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VOYA
- reviewed by
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Travel between
dimensions and
back in time
with Cornelius,
aka "Kernel"
Fleck, the bald,
eccentric youth
whose only
friend is his
little,
razor-toothed
brother Art.
Although Kernel
has seen plenty
of dark times,
including the
death of his
little sister,
Annabella, and a
friendless
existence at
school, he is
perhaps the only
boy on Earth who
has never seen
physical
darkness. Why?
Kernel is
plagued by
mysterious,
puzzle-shaped
patches of
pulsing
light-his
constant
companions. When
Kernel's parents
take a
mini-vacation
and Art is
kidnapped by a
gruesome demon,
Kernel finds
himself
catapulted into
the Demon's
universe on a
mad search to
rescue his
brother. Fans of
Lord Loss
(Little, Brown,
2005/VOYA
October 2005)
will be thrilled
to see a
nose-ringed,
purple-spiked-haired
younger version
of Uncle Dervish
Grady, a
punk-rocker with
a mission to
destroy evil,
one of the
"Disciples" of
Beranabus, the
great magician.
And not to be
outdone, Lord
Loss makes a
grisly
appearance as
Kernel's
nemesis. It does
not take long
for Kernel and
Dervish to
become loyal
friends and for
Kernel to learn
that the
omnipresent
lights are a
magical tool
with which to be
reckoned.
Although
littered with
putrid scenes
that at times
become
repetitive and
over-the-top
even for this
writer, the book
skillfully
addresses the
themes of family
loyalty and the
devastation of
betrayal without
moralizing. With
a twist ending
that borders on
tragic, Shan
leaves plenty of
room for another
piece of
Kernel's story
-- a piece for
which fans will
search in order
to complete the
puzzle of the
Demonata world. |
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