Bec: Screams in the Dark... (The Demonata)

From the first moment in book one, Lord Loss, when Grubbs Grady encounters the Demonata and their evil minions it is obvious to the reader that Darren Shan books are from a different dimension. You really have to read them with an open mind, and a slightly twisted one too! The heroes are constantly changing, from Grubbs in book one to Kernel Fleck in book two, back to Grubbs in three and then Bec in some of the later episodes. Whoever is in charge you can absolutely guarantee a frightening ride through another world, which Shan depicts so very well. As far as teenage horror goes this is about as entertaining as it gets. You cannot compare it to the real horror masters, such as James Herbert, Shaun Hutson, Brian Keene or Conrad Jones, but they are truly entertaining, even though the storylines are flimsy to say the least, they are still excellent reading.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too (0/0 people found this helpful)

Bec has never led a normal life, or was never given the chance to. Born only remembering her mother and how she passed away, Bec was saved by a village's priestess who urged the village leaders to let her live. Making her the priestess's apprentice, Bec was able to learn the magic and potions that would be used in aid of those who fought in battles.

Unfortunately for Bec, she didn't know how many battles her village would be facing.

Never a quiet night, Bec's village is continuously invaded by demons, the Fomorii, who come to tear the village apart. And every night Bec must use what she has learned, which isn't much since the priestess was killed way before she was able to pass on everything she knew.

Used to having other villagers come through, Bec's village is visited by Run Fast, a boy who says that his village is in trouble. Unsure of his story or of what side he is on, the warriors feel an obligation to help and so set off to end their fight. Usually the priestess does not go along with the warriors, but this time Bec sees fit to travel with them, hoping that this journey will help her figure out what troubles her and hopefully to become one with her surroundings and her magic.

Fighting off the demons is not an easy feat, especially since both worlds have just been connected, making it easier for the demons to enter, multiplying their numbers every time one is killed. Magic is what destroys them -- and the lives of the villagers and the warriors are in the hands of Bec.

Thrilling and different from the other novels in the series, BEC is a courageous novel that leaps off the pages and plays with our imagination. The descriptions are vivid and the story is unique. With an ending that will leave you breathless, BEC is a great addition to the already popular series, THE DEMONATA.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Bec (0/0 people found this helpful)

Having written this review after reading the following book, I can easily disagree with a few comments of this book having nothing to do with the storyline and it being just a bit of background information.

The contents of this book feature heavily in the books to come - so I recommend reading them all in the order in which they state. And I also recommend that people withold their bad reviews until they can say they have read the following books (this is only book 4 out of 10 in the series), and only then can they say if they feel it doesn't relate.

I personally think it's amazing how when reading these books with, so far, 3 different main characters, you can still feel familiar with the others. For example, having read Lord Loss with the story about Grubbs, then Demon Thief with the story about Kernel, it is so easy to carry on reading from the perspective of a previous character without the feeling of interruption from another character. And I owe this to the marvellous writing skills of Darren Shan.

And I would like to remind others that these are not supposed to be highly interlectual books, with long sentences etc. As you can see from having read it, it is written from the main characters point of view, and most people don't think on the spot in deep complexities. Shan portrays the individuality of their speech and keeps it real.

All in all, I think that the books are a great read. They may not be complexly written, but that's not how the characters would ordinarily think about things, the fast pace in the present tense keeps you on your toes, allowing your imagination to flow freely through the story.

I can't wait for the next books!!

5 ++++++ stars! unbelievable (0/0 people found this helpful)

this book is utterly unputdowneable, as it says on the back! i thought it was quite qierd, being not my usualy type of girlie chick flick kind of book. but i gradually got interested. I was goin to just return it to the library when it was due (i had it overdue! woops!) but when i was told someone was requesting it (rightly so!) i kind of rushed through it, and realised i LIKED the book. theres so many twists and turns its amazing. im impressed bby darren shans work. and because ive skipped ahead, i think i was even was even more surprised because of that reason coz i had no back knowledge of lord loss or anything as i hadnt read any previous ones. so wen they spotted the light red lumpy floating thing i never kbnew it was lord loss, or about the fact he can talk and the demon masters etc.

maybe better to read this first!?

darren shan is a master at masterpieces!

Screams in the Dark indeed ... (0/0 people found this helpful)

I like to class myself as a big fan of Shan's works, reading all of his Vampire and Demon series to date. However, of all of them released so far, this is probably my favourite.

The book is fast pasted, and, if I may quote the praise at the back of the book, it's "utterly unputdownable". I completely disagree with the ending being weak, or with anyone who tries to find a fault with any of the book at all! I think the Shan deserves a big thums up for this work.

The characters are loveable and cleverly written so that the emotion evoked by the characters in the book are evoked by yourself as the reader. Although I don't claim to be an expert on ancient Ireland, I do think that the Celtic terms are very cleverly sown into the text and the writing is a flawless for the average teen reader.

He certainly has "put the next generation back onto reading with a bang"

Bec: Screams in the Dark... (The Demonata)

Darren Shan

Reader Reviews:

great horror series (6/6 people found this helpful)

Courtesy of Teens Read Too (0/0 people found this helpful)

Bec (0/0 people found this helpful)

5 ++++++ stars! unbelievable (0/0 people found this helpful)

Screams in the Dark indeed ... (0/0 people found this helpful)

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