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After getting
into the
insanely popular
‘Cirque Du
Freak” series by
Darren Shan I
was dead set on
getting my hands
on the first
book in “The
Demonata”
series. At the
end of
”The Lake of
Souls”
there was a
twenty four page
teaser that
really got me
interested in
learning more
about the
series. One of
the things that
I love about
Shan’s writing
is that it
doesn’t get
clouded with a
lot of
verbosity; there
is a ton of
detail to his
writing but you
don’t have to
drag out the
dictionary in
order to
understand what
he is saying.
One thing that
drove me insane
with the Cirque
series was the
grammar mistake
of “She and me
went to the
store” instead
of “She and I”
that was cleared
up somewhere
around book five
or six when
Darren met up
with his first
love Debbie who
was now a
teacher. That
might sound
completely
confusing but I
am using that as
an example -
Shan puts a lot
of detail into
his books -
things that
might seem
rather
irrelevant at
the time but a
few chapters [or
books] later,
you understand
why
something was
said or done in
a certain
manner.
”Demonata I:
Lord Loss”
“Lord Loss” is
the first book
in the Shan
“Demonata”
series and just
like
”The Saga of
Darren Shan”,
the first book
of the Cirque Du
Freak series, it
gives you a lot
of the
background that
you will need
when later
volumes are
released. If you
are expecting
this to be like
Cirque Du Freak
you are going to
be a little
disappointed but
if you are into
horror and
darker reads
then this should
be right up your
alley. From this
book you’ll
learn about the
very interesting
Grady family;
the typical
parental unit
that wants
nothing best for
their child,
Grubitsch
[Grubbs] and
Gretelda {Gret].
From the start
of the book
there is a lot
of mystery
building up;
everyone but
Grubbs knows
what is going on
and it is eating
him alive, so
much so that
when the rest of
the family
leaves for an
out of town
ballet
performance he
sneaks away from
his aunts house
to get to the
bottom of
things. More
than a few times
you catch
yourself
thinking, “Ok
Grubbs, remember
the old saying
that curiosity
killed the cat
...” because you
know that
whatever they
are keeping a
secret isn’t
good.
After the
introductions
and setting the
stage, Grubbs is
shipped off to
his aunt’s house
to stay for the
night while the
rest of the
family goes to
the ballet.
Curiosity gets
the best of
Grubbs and he
heads back to
the house to
find out what is
going on. When
he arrives there
he knows, in an
instant, that
something isn’t
right. The whole
house is ice
cold, the chess
boards are
destroyed with
pieces scattered
everywhere and
no one in his
family is
around. making
his way upstairs
he unlocks one
mystery but ten
more spring up
in his path. His
family, as much
as he despised
them at times,
were all dead.
Killed by demons
that resemble
humans to a
certain extent
but are
definately not
of this world.
That is when he
has his first
encounter with
Lord Loss, one
that will haunt
him for the rest
of his days. He
manages to
escape the house
after being
taunted by his
tormentors but
was it worth it?
He’s taken to
the police
station and
grilled hard
about what they
found at the
house. Walls
covered with
blood, his
father hanging
from the ceiling
with his head
sliced away and
his sister split
in two from head
to toe. I was
half expecting
the story to go
with him being
the killer but
Shan kept things
on an even keel
- Grubbs did
have some blood
on him but not
enough to make
him look like he
could have
committed the
murders.
Confined to a
‘institute’,
Grubbs is
haunted by what
he saw left of
his family, the
regrets of never
telling them how
much he loved
them and all the
pranks he pulled
on his sister.
More over, the
demons that did
this - how could
he ever get
someone to
believe him? No
one did. Not the
family members
that visited,
not the doctors,
the nurses or
other people
there. He did
get permission
to go and stay
with his mothers
brother but that
ended badly when
he blurted out
that his family
was killed by
demons; who
wants a
houseguest like
that? Back to
the institute
and it sort of
looks like his
fate is sealed
to spend the
rest of his life
there. Drifting
in and out of
consciousness,
never being able
to get rid of
the visions of
the demons or
Lord Loss. Help
came in the form
of a blood
relative; his
fathers younger
brother Dervish
came to visit
and with him
brought some
very interesting
drawings. They
were of Vein and
Artery, two of
the demons that
killed his
family. Grubbs
things that it
is a trick, that
the doctors put
him up to it but
when he turns
over the last
page and sees
Lord Loss he
realizes that he
never told them
his name, when
Dervish says it,
Grubbs is all
ears.
