children’s horror

Countdown to Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer

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Skulduggery Pleasant is one of my favourite book characters and I always look forward to his latest battle against the forces of evil.  Luckily I only have to wait a few more weeks as the sixth book, Death Bringer is due out in New Zealand on September 15.  I can’t wait to be reunited with Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly and Tanith.

If you haven’t read any of the Skulduggery Pleasant books by Derek Landy I highly recommend them.  They’re filled with action, mystery, thrills, chills, brilliant characters and perfectly-timed humour.  If you want a taste of this awesome series, here’s the book trailer:

Doc Mortis blog tour and short story

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I discovered Barry Hutchison’s Invisible Fiends series earlier this year when I was looking through our new titles in the library.  Children’s horror/ghost stories are one of my favourite genres and Barry has to be one of the best writers in this genre.  The Invisible Fiends series is incredibly original and terrifically scary.  Barry has taken the idea of an invisible friend, something that comforts children, and turned it into something that scares the pants off of me, let alone the children these books are aimed at.

I have no idea how he does it, but each book in the series gets creepier and he amps-up the terror.  First there was Mr Mumbles, then Raggy Maggie,  The Crow Master, and now there is Doc Mortis.  On the Christchurch Kids Blog, Barry described Doc Mortis as “a deranged imaginary friend who hides in an old abandoned hospital and likes to think he’s a surgeon. He kidnaps children and performs operations on them while they are still awake, turning them inside out, giving them the heads of dogs, and much, much worse.”  He’s also said on his own blog that Doc Mortis is the only book to have given him nightmares while writing it, so it’s going to be pretty freaky.  I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

Barry Hutchison has just started his Doc Mortis blog tour.  Check Barry’s blog to find out where he is and when.  One of the most exciting parts of the blog tour is that he is posting a five-part short story about the origins of Doc Mortis.  The first part can be found at the excellent  Book Zone for Boys blog, and it will send a chill through you.

Department 19 by Will Hill

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Department 19 is a book about vampires, werewolves and all the supernatural creatures that live in the dark.  These are no sparkly vampires though, they’re vicious, blood-suckers who you don’t want to bump into in the dark.

When Jamie Carpenter’s mother is kidnapped one night by strange creatures, he is suddenly dragged into a world he didn’t know existed.  He’s recruited by Department 19, a secret government department that protects the world against the supernatural, including werewolves and some extremely dangerous and powerful vampires.  Jamie is taken under the wing of one of Department 19’s top agents, Frankenstein, and helps introduce him to the skills and weapons that he’ll need to get his mother back and kill the vampires who want him dead.

Department 19 is the first book in a fantastically  gory, action-packed new series.  There is enough blood and guts throughout the book to keep you hooked and the ending leaves you craving for more.  My favourite thing about Department 19 was that there were flash backs to other times and places that told you how and why the Department was formed, as well as giving you some background about the families involved.   I loved all the characters, from Jamie who is coming to terms with his family’s past, to the teenage vampire girl, Larissa, and all of the vampires in between.  My favourite character had to be Frankenstein because of his loyalty to Jamie’s family.  I thought it was awesome to have a monster like him as part of a secret government agency.  The next book will probably include both Frankenstein and Dracula so the series can only get better.   If you like books by Derek Landy, Darren Shan and Joseph Delaney, you’ll love Department 19 by Will Hill.      Recommended for 12 +   

Scare yourself silly with the Invisible Fiends

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Did you have an invisible friend when you were younger?  If you did you probably can’t remember what they looked like now.  Kyle had an invisible friend when he was younger whose name was Mr Mumbles.  Mr Mumbles lived in the loft and would come and tap on Kyle’s bedroom window when he wanted to play.  Kyle had completely forgotten about him until, one night, Kyle hears the tapping on his window.  This time though, Mr Mumbles doesn’t want to play, he wants to kill Kyle and he’ll stop at nothing to do so.  With the help of a mysterious girl called Ameena, Kyle races to escape his invisible fiend.  Kyle realizes that the only way to defeat Mr Mumbles is to use the thing that created him – his imagination.

Mr Mumbles is the first in the series of Invisible Fiends books by Barry Hutchison.  The second book, Raggy Maggie is also out, with the third book due soon.  These books are great for anyone who likes creepy horror stories, especially fans of Skulduggery Pleasant.  They’re creepy, gruesome, suspenseful and action-packed.  Invisible Fiends is definitely my new favourite series!   Recommended for 9+ DON’T READ AFTER DARK! 10 out of 10