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A review by easolinas
The Secret of the Underground Room by John Bellairs
4.0
Gruff and lovable Father Higgins is one of the better supporting characters in John Bellairs' many books.
And in "The Secret of the Underground Room," the evil-battling priest slips into the spotlight in an intriguing ghost story. Though not Bellairs' best, it's a chilling and fast-paced thriller for the pre-Stephen King set -- sleepwalking, undead pirates, and a situation that Johnny and Professor Childermass can put right.
Johnny Dixon is depressed when his friend Father Higgins is transferred to a different parish. Father Higgins isn't much happier, since he dislikes his new congregation, and his estranged mother has just died. Soon he visits his friends Johnny and Professor Childermass, claiming that a ghost has been trying to contact him, that he is sleepwalking, and he shows them a strange glassy half-plate with golden fishes in it, and a cryptic rhyme.
Soon afterward, Father Higgins vanishes. The professor, Johnny, and Fergie go to England in an effort to track him -- and find that he is in the grip of a demonic dead knight, part of the pirate De Marisco knights that died long ago -- after some sold their souls to the devil. Now the evil knight known as Masterman is trying to set his old comrades free...
"The Secret of the Underground Room" has all the staples of a good Bellairs book -- evil creatures that will either destroy the world or conquer it, spinechilling cliffhangers, cryptic rhymes, and a lot of witty banter between Childermass and other characters. But the strongest part of it is the good-hearted characters who are never quite overwhelmed by evil.
Perhaps its greatest weaknesses are that the pacing seems to meander, and some of the plot twists are a bit strained. (Where did Bellairs get the line, "And in case you're wondering, he has developed his powers of ESP"?) But he imbues the story with an eerie, unnverving quality, where dark shadowy things can be found in half-forgotten places.
Johnny and Fergie are good as always, the meek Charlie Brown altar boy and the cocky gutsy kid who complement each other like peanut-butter and jelly. Father Higgins is given extra dimension, provided with his sad past with his estranged mother and his wish that he had reconciled with her. And Professor Childermass is his usual grumpy, irritable, generous and brave self.
"Secret of the Underground Room" is not Bellairs' best, but it's definitely a solid ghost-story with plenty of wit and chills.
And in "The Secret of the Underground Room," the evil-battling priest slips into the spotlight in an intriguing ghost story. Though not Bellairs' best, it's a chilling and fast-paced thriller for the pre-Stephen King set -- sleepwalking, undead pirates, and a situation that Johnny and Professor Childermass can put right.
Johnny Dixon is depressed when his friend Father Higgins is transferred to a different parish. Father Higgins isn't much happier, since he dislikes his new congregation, and his estranged mother has just died. Soon he visits his friends Johnny and Professor Childermass, claiming that a ghost has been trying to contact him, that he is sleepwalking, and he shows them a strange glassy half-plate with golden fishes in it, and a cryptic rhyme.
Soon afterward, Father Higgins vanishes. The professor, Johnny, and Fergie go to England in an effort to track him -- and find that he is in the grip of a demonic dead knight, part of the pirate De Marisco knights that died long ago -- after some sold their souls to the devil. Now the evil knight known as Masterman is trying to set his old comrades free...
"The Secret of the Underground Room" has all the staples of a good Bellairs book -- evil creatures that will either destroy the world or conquer it, spinechilling cliffhangers, cryptic rhymes, and a lot of witty banter between Childermass and other characters. But the strongest part of it is the good-hearted characters who are never quite overwhelmed by evil.
Perhaps its greatest weaknesses are that the pacing seems to meander, and some of the plot twists are a bit strained. (Where did Bellairs get the line, "And in case you're wondering, he has developed his powers of ESP"?) But he imbues the story with an eerie, unnverving quality, where dark shadowy things can be found in half-forgotten places.
Johnny and Fergie are good as always, the meek Charlie Brown altar boy and the cocky gutsy kid who complement each other like peanut-butter and jelly. Father Higgins is given extra dimension, provided with his sad past with his estranged mother and his wish that he had reconciled with her. And Professor Childermass is his usual grumpy, irritable, generous and brave self.
"Secret of the Underground Room" is not Bellairs' best, but it's definitely a solid ghost-story with plenty of wit and chills.