I love Beast Quest, and with the recent news that the brand is gonna be revived in 2027 for its 20th anniversary, I figured now was as good a time as any to start talking more about Beast Quest, while I slowly complete my collection (and also resume work on The Broken Barrier, which has now moved away from a CYOA Form game, to a traditional fic over on AO3).
With well over a hundred stories to choose from, between 32 main series, 26 special editions, 3 choose your own adventure books, and a small handful of spinoffs to choose from, it can be hard to really pin down any favourites.
Rather than ranking the overall plots of each series (which could be its own post in the future), I thought it'd be cool to rank individual stories. My way of ranking will be deciding how much I enjoyed the events shown in the story, as well as the story's titular Beast and how the action plays out.
Without further ado, let's go on!
Number 10: Kalderon the Iron Bear
First up, we got the opening story of Series 29, which sees a new group of protagonists (The New Protectors) taking center stage from the original lead duo of Tom and Elenna, as their nemesis Malvel poisons Tom and challenges the New Protectors to find the components needed to produce an antidote in time, while using four Beasts to guard the components to make the challenge harder.
While I have some mixed feelings about the "New Protectors era", mostly for the way in which Tom is kinda just shoved to the side so they can take center stage (as opposed to a proper passing of the torch), their first series as true protagonists is a strong one, with a decent narrative gimmick. Pairing each New Protector off with one of Beast Quest's legacy cast is a great idea, and this story sets the standard for that gimmick by pairing newcomer Rafe with series lead Elenna, to fight a bear coated in iron armour.
Kalderon is a solid Beast design, and his ability to absorb metals in order to increase his own defences makes him a tough challenge to overcome. The struggle to exploit Kalderon's limits and water weakness is thrilling, alongside the ticking clock to cure Tom before its too late.
Overall, Kalderon the Iron Bear is a strong start to a decent series that tries something new with Beast Quest, and is worth at least a look.
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Number 9: Silver the Wild Terror
Jumping back in time to Beast Quest's 9th series, Silver the Wild Terror saw Elenna's pet, a domesticated wolf called Silver, transformed into a Beast by Malvel and his apprentice Petra, to derail Tom and Elenna's quest to stop him from reaching the Eternal Flame of Seraph to achieve infinite magical power.
This was one I owned as a kid, and the idea of forcing Tom and Elenna into battle with one of their animal companions (who have been with them since the beginning) was quite dark to me at the time. Even now, it still holds up as a tense part of the adventure, and a story that puts Elenna front and center (something the series would do more of as time went on), as she has to grapple with the risk of potentially killing Silver while also stopping him from rampaging in Seraph.
For a basic concept, Silver becomes an intimidating foe under Malvel's magic, able to control other wolves and use them as added means of attack. It's only with an arrow dipped in a magical potion that Silver is able to be reverted, and thankfully for Elenna, her wolf emerges from the conflict just fine.
Overall a really good story, and part of Series 9 which is one of my favourites.
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Number 8: Solak, Scourge of the Sea
One of the last books that I would end up owning as a kid (I was "outgrowing" the series for a bit, and never really came back to it until I was an adult), Solak is the debut story of Series 12, which sees multiple kingdoms pulled together by magical forces, and ancient Beasts once defeated by Tom's father Taladon return with a burning hatred for Taladon, which is passed along to Tom due to Taladon's passing in a prior series.
It's a strong start, with Avantia's wizard Aduro forced to stand trial for using forbidden magic to help Tom and Elenna in Series 11, leaving the duo without one of their most valued allies. The story then takes Tom and Elenna to the seas on the back of Sepron, one of the realm's guardian Beasts, where they find Tom's mother Freya and fellow guardian Beast Krabb on the brink of death.
Solak is a unique Beast among Beast Quest's roster, and the idea of a giant shark filled with jagged teeth that's coming after you because of an all-consuming hatred for your father is kinda terrifying. It's a tough battle that places our heroes at an inherent disadvantage, and the thread of a dark secret in Taladon's past (who has been portrayed as a noble warrior up to this point) adds a layer of depth to this series of Beast Quest.
So yeah, another good start to a good series! Definitely go for Series 12 if you want a bit of a darker flavour of Beast Quest.
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Number 7: Magror, Ogre of the Swamps
The 20th Special Bumper Edition (extended stories that usually take place in-between series of Beast Quest), this one is very different, but in a good way. Moving away from Tom and Elenna as the focus, this story is a prequel to the rest of the series that instead focuses on Tom's father Taladon, telling the tale of how he earned the title of Avantia's Master of the Beasts.
Seeing a different Taladon to how he was shown in his appearances in past series was great to see, and the expansion on his backstory and parts of Avantia's history was something I wish the series had done more of. A younger Malvel definitely took a bit of getting used to, but it was cool to see him near the beginning of his career as a villain.
Magror's a decent enough Beast, though the kingdom of Gorgonia has produced far more interesting creatures. He doesn't hold the story back at all, and for the Beast that gave Taladon the title of Master of the Beasts, he was alright.
