Review: The Slither Sisters

The Slither Sisters by Charles Gilman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Middle Grade (10 on up)
Recommended for: fans of MG adventure series with Lovecraftian overtones.
Trigger Warnings: Snakes

Disclosure: I bought this book for myself because I so enjoyed Professor Gargoyle, the first book in the series. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Seventh-grader Robert Arthur has discovered that two of his classmates are actually sinister snake-women in disguise. Even worse, his new middle school is full of “gates” to a terrifying alternate dimension–a haunted mansion full of strange spirits and monstrous beasts.  For Robert to protect his teachers and classmates, he'll need to return to this haunted dimension with his best friends Glenn and Karina.  Can they uncover the secrets of Lovecraft Middle School before it's too late?

My Thoughts: I just finished re-reading the first book in this fun series, Professor Gargoyle (review linked here where formatting allowed). These are very quick reads, since they’re illustrated and large print on small pages.

Things are becoming weirder at Lovecraft Middle School. Robert is learning a few people he can trust, but there is always treachery lurking where it is least expected. Just brilliant and a lot of fun.

I was a little annoyed by an illustration of a snake with rattles on its tail and fangs when the text was talking about a boa. Boas do not have fangs, and only rattlesnakes have rattles on their tails. That was just sloppy on the part of the illustrator, trying to make the snake look more menacing. Other than that the illustrations were fun; I especially liked the first one in the book, of the principal’s office, with a huge, worried portrait of H.P. Lovecraft himself behind the secretary’s desk. Mr. Loomis, however, looks like just a taller student rather than a teacher in the one toward the back where he is featured. At first I was confused and thought it was Howard Mergler.

If you enjoy a fun adventure with Lovecraftian overtones, you can’t go wrong with this enjoyable middle-grade adventure series. I know I’m eager for the third book in the series, Teacher’s Pest, due out in May 2013! This time I’ll try to be patient to see if it comes out through Vine before I buy it for myself; if I had waited one week, I could have had this one free through Vine, but no, I had to be impatient and buy it myself...



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Book review: "Professor Gargoyle" Book 1 in Tales from Lovecraft Middle School by Charles Gilman

Professor Gargoyle: Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #1 review
Author: Charles Gilman
5 out of 5 stars

Book Info: Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Middle Grade (10 on up)
Recommended for: Readers of all ages who enjoy a MG fantasy adventure story, especially with Lovecraftian overtones

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

From the Back of the Book: Strange things are happening at Lovecraft Middle School. Rats are leaping from lockers. Students are disappearing. The school library is a labyrinth of secret corridors. And the science teacher is acting very, very peculiar. Robert Arthur knew that seventh grade was going to be weird, but this is ridiculous!

With the help of some unlikely new friends, Robert discovers there’s more to Lovecraft Middle School than meets the eye. Can he uncover the secrets of the school before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: I can’t remember exactly how I ran across this book, but I have been intrigued from the first moment I heard about it, and was very excited to see it as part of my Amazon Vine selection for September. I have to tell you, the cover on this is so fun – it is what is called a “lenticular” cover, where the illustration changes as you move it, so you see the professor turn into a gargoyle as the cover moves. Also, there are several adorable little rats on the back cover – and the promise of rats jumping out of lockers? I want to go to that school – I think rats are adorable!

So, the book itself...Well, as a spooky horror book, for me at least, it wasn’t terribly scary. But that’s because I like rats, and I would totally read a book called The Adventures of Fangs Dungaree, Teenage Vampire Cowboy Detective #1: The Case of the Flaming Horseshoe. Initially I liked Professor Garfield Goyle (Gar-Goyle, har de har har) because he seemed sympathetic toward the plight of homeless rodents, but then... well, he lost my sympathy vote in the scene with the hamster. Hamsters may be vile tempered, furry staplers, but they’re cute doggone it.

However, the scare-meter might be pretty high for folks afflicted with arachnophobia, for those who are afraid of rats, and those who are afraid of scary authority figures. The kids don’t know who they can trust, and find themselves in quite a bind. I like what the author is doing here, and I think this has the potential to be quite a good series. There is a second book due out in January, 2013, called The Slither Sisters, and another in May, 2013 called Teacher's Pest. You can learn more about it online at LovecraftMiddleSchool.com (link if you’re viewing this on a site that allows such).

I really enjoyed this book, and I definitely plan to be on the lookout for upcoming books in this series. I like how Robert befriends Glenn, I like Karina, and I particularly like Pip and Squeak. I like the fact that the author apparently knows about bruxing (the teeth chattering that rats do when they are happy) and that rats make wonderful and intelligent pets. I just loved the whole thing – you should definitely check this fun book out.