Fantasy · Humor · Heart · Footnotes
A Wonderful Week for a Quest
Seven Quests. One Legendary Misadventure. Zero Chance of Things Going According to Plan.
A clean, comedic fantasy series packed with prophecy mix-ups, dragons, pirates, phoenixes, questionable tavern decisions, and more footnotes than strictly necessary.
Start Here
Begin the Seven-Book Quest
Start with Book One, browse the complete print and ebook collection, or listen to all seven adventures in one audiobook.
Read a Free Sample from Every Quest
Try any book in the seven-book series before you buy.
When Prophecy Cannot Make Up Its Mind
Wizard and persistent narrator Jackdaw has deciphered the Uppercase Prophecy. Unfortunately, part of it is missing, leaving the kingdom’s only hope unclear: is it Sir Roderick, a gallant knight with heroic expectations, or Roddy Squires, a sub-assistant goatherd with a suspiciously similar name?
Both must pursue the three parts of the Riddle of Ages before ELM—a diminutive dark lord with very large plans—destroys the kingdom’s magic-bean harvest. Their help includes a washed-up wizard, an un-distressed damsel, and a rejected evil sidekick. Their odds are not excellent. Their commentary is.
The series began as the stage musical A Wonderful Day for a Quest and became a seven-book fantasy adventure with 99 percent more humorous footnotes.
Funny Without Losing the Adventure
“A short, fun listen that encapsulates all of our favourite tropes from the fantasy realm along with an abundance of wit and humour… I was chuckling all the way.”
BookBub review of Book 1
Read the Seven-Book Series in Order
Each quest raises the stakes, deepens the friendships, and gives Jackdaw new opportunities to interfere with the narrative.
Book 1: A Quest You Can Laugh At…
A mixed-up prophecy sends a gallant knight and a sub-assistant goatherd chasing the same heroic destiny.
Book 2: Both an Ox and a Moron…
The quest continues with new complications, questionable plans, and heroes who remain impressively underqualified.
Book 3: A Quest That Doesn’t Go…Well
When a quest goes down a well, getting back out is only the beginning of the trouble.
Book 4: Leftbeard’s Treasure
Pirates, treasure, and nautical decisions that would alarm any responsible harbor master.
Book 5: The Whatsit’s Rebirth
A fiery new chapter tests loyalty, identity, and the surprising resilience of a certain Whatsit.
Book 6: Battle of the Bards
The music rises, the battle lines form, and the bards discover that words can be dangerous weapons.
Book 7: The End of the Quest as We Know It
Every prophecy, footnote, friendship, and catastrophic choice converges in the grand finale.
Perfect for Readers Who Love
Clean Comedy
All-ages humor, playful fantasy satire, and jokes that reward reading aloud.
Found-Family Quests
Lovable misfits discovering that heroism is rarely a solo activity.
Footnotes with Opinions
A narrator who knows the rules of storytelling and declines to follow them quietly.
Meet the Questing Party
Open a profile for a spoiler-light introduction. Selected characters also have interviews and interactive chats.
Sir Roderick 3RG — The Extremely Great Knight
Earnest, brave, gullible, and thoroughly convinced of his destined greatness, Sir Roderick can misinterpret nearly any situation into a heroic opportunity.
Bellissimo — The Un-Distressed Damsel
Quick-witted, capable with a sword, and tired of waiting to be rescued, Bellissimo intends to earn recognition as a hero in her own right.
ELM — The Diminutive Dark Lord
Edward Louis Merriwether combines theatrical villainy, enormous ambition, and an inconvenient need for approval.
Wormtoe — The Chief Minion
A deceptively small hooded schemer with a talent for mimicry, Wormtoe is considerably more calculating—and more dangerous—than his theatrical master.
Roddy Squires — The Sub-Assistant Goatherd
Optimistic, courageous, and occasionally clumsy, Roddy dreams of becoming a hero despite his humble position in the goat-herding hierarchy.
Grimblewaith — The Rejected Evil Sidekick
A pragmatic, gruff Whatsit with hidden loyalty, Grimblewaith hopes to find a purpose beyond serving as somebody else’s disposable minion.
