Shan, Darren (2005). Lord Loss. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN: 0316114995. 240 pages.
Grubbs Grady is your average high school guy: he likes soccer, hanging out with his friends, and tormenting his older sister. Lately, however, Grady has noticed a tension in the air around his family. When he is sent to stay with an aunt while his parents and sister attend a ballet, Grady senses that something isn't right and returns to his home to confront the family he suspects has been keeping some kind of secret. Upon his surprise return, Grady discovers the brutalized bodies of his entire family, the destroyed pieces of the chess sets his father keeps in every room of the house, and three unimaginable demons feasting on the carnage. The rest of the novel unfolds as Grubbs recovers from his subsequent nervous breakdown with the help of an estranged uncle who slowly lets him in on the secret of his family's supernatural curse. This is the first book in what Shan's website promises is a ten-book series, each title of which will be devoted to exorcising another family's hidden demons. While the "Demonata" may not follow a consistent cast of characters, each installment is sure to be as sparely written yet grisly as the first. Shan is the author of the popular "Cirque du Freak" series, which I like a bit more than this newer effort; "Cirque", though just as gorey, has a bit more heart and, though it is another teen vampire series, displays its own unique quirks. |
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