Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal

Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal is the debut graphic novel by YouTube personality Daniel Middleton (alias DanTDM) and features characters that have appeared in his videos for All Ages. Commercially, the book was a success, spending three weeks at the top of the list of bestselling books in the world as well as reaching the number one spot on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover graphic books in Japan.

Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal
Drawn figures representing DanTDM, Trayaurus and their dog Grim appear in front of their lab.
AuthorDaniel Middleton (alias DanTDM)
IllustratorMike Love, Doreen Mulryan
LanguageEnglish UK
GenreAdventure, science fiction
PublisherTrapeze, HarperCollins
Publication date
UK: 6 October 2016
US: 25 October 2016
Media typeGraphic novel
Pages193
ISBN9781409168393
OCLC950638376
741.5942
TextTrayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal at Google Books

Background

Middleton had been considering writing a book for a number of years In an interview with The Guardian, Middleton admitted he is not an avid reader by any standard, but in the end did decide to author a novel that "the kind of book that I would read". He considered the opportunity to write a book about the stock characters that he employs in his YouTube videos an "important" way to give them their own style.[1]

Rights to publish the book were auctioned by Middleton's management agency OP Talent Limited, and bought by HarperCollins in the US and Trapeze (Orion) in the UK. The news that Middleton was writing a book was made public in May 2016.[2]

In October 2016, Middleton promoted his book at the Cheltenham Literature Festival where he was the first author of 2016 to sell out his tickets to the event.[3]

Plot

Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal is a story about DanTDM and his scientist friend Trayaurus, who, one day, discovers a crystal that has crashed on The Overworld while shattering into five pieces. It does not take long until they discover its powerful potential. DanTDM and Trayaurus set out to find the other crystals, but are hindered in their objective by their nemesis Denton who is trying to gain all of that power for himself. The lead characters feel like they have no choice but to stop Denton by finding all the remaining pieces first, preventing Denton from becoming more dangerous than he already is at present.

Sales

Commercially, the book was well received in both the United Kingdom and the United States. In the UK, Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal was able to reach the first spot of the bestsellers list for three weeks.[4] In the US, the book was able to reach the twenty-third spot on the USA Today's Best-Selling Books list[5] while also reaching the first spot on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover graphic books and remaining there for eleven consecutive weeks.[6]

Critical reception

Common Sense Media rated Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal three out of five stars saying that although the novel tells an "amusing tale" and spins a "classic good-vs.-evil" story, the action within the book is "sometimes hard to follow" and occasionally moves the plot along too slowly.[7] GeekDad gave a generally favourable review as well, hailing its "straightforward, easy-to-follow story" but criticizing the art style: "Lines are often roughly sketched and colors lack finesse".[8] Night Owl Reviews was enthusiastic about the book and gives it four out of five stars. The website praised both the "outstanding" art style and "delightful" story, but did take issue with the fact that all characters are male: "I realize that most comics are read by boys but it would have been nice to see a female or two".[9]

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gollark: And making a cobble pyramid by hand isn't?
gollark: Why not automate it?
gollark: * 4-votes
gollark: internet.

References
  1. Dredge, Stuart (15 October 2016). "Minecraft, books, panto... and pugs! YouTube star DanTDM opens up". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  2. Cowdrey, Katherine (23 May 2016). "YouTube's Dan the Diamond Minecart inks book deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  3. Merrell, Andrew (11 October 2016). "Hundreds rush Waterstones' tent at Cheltenham Literature Festival to get a glimpse of DanTDM". Gloucestershire Live. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  4. Buena, Christy (15 February 2017). "Youtube Creator Dan TDM Embarks on U.S. Tour". Disarray Magazine. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  5. "USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOKS – DanTDM: Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal". USA Today. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  6. Listings on The New York Times Best Seller list per week: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, when it fell to the second spot.
  7. Stewart, Darienne (28 November 2016). "DanTDM: Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal – Is it any good?". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. Knox, Kelly (25 November 2016). "Take 'Minecraft' to the Next (Reading) Level With DanTDM's New Graphic Novel". GeekMom. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  9. Terri (25 January 2017). "Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal". Night Owl Reviews. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
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