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Slawter is the
third volume in
Darren Shan's
Demonata series,
and the second
to feature the
potentially
lycanthropic
Grubbs Grady and
his uncle,
Dervish. In
Shan's
wonderfully
humorous world
of horror
schlock, the
werewolf family
are the goodies.
In the first
book of the
series, Lord
Loss, Grubbs
loses his
parents and
sister to the
titular master
demon, suffers a
nervous
breakdown,
discovers a
half-brother and
goes into battle
with his uncle
against Lord
Loss, all
because his
family are
cursed with that
pesky
lycanthropic
gene. In
Slawter, Grubbs,
Dervish and the
unsuspecting
Bill-E find
themselves on
the set of a new
cult horror
movie, after
Dervish is
called in as
expert
consultant by
its director. On
the set, all is
not as it seems.
The monsters
aren't quite the
miracle of
costume and
technology that
most of the cast
and crew believe
them to be....
I should hate
these books. I
like authors to
write new
stories about
new characters.
I don't like it
when they wring
the last
possible sale
from the
zillionth
identical book
about the same
(usually
two-dimensional)
characters. I
don't like the
horror for
adults much, let
alone horror for
children. But I
don't hate
Darren Shan and
his Demonata. In
fact, I rather
like them. There
is enough blood
to sink a fleet
of battleships.
Death and
destruction
litter every
page. I don't
think even
George A Romero
has ever
envisaged scenes
of quite such
gruesome
devastation.
People really
die. Even
reasonably
important
characters are
killed off. And
yet, somehow,
there's nothing
in these pages
that you
wouldn't let a
ten year old
read.
It's all so,
oh, I don't
know, high
spirited. Shan's
tongue is in his
cheek a goodly
amount, as all
good horror
buffs understand
the importance
of camp. Lord
Loss is a
hideous demon
master, but he's
as camp as
anything Hammer
ever put out.
The action is
immediate.
Grubbs Grady is
a wonderfully
down to earth
and sympathetic
character. He's
a great
reluctant hero.
There are
moments of
pathos and
they're very
well done, but
they move
swiftly on for
some more high
drama and some
more bloody
murder. The
violence is real
enough to drive
a great story,
but it's not so
real as to cause
children any
real distress.
Neither will it
warp their
minds, or
whatever other
silly things
people insist on
believing books
can do to
people.
It's all a
glorious,
blockbusting
mess of blood
and guts and
twisting
entrails and if
it can win round
this confirmed
hater of horror,
I promise your
children will
love it.
Thanks to the
publisher,
Harper Collins,
for sending the
book.
Those wanting
a more serious
literary shiver
should look at
Marcus
Sedgwick's
My Swordhand Is
Singing.
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/shanslawter.htm |
