Just finished Chris Wooding's Malice. Very cool! It's easy to find on the shelf, with the red cover and the 3-D front with the sinister looking guy, literally popping out at you. The story takes place in England, where rumors are circulating among young people about a comic book, called Malice. If you assemble some required materials and burn them while reciting a chant the correct number of times, a villain named Tall Jake may come at some time (generally within a day or so, but not necessarily) and take you away to the world of Malice. Kids are disappearing, and later their likenesses are seen in characters in future editions of Malice. The explanation given by adults is that the artist is using faces of missing kids that he's seen on posters. The artist is unknown and untraceable. When Luke disappears and is later seen in the comic by his friend Seth, Seth is determined to go after him and try to help him. The author did something very cool, and original. It reads like a regular novel for a while, then he'll throw in 16 pages in comic format, then go back to novel format, etc. Nice to see something truly original. The story moves along well, especially once Seth gets to Malice. Malice is a world that alternates between beauty and horror, with mechanical creatures roaming and attacking. Plenty of plot twists and action, and I liked the main characters. Suitable for middle schoolers, but quite entertaining for high school students as well. There's a sequel scheduled for release in the fall. I'll definitely be picking it up for the collection.
Enjoy
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