Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zepha The Monster Squid | 2008 | Adam Blade | Buy |
| 2 | Claw The Giant Ape | 2008 | Adam Blade | Buy |
| 3 | Soltra The Stone Charmer | 2008 | Adam Blade | Buy |
| 4 | Vipero The Snake Man | 2008 | Adam Blade | Buy |
| 5 | Arachnid The Spider King | 2008 | Adam Blade | Buy |
| 6 | Trillion The Three-Headed Lion | 2008 | Adam Blade | Buy |
The Golden Armor series arrived in 2008 as the third arc in the Beast Quest sequence, giving Tom a clear and satisfying objective: defeat six beasts to collect the pieces of a legendary enchanted suit of armor. This treasure-hunt structure, combined with the familiar quest format, made the series a favorite among young readers working through the Beast Quest catalog.
The six beasts are Zepha the Monster Squid, Claw the Giant Ape, Soltra the Stone Charmer, Vipero the Snake Man, Arachnid the Spider King, and Trillion the Three-Headed Lion. Each creature guards one piece of the armor and offers a different combat challenge. The beasts in this series proved popular enough to reappear in numerous later Beast Quest spin-offs and compilations.
The armor upgrade mechanic added a new layer of progression to the series, giving readers a reason to follow the arc from start to finish rather than picking up books at random. By the end of the sixth book, Tom has earned a full set of abilities that carry over into subsequent arcs.