About book The Secret Of The Underground Room (1992)
Gruff and lovable Father Higgins is one of the better supporting characters in John Bellairs' many books.And in "The Secret of the Underground Room," the evil-battling priest slips into the spotlight in an intriguing ghost story. Though not Bellairs' best, it's a chilling and fast-paced thriller for the pre-Stephen King set -- sleepwalking, undead pirates, and a situation that Johnny and Professor Childermass can put right.Johnny Dixon is depressed when his friend Father Higgins is transferred to a different parish. Father Higgins isn't much happier, since he dislikes his new congregation, and his estranged mother has just died. Soon he visits his friends Johnny and Professor Childermass, claiming that a ghost has been trying to contact him, that he is sleepwalking, and he shows them a strange glassy half-plate with golden fishes in it, and a cryptic rhyme.Soon afterward, Father Higgins vanishes. The professor, Johnny, and Fergie go to England in an effort to track him -- and find that he is in the grip of a demonic dead knight, part of the pirate De Marisco knights that died long ago -- after some sold their souls to the devil. Now the evil knight known as Masterman is trying to set his old comrades free..."The Secret of the Underground Room" has all the staples of a good Bellairs book -- evil creatures that will either destroy the world or conquer it, spinechilling cliffhangers, cryptic rhymes, and a lot of witty banter between Childermass and other characters. But the strongest part of it is the good-hearted characters who are never quite overwhelmed by evil.Perhaps its greatest weaknesses are that the pacing seems to meander, and some of the plot twists are a bit strained. (Where did Bellairs get the line, "And in case you're wondering, he has developed his powers of ESP"?) But he imbues the story with an eerie, unnverving quality, where dark shadowy things can be found in half-forgotten places.Johnny and Fergie are good as always, the meek Charlie Brown altar boy and the cocky gutsy kid who complement each other like peanut-butter and jelly. Father Higgins is given extra dimension, provided with his sad past with his estranged mother and his wish that he had reconciled with her. And Professor Childermass is his usual grumpy, irritable, generous and brave self."Secret of the Underground Room" is not Bellairs' best, but it's definitely a solid ghost-story with plenty of wit and chills.
John Bellairs books (especially the editions with covers and front pieces by Edward Gorey) fed my love of mystery and horror as a child. I tried reading 'normal' books like "The Pitcher with the Glass Arm" and other sports related fiction, it was an edition of The Mummy, The Will and the Crypt which captured me. I devoured every book Bellairs published in our local library. To this day, I hunt used bookstores for the Edward Gorey editions of those books, keeping them in a special shelf in my house. The Secret of the Underground Room is not one of his better ones, alas. A very creepy premise involving Father Higgins possessed by a being intent on resurrecting heretical knights is very cool, and there are some very creepy moments in the end, but the book is very slow to start. One could tell this is one of his later books - it does't have the eerie verve of the early books. But I'm still glad to have it in my collection.
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So I'd forgotten about this 'series' (they're all standalones, with the same handful of characters) that I read as a kid. Well, 11 year old anyway. What with the current scandals, a story about a 13 year old whose best friends are a 70-something professor and a catholic priest of unspecified age might be seen as creepy, in pratice they aren't. Not in this book, in any case. This was not one of Bellairs' finest (but is was the last) but it was a good re-introduction. I'm looking forward, now, to 'A House With a Clock Within Its Walls' and 'The Eyes of the Killer Robot'. A little darkness, some magic (white and black), riddles, Catholic traditions, likeable characters and an early 1950's setting make these books worth reading. But don't start with this one.
—Dustin Brown
Yup, starting my year by rereading Bellairs. It struck me how much these books are basically H.P. Lovecraft-meets-Shirley Jackson for strange fussy children — the obsession with geographical detail! The vague but precise period setting! The accepted presence, slightly surprising but ultimately matter-of-fact, of unearthly forces! Among the best of New England gothic. I don't know why these haven't been reissued yet in a deluxe box set with all the deluxe Edward Gorey illustrations, because I would eat. that. up.
—Laurel
I found this great series when The Curse of the Blue Figurine,and The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt were reprinted by Puffin,and through a book club. Unfortunately Bellairs died, fortunately the series is co-authored to its finish with Brad Strickland. Themes run from monsters to superstitious magic. To my surprise religious beliefs play a strong part too. Woven with zeal of mystery. Add adventure. In this latest installment, the last solely by Bellairs, Father Higgins disappears. Rod Childermass, Fergus and Johnny search in England for the Pastor, incidentally he is possessed by a evil spirit. They meet with Rod's thought to be dead brother Humphrey.
—Arthur
