Lord Loss (The Demonata #1) by Darren Shan

Lord Loss by Darren Shan


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In writing this review, I shall have to be very careful not to spoil this book. In a word, this was fantastic. I truly enjoyed reading it. I had no idea what to expect and that's part of the fun, so I won't enlighten you about what this book is about.

Go into reading this book as an adventure. The beginning is shocking, to say the least. But don't give up. Keep reading. Accompany Grubbs on his journey. Watch the mundane slide into the nightmare dimensions that we hope not to encounter in this life. Have fun doing it. You certainly will.

Darren Shan is one heck of a writer. There is a beauty in how he takes such a grim subject and makes it interesting, and in some moments, laugh out loud funny. I'm in awe. I have not read very many books that are written in the present tense, so it was a little different at first. But I must say that doing so really kept me in the moment and part of the action. You really are right there with Grubbs when his life implodes, for lack of a better word. In my opinion, Mr. Shan has taken a little bit of that Lovecraft and Barker vibe and made it more fun, accessible and palatable for this reader. Yet there is no doubt that he has established his own voice that will keep me coming back for more of his books.

The storyline is such that you wonder how things will connect together. Be patient. All will be revealed. And I was very impressed with the result. I think I should take up chess. Just in case it comes in handy.

I will say no more. Read this book, if you're brave enough. I would advise against reading at night and while you're alone. I read it during the day and I was by myself, and I did okay (no nightmares/trouble sleeping). And I don't think I'd let a child under a mature for his/her age 12 (and that's being generous) read this book. It contains some, not too many, gruesome scenes and violence, and dark subject matter.

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