Slawter, by Darren Shan

In Slawter, by Darren Shan, Grubitsch Grady, also known as Grubbs, has recently gained magical powers and learns about the demons. One day Davida, a famous horror film director, asked Dervish, Grubbs' uncle, if he could help with a new movie based on demons. Dervish agrees and takes Grubbs along with his brother Bill-E with him. During the first few weeks on set, Grubbs and Bill-E begin to make friends, chat with others, and see the action. In one particular scene when the demon kills someone, Grubbs is convinced the demon is real after what he has been through. In a later scene he sees Lord Loss, a powerful demon master. People begin to disappear and it makes Grubbs suspicious. Grubbs tries to convince Dervish, but cannot and decides to unmask the truth with Bill-E and Juni, Davida's close advisor. They unmask the truth, convince Dervish, and set out to warn the others, but it was already too late. Davida made a deal with the horrible Lord Loss and so began the slaughter. Grubbs and Dervish try to help the others escape from the horrible demons, but are able to only save a few. In the end Grubbs learns that his magic is far beyond what many Disciples possess.

I thought this book's plot was very unpredictable with many twists and turns. The fascinating demons of all shape and sizes added to the horror. The gore, guts, and blood made it seem very disgusting, but cool. The introduction of magic makes this book unique because magic is limitless and can do almost anything. The non-stop action made me even more excited of what comes next. Horror fanatics will be dying to read this thrilling, but scary book.


-Reviewed by Ming Liu, grade 9.