Review: Chessmen "A Sort of Decline"

Book review: The Chessmen of Doom

The Chessmen of Doom marks a sort of decline in the works of John Bellairs, that is, to those who are accustomed to his supernatural thrillers. This is another in the Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass series and should be read by anyone who wants to understand why Bellairs is such an interesting author. The faults are not readily seen to those being introduced to Bellairs the first time: cliché. Personally, the book seems to fall into the pattern of some of the other later books. This is not saying the book is something to turn away from: Bellairs wrote a small handful of books and each one should be read at least three or four times to not only understand the story but appreciate the rich details and bits of trivia peppered into each one. This book, for example, touches on the Lewis Chessmen, and how they may be used to bring certain doom. Hence the title. I rate this an 80% based solely when comparing it to other Bellairs works. A lot of what is out there in this area nowadays does not hold a candle to what Bellairs wrote.

 
Joe "Ragtime" Daley
kermanenterprises.com