Jackdaw — The Washed-Up Wizard
Merlin’s third cousin, an interpreter of prophecies, and a narrator who refuses to remain politely outside the footnotes.
Farmer Mordeck — The No-Nonsense Farmer
Blunt, resilient, and deeply loyal, Mordeck prefers practical work to prophecy—but will protect his people when trouble arrives.
Mother Merry — The Mountain Matriarch
Warm, hospitable, and fiercely protective, Mother Merry manages a magically complicated household with patience, practical wisdom, and excellent shortcakes.
The Merrywhether Sisters — The Enchanted Maidens
Four striking sisters burdened by an absurd naming curse, they bring pageant polish, family loyalty, and unexpected assistance to the quest.
Rezella — The Practical Princess
Independent, blunt, and more concerned with plumbing than rescue, Rezella is perfectly capable of handling her own tower.
Interactive character chats are generated by a third-party service from book-inspired prompts; responses may vary and do not represent official canon.
EXPANDED CHARACTER ARCHIVE
More Heroes, Allies and Highly Specialized Musicians
The complete seven-book cast now includes dedicated or substantially expanded entries for five characters whose choices shape the later quests.
King Ogeron the First
The ancient ruler imprisoned inside the One Bean and restored by Bellissimo.
Michelle / Miss Marble
The Merrywhether sister whose wish creates a living-stone defender for the Rod Squad.
Lol the Troll
A small arena guard who becomes a trusted friend, anti-pirate, and full-sized troll.
Pelican
Jackdaw’s old friend, a master teleporter whose final gift changes the last quest.
The Great Zomart
The palace composer whose secret fae-pop expertise becomes a tactical necessity.
Continue into the Encyclopedia
Explore the People and Magic Behind the Quest
The expanding Beandom Encyclopedia now includes full entries for the chief minion hiding behind ELM, the rejected sidekick who becomes a phoenix-seeking hero, and the enchanted crop at the center of the first crisis.
Wormtoe
Mimicry, concealed ambition, and the danger of overlooking a chief minion.
Grimblewaith
From disposable Whatsit to Highway Patrol officer and transformed rescuer.
Magic Beans
The River Magus crop behind the realm’s food, trade, spells, language, and identity.
More from the Beandom Encyclopedia
Explore the World Behind Books One and Five
Three new lore entries connect the original magic-bean crisis to Grimblewaith’s later phoenix quest.
Whatsits
The proper term for nonhuman beings of unknown origin, including the series’ best-recorded example, Grimblewaith.
Phoenixes
Rare firebirds, rebirth chambers, truth detection, tribute traditions, and the Great Joaquin’s demanding sweet tooth.
The River Magus
The enchanted river whose waters grow magic beans—and whose blocked source launches the first great quest.
New Supporting-Cast Profiles
Four People Who Shape the Week Beyond the Main Party
The Beandom Encyclopedia now includes full illustrated profiles for the farmer behind the harvest, ELM’s mountain family, and the princess whose practical requests keep redirecting heroic attention.
Farmer Mordeck
Bean farmer, village elder, Bellissimo’s uncle, and ogre-defeating defender.
Mother Merry
Mountain matriarch, family historian, host, protector, and mother of ELM.
The Merrywhether Sisters
Four cursed-name pageant sisters whose family story and teamwork influence the first quest.
Princess Rezella
The no-nonsense tower client whose plumbing crisis and ogre warning reshape the adventure.
Explore Book Two in the Encyclopedia
The One Bean Quest, Fully Documented
Follow the second day’s adventure through its quest-giver, four wordplay guardians, giant civilization, and unusual magical rules.
Explore Book Three in the Encyclopedia
The Needler Crisis, Fully Documented
Follow Sir Roderick’s third quest through magical assistants, the Beandom’s premier investigative bureau, a cursed wishing well, an improvised rescue team, and the hidden sorcerer preparing a larger war.
Explore Book Four in the Encyclopedia
The Leftbeard Treasure Hunt, Fully Documented
Follow ELM from villain rehabilitation and day questing through magical companions, necromancy, the Quacken, Misfit Island, a cursed pirate hoard, and his new life aboard The Cinder.
