Books Reviews

Slither’s Tale – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Oct 29, 2012, 17:06 GMT

This has to be one of the goriest and scariest books to date in the Spooks series.  Nessa and her sisters live in a remote land, far from the County protected by the Spook. Nearby lives Slither - a strange creature who preys upon humans gorging on their blood, turning humans into slaves and eating them. 

When Nessa's father dies, he strikes a bargain with Slither.  In return for delivering the two youngest children to their aunt and uncle, Slither can have the oldest child - Nessa - to do with as he likes. Terrified, Nessa and her sisters travel with Slither, encountering untold hazards along the way. 

Slither is hard put to maintain his control over the three girls as others of his breed seek to take them from him. Both Slither and Nessa find their views and attitudes challenged. 

Will Nessa end up in the slave market and become food?  How can Slither maintain his position?  The situation becomes even more complex when the deadly Grimalkin becomes involved.  As with all Delaney's books, these are not bedtime stories!  Definitely ghoulish and definitely nightmarish; they are brilliantly written.

The characters just leap out of the pages at you.  The book itself is beautifully presented, with darkened pages at the beginning, stunning illustrations and a real old worldy feel about it.