The Doomspell - Cliff McNish

...book, I’ve written more about the plot than I normally would. So if you think you might like to read it yourself, try and ignore the bit under the “Plot” heading!

Cheers,

Xalala.

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Age range
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Suitable for boys and girls aged 8-12 (although Amazon recommends it for over-9s).

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Plot
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Rachel and Eric ...
...
Later that day, the father is unable to stop his kids being transported through the brick wall of their cellar to Ithrea. As Rachel falls through darkness, she discovers that she can do some pretty amazing things – including controlling her fall, making her body light up and changing the colour of her hair and lips.

When Rachel and Eric arrive in Ithrea, they meet Dragwena the Witch and her servant, Morpeth. Morpeth, ... more

As this op is for a children’s book, I’ve written more about the plot than I normally would. So if you think you might like to read it yourself, try and ignore the bit under the “Plot” heading!

Cheers,

Xalala.

~~~~~~~
Age range
~~~~~~~

Suitable for boys and girls aged 8-12 (although Amazon recommends it for over-9s).

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Plot
~~~

Rachel and Eric (Rachel’s younger brother) have been having identical dreams, about a woman with a snake necklace that looks at you, and is surrounded by children with creases round their eyes. Rachel in particular feels aggrieved that their mum doesn’t believe them.

Later that day, the father is unable to stop his kids being transported through the brick wall of their cellar to Ithrea. As Rachel falls through darkness, she discovers that she can do some pretty amazing things – including controlling her fall, making her body light up and changing the colour of her hair and lips.

When Rachel and Eric arrive in Ithrea, they meet Dragwena the Witch and her servant, Morpeth. Morpeth, it later turns out, is a 500+ year old child, transported from Earth centuries ago. It soon becomes clear that Rachel is unusual, as she has strong magical powers that she learns to use. The question is whether Dragwena will overcome her and force her (through use of her spells) into becoming an ally, or whether Rachel will fight for herself and the other children, including the Sarren, a group of rebels to which Morpeth belongs.

Rachel is saluted by Morpeth and the Sarren as “child-hope”, a child of legend who will come and free Dragwena’s servants.

Eric is also unusual. Unlike Rachel, he has no magic at all. Instead, he is able to unmake spells so that the person can never use them again.

The majority of the book concentrates on the preparations for and then the fight between the Sarren, Rachel & Eric, and Dragwena. There is some violence and death, but it is presented in a fairytale-like way, and death is not necessarily final – Rachel finds the right magic to cure Morpeth of mortal wounds, for example.

Rachel is consistently amazed by the new things she can do, and she learns more about both herself and her opponent throughout the book.

At the climax, as Dragwena is defeated, there are hints of a sequel: Larpskenya (a wizard who protects children and who exiled Dragwena to Ithrea in the first place) gives Rachel a gift, and a task to perform. However, neither are revealed, and Rachel, Eric, Morpeth and assorted creatures return through a gateway to the cellar, to find that no time has passed and the father is still sat on the ground with his head in his hands. Rachel, however, has changed, and this is reflected in her multi-coloured eyes.

A chapter from this sequel, called “The Scent of Magic” follows the end of this tale. Although it isn’t the first chapter, it gives nothing away from the plot, and stands alone relatively well.

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Thoughts
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The book would seem to be well suited to its target audience, and would seem quite exciting to them, however for an adult reader it’s quite bland. There’s very little introspection, no real examination of the causes (or effects) of actions – again, this would suit the development stages of most 8-12s.

There are very few adult characters in the book – mum, dad, Larpskendya and Dragwena. Mum and dad are only given a couple of pages each, Larpskendya appears only after Rachel and Dragwena are fighting, and Dragwena herself is very much a caricature. She is very clearly evil, as she has a (live) snake necklace, 4 sets of teeth (one set for each jaw) that are cleaned by spiders that live in her mouth, red skin and no eyelids.

Dragwena’s servants, good and bad, are mainly portrayed as victims. There are careful reminders to their origins as children on Earth, mainly in their size. However most of are not given names, much less fully formed characters. They seem like cardboard cut-outs, two-dimensional people there to fill a space or do a job.

Even Rachel and Eric are not fully-formed as people. You are told nothing of their character, relationship or background, instead you get plunged straight into the action, Eric’s initial scream from the cellar being heard halfway down page 6. This lack of detail certainly contributes to the lack of depth in these characters.

The imagery throughout is glaringly obvious. Snakes, red, witches, the Eye tower, spiders, wolves – all have evil connotations and all sit firmly with the baddies. Children, eagles, music/song – all with connotations of innocence or goodness, and all placed firmly alongside the goodies. It’s nothing new or original, but the target audience should feel comfortable with that – there’s nothing to shock or distress them.

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Conclusion
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A decent book, well-suited to its target audience. Lots of action, but not much detail, so probably of less interest to older readers. Not a particularly demanding read – unlike, for example, the Dark Materials trilogy or the latest Harry Potter. I wouldn’t read it again, but then I’m 28. I’m reliably informed that my 10-year-old cousin would, and I suppose that’s what counts.

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The Nitty-Gritty:
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Coverprice: £4.99 (no discount on Amazon currently).

ISBN: 1858818508

212 pages

 

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