Today we’re on the penultimate stage of our massive look at YA series, and today we have reached sequences that last for six books. There is a lot of reading in six books and many kids will not (quite understandably) last the page. Today’s bunch are an odd mix, from the mega-selling Cassandra Clare to others which are relatively unknown. A few are series which looked done and dusted but were then revived and others were published very quickly; with all six books coming over a relatively short period of six years. Here are the links to the previous entries: Quintets: https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/the-quintet-in-ya-dark-fictionor-is-this-just-one-book-too-many Quartets: https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/when-three-becomes-fourthe-quartet-in-ya-fiction Trilogies: https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/three-is-the-magic-number-the-power-of-the-trilogy Duologies: https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/why-not-give-two-christmas-gifts-instead-of-onethe-power-of-the-ya-duology They are listed alphabetically and the date of first and last book is noted. Do get in touch if you think there are any glaring ‘quintet’ omissions, of which there are bound to be. As always, my lists drift into wider genre fiction, particularly fantasy and science fiction. CASSANDRA CLARE: MORTAL INSTRUMENTS (6 BOOK SERIES 2007-14) Cassandra Clare reigns supreme as the Queen of Urban Fantasy and her original Mortal Instruments series is hard to beat, later followed by a second Dark Artifices trilogy and lots of other Shadowhunter novels. To be honest, I don’t know how these books are connected and there was also a popular Netflix series to tap into which lasted three seasons. The original 2007 novel, City of Bones, kicks off when fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City and witnesses a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons and is then shocked when the body disappears into thin air. This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours the teenager is pulled into the Shadowhunter world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon as she begins to develop freaky Shadowhunter powers herself and finds herself a marked woman in an invisible war which has been rumbling on for centuries, but out of sight to most of mankind. It’s a top-notch blend of fantasy, adventure and romance which sold massively. AGE 12+ SEBASTIAN DE CASTELL: SPELLSLINGER (6 BOOK SERIES 2017-19) Sebastian De Castell is a well-established adult fantasy who between 1917-19 found the time to bang out a chunky, very entertaining, fantasy series aimed at the Harry Potter market, or slightly older mid-teens. The main character, who comes from a very powerful family of magicians, but has limited magical ability of his own has to use his cunning and deception to prevent himself getting kicked out of magic school and disgracing his family as a failed spellcaster. He’s a very clever and cocky guy but his spellcasting skills don’t match his mouth. This blurb is only the opening gambit in an engaging series where Kellen Argos goes on a series of dangerous adventures which takes magic in a wild new direction, creating new legends along the way. AGE 11+ RODERICK GORDON & BRIAN WILLIAMS: TUNNELS (6 BOOK SERIES 2005-12) The Tunnels series takes its time getting going and is aimed at stronger readers, with its slow and deliberate build-up younger kids might be put off by its girthy 500+ pages. But for those who like an engaging mix of fantasy and adventure, with wonderful descriptions of an underground world there is much to admire in this interictally plotted series. Will’s father is an archaeologist and after he mysteriously disappears the 14-year-old investigates, and the clues lead him a subterranean society ‘The Colony’ which has existed secretly for over one-hundred-years. Will soon finds out the Colony is ruled by a merciless overclass, the Styx, which are involved in the disappearance of his father. As the series develops it takes on the mantle of a coming of age saga as Will finds his place underground and his role in bucking the system. AGE 12+ BARRY HUTCHINSON: INVISIBLE FIENDS (6 BOOK SERIES 2010-12) Barry Hutchinson has written several fun books for younger kids, many non-horror, but the Invisible Fiends series, which begins with Mr Mumbles is the best one I have come across and is aimed at kids around eight or older. If you have a child who has trouble connecting with books these are great easy reads to try, with a wonderful balance between scares and comedy which are also terrific for reading out loud. Mr Mumbles is the imaginary friend which Kyle had when he was younger, however, Mumbles is back and causes havoc, much of which poor Kyle gets blamed for. AGE 8+ DAVE JEFFREY: BEATRICE BEECHAM (6 BOOK SERIES 2007-18) Beatrice Beecham's Cryptic Crypt is an entertaining and enterprising fun read about a group of four teenage misfits (the ‘Newshounds’) who get wrapped up in a supernatural mystery in their sleepy small coastal town. The series is lightly spooky, but also very good natured; the joy of the first kiss and walks on the pier holding hands and all that cute stuff. I found the main character Beatrice to be really engaging and innocently likable, and not really the type of girl to get wrapped up in the weird reawakening of World War II and Neo Nazis. The books can be read in any order and this review is based on reading which are technically books five and six, the latter features the crazy reappearance of a ghost-ship which begins to possess some of the characters. Don’t worry though, Beatrice is soon on the case, leading a memorable fightback and outstanding climax. 