In order to get
out of that
place he has to
lie, something
that is isn’t
all that good at
but when Dervish
explains the
situation and
that if he does
come to live
with him, no
harm can or will
come to him - it
gives him the
motivation he
needs. The
saying “out of
the frying pan
and into the
first” would
work well here -
when you get to
the crossover of
the book you
start to think
that maybe he
would have been
better off
staying put with
medication to
make him sleep,
taking his mind
off of
everything it
seemed to dwell
on. Once they
arrive at
Dervish’s house
he has a new
sense of
freedom; his
uncle is very
restrictive and
he has the
entire house to
roam free. He
makes friends
with a rather
strange boy
named Billy
Spleen [although
he likes to be
called Bill-E].
It isn’t until
half way through
the book that
you learn one of
his many
secrets, but the
biggest one
happens about
140 pages into
it and trust me
- you are not
going to believe
the plot twist
that Shan throws
at you but
you will be
slapping your
head saying “Why
didn’t I see
that coming?
There were clues
all over the
place about
it!”. That’s one
of the things
that I love
about Shan’s
writing style,
there are clues
all over the
place but you
are so engrossed
in what you are
reading that you
don’t start to
add things up
until he lays
the twist on
you.
You are
introduced to
Merra Flame,
someone that
could be a
possible love
interest for
Dervish but she
is an incurable
flirt, making
both Billy and
Grubbs blush
every chance she
gets. You don’t
get much on her
at first but as
the story
progresses small
things about
here are dropped
here and there.
The one thing
that you really
have to keep in
mind when you
are reading this
is that it is
part of a series
and this is the
first book so if
things don’t
seem to go fast
there is a
reason, you are
getting some
history to work
with. Since this
is the first
book it is hard
to say whether
or not the
characters will
remain the same
in upcoming
installments.
The teaser at
the end of the
book [for the
next story,
“Demon Thief”]
left me
thoroughly
confused since
it has nothing
to do with what
is in this book.
since the next
book doesn’t
come out until
next year, I am
going to have to
really pray that
the next book in
the Cirque Du
Freak series
comes out early.
To me the last
third of the
book is where
all the action
happens, there’s
talk of Dervish
being a
werewolf, the
mysterious
underground room
that Meera and
Dervish flee to
at night, the
battle with Lord
Loss and Grubbs
uncle vowing to
fight him to the
death. Shan put
a lot of thought
into this book,
he may be a
young writer but
he has a real
talent for
taking something
as outlandish as
monsters and
demons and
writing about
them on a
believable
plain. He could
have gone over
the top with
this story and
had all sorts of
bizarre things
in it but he
kept things
somewhat
grounded - so,
just like the
Crique Du Freak
series, you find
yourself saying
... “What if
this could
happen?”. There
are some swear
words here and
there but
nothing more
than what you
would hear on
basic cable -
meaning no “F”
words. This is
suitable for
teens who are
into dark
stories, have
read other Shan
books or like
horror stories.
There are no
illustrations in
to book so
you’ll have to
conjure up what
Vein and Artery
look like ...
but Shan does a
great job of
describing them.
The Bottom
Line
When I hit the
last page of the
book I was more
than a little
upset - I’d
managed to whip
through the
entire thing in
less than three
hours, huddled
under my blanket
with a huge mug
of hot tea ... I
swore I’d pace
myself and try
to get the most
from it. The
second book in
Demonata doesn’t
come out until
April of 2006
and the next
book in Cirque
Du Freak, Lord
of The Shadows,
isn’t due until
May of 2006. I
really enjoy
reading Shan’s
stuff and even
though it is
classified as
teen fiction, it
is some of the
best stuff I
have come across
in a long time.
This is nothing
like the Cirque
series so if you
are expecting it
to read like
that, you might
be disappointed.
It’s dark,
filled with plot
twists and
undeniably
bloody but it’s
well written and
keeps you
flipping the
pages until you
reach the end.
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