Embark on a new YA Fantasy adventure with Young Crusaders, Merlin’s Rings book 1 by Virginia Hoyt, narrated by Steven Ritz-Barr
Hello again, dear audiobooks friends! From time to time, I am drawn to novels that are dedicated to young adults, especially when they are fantasy. This is why today I’m really excited to shine a spotlight on Young Crusaders, the first novel in the Merlin’s Rings series written by Virginia Hoyt.
The audiobook version of Young Crusaders is narrated by Steven Ritz-Barr, has a hefty runtime of almost 12 hours, and it’s published by Classics in Miniature.
Classics in Miniature was established as a film production company and has released several award-winning marionette films since the early 2000s. Since its inception, the company has been tasked with bringing history and certain works of classic literature to life.
Beginning in 2019, the company has branched out to literature, publishing audiobooks in both the fiction and non-fiction genres, including the YA saga Merlin’s Rings: The Young Crusaders and the textbook To Embody the Marvelous by Dr. Esther Fernandez (with Vanderbilt University Press), about the history of puppetry arts in Spain. In late 2022, Classics is set to release Pinocchio Untangled, written by its founder Steven Ritz-Barr, which is an in-depth study of the most famous puppet in the world.
I will attach the Publisher’s Summary below for those interested to find out more about the story, and after that, I will introduce you to our narrator, and author.
Elaine “The Mink” LaCroix has just cat-burglared into a temple in Japan and reaches for the Eye of Buddha – a blazing green emerald as big as a man’s fist – when she slumps to the ground. A white bony hand strips the glowing silver ring from her finger. Half a world away, Merlin opens his eyes and whispers, “It is not to be, little Mink”, then drifts to the sleep of the enchanted.
The year is now, and the only ones standing between light and darkness are four unlikely teenagers and an Oxford professor. The defeat of the Dark Powers depends on their locating the legendary wizard, Merlin, and finishing a quest begun by their Camelot forefathers…all over the course of a one-week Spring Break.
Lucas Moreno lives in Texas, and he is joined by the others – from Morocco, Japan, and Ireland. They share only two things: the inheritance of medieval rings forged by Merlin, and the murders of their fathers. The rings set the Crusaders on a path where they must battle human monsters and fantastical creatures to save the world and each other. It could be right out of one of Lucas’s video games. Only this one’s for real.
Steven Ritz-Barr is a Narrator, Storyteller, and Voice Actor, plus a SAG-AFTRA member since 1990. I leave him to introduce himself:
I began narrating and producing audiobooks full-time in 2019, after 4 decades as a professional puppeteer in the film (Batman Returns, Men in Black, Alien 4), television, and theater worlds in Paris and Los Angeles.
My journey to audiobook narration is a personal one.
I witnessed my father’s dozen years of macular degeneration each day when I was a young teen. A non-reader his entire life, the Blind Association sent him cassette audio books and a tape recorder. Watching the joy he experienced everyday because of Audiobook listening was palpable. It transformed his life in tangible ways regarding empathy, and tolerance of others. With this in mind, in the early 2000s I narrated Textbooks for the Blind and Dyslexic as a volunteer, and listened to many audiobooks.
Steven Ritz-Barr is a Fluent French speaker and has a basic understanding of German and Spanish.
Author of the Merlin’s Rings YA saga Virginia Hoyt is a writer, and attorney; married with two dogs – a golden retriever and a flat-coated retriever; soon to be a full-time writer living in Santa Monica, CA.
I’ll see you later this August for a full review of Young Crusaders, but until then, take care, stay safe, and don’t forget, always listen with your heart!
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I also post reviews or articles at the author, narrator, or publisher’s request, so, if you are in need of assistance in finding the perfect narrator for your book or just want to have a review on my blog, do get in touch.
Victor Dima
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