Possessions, Book One: Unclean Getaway by Ray Fawkes (author/artist)
If you are looking for a fun, unique, well-written book for your 8-12 year old, you should seek out a copy of Possessions by Ray Fawkes. It’s horror fiction for kids in the same way that Scooby-Doo is technically horror fiction: It’s just so much fun, there’s nothing to be frightened of. Basically, the main character looks like a five- to six-year old girl, but she’s actually a pit demon known as “Gurgazon the Unclean.”
Gurgazon is captured by Mr. Thorne, a butler-like servant who maintains for his elderly employer the Llewellyn-Vane House for Captured Spirits and Ghostly Curiosities. The main narrative is simple: Gurgazon tries again and again to escape and is constantly frustrated by Mr. Thorne who seems to anticipate perfectly every attempt Gurgazon makes. The more complex her schemes, the funnier it becomes that anyone could anticipate them.
Other than this dynamic between Gurgazon and Mr. Thorne, the comic book gains its humor from Gurgazon’s interactions with the other inhabitants: The Sturmann Poltergeist, AKA “Polly”; the very friendly Ice Field Lights; The Headless Pale Lady; and The Duke, a haunted Juke Box. The inhabitants have apparently resigned themselves to their fates and no longer try to run away, and they kindly welcome Gurgazon to their group. But with every attempt at kindness, Gurgazon yells out something like, “SHUDDER at Gurgazon’s unholy power!” or “ENDURE GURGAZON’S AWFULNESS!” All the friendly spooks try to ignore her insults — The Pale Lady even tries to hug Gurgazon. Only the friendly Polly is easily insulted, and then the fun really begins . . .
I read this book to my eight-year-old who howled with laughter every time Gurgazon screamed something like “Know Gurgazon and FEAR Gurgazon!” We had a blast reading it together, and then he went off and read it to himself once he understood how the voices of the characters worked. My twelve-year-old grabbed all three volumes of Possessions and disappeared into her room, only to emerge later demanding that I look at her favorite passages with her. I’d say that Possessions was a great success in my family since this father enjoyed it as much as his kids.
Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi A brilliant and varied collection of mostly-SF stories, many of which focus on the interactions…
Childhood's End- Arthur C. Clarke
The only genre book I read last month was The Ghost Book, a 1926 anthology compiled by Lady Cynthia Asquith,…
Best fiction I read in April was Ian C. Esslemont's new Malazan book, Forge of the High Mage. Best non-fiction…
I read the first four books in the "Children Of the Lamp" series by P.B. Kerr. The name of the…