One of my favorite tropes in middle-grade and young adult stories is the concept of the main character loving one of their parents but not being particularly close to them… so when that parent dies or disappears, the main character toils with missing and grieving them, yet feeling like they don’t really know who they’re grieving or missing… at least until an incredible or terrible secret is revealed, shaking up everything they thought they knew about their parent.

That’s the exact position young Edwin finds himself in inside the story of Edwin and the Quest for Drow: The Beginning by Gordon C. Allan. While he deeply loved his father, wanted to spend time with him, and was generally curious about the mysterious work his father frequently traveled off to work on alongside his friend, Cedric Bellamy – Edwin felt somewhat distant from his grief and worried more about his utterly distraught mother.

When his mother told him that she needed to go away for a few days to settle his father’s affairs, Edwin was ready to help his mother in any way, but he was a little reluctant (if also curious) when his mother asked him to stay with the elusive Cedric Bellamy Edwin had heard so much about but never met. Knowing that this would help his mother, and bonus points, might even help him learn a little more about his late father, Edwin agrees to stay at Cedric’s large, rambling manor for several weeks, not realizing the story he was beginning to write for himself.

Join the Quest Now

Edwin and the Quest for Drow: The Beginning

Written by Gordon C. Allan

Scholarcom Support Services Ltd. (March 2025)

129 pages

ASIN: B0F1ZFYRZD

“Edwin and the Quest for Drow is an incredible, pulse-pounding, mind-bending, book-centric, keep-you-guessing story that will make you want to flip the pages faster than you can read them.” – McKenzie Lynn Tozan 

At the manor, Edwin fortunately feels an immediate bond with Cedric while feeling guarded around the strange, uptight, if not downright bitter Mr. Phonic. While becoming acquainted, Cedric explains his passion for book collecting and preserving antique books in the manor’s library. Edwin’s mind is first drawn to the fact that the books might be his only source of entertainment at the manor, and he dreads it, but then he realizes a more important question: Was his father interested in book collecting, too? What would be so dangerous about book collecting that it would lead to someone’s untimely death?

After Cedric gives Edwin a tour of the manor and tells him a little more about the family history of the place, he tells Edwin that he can only be on the main floor where his room and dining hall are, as well as the observatory on the very top floor; the floors in-between were banned because of “renovation,” which Edwin immediately finds suspicious. Mr. Phonic gives Edwin an access card to use the elevator that goes up to the observatory, but while passing the card to Edwin, he drops the pile of access cards and accidentally gives one to Edwin that can access other areas of the manor, rather than just the two floors. Realizing his mistake and eager to find something to do to enjoy himself, Edwin goes to another floor where he meets two strange, if not haunting, figures who somehow are words from a book. They’re eager for help, as a character called Drow had stepped into their book and taken over their world, and they knew that Drow planned to conquer book after book, collecting loyal characters along the way to build an army.

With the power of imagination and magic, Edwin steps into the characters’ world to try to help them, but it’s far from being as easy as reading words on a page or keeping an antique book in a cool enough space. Rather, Drow and the minions he’s collected seem to be everywhere, and it’s hard to know who to trust or what obstacles could be lurking around the next corner of the world of a book that Edwin’s never even read yet.

And in case all of THAT wasn’t enough for you, well, early in the story, Cedric Bellamy promised that he would do his best to have a long lunch with Edwin during Edwin’s stay at the manor so that they could have a “good chat” about his late father, what he was working on, and what all of that meant for Edwin. Despite the wonders and perils of Edwin’s journey, the secrets Cedric holds of his late father back at the manor might be even greater… or even worse.

After all, Gordon Allan promised that Edwin and the Quest for Drow was only “The Beginning.”

Edwin and the Quest for Drow is an incredible, pulse-pounding, mind-bending, book-centric, keep-you-guessing story that will make you want to flip the pages faster than you can read them. It’s a perfect read for those who grew up in fantastical lands with wardrobes and hidden rooms and secrets to unlock, and it especially took me back to my childhood, watching The Pagemaster and The NeverEnding Story, both of which bear a mystical and intellectual resemblance. If you’re looking for a great new adventure, don’t let this being middle-grade stop you; the labels don’t apply here!

About Gordon C. Allan

For over 30 years, Gordon C. Allan has been a passionate educator and communicator—a Head of School, teacher, and a Director of Communications and Admissions. Edwin and the Quest for Drow and A Place to Be Me were both inspired by his years in Education and his wacky trips to Asia when he recruited students,