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Although Bec
is the fourth
book in the
Demonata
series,
chronologically,
it takes place
before the first
three. Those of
you whose first
thought is,
“hey, isn’t that
like the
Narnia
series?” not so
fast – the fact
the books take
place out of
chronological
order is where
the similarities
between
Narnia and
Demonata end.
If anything, The
Demonata is
the antithesis
to C.S. Lewis’
Christianity-infused
works. Now don’t
get all freaked
out – Shan’s
books are no
more likely to
influence ANYONE
to worship the
devil than
Superman makes
people think
they have powers
of flight. It’s
fiction,
people…not to
mention, the
demons are the
bad guys…
Taking place in
5th century
Ireland, around
the same time
St. Patrick
is spreading
Christianity
through the
area, Bec’s
tuath is in
the midst of
repelling frequent
demon
attacks. Each person
in the tuath
does their part
in battle, and
Bec’s specialty
is the use of
Old Magic, a
skill she had
only begun to
learn before
her caretaker,
Banba, passed
away. During one
of the few calm
moments between
battles, a young
boy approaches
the clan
muttering the
same words over
and over: “run
fast.” The king
organizes a
party of
warriors and
includes Bec, to
find out where
the boy is from.
On the journey,
they cross paths
with a druid, a
master of the
oldest magic,
who informs them
that their
discovering him
is the key to
defeating
the demon
hordes.
These monsters
grow ever
stronger as the
tunnel between
earth and hell
increases in
size, making it
easier for demon
masters and the
most
powerful the
demon classes,
the Demonata, to
pass. Once on
earth, the
humans will be
no match for
the Demonata and
the world as it
is known will
cease to be.
This one is
sure to grab
horror lovers —
who should have
a stomach for a
fair amount of
grisly prose —
and not give
them up until
the quest is
finished. For
those who have
read any of the
previous books,
there will be
“easter eggs” to
find, connecting
Bec to
the others. I
will admit that
this is the
first
Demonata
book I’ve read
and can
guarantee that
it is able to
stand on its
own. Now that
I’ve finished
Lord Loss
and
Demon Thief
(books one &
two) and am now
reading
Slawter
(totally
enjoying my
vacation so
far!) I’m seeing
the many
strengths of how
the series is
constructed, and
its ability to
be read in a
variety of ways.
I may commit
literary heresy
here (fitting,
since this is a
series about
demons…) and say
that I’m
enjoying The
Demonata
more than I did
Cirque Du Freak. I’m
not taking
anything away
from Cirque…
seeing as
how it’s a
killer set of
books. It’s just
that to me, Demonata are
original
additions to the
canon of
teen horror
fiction (that
adults who read
horror will
probably enjoy
too), which puts
it right over
the top!
Maith th� Mr.
Shan!
http://thrushmetal.wordpress.com/tag/demons/ |