2020 should see another book in the series released, the most recent of which have been published by Crystal Lake. AGE 11+ URSULA LE GUIN: EARTHSEA (6 BOOK SERIES 1968-2014) Sadly, the stunning Earthsea series is read by few kids these days, which is a shame as it has aged incredibly well and although it may not be as accessible as Harry Potter, JK Rowling was surely influenced by this masterpiece. I read books one to three when I was a kid and book four when it was published when I was around twenty. Although I loved Tehanu (book four) I wonder whether this series should not have been left alone as a perfectly formed trilogy? This amazing tale of wizards, dragons and a terrifying darkness is set on the Island of Gont, a land famous for magic. The tale opens with a boy called Sparrowhawk and the series details his quest to become a powerful wizard, but at the same time he is stalked by an evil-shadow beast which he was responsible for raising after attempting spells beyond his magical ability. Book five is a series of short stories and after book six the series ends in a rather bitty way with the novella The Daughter of Odren which was published many years after The Other Wind. AGE 10+ TEHEREH MAFI: SHATTER ME (6 BOOK SERIES 2011-20) Great dark dystopian thriller which strays into urban fantasy about a girl with a touch that can kill when she absorbs their life energy, making her a genuine lethal weapon and a prize for different factions. In a dangerous world this is a gift everyone wants to exploit, leading to her being held prisoner. Juliette is a spunky heroine in an engaging series which is relatively unknown in the UK and is well worth a look. It looked like the series was dead and buried as a trilogy, however, the author picked the baton up again and continued, also with inter-connected novellas. AGE 13+ CHRIS MORPHEW: THE PHOENIX FILES (6 BOOK SERIES 2009-13) Have you ever come across an ‘end of the world’ countdown which is spread over six books? If not, you need to check out The Phoenix Files series which opens with Arrival. The setting for this series is outstanding; a weird, locked-down desert town (Phoenix), built by an all-powerful corporation whose plans threaten the future of the rest of the world. Upon arrival Luke Hunter soon realizes that Phoenix is no ordinary town: no cars, no phone or Internet connection, and a private security firm on permanent patrol. Soon Luke and his new friends learn that someone is plotting to wipe out the rest of humanity and as the books develops the countdown is on and there are still 88 to go when book two begins in a very well plotted series. The other books also develop other characters including Peter and Jordan who are also sucked into the wider conspiracy. AGE 11+ BENJAMIN J MYERS: BAD TUESDAYS (6 BOOK SERIES 2009-12) The Bad Tuesdays series which begins with Twisted Symmetry is a highly entertaining mix of urban fantasy and the apocalypse with a strong vibe of Oliver Twist in an imaginatively plotted series. The main character Chess Tuesday and her two brothers Box and Splinter are homeless orphans who live outside of the law and on the fringes of society. Early in the series they realise they are being tracked by two very dangerous (and rival) organisations called the ‘Twisted Symmetry’ and the ‘Committee’. The reason why is the crux of the novel, as is their parentage, when it becomes clear their past holds the secrets to their future, not to mention the rest of the world. As the series develops new friends and enemies come thick and fast when time travel and planet hopping is thrown into the crazy mix. AGE 11+ SOPHIE McKENZIE: THE MEDUSA PROJECT (6 BOOK SERIES 2009-12) Sophie McKenzie is a big name in children’s and YA fiction, having authored some excellent thrillers and very engaging page-turners, recently she also turned to adult thrillers. The Medusa Project series, which begins with The Set Up, is her only series to feature the paranormal. The six books are all short, pacey and feature a good range of characters aimed at the pre-teen age group. Four teenagers begin to develop ESP characteristics when they turn fourteen, unknown to them when they were babies, they were implanted with the Medusa Gene and then hidden away after the scientist behind the experiment died. McKenzie gets the balance just right between kids experiencing changes, friendship issues and trying to cope at school