Dead Ball

April 1, 2006
Adult/High School -In Forbeck's fantasy kingdom, where the most popular sport -Blood Bowl -is a violent form of gridiron football, anything goes. Dunk Hoffnung is a thrower for the Blood Bay Hackers and was the most valuable player his rookie year. Now it's his second season, and the -play - is bloodier and more violent than ever. This time, though, the stakes are higher as Dunk has to battle not only opposing players, but also his own teammates. The coach, Pegleg, has vowed that his team will no longer be losers. He decides that the Hackers need to find the Far Albion Cup, a trophy that's said to make its owner a winner. The only problem is that the cup has been missing for the last 500 years. That doesn't stop Pegleg, though; after a grueling game in which the team loses 11 players, the boys head over to Albion and meet up with Olsen Merlin, a wizard who just might know where to find the cup. Along the way, the coach becomes possessed by an evil spirit that inhabits it. Readers looking for humorous fantasy along the lines of Robert Asprin's -M.Y.T.H. Inc. - series (Ace) will love the offbeat characters and game. Even better -one doesn't need to be a football fan or know much about the sport to be able to understand the game." -Erin Dennington, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.