The King�The Menace�The Quest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) September 9, 2004 -- OLATHE, KS: he doesn't have a lot of friends�even his brother scorns and hates him. But JaRed, the scrawny one they call Runt, is destined for greatness. He will deliver his people from evil, and if he can survive his enemies (including the current king), a seer has foretold that he will be the next king.

JaRed the field mouse discovers that a bloodthirsty army of rats is about to invade the underground city of Tira-Nor. But although he lacks the power, strength and experience of the other mice, JaRed is the only one brave enough to challenge the rat king, the biggest and meanest of them all, in solo combat.

With echoes of the great underdog (undermouse?) struggles of history, from David and Goliath and Joan of Arc to the brave partisans who resisted the Nazis�and of The Lord of the Rings and other epic quests in young adult literature�JaRed seeks his destiny even as larger forces threaten to crush his entire city.

Filled with great characters, humor, and just plain good storytelling, RUNT THE BRAVE pits good against evil, right against might, and the struggles of a lonely young figure to find his place in the world against a society that barely knows he exists.

�This is YA/Mid-grade fantasy at its absolute best! It not only earned five hearts, it scored an almost impossible 100% score using our demanding evaluation rubrics ... Although not scored, the illustrations, the cover, and the interior design were absolutely top-notch�better than much which comes out of England and New York. This was an amazing read, richly deserving its five hearts."
� Bob Spear, Publisher and Chief Reviewer, Heartland Reviews

This young adult book is the debut novel by Daniel Schwabauer, M.A., editor of Crosswind Comics and developer of educational materials for at-risk youth and prison inmates. He has published short stories, political columns, radio scripts, and a stage play.