Hauntings don’t scare me. Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo taught me that nine times out of ten they’re a scam to shoo people away, and if they are actually real they only want help or closure. Gore, on the other hand, is way too much for me. I tried the R.L. Stine Fear Street books that were practically required reading among kids at my grade school, and though I liked the thrills I stopped after the first nightmare.
The middle ground is books that deal with the occult and supernatural. There’s definitely evil underfoot, made more insidious by the element of the unknown, but it doesn’t seem as real as the terrors stalking those prom queens and cheerleaders. Therefore, when I discovered John Bellairs’ gothic horror The Spell of the Sorcerer’s Skull I was hooked. I could read it for my shivery fix, then put it down and leave it behind.
It’s funny that I still can’t help comparing stories with magic to Harry Potter, even though this was written twenty years earlier. And despite a few plot similarities Lewis is definitely not Harry. In fact, he’s somewhat of a pathetic character, which is probably why I always preferred Bellair’s Johnny Dixon series. Lewis is pasty and overweight, with a fondness for reading about old naval battles. He can’t play sports, gets picked on frequently, and has a tendency to blubber when things go wrong. Deep down all he really wants is to be liked, which is why he tries so hard to win Tandy as a friend and is afraid to ask Uncle Jonathan for help. This everyday dimension gives young readers a fallible hero they can relate to.
A lot of the magic is also of the parlor type. Uncle Jonathan uses his skill to make stained glass windows change and recreate historical tableaux. But Lewis soon has to learn that not all magic is harmless, and must be handled carefully. In the Izards’ case it can be used for evil purposes, which does give the story some frightening moments. Finally, the wonderful internal illustrations by Edward Gorey add to the gothic feel.
mystrygirl87
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