when crazy stuff begins to happen. Such was its popularity an extra short World Book Day The Thief was also released. AGE 9+ JAMES PATTERSON: DANIEL X (6 BOOK SERIES 2008-15) The bestselling powerhouse James Patterson is probably shunned in horror circles, however, this science-fiction series which opens with Dangerous Days of Daniel X is a good read and well worth a closer look. The six books have been co-written with four other authors, so perhaps they did all the literary heavy lifting! Daniel X is a teenage boy with incredibly powerful ESP-type covers and can read minds, turn himself into other creatures as well as other amazing abilities. Since the death of his parents when he was three years old, he has been defending Earth against evil, usually aliens, whilst trying to track down a particularly powerful creature which killed his parents (wait until book six). Using his special powers and a list of targets left by his parents ‘The Alien Hunter’ is on the prowl and he means business. It’s an easy read, but good undemanding fun. AGE 11+ CHRIS WESTERFELD: UGLIES (6 BOOK SERIES 2005-19) The Uglies has been a very popular dystopian series for several years which looked like it was concluded way back in 2007 with the release of the fourth book Extras, which also had a spin-off graphic novel. However, Westerfeld started a second series in 2018, Imposters, which is set in the same world as Uglies and recently released a second new novel Shatter City. You don't have to read the Uglies series first to enjoy this book, but it helps to understand some of the backstory and the cool tech. As readers explore two futuristic cities in Impostors, they're shown the stark difference between leaders who lead their people and leaders who control people. But it is in Uglies where we are introduced to ‘Crims’, ‘Cutters’, ‘Tech Heads’, ‘Surge Monkeys’ and all the other cool stuff which makes the original series special in a world where everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. In this world turning sixteen brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ‘Ugly’ into a stunningly attractive ‘Pretty’ and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time and for main character Tally this is just around the corner. But nothing is what it seems, especially after meaning Shay. AGE 12+ SUZANNE YOUNG: THE PROGRAM (6 BOOK SERIES 2012-18)
The Program starts with a very clever idea, teen suicide is at epidemic levels though some unknown illness which the government has named ‘the sadness’. If any teens show any likely signs of depression, they are forced into a shadowy institution called ‘The Program’ which is a type of brainwashing and characteristic killing process which all the kids are terrified of. So, no matter what teens are feeling, they try to hide it, any side of twitchiness and reprogramming awaits. The novels are all interconnected, with the novellas introducing new characters and the origins of ‘The Program’. It’s a terrific teen read, which is more dystopian thriller than horror, which deserves to be much better known in the UK. There has also been a play based upon the book which has been staged in the UK. AGE 13+ DAN WELLS: JOHN CLEAVER (6 BOOK SERIES 2009-17) Gleefully nasty thriller series which begins with I Am Not a Serial Killer about a teenage mortician who helps the family business, with serious, serious issues, who believes he may have serial killer tendencies or is a type of sociopath. He’s the sort of kid who would write a school ‘heroes’ essay on serial killer John Wayne Gacy. This sort of attitude gets him serious trouble with his teachers who would much rather an essay on Martin Luther King. Interestingly, this was always packaged as a YA novel in the UK but was aimed at the adult market in the USA. There is also an excellent indie-film of the same name. The series ended in 2011 until the author revived it in 2015, his science fiction series Partials is also highly recommended. AGE 13+ Few, if any, websites give as much coverage to YA horror/dark fiction as Ginger Nuts of Horror, so it’s time for our annual look at the Preliminary Ballot list of ten books for the YA Bram Stoker Award. This list will eventually be whittled down to five or six books, but we’re reviewing all ten and at the time of writing have no idea how the HWA member voting will shake up the final list. When the Preliminary Ballot was released, Ginger Nuts had previously reviewed (all positively) six of the ten books, so perhaps those on the YA HWA judging panel have been wisely following our page. We have since read the other four books and rank all ten in order of preference. Overall, this is a very strong list, featuring some excellent novels. There is the usual, disappointing, balance of a strong bias towards American authors, with nine of the ten coming from America. Considering the next Stoker Annual Convention is in the UK, it would have been nice to have seen more UK novelists featured, especially considering so many very strong novels have been published by British authors. I have no idea