Overall, a really great story and a bit of a rare treat for Beast Quest fans who wanted to explore more of the kingdom's past before Tom came along.
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Number 6: Torno the Hurricane Dragon
The fourth instalment of Beast Quest's 8th series, Tom and Elenna are just over halfway through a Quest to fight against a brand new enemy in the Pirate King Sanpao for control over the Tree of Being, a magical tree with the power to open portals to other dimensions, which the heroes need to return Silver and Freya home. Wood taken from the Tree of Being was also used to create Tom's signature shield.
Another book I owned as a kid, Torno's story was the highlight of the series for me...mostly cuz I'm a sucker for dragons. There's a lot to enjoy here, with the Quest taking our heroes to the Northern Mountains of Avantia, guardian Beast Arcta joins the fight for a little bit, and as a reward for defeating Torno, Tom is given one of the Beast's scales as a Token that he uses in the next book.
Torno himself is a powerful opponent, breathing strong winds instead of a dragon's usual fire breath, he's able to deflect projectiles headed his way, and send his smaller opponents flying away from him. The battle also makes good use of one of Tom's shield Tokens, a feather given to him by Arcta that can slow his descent.
Overall a great read, and while other entries in Series 8 may seem better to me these days, the nostalgia I have for Torno in particular helps to keep it elevated about the rest.
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Number 5: Battle of the Beasts - Ferno vs Epos
The first in a spin-off trilogy set after the events of Beast Quest's 10th series, Battle of the Beasts sees Tom training young recruits wanting to become brave warriors, until Malvel's son Maximus appears to avenge his father's death. Much like the "New Protectors era", Tom is magically prevented from taking part, forcing some of the recruits to step up and become heroes of the day, but it feels a lot less insulting to Tom as a character here, and more like a proper passing of the torch, even if it's just temporary.
Our hero in this first entry is Sam, who is chosen by an enchanted gauntlet to face off with Maximus, who has cursed Avantia's fire dragon Ferno (kinda funny, cuz Ferno is the one to kill Malvel in Series 10) to use the Beast as an instrument of revenge. Out of the three Battle of the Beasts books, this one is closest to the kind of adventure Tom and Elenna would have gone on. Sam ventures to the domain of Epos, another of Avantia's guardians, he acquires a companion of his own that helps him along the way, and compliments him much in the same way Elenna does with Tom, making them a duo worth rooting for.
The battle between Ferno and Epos is entertaining to read, and Maximus is given a satisfying defeat, though he promises to return. Sam even gets a Token to keep at the end of the adventure, a feather given as a gift from Epos, making this one a complete Beast Quest adventure.
Despite its place in the timeline, this one is actually a fairly decent jumping-on point for newcomers, I think. It gives you all the beats of a Beast Quest adventure, with the only real difference being that Sam and his companion are one-off protagonists, rather than the long-term recurring leads Tom and Elenna are, making it perhaps less intimidating to new fans.
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Number 4: Vislak the Slithering Serpent/Tikron the Jungle Master
I couldn't decide between which of these two would go on my Top 10, so we got ourselves a tie for 4th place!
Series 14 was the first to drop from 6 books per series to 4, but luckily the quality stayed consistent! With Tom having to battle 4 young Beasts that he had previously allied with in order to complete an elixir to cure a dragon that had fallen under an evil curse, Series 14 is an exciting read.
Vislak's story has the pretty cool concept of a lost city, buried under scorching sands for centuries, and sees Tom and Elenna reluctantly teaming up with a crook to find the elixir ingredient within the city, facing off against Vislak and an army of snakes under his control. There's some brief peril with Silver toward the climax as well, but luckily Vislak is freed from the curse that turned him evil.
Tikron's is similarly cool, and another story where it's Elenna that ultimately saves the day. The jungles that Tikron claims as territory prove challenging for Tom in their fight, alongside some locals that believe Tom and Elenna are in league with the Beast. Elenna is the one to free Tikron from his curse, and she even gets a Token of her own in the end, a brand new bow to replace her broken original, with the new bow becoming her signature weapon from this point on.
Both of these books are great reads, as are the other two in Series 14. Give the whole batch a try!
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Number 3: Ferno the Fire Dragon
The one that started it all, Ferno the Fire Dragon is a book that could well be a gateway to you buying all the Beast Quest books and developing a deep-seated fixation for this franchise, eagerly awaiting the next release...or maybe that one's just me?
This first books sets the stage pretty good. Tom embarks on a perilous Quest to save Avantia's guardian Beasts from Malvel's dark magic, there's hints about Tom's father Taladon that future series build upon, he meets Elenna and Silver, and faces off against Ferno, a dragon so large he's able to disguise himself as a mountain.
Honestly, not sure what else to really say about this one, it's just such a great start, and seeing Beast Quest continue on for just under 20 years, spawning spin-offs and a whole other series that's more sci-fi based (but still really good), and all of that started with the tale of a young boy and his friend fighting to free a dragon from a dark wizard's clutches.
