The Serpent King Summary
Jeff Zentner

The Serpent King Overview

Jeff Zentner's The Serpent King is the story of three friends, Lydia, Travis, and Dill as they begin their senior year of high school. Lydia has long-standing plans to attend college in New York, while Dill and Travis will remain in their small town with no plans other than to settle down and hold mundane jobs. Travis has barely begun to dream of a different future for himself when he is murdered. Dill cannot face Lydia's impending departure and Travis's death. He considers suicide before realizing that he will have to make a different future for himself as well. Themes seen in this novel include the importance of friendship, the effects of guilt, and coming of age.