KEEPER OF THE KINGDOM
By H.J. Ralles
Top Publications, $9.95, February
2001, ISBN 1-929976-03-8
In 2540AD, the Kingdom of Zaul is a terrifying world controlled by
Cybergon ‘Protectors’ and ruled by ‘The Keeper’. Humans are
‘Worker’ slaves, eliminated without thought. Thank goodness this is just a
computer game – or is it? For Matt, Zaul suddenly becomes too real when his computer
jams and he is sucked into the game. Now he is trapped, hunted by the Protectors and
hiding among the Workers to survive. Matt must use his knowledge of computers and
technology to free the people of Zaul and return to his own world. Can Matt elude the
Protectors? Will Matt ever get home? Keeper of the Kingdom is a gripping tale for
today’s computer literate young adults.
Visit H.J. Ralles website 
Reviews
Kids will be drawn into this timely sci-fi adventure
about a boy who mysteriously becomes a character in his own computer game. The
intriguing plot and growing suspense will hold their attention all the way through to the
book's provocative ending. Carol Dengle, Dallas Public Library
Keeper of the
Kingdom is a must read. From the
first page to the last, there is no relief from the suspense and tension. H.J. Ralles has
captivated anyone with a fascination for computer games, and found a way to connect
computer literate children to reading. JoAn W. Martin, Texas Review
Keeper of the Kingdom - H.J. Ralles
A Slave to a Computer
Somehow Matt, from the year 2010, gets sucked into his computer game, Keeper
of the Kingdom. He finds himself in a nightmare situation, a mixture of primitive
yet very advanced technology.
Matt meets Targon, another thirteen-year-old. The only way to survive
is to play the scenario through and find a way to eliminate the Keeper and free the
kingdom of Zaul.
Even though Matt has brought his laptop computer into the future with
him, he can no longer control events since he is now a part of the game. He is hunted by
robot-like Protectors and hides among the human workers.
Dealing with projected images, force fields, underground tunnels and
hidden entrances, Matt and his new-found friends attempt to avoid the Cybergons, charged
to eliminate liars and traitors as ordered by the evil human commander.
When the Protectors rebel against the established order, Matt helps
them, struggling to go back to his world where non one is a lifelong slave to a computer.
Not yet, anyway.
The reader will find echoes of the fake wizard as in Wizard of Oz
as well as references to an underground railroad similar to Civil War days. Keeper
of the Kingdom is a must read for children interested in computers and computer
games. From the first page to the last, there is no relief from the suspense and tension. H.J.
Ralles has captivated anyone with a fascination for computer games, and she has found
a way to connect computer-literate children to reading. - Review by JoAn Martin, Review of Texas Books, Lamar University
Keeper of the Kingdom is a fun read
for younger readers as well as adults. It embodies one lesson for us
all. Never, ever, let your computer do all your thinking! - Review by Jo
Rogers, MyShelf.Com
Keeper of the Kingdom aimed at young
adults, this is ingenious enough to appeal powerfully to adults who wonder how far this
entire computer age can go. Matt, a boy in 2010, is playing a wild computer game
concerning Zaul in 2540 where humans are slaves of the controlling Cybergons.
Suddenly, Matt finds himself sucked into the game itself. His only possible escape
back to reality is to join with the Workers and overthrow the Protectors. All sorts
of twists and turns occur as Matt cleverly uses his computer know-how to combat the
Central Computer--"a computer so efficient that Humans are no longer required to
maintain my system." Reprogrammable Cybergons, Sleeping Rooms, heads made of
smooth translucent plastic, with "red and blue wires resembling veins running in all
directions under the surface." Fearful Xelerays, and those characters, Varl and
Dana and Targon and the fascinating Protector 101. Ralles knows how to pace her
story--the action moves in sharp chase-and-destroy scenes as Commanders hunt down the
dangerous young boy. The goal? Eliminate the Keeper: "Now that the chance
of freedom was so close, the possibility of failure was hard to bear." The
pages literally brim with action and computer possibilities and discoveries. The
characters are memorable particularly the very human 101. A compelling read from
exciting beginning to just as exciting ending. - Review by The Book Reader
Slacker's
Sci Fi Source
Review: Keeper of the Kingdom by H.J. Ralles
By Kelly Hoffman
H.J. Ralles is the author Darok 9 has done it again. Just as any good book or
video game should, Keeper of the Kingdom starts out with full force action and does
not stop until the very end.
It is 2010 and a young boy, named Matt, gets pulled into the video game he is playing
on his laptop computer. Now he is trapped in 2540 in a future were humans are ruled by
computers and machines.
Can Matt help the Liberators outwit the robotic Cybergon Protectors just by using the
information stored in his laptop computer? Once the humans are free will Matt be able to
return to his own time?
Keeper of the Kingdom is a true attention grabber which will keep young people
and the young at heart glued to the pages. This is the first in a series of Keeper Books
by H.J. Ralles and it is a excellent beginning.
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