Explore Book Five in the Encyclopedia
Grimblewaith’s Phoenix Quest, Fully Documented
Follow the BPD mission through magical Web research, the Great Joaquin’s tribute contest, Yeahrti’s chocolate, Captain Rightbeard’s anti-raid, Fannie’s revival, Grimblewaith’s rebirth, and Donna Glocke’s hidden Mafaea campaign.
EXPLORE BOOK SEVEN IN THE ENCYCLOPEDIA
The Week Ends—and the Refried Era Begins
Follow the twenty-one DEM gears, the Netherking’s gift-of-life bargain, Bell’s Midnight Mirror, Regina and Willow, Mercurius and Felgarath, Plan V, the final cataclysm, and the rebuilding of the Refried Beandom.
New Reader Guide
Everything You Need Before the Quest
Where should I start?
Begin with A Wonderful Day for a Quest. It introduces the Beandom, the mixed-up prophecy, the central cast, and the narrator’s fondness for unnecessary footnotes.
Do I need to read the books in order?
Yes, the recommended experience is Books One through Seven. Each volume has its own central quest, but the friendships, mysteries, running jokes, and larger conflict build across the complete series.
Is the series complete?
Yes. The End of the Quest as We Know It completes the original seven-book storyline. Later books revisit the same wider world in new eras and adventures.
Who is the series for?
The books are written for middle-grade readers, teens, adults, families, classrooms, and anyone who enjoys clean fantasy, comic quests, found family, wordplay, and narrators who refuse to behave.
Are audiobooks available?
Yes. Individual volumes are available in audio, and all seven adventures are also collected in a single complete-series audiobook.
The Quest by the Numbers
7
Complete novels
100+
Heroes, villains, creatures, and questionable allies
1
Increasingly exasperated narrator
Far Too Many
Footnotes and magical catastrophes
Choose Your Kind of Quest
The full story begins with Book One, but these themes can help you anticipate what waits later in the week.
I Want the Beginning
Meet the heroes, decipher the prophecy, and learn why magic beans matter.
I Like Pirates
Book Four brings undead witnesses, pirate legends, sea monsters, and thousands of missing left socks.
I Like Magical Music
Book Six turns a bardic competition into a dangerous conspiracy of enchanted performances.
Beyond the Original Week
Continue the Adventure
A Wonderful Day for a Launch
Enter a later era of the same comic fantasy universe, where old legends collide with a new generation and a very different kind of quest.
The Refried Trilogy
Return to the Beandom centuries later for immortal heroes, faded magic, falling objects, and fresh trouble beginning with Death/Wish.
More Fantasy Quests
Browse Michael D. Young’s other fantasy worlds, complete series, standalones, audiobooks, and new-reader starting points.
Begin the Misadventure
Start with the mixed-up prophecy, meet the least predictable heroes in the kingdom, and discover why no quest is complete without a few unnecessary footnotes.
Free to Read · Newsletter Optional
Get a Free Fantasy Story
Download Sir George and Count Drake as a free PDF—no signup required. The story page also includes an optional invitation to join Michael’s Reader Newsletter for release news, project updates, behind-the-scenes notes, and future free stories.
Newsletter signup is optional. Subscribers confirm by email and may unsubscribe anytime.
Series details
A Wonderful Week for a Quest
Author: Michael D. Young
A seven-book clean comedic fantasy series featuring mixed-up prophecies, dragons, pirates, phoenixes, found family, and opinionated footnotes.
Language: English
Genres: Fantasy · Humor · Middle grade
Book 1: A Wonderful Day for a Quest
Book 2: Both an Ox and a Moron…
Book 3: A Quest That Doesn’t Go…Well
Book 4: Leftbeard’s Treasure
Book 5: The Whatsit’s Rebirth
Book 6: Battle of the Bards
Book 7: The End of the Quest as We Know It
Official series page: https://authormichaelyoung.com/a-wonderful-week-for-a-quest/
Michael D. Young 