how HWA members vote, or what interest they have in the YA category, but having read all ten books, my list might provide members some pointer on what they might like to explore further before casting their vote. I have been a school librarian since 1994 and the acid test for myself is a simple one; would I want any of these books in my library? The answer is hell yes, I already have the top eight listed and recommend them heavily. JACQUELINE WEST: LAST THINGS (9.5/10) Young Adult novels with a musical theme are notoriously tricky to get right and when you throw in heavy metal it becomes even more difficult to avoid the dreaded devil-horn clichés. Amazingly, Jacqueline West superb Last Things avoids these pitfalls in a gripping tale of a tortured teenage musician who believes his success might be because of a strange conversation he can’t get out of his head. The music scenes with Anders truly sizzle, equally his obsession with improving his guitar style and the comedown when the gig is over is completely convincing when he is alone brooding in his bedroom. The story is told via two uniquely different first-person narratives in alternating chapters; ‘Thea’ and ‘Anders’, with all the action taking place in the small Minnesota town of Greenwood. The band are beautifully portrayed as three young men, with dreams of escaping their small town, until the cracks begin to show after Anders makes a few rash big decisions on his own. They are big news and it is easy for the reader to get carried along by their success. Where’s the supernatural angle you might ask? Anders believes, even if he practices for hours every day, he plays better than he should or deserves to. He suspects something dark has happened to make him this good and feels that deep down he is a cheat and does not deserve this success, playing on the old ‘selling your soul for rock and roll’ story. The blend of atmosphere, the music vibe, the subtle supernatural approach and a host of engaging characters made this one of the best YA supernatural thrillers I have read in a long time. Make sure you’re listening to Rage against the Machine if you’re checking out this book, as the author name checks them as one of the bands which ‘Last Things’ might sound a bit like. Two copies of this novel are now happily in my library. AGE RATING 12+ LIANA GARDNER: SPEAK NO EVIL (9/10) By coincidence Liana Gardner’s outstanding Speak No Evil also has a very strong musical theme. The main story revolves around a sixteen-year-old girl who is in the American care-home system and has not spoken for almost two years. The doctor treating her realises music is very important to her and uses lyrics as a way of breaking down the communication barriers. The reasons for this are revealed very slowly and is told over multiple time periods, going back to when Melody Fisher was five-years-old, with the novel repeatedly jumping across the time periods, but as it progresses the backstory slowly closes in on the Melody who is sixteen. My only gripe with Speak to Evil is to question whether the novel fits the remit for the Stoker Award? It does and it does not, ultimately it is a novel about abuse, overcoming abuse and the resilience of Melody Fisher as she slowly, with a lot of help, turns her life around. I’m not ashamed to say I had a tear in my eye on more than one occasion. Perhaps it is the backdrop of the story which edges it towards dark fiction rather than family drama, as this is very dark indeed. Melody’s parents both attend a church where snake-handling is part of the normal Sunday service, however, Melody’s mother is scared of the snakes, but Melody is gifted with animals and has a beautiful voice which almost has a hypnotic quality, but soon something goes horribly wrong with the snakes. Also, writing this from the UK, I’m not sure whether our teenagers would understand the snake-handling story. Teenage novels which touch on subjects as dark as this, which also features a very unpleasant rape scene, need hope and even though Melody does not talk she does have others fighting in her corner for her. Perhaps in real life she would slip through the cracks of society? But this if fiction and we all need hope. A quite beautiful book and one in which I am very happy to champion by buying it for my library. AGE RATING 14+ AMELINDA BERUBE: HERE THERE ARE MONSTERS (8.5/10) I was really captivated by this slow-burning YA horror/fantasy novel which genuinely nailed the troubled psyche of a sixteen-year-old girl who is trying to deal with the sudden disappearance of her little sister, aged thirteen. The younger girl Deirdre had issues, which are revealed slowly as the plot moves backwards and forwards through narratives before and after the disappearance. Although Skye was not to blame, she feels guilty and it puts a strain on her relationship with her struggling parents who try not to accuse her. But when they’re so stressed tensions run very high and it is easy to cast stones. The supernatural aspect is slowly filtered into the book and the haunting aspect of the story