Beast Under The Wizards Bridge (Paperback)

The old iron bridge over Wilder Creek is being torn down by the county, to make way for a newer, more modern structure. Lewis Barnavelt's uncle Jonathan is nervous about this -- not only is the bridge a familiar landmark, but it was constructed by a wizard to keep a long-dead relative from returning. The dead relative was Jedediah Clabbernong, a man obsessed with his own aging, and determined to become one of the immortal alien Great Old Ones.

Now something is creeping from Wilder Creek. Under the sway of the equally determined Mr. and Mrs. Moote, a hideous squidlike humanoid is rising to the surface again -- and it can suck the life from any creature and reduce it to a disintegrating husk. Now as a comet returns -- the comet that claimed Clabbernong a century before -- Lewis, Rose Rita, Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman must stop the Mootes before more hideous creatures are unleashed...

Brad Strickland sure knows how to send chills down a spine. In excellent imitation of Bellairs' style, he creates some outstandingly horrifying situations. Jonathan Barnavelt's description of the disintegrating woodchuck he encountered (and pounded to death) is only outdone by the encounter that Lewis and Rose Rita have with an incredibly old, hideous horse. What's wrong? While Bellairs was never the most subtle of writers, the twelve-foot-tall tentacled squid-headed Lovecraftian nightmare seems more than a little excessive. However, his usage of preexisting Bellairs material -- the bridge in "House With a Clock In Its Walls" -- is flawless.

Despite this, Strickland shows excellent skill during the fight scenes and the gradual dramatic buildup. Lewis and Rose Rita are well-characterized and excellent counterparts. Jonathan is the good-natured fretter (portrayed as something of an older version of Lewis) and Mrs. Zimmerman is still the kindly, sharp-witted witch, and even the grandmotherly Mrs. Jaeger makes an appearance. The Mootes are also excellent, reminiscent of the couple in "Killer Robot."

While not outstanding, "Beast" is an excellent continuation of Bellairs' books. Strickland manages the right balance of drama, comedy, and horror.

This book is no exception. I was a very picky fan of John Bellairs, and when Brad Strickland began carrying on his work I was highly skeptical that he would be able to fill the shoes of an incredibly talented author. Not only has he done so with an uncanny ability to emulate Mr. Bellairs' style, he has also gone on to write some pretty memorable adventures involving the Bellairs characters.

I found this book to be one of the more inventive and memorable ones in the entire Bellairs/Strickland history since the Trolley to Yesterday. Strickland was not afraid to go to the same lengths that Bellairs himself did to give the reader a good scare, and I really enjoyed the added sci-fi element in this book.

Well done, Mr. Strickland!