This is the first of a series of children novels set in a steampunk Victorian era. Think Harry Potter during Queen Victoria's reign with some steam mechanicals. First let me say that I and my daughter did really enjoy this novel, in fact my 8 y'old daughter finished it in 2 days. The characters are diverse and interesting. The relationships between the characters are what really makes this novel. Additionally, the narration was in my opinion, spot on for this novel. Although, the narrator is not exactly a "master of voices"..his "young girl voice" definitely sounds like a grown man pretending to sound like a young girl, to the point that I wondered at first if he was mocking the character. But his voices are consistent, and overall his cadence and speed was excellent.
Now for the story itself, as the title and cover infers, this is a story of a young boy, Jake, who is the long lost heir to an earldom. The current earl tries to kill him to prevent being deposed and all sorts of ugliness ensues and is revealed. During the course of this plot line we meet all sorts of magical creatures and characters. This is where things get a bit derivative, you will recognize many of these characters from various other stories and movies. For example, the sea hag in this story is almost identical to the sea hag in The Little Mermaid. Jake's origin story is very similar to Septimus Heap, additionally the ghost interactions also reminded me of the Septimus Heap series. There are other examples, but I think you get what I am saying. Despite this, all the characters work. I liked them all, and I even really liked the evil antagonist.
The story never gets too dark for young kids, and avoids being to simplistic for adults. I highly recommend this novel as a fun family friendly listen.

So cool

This book is amazing Ioved it like sans stayed in that comic so cool so cool.

I’m convinced all enjoy the whole series!

The story isn’t anything new, but the execution is excellent. The characters are charming, witty, and believable. There’s enough novelty and suspense to keep it intriguing throughout. I enjoyed listening with my six-year-old, and I’m sure will follow through with the complete series. Thanks Foley, for an excellent dive.

I totally enjoyed this book

from beginning to end this was a wonderful story. I could not put it down.

Magnificent fun read!

I loved this story. It's September "22. I was looking for an entertaining book. Man did I ever find it! I can hardly wait to start the next book.

Fun use of imagination

We enjoyed listening to a good clean audiobook as a family and loved the narration and use of our imagination.

Great story

Enjoyable book and looking forward to book 2. The reader was amazing and the book is great for all ages!!

Best books

The best books I've ever read kind of like Harry Potter and that's why I like it