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5.0 out of 5 stars
Back to the story of the first, April 13 2002
The latest John-Bellairs-esque offering from Brad Strickland goes back to Bellairs' first book. While it might be possible to read "Tower" without having read the first John Bellairs book, "House With A Clock In Its Walls," it is probable that newbies won't understand. So go read that book. Then come read this book. Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger are romping around a lakeside with their friends and relatives, but things are not going to remain peaceful. Someone attacks Uncle Jonathan - but steals nothing valuable from the house. Lewis sees strange visions of impending death: a banshee, a Japanese specter with a huge toothy mouth, and a hairy beast with glowing eyes that is stalking him in his dreams and in his waking life. He also learns of a note that says he will die on a specified day. Unsurprisingly, Lewis is very freaked out by this. And on a boat trip out on a lake, our heroes encounter a strange, misty island with a giant black tower. And they find a new supernatural mystery that stems from their first adventure: the son of Isaac and Selenna Izard's son, Ishmael. And Ishmael is not only a sorcerer, but he fully intends to destroy the world. Strickland inserts the elements of Bellairs that we all love best: Evil wizards, sinister dreams, vague reasons to destroy the world, unabashedly sinister surroundings, things that appear and vanish without warning, hideous beasties, and evil magic that the good wizards wouldn't touch with a ten-foot wand. He also manages to harken back to "House" without overloading the reader with too much "this is how it happened," and manages to create a plot reminiscent of Bellairs' first book without repetition. Characterization is seamless; Lewis and Rose Rita are just as we remember them, as are the ever-bantering Mrs. Zimmerman and Uncle Jonathan. So is the writing style, which remains spare unless something sinister is happening. If something hideous rears its head, the writing becomes creepily descriptive. My beefs? Well, there are a few threads that feel... well, un-picked-up by the end. A little too loose. In addition, one of the final scenes is somehow a little cheesy and a little too cute. Few flaws aside, this is a wonderful spinechiller with a great climax, a deliciously BAAAAAD villain, and the quirky Bellairs heroes we know and love.
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