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WRITE AWAY -
reviewed by
Kelley Townley |
Hot on the hells
of the finale of
his
international,
multi-million
selling, twelve
book vampire
saga, Darren
Shan has plunged
straight into
another
horrifying
series. Lord
Loss is the
first in the
Demonata series,
specialising in
demons and demon
worlds (very
much like Buffy
the Vampire
Slayer).
Grubitsch Grady,
better known as
Grubbs, thought
he was just an
ordinary
teenager. That
was until he
returned home
one night to
discover a bunch
of demons
murdering his
family and only
barely escaped
with his life.
Going into
mental breakdown
after such an
horrific event,
Grubbs finds
salvation in the
only person who
believes he
really saw
demons, Dervish,
an uncle he’s
never met. Turns
out there’s a
lot about his
family he
doesn’t know,
like the
hereditary
werewolf gene.
Basically a
death sentence,
the only way to
avoid succumbing
to the curse is
to do a deal
with the demon
Lord Loss,
who has a
penchant for
chess. But the
chances of
winning are
slim. All Grubbs
wants to do is
get on with his
life but when
the curse
comes-a-calling
there’s only one
person to call.
An excellently
plotted book
full of strong
characters and
genuine emotion.
It’s not just
about blood and
guts - although
there is a fair
amount of that
(Grubbs
literally sees
his family’s
murderers in the
VERY grizzly act
of murdering
them, so be
warned, it’s not
for the
faint-hearted) -
but also an
engaging look at
teenage family
values and the
inner fight of
courage under
fire, all
wrapped up in an
action-packed,
thrill-filled,
fright-fest.
Perfect for
getting
reluctant tough
boys hooked on
reading. Does
get a bit boring
in places, such
as when Grubbs
is stuck in the
asylum for what
feels like ages
but otherwise a
totally wicked
book.
Highly
recommended for
those aged 11+
with a taste for
the macabre...
and chess!
http://improbability.ultralab.anglia.ac.uk/writeaway/lordloss.htm
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