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A review by easolinas
The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull by John Bellairs
4.0
John Bellairs books have a certain style that you come to expect -- it's got to have lots of humor, a cheesy title that sounds like a B-movie, dark visions, weird dreams, and a shapeless supernatural evil that can destroy us all. One outstanding example would be "Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull," a genuinely creepy little horror story tinged with clever humor.
Professor Childermass's car breaks down in a small town. While he waits for it to be repaired, he and his young friend Johnny Dixon are shown a dollhouse connected to the professor's grandfather, who died under mysterious circumstances. Johnny finds a tiny skull, which he finds he can't speak to anyone else about -- then he has a vision of a ghostly figure killing the old man. Soon afterwards, Professor Childermass vanishes under mysterious circumstances.
Johnny finally approaches the priest Father Higgins, who promises to help if he can. A petition to Saint Andrew provides sudden answers, in the form of a cryptic rhyme that leads Johnny, Fergie and Father Higgins to a remote island in Maine. But even if they can find the professor, how can they defeat the evil forces that center on the sorcerer's skull?
John Bellairs had a very clever knack for spooking people, scattering creepy elements through "Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull" like a farmer strewing seeds. He has creepy caretakers, Victorian mansions, an enchanted skull and visions of evil skeleton scarecrows -- and while these things just sound a little cheesy, he imbues them with a dark, eerie feeling that seems to cling to even the innocent scenes.
But as usual, he also injects plenty of quirky humor into the story, such as Father Higgins whipping out a guitar and singing a folk song (much to Johnny's bewilderment). It's a good balance to the darker elements of the story. The only problem is that some of the plot twists seem rather contrived, but the story is a fairly decent one despite that flaw.
He also uses this book to introduce the character of Father Higgins, a gruff but kindly priest who serves as the adult authority figure in this book since the professor is, obviously, nowhere to be seen. He's not quite as knowledgeable as the professor, but he serves as a good temporary replacement, and he works well with the complementary buddies Johnny and Fergie.
"Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull" is a genuinely spine-tingling nugget of kiddie horror, and despite no longer being a kid, I still feel a chill at some of the darker moments. Funny, eerie and weird.
Professor Childermass's car breaks down in a small town. While he waits for it to be repaired, he and his young friend Johnny Dixon are shown a dollhouse connected to the professor's grandfather, who died under mysterious circumstances. Johnny finds a tiny skull, which he finds he can't speak to anyone else about -- then he has a vision of a ghostly figure killing the old man. Soon afterwards, Professor Childermass vanishes under mysterious circumstances.
Johnny finally approaches the priest Father Higgins, who promises to help if he can. A petition to Saint Andrew provides sudden answers, in the form of a cryptic rhyme that leads Johnny, Fergie and Father Higgins to a remote island in Maine. But even if they can find the professor, how can they defeat the evil forces that center on the sorcerer's skull?
John Bellairs had a very clever knack for spooking people, scattering creepy elements through "Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull" like a farmer strewing seeds. He has creepy caretakers, Victorian mansions, an enchanted skull and visions of evil skeleton scarecrows -- and while these things just sound a little cheesy, he imbues them with a dark, eerie feeling that seems to cling to even the innocent scenes.
But as usual, he also injects plenty of quirky humor into the story, such as Father Higgins whipping out a guitar and singing a folk song (much to Johnny's bewilderment). It's a good balance to the darker elements of the story. The only problem is that some of the plot twists seem rather contrived, but the story is a fairly decent one despite that flaw.
He also uses this book to introduce the character of Father Higgins, a gruff but kindly priest who serves as the adult authority figure in this book since the professor is, obviously, nowhere to be seen. He's not quite as knowledgeable as the professor, but he serves as a good temporary replacement, and he works well with the complementary buddies Johnny and Fergie.
"Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull" is a genuinely spine-tingling nugget of kiddie horror, and despite no longer being a kid, I still feel a chill at some of the darker moments. Funny, eerie and weird.