I'd read this books several times as an adolescent and I always thought kindly on it. I recently just reread it and realized it was crap. The book is filled with plot holes, deus ex machinae, ginormous leaps in logic that belie the author's unstructured story development.It's a perfect example of a NaNoWriMo, if such things existed when John Bellairs wrote this. Don't get me wrong, he's a talented guy, but I think he was capable of far more. There's evidence of that in his other novels! It's just that this one... sucks balls.It's still wildly evocative - he was a master at creating a time and place and weird images, that's undeniable. But I think he was often baffled by the people he made up, and to me that felt very evident in reading this book again. His characters in this novel are stupid and only stumble upon the right answers because he shoves the right answers in their pockets. Anthony and Miss Ells deserve far better. I couldn't help wondering if Brad Strickland could turn this wreck into an enjoyable read.Forget this one unless you WANT to put your eyes out with knitting needles and read one of Bellairs' Johnny Dixon stories instead.
Reaching the end of John Bellairs' works published up to this death, I realize that the books became more contrived and poorly plotted as time went on, ending in manners of happenstance, deus ex machina. Despite the drop-off from his earlier works, I can't help but enjoy them, and this one at least has some unique oddities to it most particularly the incorporation of extra dimensions that I only wish Bellairs had spent a greater time crafting with the detail he routinely committed to describing historical settings. The portion of the book taking place in a cabin within the Canadian wilderness is superbly creepy, but then, with the break of a windowpane, the action is forced back to Bellairs' typical locale and the employment of random chance to move his characters forward in the plot. If only it had stayed in Canada, this could have been one of his strongest stories. It's sad to reach the end of Bellairs' output, but I'm eager to delve into the stories completed and later originated by Brad Strickland.
Do You like book The Mansion In The Mist (2004)?
Anthony Monday is looking forward to spending his summer with his librarian friend, Miss Eells, and her brother Emerson at their summer cabin. While they’re there, however, some strange things begin to happen. Anthony discovers a chest that transports him to another dimension/world where a secret society known as the Autarchs has set up their headquarters. They plan to use their powers (through the Logos Cube) to bring everyone on earth to their world where they will rule over them. The only gli
—Arminzerella
I didn't like this one as much as The House With the Clock in its Walls. I read it in spurts with a lot of interruptions, so that probably didn't help. But the plot was just so inconceivable, and along those lines, I noticed something about Bellairs' plot construction: He will pull things out of thin air to suit the needs of the story. An example is the protective amulets: At first, no one (including Emerson, the owner of the amulets) thought that they had any power. But then, out of the blue, they gain magical powers that help Anthony smash the Logos Cube and get out of the Autarch's world alive. There are many similar plot elements with very thin explanations that left me scratching my head. I'll still recommend his books to kids, though, because I don't think leaps in logic are as hard to accept for a younger audience.
—Amy
The last novel Bellairs completed before his untimely death. It's one of my favorites. I love the weirdness of it - the strange other world, the withered Autarchs, the mysterious mansion. It's great to see Anthony being proactive in resolving the conflict, he really drives the story forward and there's a great sense of stakes. I think this is also the only book where Bellairs shows us things that happen that are not from the point of view of the protagonists, and the result is some fine suspense. Anthony Monday's last adventure is a high point. It just makes it more tragic that Bellairs left us just as he was upping the game.
—Justin K. Rivers
