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THE BULLETIN
OF THE CENTER
FOR CHILDREN'S
BOOKS -
reviewed by
??? |
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Aside from his
morbid
imagination and
somewhat
excessive bent
for grossout
mischief (such
as putting rat
guts in his
sister's bath
towel), Grubbs
Grady is a
seemingly normal
kid. Then his
world collides
with that of
Lord Loss, a
white-lipped
demon who feeds
on the fear and
grief of humans.
Grubbs comes
home to discover
his
entire family
ripped into
shreds and only
narrowly escapes
being destroyed
himself by Lord
Loss' familiars,
Artery (a
flame-eyed child
whose scalp
swarms with
cockroaches) and
Vein (a
dog-crocodile
hybrid).
Orphaned and
haunted by his
family's death,
Grubbs is taken
in by his uncle
Dervish, hoping
he'll be safe
from any further
horrors in the
countryside.
However, when
Grubbs learns
that
the Grady family
is the victim of
an ancient curse
(some turn into
werewolves), and
that one
of its victims
is his recently
discovered
cousin Bill-E,
he must face
Lord
Loss again,
bargaining for
Bill-E's cure in
a risky,
demon-choreographed
battle that
is part
chess
tournament, part
brawl. In
contrast to the
vampires of
Shan's Cirque
du Freak
series (BCCB
6/01), Lord Loss
has no traces of
humanity — he
plays by
different rules
than humans,
unless, of
course, he is
playing chess.
Lord Loss' ob�session
with chess is
his weakness,
and the
possibility of
defeating him
(along with
Dervish's
magical prowess)
injects hope
into an
otherwise bleak
landscape. In
this
first volume in
the Demonata
series, Shan's
dark themes and
gruesome
descriptions
are
relieved with
periodic bursts
of sly humor and
snappy dialogue,
buoyed by a plot
that mercilessly
drives the
reader forward
to an unexpected
conclusion. The
graphic end met
by Grubbs'
family early on
lets reader know
exactly what
they are
in for; those
who don't mind
literal (and
liberal) blood
and guts will be
haunted by this
tale of demons,
werewolves, and
dark magic. |
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