Summary:The Knights of Crystallia

This page contains a chapter by chapter summary of Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia. We hope this summary will make it easier to find specific areas of the book, as well as providing a quick plot refresher for anyone who doesn't want to take the time to reread the entire book.

Foreword

Alcatraz Smedry continues his quest to convince readers he is terrible by telling them how awesome he is.

Chapter 1

Alcatraz and his grandfather, Leavenworth Smedry, stand upside-down on another flying glass contraption, this time in the shape of a bird. They are headed back to Nalhalla. Alcatraz sees a continent approaching covered with castles and towers. He notices a large, black castle (that turns out to be his home), a pyramid-shaped white castle in the middle of the city, and tall crystalline structure shaped somewhat like a mushroom. Then there's an explosion.

Chapter 2

The right side of the Hawkwind explodes, sending Alcatraz and the piece of glass his boots are attached to spinning toward the ground. He breaks the glass attached to his boots so he'll stop spinning, but he doesn't have any way to prevent falling to his death. So he tries to break gravity. It doesn't work. He realizes that Grandpa is making him arrive late to his fall. He and Grandpa smash together and fall into the ocean safely, but then Grandpa has to release the delayed effects of falling all that height, so they are repeatedly plunged into the cold ocean water, over and over. Alcatraz passes out. He wakes up with Bastille looking at him angrily. She accuses him of causing the problem on purpose. They have managed to land on a tower of Keep Smedry. Attica emerges from the craft and has another awkward conversation with his son. Australia tells Alcatraz that Bastille jumped from the Hawkwind in order to save him. Sing Sing arrives and tells Grandpa that there are Librarian ambassadors in the city and that the High King wants to sign a treaty, giving up Mokia to end the war. They call for a crawly so they can get to the Council of Kings and try to intervene.

Chapter 3

Grandpa explains to Alcatraz about the political situation in the Free Kingdoms, including the Smedrys' abdication of the throne. However, they are still royalty with peerage and hold a seat on the Council of Kings, a united governing body of all the various Free Kingdom countries. The "crawly" arrives, which turns out to be a wingless dragon named Tzoctinatin with a gondola for carrying several people. It is made of Orientation Glass so the dragon taxi can crawl over and on buildings without worrying about throwing the occupants about. Bastille and Alcatraz talk about their suspicion that Bastille was purposely set up to fail. Bastille can tell that something is bothering her mother, possibly regarding her sword. Sing explains to Alcatraz that the Wardens of the Standard, a Librarian sect, is the one here negotiating the treaty. The Smedrys know the Librarians will break the treaty. Alcatraz promises to help. They arrive at the royal palace.

Chapter 4

Alcatraz enters the royal palace and marvels at its beauty. Bastille looks very reluctant to go in. They enter the main room and Pattywagon Smedry, his aunt, interrupts the proceedings of the council to greet him and Grandpa. With Librarians in attendance, Grandpa announces that he has forged the Lenses of Rashid. The king grants a recess and comes to greet his family -- his daughter Bastille and his wife Draulin, which reveals Bastille as a princess of sorts (because she has renounced the throne by becoming a knight). Alcatraz approves and Bastille gives him an "unprovoked, unregistered" hug for not being mad at her for hiding it. Brig and Grandpa argue about the treaty. Grandpa has figured out what the Lens from the tomb is and gives it to Al. He is unimpressed that they are only Truthfinder's Lens, hoping instead that they were offensive Lenses. Grandpa also gives him Disguiser's Lenses.

Chapter 5

Alcatraz asks Patty where Folsom is so he can gather intelligence on what the Librarians have been doing, so they grab a horse-drawn carriage. As they ride along, Alcatraz notices a lot of people paying attention to him and taking his picture. Hundreds of books have been written about him. Alcatraz begins to bask in his new-found fame. They arrive at an ice cream shop.

Chapter 6

Alcatraz enters the ice cream shop and is immediately surrounded by people wanting to shake his hand, get an autograph, etc. He decides to grant all their requests and enjoy his celebrity. As Patty goes to get Folsom, Alcatraz starts to relate the tale of his first infiltration with Grandpa. Patty comes back and "rescues" him by warning the audience about strange Hushland diseases they might get from him. Alcatraz meets Folsom and his defector Librarian that he is watching over, Himalaya Rockies. Folsom shows Alcatraz the latest fantasy book featuring him as the protagonist. He's often the subject of such books because of his fame. Himalaya idly plays with some mints on the table, and she sorts them into neat rows. She is chagrined; it's difficult to break the Librarian habit of organizing things. Folsom reports that the Librarians arrived six months ago with the proposal for a treaty. They spend their time mingling with the social elite. They decide to check some of them out at the prince's lunch party.