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Number 2: Rykar the Fire Hound
Series 20 is one of my more recent Beast Quest reads, but almost right away it became one of my favourites. A darker tone than most, Series 20 sees Tom and Elenna travelling to the Isle of Ghosts (purgatory, basically) to stop the resurrection of their old enemy Malvel. This book is the series finale, that sees Malvel ally with Rykar, a ghostly hound-like Beast, in an attempt to free himself from the Isle of Ghosts to terrorise Avantia once more.
This book has it all, for those who have stuck by Beast Quest up to this point. Tom's time in the Isle of Ghosts reunites him with his deceased father Taladon, and the story allows room for Tom to have the goodbye he was robbed of in Series 10. The stakes are high and the action is intense, and Malvel's escape leads directly into Series 21's plot, continuing the darker tone explored here.
Rykar himself is a powerful foe, able to breathe flames so hot that they evaporate the moat around the castle of Avantia's king within seconds. Tom and Elenna struggle against him for a while, and his willingness to work with Malvel just for the promise of dining on the flesh of Avantians places Rykar among the more malicious Beasts in Beast Quest. It takes an ice sword strike from Tom to finally freeze and shatter Rykar, ending his terror.
Series 20 is a great ride, and definitely see it's other 3 books through to get to this incredible series finale.
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Number 1: Anoret the First Beast
The 12th Special Bumper Edition is one of the best that Beast Quest have released, and it has taken the top spot as my favourite Beast Quest story.
This one has it all. Direct connections to one of Beast Quest's spin-offs, a four-part prequel series called The Chronicles of Avantia, setting the pieces in place for a future Beast Quest series, great action and Beast designs, a strong showing for our heroes, this is a great read.
New villain on the block Kensa teams up with Sanpao to awaken Anoret, the mythical first Beast, from her dormancy, using magic to rip the skin from Anoret's face to wear as a mask that binds Anoret to Kensa's will. With her dominion over the guardian Beasts of Avantia, Tom and Elenna travel to Rion to team up with six young Beasts not yet suseptible to Anoret's influence. Twin dragons Vedra & Krimon, as well as the four starring Beasts of Series 14.
It's an amazing story overall, setting up the young Beasts before Kensa sets her sights on them in Series 14, and giving Anoret a proper spotlight following her relatively minor role in The Chronicles of Avantia. Highly recommend this one.
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And there we go, my Top 10 favourite Beast Quest stories...at least for now! There's so much to explore in Beast Quest, and with a few series still to be read, this list may well change someday.
If you've read along this far, what are your favourite Beast Quest stories? Maybe this post inspires you to go and check the series out for yourself?
Creating a Beast Quest "Master Your Destiny" in Google Forms
Choose Your Own Adventures, we all love 'em, right? As a kid, I was always a sucker for those sorts of books where you got to decide the outcome and adventure with the main characters...and who am I kidding, I still am a sucker for them.
Which is why, when rediscovering Beast Quest, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the series had a small trilogy spin-off of Choose Your Own Adventures called the "Master Your Destiny" series. These books let readers team up with Tom and Elenna against series villain Malvel (and Sanpao in the third entry) as they work to retrieve a magic artifact from two (4 in the second entry) Beasts set against the heroes by the villain.
Of course, the series ended at 3 entries and no new Master Your Destiny books were made...so, in a creative burst, I decided to take it upon myself to fill the void.
I'll be using Google Forms for this, since it'll make it really easy to share the story around with Beast Quest fans and anyone else who may want to check it out.
This adventure will see the reader once more join with Tom and Elenna against Malvel, who's latest scheme has involved rupturing the barriers separating the kingdom of Avantia from its mirror realm Tavania (last seen in Series 7), and enlisting the aid of two recently discovered Beasts from Tavania.
Known as Putrek (the Queen of Decay) and Aurordrom (the Blinding King), these Beasts serve as Tavania's equivalent to Vedra & Krimon (twin dragons born in Avantia, acting collectively as the realm's 7th Good Beast), these two Beasts will hopefully pose formidable challenges to the heroes and reader alike, though of course they won't be the only things readers will have to contend with...
This is probably gonna be one of the bigger projects I've done, and I'm hoping to complete the Form sometime this summer and put it out for all to enjoy! In the meantime, I'll leave a small preview and a title drop of the story's name.
Beast Quest: The Broken Barrier - coming Summer 2025 (hopefully)
Thought I'd make a little side account for the sole purpose of talking about and gushing about one of my favourite book series, that has had an absolute strangehold over me the past few months - Beast Quest!
My collection's been steadily growing since November, and revisiting the series and seeing how it holds up has been such a great experience for me, and I wanted to have a space where I could just nerd out about this series, and it's connected spin-offs!
That's all for now, but will be talking plenty more about Beast Quest soon!
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