Venom Wars of the Desert Realm by Michael C. Baumann is an excellent adventure tale for young readers. It’s a classic story of good versus evil set in a world of intelligent animals. The dark forces of evil have defeated King Aridin, the brave eagle, and are gathering their forces to bring every good animal under their power. The dark side is made up mostly of reptiles and flying bugs. The side of the light is populated by birds, mammals, and some of the crawling insects. Our heroes are three courageous rabbits, young brothers who lost their parents years earlier. They are joined by a brave female owl in their quest to defeat the army of a giant lizard named Hillmaken.

All the elements of a heroic adventure are present in Michael C. Baumann’s Venom Wars of the Desert Realm. Our heroes, three rabbits and an owl, are lovable, fun, and self-sacrificing. The young rabbits are especially enjoyable as they tackle every obstacle and every foe with great fighting skills, hearts of gold, and a little bit of magic. The villains are despicable through and through and easy to dislike. The plot keeps moving at a brisk pace but somehow manages to keep readers guessing at what will happen next. Parents, if you’re looking for a book that will make your young boy or girl want to read, this it. His bio says that Mr. Baumann has four kids. I can tell, after reading his book, that this is one author who has learned a few things about what kids want in a story. With Venom Wars of the Desert Realm, he has successfully incorporated his knowledge into a great book, soon to be a great series.

“The brethren triad, with hearts of gold, will fight to regain what the evil ones hold. With tools from the north and a shell from the line, paths guided and guarded by nature divine.” Venom Wars of the Desert Realm by Michael C. Baumann starts with a rather grim chapter, as the eagle king Aridin and his wife Sparra are attacked by Eelion the snake and his minions. They take the couple’s unborn prince, the Oonakestree, to fulfill the Venomous Ones’ dark prophecy. If not rescued, the Oonakestree will be corrupted and will reign in the Desert Realm with cruelty. However, all is not lost, as the Old Poem has spoken of three hare siblings who can save the prince; Nick, Cade, and Sam.

The story concept slightly reminds me of The Jungle Book’s Law of the Jungle and the premise has the prerequisites to offer young readers a solid epic fantasy; good versus evil, prophesied young heroes and an epic quest to save the world from evil times. Great world-building is not easy to create, particularly in the fantasy genre, but Baumann deftly incorporates elements that we are already acquainted with in the real world. As a result, navigating through the intricate law and system of the Desert Realm, the landscapes, the magic and the history is flawless as familiarization comes easily. The eye-catching illustrations by Keira Negali enliven the story even more and the characters are highly memorable. Nick, Cade, and Sam portray the strong bond between brothers. Honu the great tortoise is depicted as the wise mentor against the evil ancient lizard Hillmaken, who wants nothing more than to change the Desert Realm according to the Venom ways. Olivia the owl, a mother figure to the orphaned young heroes, shows tremendous courage during hard times and is my favorite character. Overall, Baumann’s highly engaging Venom Wars of the Desert Realm is a wonderful adventure for young readers.