is cleverly connected to Skye, her new friends and what lives within the local forest. Or is it something which has followed the sisters throughout their childhood? The compelling friendship dynamics Skye has with her new school friends works very well as she struggles to cope even more as the length of the disappearance stretches. The mystery quickly deepens, and I found this to be an excellent and atmospheric read for teenagers looking for a subtle supernatural slow burner. AGE RATING 13+ ANN DAVILA CARDINAL: FIVE MIDNIGHTS (8/10) I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced supernatural thriller set over a few hot and sweaty days in Puerto Rico. An American teenager (who has a Puerto Rican father) who speaks rubbish Spanish visits the island for the summer she gets sucked into a supernatural mystery surrounding the disappearance of her cousin and several of his friends. Luckily her uncle is the chief of police and so she has some insider knowledge on what is going on and inserts herself into a convoluted and brooding mystery. The horror aspect revolves around a Puerto Rican version of the boogieman who is killing teenagers with birthdays whose are very close together and known to Lupe. Has someone activated a curse, or how is this creature targeting its victims? This is all part of the drama Lupe is sucked into. Seen from multiple points of view, throw in a splash of romance, a musical heartthrob, Lupe is an energetic lead character who is not scared to clash with the tough local women who see her as a ‘gringo’ interloper who needs to be put in her place. A highly entertaining supernatural thriller with a convincing and enlightening culturally different setting. AGE RATING 13+ DAWN KURTAGICH: TEETH IN THE MIDST (8/10) I am a massive fan of Dawn Kurtagich and we have featured her previous novels The Dead House and Creeper Man on Ginger Nuts. Her latest novel Teeth in the Mist is perhaps even more ambitious and is a complex story, set in a huge mansion in rural Wales, split over three narratives in the present day, 1851 and 1583 with a strong supernatural theme permeating through the story. It was a very chunky book, with different fonts and voices and took a bit of time to get into the flow but it is worthy sticking with. This was the case with both her previous two novels, let us hope teenage readers give it a chance as it is not an easy read and will challenge many, as is the case with all her fiction. Sixteen-year-old photography buff Zoey ends up at Medwyn Mill House and is fascinated with the ruin and after spending the night there with her friend Poulton and is sure they are not alone. Jumping back to 1851 seventeen-year-old Roan arrives at Mill House as a ward and soon realises she is connected to an ancient secret and must try and escape the house, but that is not as easy as it might sound. However, there is something connecting the three young women, which also includes Hermione who relocates with her husband to the same area in 1583. This was a very strong blend of mystery, horror and dark fantasy, even if it did not quite unsettle me in the way the magnificent Creeper Man did. But is certainly another highly original read as I have come to expect from this talented writer. AGE RATING 13+ SHEA ERNSHAW: WINTERWOOD (8/10) I was a big fan of Shea Ernshaw’s debut The Wicked Deep and her follow-up Winterwood is another dreamily told dark fantasy, with an enticing taste of the supernatural. Once again, the story features a romance which develops as the story enfolds, this one is slightly different though, as the teenage narrator is a witch. Or is she? This was one of the things I loved about this book, much of what goes on is both vague and subtle, so this will appeal to stronger readers, others may find it a tad slow and frustrating. One part of the story is narrated by Nora Walker, in the remote location where the action is set, the ‘Walker Women’ are famous for being witches and so most folks give them a wide berth. Nora, however, questions her own magical ability, but she certainly has weird gifts and can find things when lost and has a deep connection with the local forest which is dangerous and avoided by many others. She can feel the trees and is very close to nature and for the most part deals in herbs rather than magic. Close to her cottage is a reform school for teenage boys, who most definitely think she is a witch, and from this school she meets Oliver. The second narrative is told in the first person from Oliver’s point of view and as the story moves on the two grow closer, but a mystery develops around the disappearance of a second boy around the same time Nora met Oliver. With Nora believing the two boys were connected in some way. Both voices are very distinct, and I found the lush prose Winterwood used to be rather beautiful and lovely to spend time with. It had an outstanding ending which I never saw coming and every teenager questions their place in the world and Nora, witch or not, is no different. Along the way the story is peppered with short anecdotal