He is too contrived, too unlikely of a hero (luckily the sword fights for itself). But his character doesn't extend far beyond his plump, stupid exterior. The only character that seems halfway believable is Alfred himself. They won't consider that they might possibly be on the wrong side, even when faced with certain death. The bad guys don't seem to even have a conscience. The bad guys ride motorcycles and carry guns. The good guys drive nice cars, ride horses, and use bows and arrows (though I will admit their "taking care of business" techniques leave a little to be desired). This book was chalk full of stock characters. Unfortunately, as well as there being no boring character development, what development there is was either shallow or overdone. There's nothing in the book that might cause parents to steer their children away except some minor violence, and people dying right and left. There is no boring character development and Alfred Kropp himself can be very entertaining (here and there). It's fast-paced, exciting, with barely any time to catch your breath and some Arthurian legend thrown in, just to keep you interested. But that only lasts for a couple of chapters. Aimed at young adult readers, it starts out slow, easing the reader into the story.
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