THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF
ALFRED KROPP by Rick Yancey

Characters

Alfred Kropp --- an overgrown, underachieving teenager destined for great things, despite managing to fail at just about everything he attempts. Orphaned at the age of 12, he lives with his Uncle Farrell and spends most of his time hanging out in his room listening to music. His lumbering, large-headed physique makes him the frequent butt of jokes at school, where he's nicknamed "Frankenstein." But underneath this ungainly, dim-witted exterior lies a heart of gold and a hilarious sense of humor.

Uncle Farrell --- Alfred's last remaining relative who rescues him from a life in foster homes after his mom dies. Well-meaning but totally clueless about the ways of the world, Farrell is a lonely bachelor who lives out his life eating TV dinners and working at a dead-end job as night security guard for Samson Industries. While he tries to instill in Alfred noble aspirations for a better life that he never had for himself, Farrell falls prey to an underhanded scam that will prove to be their undoing.

Bernard Samson --- a millionaire businessman and president of a huge corporate conglomerate, Samson Industries. Despite his seemingly normal life as a captain of industry, under the surface there's much more to him than meets the eye. An enormous secret from the past that he's kept concealed for 15 years will finally be forced to light, exposing Samson's true identity and altering the course of the world.

Mogart --- an agent of darkness and a corrupted former knight of the Round Table who's been expelled from the Order. Bent on extracting deadly revenge against his former brotherhood, he will stop at nothing to see their demise and reign supreme over the world. By enlisting the unwitting help of civilians Alfred Kropp and Uncle Farrell to steal Excalibur, he is able to set the wheels of his dastardly plan in motion.

Bennacio --- the last remaining knight of the Sacred Order of the Round Table, descended from the line of Bedivere. He is the sole remaining hope for retrieving the sword from the powers of darkness and saving the world from certain destruction. In addition to being the bearer of this enormous burden, he must also make contingency plans to ensure the Order's legacy lives on in future generations.

Natalia --- Bennacio's fiery-spirited, auburn-haired daughter, and the most beautiful girl that Alfred has ever laid eyes on. Unfortunately, she wants nothing to do with him, blaming him for the death and destruction that have followed in the wake of his inadvertent partnership with Mogart. Faced with the prospect of a very dear loss, will she ever be able to forgive Alfred and find a place for him in her heart?

Mike Arnold --- an immature, fast-talking, gum-smacking, baseball-loving field agent with OIPEP, a secretive international government agency that seems to have its own hidden agenda for obtaining the sword. While Mike and his OIPEP cohorts seem to be useful allies of the knights in sticky situations, their loyalties will soon come into question.