stories about earlier generations of the ‘Walker Women’. This one of probably aimed at the female audience and if you have the patience to go with the flow, and are not looking for action or adventure, is a very rewarding and thoughtful read. AGE RATING 13+ SARA FARING: THE TENTH GIRL (7/10) The Tenth Girl is one of those books which is picking up as much love as it is hate, being polarising in all sorts of ways, in particular, because of the outrageous twist ending. Some readers have undoubtedly loved it, others found it to a load of rubbish. I’m not going to comment which way I swing, as this is one of those occasions where you need to make up your own mind. Also, was this a YA novel? Yes and no. To be frank, an adult could pick it up by mistake and never twig it was predominately aimed at teens. This very twisty gothic thriller is mainly set in an Argentinean boarding school of the 1970s, so it is unique for points of references, making it challenging for a YA audience with the oppressive government dictatorship of that decade lurking in the background. It follows a young teacher beginning at a girl’s boarding school in Patagonia, in a house built by colonizers on land that formerly belonged to the Zapuche, an indigenous people in Argentina. The young woman is attempting to escape the Argentinian government, but it seems that she may have gotten herself into an even more dangerous, disturbing situation as very quickly strange things happen at the boarding school and she is told not, under any circumstances, to go out at night. This book will not be for everyone, but when you do get to the end, some of the more abstract sequences make a lot more sense. Whatever you think, you’ll be shaking your head and will never see the ending coming. Avoid spoilers at all costs. AGE RATING 14+ KATE ALICE MARSHALL: RULES FOR VANISHING (7/10) Rules for Vanishing was a very clever, original, and sneaky novel told via transcribes, written testimonies, interviews, exhibits, and video evidence. We know from the beginning that the action kicks off in April 2017 and that police discussions are conducted in May 2017 with Sara being the suspect under the microscope. The story revolves around a local legend; once a year an isolated road is rumoured to magically appear, which leads to the entrance to a supernatural dimension and those who follow the path must follow precise rules or risk being trapped there forever. If Sara’s crazy story is to be believed she was lucky to make it out alive, what we don’t know is which of her friends survived along with her, and so we enjoy a story which is enticingly told out of synch. Why was Sara attempting to enter another dimension you might ask? Exactly a year previously her sister Becca went missing and her parents think that she ran away with her boyfriend, but her sister Sara has another solution to the disappearance and begins to investigate. Did Becca play the game and became lost in another world? Of course, the world is real before long Sara, on the hunt for Becca, and her friends are attempting to get through the seven gates to complete the challenges and be free to leave. I thought this was a very entertaining novel which was both atmospheric and very cleverly written, almost with a documentary feel to it in which the reader had to solve their own puzzles and conduct their own analysis right to the end. Well worth checking out. AGE RATING 12+ PETER ADAM SALOMOM: EIGHT MINUTES, THIRTY-TWO SECONDS (5/10)
As book titles go Eight Minutes, Thirty-Two Seconds is a stinker for YA audiences, no matter what the title refers to, kids are going to avoid it like the plague. Simply put, it is just too clunky. Neither was I certain this was a YA novel at all, or just a science fiction thriller which is accessible to strong teen readers. It was also one of those books where if you don’t follow the action very closely it is easy to lose the thread, which could happen with teen readers. Once you get your head around it, the opening premise was intriguing; due to some kind of disaster the entire population of the world is dead apart from two people who are known as ‘L’ and ‘M’, neither of which remember what happened. However, there are complications, which is the crux of the novel and the reason for the horrendous title. ‘L’ and ‘M’ can access the former lives and memories of six other people from the old world, but only for 8.32 minutes/seconds at a time and to do this they have to take this weird addictive drug which kills them. The AI computer then brings them back to life but they have little memories of what happened, apart from bits and pieces. From these excursions into these lost memories they try to figure out what happened to the world by writing little notes and try and put together the pieces of the jigsaw. It was not a long book I still found it disjoined and grew tired of the character jumping, however, there are some nice plot jumps and twists and the crumbling setting held a lot of intrigue. It will probably be sold as ‘high concept’ but I was not convinced and would be