|
|
BOOKLOONS
- reviewed by
Hilary
Williamson |
| |
Slawter
follows
Lord Loss
and The
Demon Thief
as the third
book in the
Demonata
series, in which
demons make
regular
incursions into
our world,
bringing the
worst imaginable
nightmares to
reality - and
this author has
a pretty
gruesome
imagination.
Young
Grubbs Grady has
seen horror up
close and
personal when
demon master
Lord Loss
slaughtered his
parents and
sister Gretelda.
Now he lives
with his uncle
Dervish, a mage,
in a macabre
mansion. He's
learned never to
trust in fairy
tales or happy
endings, but
knows that 'As
long as you're
breathing, your
story's still
going.'
In earlier
episodes, Grubbs
befriended
Bill-E Spleen
and discovered
that the latter
is his
half-brother.
Then, he and
Dervish took the
battle to Lord
Loss to save
Bill-E from his
werewolf
heritage. This
experience left
Dervish comatose
for more than a
year, and with
recurrent
violent
nightmares after
he regained
consciousness.
As
this episode
opens, the
relative
normality of
their life is
interrupted by
two visitors.
First comes Prae
Athim, a member
of the Lambs
who've dealt
with children
who turn into
werewolves
through the ages
- she wants to
study Bill-E, to
find out how he
escaped his
werewolf
heritage after
turning.
Dervish says no,
threatening her
with the power
of the
Disciples
(the first
Grubbs has heard
of them). Next,
Dervish is
approached by
famed producer
of horror
flicks, Davida
Haym, who wants
him to consult
on the monsters
for her latest
project,
Slawter,
about a town
that's taken
over by demons.
Once Dervish
agrees, the fun
begins!
Bill-E
and Grubbs join
Dervish on set -
in a ghost town
in the middle of
nowhere. They
have tons of fun
till filming
begins, which is
when the real
demons start
coming out of
the woodwork,
led by - who
else? - Grubbs'
nemesis, Lord
Loss.
There's plenty
of action,
blood, and gore,
as hell erupts.
The good guys
just try to get
out of there in
one piece,
saving as many
innocents as
they can. Along
the way, our
young hero - and
the reader -
learns more
about the
Disciples,
and Grubbs rises
to the occasion
with very
impressive
magical moves.
When it's all
over, Dervish
insists on
testing Grubbs
for magical
abilities but
finds nothing.
Can
Grubbs settle
down to a normal
life? Not
likely. Lord
Loss wants
revenge very
badly. As Grubbs
admits himself,
'This
isn't over, not
by a long shot.'
If you're a fan
of horror,
you'll want to
watch - over
your shoulder -
for the fourth
in this very
scary series,
Bec,
coming soon.
http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.ASP?bookid=7301 |
|
