Slawter

Slawter is the third gripping instalment in Darren Shan’s new horror series for children who like their adventure stories with lots of blood and gristle! Those who enjoyed Lord Loss can expect more of the same fast paced excitement, relentless dispatching of main characters, and formulaic, slowly mounting horror. We are reintroduced to our favourite teenage protagonist and his enigmatic uncle for a story that reveals more about both characters, and also overlaps slightly with Demon Thief, the second novel in the series. In short, any fan of Shan’s previous novels is sure to love Slawter. It can appear a little clichéd and farfetched at times, but it’s certainly no less fun!

The plot of Slawter is quite original – while Lord Loss show more bore some similarities to novels like Dracula, Slawter is like no other book I have ever read. A substantial cast of new characters help to create a story where the reader is constantly formulating and demolishing theories about who to trust and who to keep tabs on. Demonata veterans will recognise familiar faces too; some human, some not. There are twists and turns galore – the plot may seem to be going in one direction when suddenly it turns around in favour of another one. As for the ending: everybody will guess some of it, but nobody will guess all of it.

Shan was inspired to write Slawter by visiting the sets of movies and meeting various directors and producers, (and it’s no secret that he’s a bit of a movie buff himself,) so the action and style of the novel will definitely appeal to those who enjoy horror movies. The first appearance of a demon on the film set is powerful, lightening fast, brutal and bloody – and just as vivid as any monster-attack on the big screen. Shan has once again achieved the perfect balance between pace and description, painting the best pictures with not a word more than necessary, and wasting no time with needless details that could detract from the excitement.

Slawter is an absolute must-read for fans of Darren Shan’s previous work. Gory, vivid and engrossing, this is not a novel to be walked away from. Just beware – it’s all too easy to read this book too quickly, and if you do, it will be over all too soon! show less

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In questo terzo volume, ritroviamo Grubbs, Bill-E e Dervish, il qualche viene contattato da un famoso produttore per fare da consulente a un film horror che involve dei demoni.

Anche se ho trovato anche questo abbastanza ovvio, rispetto a quello che sarebbe successo, ammetto che mi è piaciuto molto. Ogni tanto è bello leggere qualcosa che saprai andare a finire in un certo modo. Mi hanno detto che nei prossimi volumi rimarrò sorpresa, però, e lo spero!

È stato interessante soprattutto conoscere finalmente un membro degli “Agnelli”, che si presenta a casa di Grubbs e Dervish dopo gli avvenimenti di Lord Loss. Il contrasto tra i Discepoli e gli Agenlli non è una cosa che era stata accennata show more nei volumi precedenti, quindi è stato qualcosa di nuovo e inaspettato: avrei pensato più ad una collaborazione, vista la maledizione dei Grady e il collegamento con i Demonata.

La storia in sé è molto lineare: Grubbs, Bill-E e Dervish seguono Haym sul set di “Slawter”, il suo nuovo progetto. Non possono uscire dall’area né parlare con gente esterna per tutta la durata delle riprese. Inoltre, cominciano a succedere cose strane che mettono Grubbs in allarme. Quello che mi ha fatto davvero continuare a leggere è stato capire come Grubbs ne sarebbe uscito fuori e il voler sapere di più sul mondo dei Demonata e su come possono entrare nel mondo umano. Eh, sono una persona curiosa e il worldbuilding di Darren Shan è sempre molto particolare!

Non voglio fare spoiler, però devo dire che la mia parte preferita è stata quella finale, dopo “Slawter” e il ritorno a casa. Secondo me è un buon inizio per il prossimo volume, che spero di leggere presto.

Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, per la maggior parte seguiamo Gruss e Bill-E, nonché Dervish e Juni, una giovane psicologa il cui compito è prendersi cura dei bambini sul set.

Mi è piaciuto molto vedere come Juni ha reagito al mondo dei Demonata, con spirito critico e un approccio razionale. Ovviamente è una cosa difficile da credere, ma quando ce l’hai davanti agli occhi… Spero di rivederla nei prossimi volumi, perché purtroppo i personaggi non principali tendono sempre a scomparire in qualche brutto modo nei libri di Darren Shan. Maledizione.