interested to see how genuine teen readers take to this book, rather than adult reviewers. AGE RATING 14+ NZONDI: OWARE MOSAIC (3/10) I really struggled with Oware Mosaic and found large sections made little sense, making it a novel I would not recommend to YA readers. Teenagers get frustrated easily and even though it features some creative ideas, much of it is lost in stilted prose with a voice which is both dull and repetitive. Set in Ghana, some years after a massive war, scientists have developed a technology that stores consciousness on data-orbs called retcons. Through a combination of human characters and a future type of (almost) vampire they end up in a virtual reality via a very advanced computer game. I’m not explaining this very well, mainly because I understood little of it and much of what it presented was hard to visualise and I found myself reading the same piece of text several times to pick up the flow. It’s nice to see the story set almost entirely in Africa, but I failed to connect with it and think teen readers would also struggle. AGE RATING 13+ What does the teen of today really think of Usborne’s World of the Unknown: Ghosts? We interviewed AJ to find out… Today we turn to our youngest member of the Ginger Nut team, fourteen-year-old AJ, to take a look at the recently rereleased Usborne’s World of the Unknown: Ghosts by Christopher Maynard which was first published way back in 1977 and is widely credited with tuning many young minds into lifelong horror fans. Adults of 2019 undoubtedly have much nostalgia for this cult book, but we are interested in whether it has any relevance in the technological driven world of today or whether kids will be turned off by it. In the form of an interview, we have gone through the book with AJ for her thoughts on this legendary work.
The 2019 version also has a forward from Reece Shearsmith of The League of Gentlemen, Psychoville and more recently Inside Number 9 following a social media campaign which attracted a lot of support, helping to bring the book back from the grave and into print after twenty years of unavailability. In 1977 this was one of Usborne’s earliest books and although they never published a second edition, they used the same blueprint on many other books which were very similar in structure to this on, for example, poltergeists and other types of supernatural entities which were bigger and included much more detail than Ghosts. GNOH: This book was a big deal in the late 1970s/1980s how do you think it stands the test of time? AJ: I think it has aged incredibly badly, I can understand why kids liked it thirty years ago though, when there were no mobile phones and readers had no choice but to use books if they wanted to find out about vampires, werewolves and stuff. But in the days of ghost websites, You Tube channels on hauntings and colour photography this book looks just ghastly and I don’t see the point in republishing a relic from the time of the dinosaurs. GNOH: What if you were ten instead of fourteen? AJ: Ok, maybe, I would have flicked through the pictures and the small pieces of texts would have been easy to read and might have grabbed my attention. I might have used it for ideas for Halloween, but the cheesy drawings would have put me off. The terrible sketch on page one of the bats with the human face had me shaking my head straight away; “this is really old” I thought. No kid will read this. I like nostalgia connected to horror, shows like Stranger Things and the 1980s, but this book does not click the way a TV show does. GNOH: Is there anything you liked about it? It must have some good points? AJ: Too many of the stories were very vague and felt like anyone could have made them up and the hard facts included were minimal. The best pages were the ones which had slightly more detail, but not enough of them had enough intrigue to make me want to follow them up on the internet. For example, the poltergeist bit on page five was so rubbish, just a few pictures of broken plates. Boring, seriously, boring. GNOH: Did any of the pages pique your interest enough to check them out on the internet? AJ: Ok, a couple. Firstly, “The village with a dozen ghosts” was cool, but the internet now says there may now be fourteen! But it is nice to read that this myth is still going strong. I’ve never heard of the village of Pluckley, maybe if they have a haunted hotel we can visit there. We stayed in a haunted hotel in Whitby a few years ago and I was surprised the ancient ‘Withered Hand’ they have in a museum there was not in the book, it was much creepier than a lot of the stuff they did feature. Like I said, most of the others were too vague, fifty words about a ‘Waterfall Ghost’ in Australia is not going to catch the attention of many kids. I could just as easy make up fifty words about the ghost that lives under my bed and make it way scarier. GNOH: What did you think of the balance between pictures and photos? AJ: There were hardly and photos in the book and I tracked some of these down on the internet, so I suppose this