Customer Reviews

The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie: A Johnny Dixon Mystery

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not quite sure where John Bellairs finished and Brad Strickland started, and that's probably a good thing. All the characters from the other Johnny Dixon mysteries are back: timid Johnny, the outrageous professor, meek Dr. Coote, practical Father Higgins and matter of fact Fergie.

The book begins when Dr. Coote shows his friends a drum that was given to him by a mysterious young man. As usual, the professor scoffs at it, although Dr. Coote is still worried, because of his extensive knowledge of voudon, an evil voodoo cult on a fictional Caribbean island. Fergie then takes the drum and beats it while screaming "babaloo! babaloo!" which sets a chain of terrifying events into action.

Dr. Coote has a nervous breakdown and a horrible old woman stalks Johnny and his family to find the drum, all while the friends scramble to figure out where the drum is and save their own necks in the process. There are some genuinely scary scenes involving a zombie, and later an exorcism.

Bellairs and Strickland have done an excellent job creating the mythology of Baron Samedi and the Priests of the Midnight Blood, the evil voudon cult on a French Caribbean island. It's a bit formulaic, and not absolutely perfect, but a taut, enjoyable mystery/horror book.

I got interested in John Bellairs books after I read a reader review of a Harry Potter book which talked about these books as even better than HP -- and you know, he was right! These are really well-written books. I've read about 6 Bellairs books with my kids (ages 10 and 11) and this was by far the scariest. This one seemed to have more: more humor, more fright, more heart, as well as the usual excellent character development. (oh yeah, my kids really enjoyed the book too.) The scary scenes are really vivid, but ideal for my boys' age group. They just love this stuff.

Good grief, this was amazingly, shriekingly good!

Johnny and Professor Childermass take a detour into the darkest side of voodoo, known as voudon. When, at a get-together with one of the professor's friends, Fergie begins playing and singing ("Babaloo") a tiny leather drum, the lights unexpectedly go out.

Soon the friend is ill, raving and finally falling into a coma. A creepy old woman and a mysterious man are lurking nearby. Some of the most affecting scenes is where the professor finds the hideous creature growing in a pillow, and when he battles the horrifying snakelike demon.

But taking the prize is the zombie mentioned in the title. Holy cow.

This is a genuinely scary book-for heaven's sake, don't read it at night.

I've had a literary sweet tooth for John Bellairs ever since reading his juvenile-horror masterpiece, "The House with a Clock in It's Walls", decades ago. Like some other readers I had qualms about a 'Bellairs' story written by a new author, but this book is at least as good as some of Bellairs weaker efforts, like "The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull".

Occult academician Charles Coote has been sent a voodoo drum by a refugee from a Caribbean dictatorship. Little do professor Coote's friends, irascible professor Childermass, skeptical Byron Ferguson and nervous Johnny Dixon, suspect but the evil dictator's mother, Mme Sinestra, is hot in pursuit of the drum and will stop at nothing to get it!

The plot is formulaic and the story lacks the elements of childhood fears and dramas that made the best of Bellairs so good, but Strickland definitely has a feel for Bellairs' writing style and a superficial grasp of his characterization. The book is a successful pastiche of elements from other Bellairs stories, especially "The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost" and "The Chessmen of Doom". Strickland needs to capture Bellairs' ability to make universal childhood feelings and fears an integral part of his plots, however. Also, Bellairs best stories gave us triumphs and failures directly related to the eccentricities of his characters, and provided us with villians who were more than straw men in black hats. Perhaps this will come in time.

I have loved John Bellairs' gothic horrors since I was a liitle boy, and could not pass up the chance to read a new tale with my old friends Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass. I admit my skepticism about the story being fleshed out by someone other than Mr. Bellairs, who, sadly, had passed away a few years ago. But in the first few lines, and through to the end, Brad Strickland did not fail me; the story came through with the same atmosphere and feeling of the best John Bellairs, complete with the warm humor that brings you back safely from the dark evils encountered by our heroes. This story is my favorite since The Curse of The Blue Figurine and I have reread it probably six times. To anyone considering the purchase of this book I say,grant yourself the privelage.

This book and the entire Bellairs series are what got me into reading and reading a lot! Looking back as a college student, the vivid impressions made on me while reading the Bellairs books are what got me hooked on reading (the Hardy Boys were instrumental as well). To give a child a love for reading while they are young is probably the best way to ensure academic success in the future. I know this as I graduate now with a 4.0 gpa!

My only qualm is the artwork for the new books. Ugh! The cover illustrations of the old ones were MUCH better. Buy the book for the quality reading inside, though.

This is extremely impressive and suspenseful...