Per quanto riguarda lo stile di scrittura, a me Darren Shan piace molto. Slawter è il ventesimo libro che leggo di questo autore e ne ho ancora parecchi. Ovviamente la serie Demonata è più “seria” di Cirque du Freak e anche lo stile di scrittura mi sembra più adulto e molto cupo. C’è molta poca speranza in questa serie, anche se è per ragazzi. Siete avvertiti! show less

It's hard for me when a book jumps between perspectives of characters from book to book. The first book had Grubbs, the second was back in time and introducing Kernel, then the third book is back to Grubbs again - and previewing the fourth, they're introducing a new character entirely. The same villain is present and all these characters will tie together with the Disciples fighting the Demonata.

This may be the weakest of the first three. I was pleased to return to Grubbs because I like the character, and we see him come into his own power and magic blend. The ending promises secrets for him to hold on to as he still wants to resume a normal life. With what he's seen and the traumas he has experienced, who can really blame him? I do show more think his magic seems intriguing and can't wait to return to his story again.

In this book we have good characters but the plotline is rather strange. Dare I say a little cheesy? Thankfully when I was thinking that during the read, a few chapters more and they showed some was false and less cheesy than I believed, but still...the plot is a decent one but not as complex as the others. It's not a full filler book but it's close. It does show the importance of his developing powers, Dervish's recuperation, and introduces more strongly the danger of the Lambs.

It's a young adult series, but there's plenty of violence and gore. Art's hair has been replaced from cockroaches to maggots. Lord Loss uses the snakes coming out of his chest for more than just looks this time around. It's a little tamer in comparison with details to the horrors of the first book, and some of the twists of threat in the second, but still vicious with its villains. These are certainly top-notch, cruel, evil demons who never know mercy.

Really this book had a plot that lacked complexity on the surface, but introduced a lot of elements we need to know about later. Obviously the secret Bill-E doesn't know yet may become a big deal later, or perhaps not. All those chapters showing the Lambs and their purpose and tension with the Demonata could figure largely into the plot later on. Lord Loss's hatred of Grubbs and Dervish is intensified. We see a big development with Grubbs that will obviously change his future play potential in the big game between the demons and the humans. And we have the intro of a new character or two that may disappear forever, could stay minor and pop up time to time, or could even become big contestants later on.

I will definitely read the next book to find out. These are addictive. show less

Well written. I do think, however, that it's a bit graphic/gory for kids under 15. The author is great at bringing things to life, making it very vivid... part of that world. It keeps you interested from start to finish, with no parts that you want to skim over to get to the good parts.

Back in the perspective of Grubbs Grady, I find myself returned to a very juvenile world. I applaud Shan's ability to capture different character's minds, no two 15 year olds are the same. As an adult reader, I find the perspectives that I once thought "boring," better narrators.

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Darren Shan is at the top of his form in his latest masterpiece of gruesome demons and terror. This third book in the DEMONATA series picks up where THE DEMON THIEF left us. Dervish is almost back to normal. Grubitsch Grady, better known as Grubbs, and his half-brother, Bill-E, are trying to live a normal life without demons. A group called The Lambs want to take Bill-E to their lab and observe and test him to see if he is really cured of lycanthropy. Uncle Dervish and Grubbs are certainly not going to allow that. Then Dervish is approached by acclaimed horror movie producer, David A. Haym, or "Davida," who wants Dervish to be a consultant on her new film. She has resurrected a ghost town and show more renamed it Slawter. Her masterpiece will have a demon theme, and Dervish, of course, is a demon expert.

The demons that romp through SLAWTER seem all too real to Grubbs and he begins to wonder whether more than filming is afoot when strange happenings disrupt the set and the filming. He can't seem to convince Uncle Dervish that real demons are on the loose, and are not just ingenious costumes. People begin to disappear. Is Lord Loss back in business?

Darren Shan broke new ground with his bestselling CIRQUE DU FREAK series, and now his DEMONATA series promises to be as great a hit with the kids. Shan is a master at characterization and plotting, and the fear factor raises your goose-bumps to a new height. I would not recommend this series for children ages ten and under, but for older kids that love scary stories with lots of gruesome gore, this book fits that category. The reluctant readers will love this exciting, horrific story. show less

This book is a very bloody book along with the other two books in the series. Very fast paced and it makes you go to the next page to read more. Many plot twists towards the end of the book. Shan likes to have many plot twists in his books. Especially with the Demonatta series. And finally Grubbs gets to undersand how demons can be vile and understands the truth of his magical powers when he faces off with Lord Loss.