means they’re famous examples. I can understand the desire to republish the ‘original’ book, but things have moved on and the pictures needed a serious makeover as they’re both cheesy and outdated. Many kids will just laugh at them and just not treat the book seriously. GNOH: When I was a kid, I remember lots of other books like this (more 1980s), but much gorier, I recall seeing a charred leg from (supposedly) human combustion. Do you think this book needed more stuff like that? AJ: A few more real shocks might have helped. That question has got me thinking about the age this book is aimed at, maybe we should downgrade it to about six or seven? Even for a parent to read to a kid for a ‘spooky story’ at bedtime? The stuff is just so basic, as a very ‘first’ beginner book to ghosts a very small child might get excited by it. GNOH: This book has been number one in the Amazon YA Horror category for a while and other ghost categories. At the time of writing is about to break the Amazon UK 200? Only Stephen King does that…. AJ: Then is it being sold under false pretences. IT IS NOT YOUNG ADULT. I am a ‘Young Adult’ and I can guarantee my kind WILL NOT read this, it is a nostalgia trip for old people or very small kids who still believe in the Tooth Fairy. GNOH: How much did you learn? AJ: I like ghost stories, horror novels and films and my dad is slowly letting me watch all the classics, but I doubt I learned much here, younger kids might though. This book was like a baby version of Wikipedia, if I wanted to find out about poltergeists I would go to Wiki not here. Some of their later books look much more informative as they have more focus on specific areas of the supernatural. If a kid did not know anything about the paranormal at all this might be a starting point, but for anybody who knows anything it is just too simple. I also just realised there is no Wendigo in the book, sorry guys, you missed out another cool ghost! GNOH: You’re being a tad disrespectful AJ, do you have any idea how influential this book is? AJ: No, not really, it just looks old and crusty, if I took this to school my friends would ditch me with embarrassment. GNOH: Part of the reason the publisher Usborne never republished this book was because they used it as a starting point for lots of other titles which had much more detail on specific paranormal stuff, such as their ‘Paranormal Guide Series’ which included titles such as ‘Poltergeists? The Evidence and the Arguments’ (1998). Another would be ‘Tales of Real Hauntings’ (1997) also by Usborne, but these factual books began to slowly disappear as the internet developed and kids went online to find out about ghosts. AJ: I’m not surprised, most kids I know read hardly anything and it is Netflix for everything. I’ve always talked to my dad about books since I was small. GNOH: What did you think of the haunted German submarine story UB-65? AJ: At least it seems to be based on facts – I looked this one up on the internet, but the story on Wikipedia was a bit different. The version in the book is a bit basic and does not really catch the imagination. GNOH: Did any other pages just out at you? AJ: No, but lots really irritated me. The ‘Haunted House’ (pages 16-17) has a very stupid list of twelve things you might expect to find in a haunted house such as watching out for muddy footprints appearing on the stairs. I have never seen such rubbish. Instead, why not list some real-life hauntings or mention a few houses or famous examples instead of such a dull ‘vague-book’ page? But, as I said, it might creep out a six-year-old. GNOH: What could they have done to spice it up in a second edition instead of just releasing this 1970s version? AJ: Kids who use the internet love watching top-tens of just about anything on You Tube (I especially love ‘Watch Mojo’) and this could have featured lots of interesting ‘Top Tens’ such as haunted houses or castles, top UK ghosts, top American ghosts or top urban myths. A new edition could have included stuff that has come from the internet age such as cursed chain letters or stuff like Slenderman. To be honest, stuff like Slenderman would freak kids out more than anything in this book. GNOH: Final Impression? AJ: Hated it. Please don’t make me look at this book ever again or I will quit Ginger Nuts forever. If the publisher had tested this book on a real child audience they would have thrown it back at them. It belongs in a museum. Maybe that freaky place Ripley’s Believe It or Not might take it? On seconds thoughts, it’s just too boring. Sorry to all the dads who love this book, but this is 2019 not 1977! GNOH: Thanks very much AJ, we’re sorry to have wasted your time. By the way, what are you currently reading? AJ: No problem, but please don’t give me any more rubbish like this I have got too much other stuff to do. I’m reading I’m Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. The Bronte was recommended by the horror writer Alden Bell (Reapers are the Angels) and Serial Killer my dad. AJ |
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