ALISTAIR GRIM'S ODDAQUATICUM

Sequel to Alistair Grim's Odditorium.

Soon after Grubb, an orphan and runaway chimney sweep, enters the wondrous world of Alistair Grim’s Odditorium, his life is changed forever when he learns that the mechanical marvel’s proprietor is his father. Unfortunately, the pair must get to know one another on the lam, as the whole of London is convinced that Alistair Grim is a villain bent on mass destruction. Grim, however, has come up with a plan to clear his name and expose the real villain: Prince Nightshade, a wicked necromancer who wants the Odditorium’s power source for himself. With the evil prince hot in his trail, Grim embarks on a perilous journey to find Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur, and the only weapon powerful enough to penetrate the prince’s magical suit of armor. Along with Grubb and the rest of the Odditorium's crew, Grim persuades his old rival, an ingenious but somewhat prickly professor named Oscar Bricklewick, to join him on his quest. In true Alistair Grim fashion, the search for Excalibur is anything but ordinary. As it turns out, not only can the Odditorium fly, but it can also swim! And so the crew battens down the hatches and sets off on an underwater journey to the mystical realm of Avalon, where Grim believes Excalibur to be in the hands of its queen. But it’s not all smooth sailing, and along the way the Odditorium’s crew must battle a banshee assassin, sea monsters, and a witch named Mad Malmuirie, who seeks revenge on Alistair Grim for stealing her magical objects. However, little do Grubb and the others know that their fate is written in an ancient Avalonian prophecy—a prophecy that holds the key to a destiny not even Alistair Grim himself could have possibly imagined. Gregory Funaro grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, and wrote his first story, The Ghost in the Window, in the fourth grade. He considers this to be his finest work, but unfortunately it has been lost to time. Following high school Greg majored in theatre at the University of New Hampshire, and after various acting gigs, received his AM in Theatre Arts from Brown University and an MFA in Acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. He currently lives with his family outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.