novelesque_life's review
1.0
3 STARS
"A new Gothic horror story for middle readers from the author of The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring. Summer vacation soon turns to terror at a house on a desolate island when Anthony finds a magic trunk that transports him and his friends to a parallel world, where a maniacal group has a deadly plan." (From Amazon)
A great mystery paranormal children's novel.
"A new Gothic horror story for middle readers from the author of The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring. Summer vacation soon turns to terror at a house on a desolate island when Anthony finds a magic trunk that transports him and his friends to a parallel world, where a maniacal group has a deadly plan." (From Amazon)
A great mystery paranormal children's novel.
calistareads's review
5.0
Wow! I loved this book. This book was published in 1992 and John Bellairs died in 1993 so this is one of the last completed novels he wrote. Anthony Monday was the first series he started and he added this on at the end.
I thought this was a great book. It might be my favorite Anthony Monday book of the 4. I had so much fun reading it and I loved the creepy, gothic feel to it. It's a portal fantasy. This time, Anthony and company are at a remote cabin in Canada for the summer and they find a truck that transports them to another world, a dangerous creepy world.
John Bellairs does tone and setting so well. I love it. This is it, the last book that John had any thing to do with that I have no read. I've completed my goal and read them all. They have been delightful and I only wish I would have read them all when I was young and enjoyed them more. John Bellairs is an underrated treasure.
I thought the mansion was super creepy and being out in the middle of nowhere added to the feeling of isolation and being on your own.
I am working on my niece and nephew reading this, but so far, they have not bitten.
I thought this was a great book. It might be my favorite Anthony Monday book of the 4. I had so much fun reading it and I loved the creepy, gothic feel to it. It's a portal fantasy. This time, Anthony and company are at a remote cabin in Canada for the summer and they find a truck that transports them to another world, a dangerous creepy world.
John Bellairs does tone and setting so well. I love it. This is it, the last book that John had any thing to do with that I have no read. I've completed my goal and read them all. They have been delightful and I only wish I would have read them all when I was young and enjoyed them more. John Bellairs is an underrated treasure.
I thought the mansion was super creepy and being out in the middle of nowhere added to the feeling of isolation and being on your own.
I am working on my niece and nephew reading this, but so far, they have not bitten.
sharonskinner's review
2.0
Odd little book. Interesting set up, but I didn't really connect with the characters, at all. In fact, they were more like caricatures than characters. I winder if that was what the author intended?
theybedax's review
4.0
This creepy, atmospheric novel was full of hi jinks and danger! While it was never a super scary story you could feel the tension on every page; wondering if there was a man in a robe about to disintegrate your very being.
mixxie67's review
1.0
Not his best. Not at all scary and badly edited. There is far too much 'telling' and not enough 'showing'. I had to wonder how a passage like this following get by his editor?
"When Miss Eells, Anthony, and Emerson came to, they felt very dizzy and scared to death."
After a quick google search I discovered Bellairs died in '91. This was published in '92. I guess it was an unfinished manuscript hastily cobbled together for print. Too bad as it could have been good. I noticed that "The Secret of the Underground Room" was published in '90 and that one was plenty creepy with all the characteristic Bellairs charm. It's good to know he had not lost his touch with age.
"When Miss Eells, Anthony, and Emerson came to, they felt very dizzy and scared to death."
After a quick google search I discovered Bellairs died in '91. This was published in '92. I guess it was an unfinished manuscript hastily cobbled together for print. Too bad as it could have been good. I noticed that "The Secret of the Underground Room" was published in '90 and that one was plenty creepy with all the characteristic Bellairs charm. It's good to know he had not lost his touch with age.
estefanyb's review
3.0
It was entertaining. Not too much story build up, as you can expect in a short book like this. It all happens so fast and makes you roll your eyes a lot :P.
corncobwebs's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this one as much as The House With the Clock in its Walls. I read it in spurts with a lot of interruptions, so that probably didn't help. But the plot was just so inconceivable, and along those lines, I noticed something about Bellairs' plot construction: He will pull things out of thin air to suit the needs of the story. An example is the protective amulets: At first, no one (including Emerson, the owner of the amulets) thought that they had any power. But then, out of the blue, they gain magical powers that help Anthony smash the Logos Cube and get out of the Autarch's world alive. There are many similar plot elements with very thin explanations that left me scratching my head. I'll still recommend his books to kids, though, because I don't think leaps in logic are as hard to accept for a younger audience.
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