Sep 032014
 

Haunt_cover

Haunt: Dead Scared by Curtis Jobling

Published by Simon & Schuster, Paperback, £6.99 – OUT NOW

Author Curtis Jobling returns after six fantastic Wereworld books with a significantly different set of thrills. Set in a senior school (based on the author’s own school) in the north west English town of Warrington, the story opens with the protagonist, young Will Underwood, on his way to a friend’s house. But this journey does not end well, and Will gets knocked off his bike in a mysterious hit-and-run incident (that may or may not be an accident – to be resolved in the next book?) that results in him being killed. I’m not ruining anything for you there, this is all given away on the back cover, and this set-up works as a great narrative drive throughout the book.

This is obviously not the end of Will’s story and, as the title suggests, he returns as a ghost, gaining consciousness, of sorts, in Warrington General Hospital, where he sees his dead body, and his mourning family (an eerily effective and emotional sequence). Will, it seems, has unresolved business in this realm of the living. He soon discovers that the only person who can see him is his best friend, Dougie Hancock, who reacts as you would expect any sane person to do; with denial, grief, and eventually reluctant acceptance, when he realizes that this apparition of Will is here to stay. The bond between Will and Dougie is the lynchpin of the entire book, as so much of the enjoyment from reading Haunt: Dead Scared comes from the very convincing on-page friendship between these two geek buddies who, amongst other pursuits, are keen dice rolling Dungeons & Dragons fans. These aren’t the cool kids.

What proceeds, as Will and Dougie get used to this new angle on their friendship, is a version of a mystery thriller, as they try to ascertain exactly why Will hasn’t ‘passed on’. After one or two false starts (Dougie’s hilarious encounter with an older, voracious goth girl with a reputation as a psychic), they settle upon the idea of exploring Red Brook House, the nearby old condemned school building, and a local repository for tales of hauntings throughout the years. After a telling conversation with a local church minister, also the dad of one of Will and Dougie’s close friends, Stu, the two amateur sleuths build up the courage to step inside Red Brook…

To reveal more would, well, reveal more. The plot that ensues is so finely wrought and balanced, with some excellent twists and turns that make you turn those pages with a whirlwind urge, that it would be cruel to give anything away. These details I can give you: Will learns a little more about his post-life existence and his ability to manipulate physical objects, and he and Dougie uncover more mysteries than they set out to do, including the sad story of girl ghost, Phyllis. Her story sets the final third of the book in motion, with a great climax that surprises and thrills in equal measure.

Ostensibly this is a Young Adult book, and as a former children’s bookseller, and a YA author myself, I approached this title with some intrigue, curious as to how far the author would go with the scares. I was comforted by the fact that, at times, the frights were well orchestrated and very effective indeed!

Author Jobling recently confirmed at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, at the Ghostly Tales event, that he is finishing up on the sequel (title to be confirmed). On the strength of this first Will Underwood book, he is onto a good thing.

 

Andrew Jamieson

Editor-in-Chief of the Geekzine UK website, and author of the award nominated fantasy steampunk novel, The Vengeance Path, volume one in The Chronicles of Edenos; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vengeance-Path-Chronicles-Edenos-Book-ebook/dp/B00DQ0AIAI/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409698972&sr=1-2&keywords=the+vengeance+path

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