The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge: Volume 8

Upon the death of John Bellairs, Brad Strickland stepped into some very hard-to-fit shoes. The story of "Beast Under The Wizard's Bridge" is both exceptionally clever and somewhat awkward in places, as Strickland still was adjusting to the necessity of writing like another author.The old iron bridge over Wilder Creek is being torn down by the county, to make way for a newer, more modern structure. Lewis Barnavelt's uncle Jonathan is nervous about this -- not only is the bridge a familiar landmark, but it was constructed by a wizard to keep a long-dead relative from returning. The dead relative was Jedediah Clabbernong, a man obsessed with his own aging, and determined to become one of the immortal alien Great Old Ones.Now something is creeping from Wilder Creek. Under the sway of the equally determined Mr. and Mrs. Moote, a hideous squidlike humanoid is rising to the surface again -- and it can suck the life from any creature and reduce it to a disintegrating husk. Now as a comet returns -- the comet that claimed Clabbernong a century before -- Lewis, Rose Rita, Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman must stop the Mootes before more hideous creatures are unleashed...Brad Strickland sure knows how to send chills down a spine. In excellent imitation of Bellairs' style, he creates some outstandingly horrifying situations. Jonathan Barnavelt's description of the disintegrating woodchuck he encountered (and pounded to death) is only outdone by the encounter that Lewis and Rose Rita have with an incredibly old, hideous horse. What's wrong? While Bellairs was never the most subtle of writers, the twelve-foot-tall tentacled squid-headed Lovecraftian nightmare seems more than a little excessive. However, his usage of preexisting Bellairs material -- the bridge in "House With a Clock In Its Walls" -- is flawless.Despite this, Strickland shows excellent skill during the fight scenes and the gradual dramatic buildup. Lewis and Rose Rita are well-characterized and excellent counterparts. Jonathan is the good-natured fretter (portrayed as something of an older version of Lewis) and Mrs. Zimmerman is still the kindly, sharp-witted witch, and even the grandmotherly Mrs. Jaeger makes an appearance. The Mootes are also excellent, reminiscent of the couple in "Killer Robot."While not outstanding, "Beast" is an excellent continuation of Bellairs' books. Strickland manages the right balance of drama, comedy, and horror.

As a hardcore Bellairs/Strickland fan and fellow writer, it was with no small amount of pleasure that I found this one sitting on the library shelf and grabbed it, instantly knowing it would be a good read. Not many books can you do this with, few authors are talented enough that their books are given to be good before you read them.This book is no exception. I was a very picky fan of John Bellairs, and when Brad Strickland began carrying on his work I was highly skeptical that he would be able to fill the shoes of an incredibly talented author. Not only has he done so with an uncanny ability to emulate Mr. Bellairs' style, he has also gone on to write some pretty memorable adventures involving the Bellairs characters.I found this book to be one of the more inventive and memorable ones in the entire Bellairs/Strickland history since the Trolley to Yesterday. Strickland was not afraid to go to the same lengths that Bellairs himself did to give the reader a good scare, and I really enjoyed the added sci-fi element in this book.Well done, Mr. Strickland!

Although Mr.Strickland has done a marvelous job of writing in the voice of John Bellairs and I've enjoyed all of his continuations, they haven't given me the creeps the way Mr. Bellairs' books used to. THE BEAST UNDER THE WIZARD'S BRIDGE has done just that. Mr. Strickland has taken a brief explanation that Mrs.Zimmermann gave Lewis in THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS and fleshed it out. Experienced Lovecraft Fans will recognize which story the author chose to pay tribute to in this adventure. (It's a story that frightened me terribly 30 years ago, when I was only 16.) They'll also recognize some familiar literary "friends" when the Capharnaum County Magicians Society meets to discuss the threat. Even if you're not a Lovecraft fan, you should feel at least a touch of fear when you discover what the late Mr. Gorey depicted on the front cover. The villains, starting with old Jebediah Clabbernong, are as evil as villains in a horror book should be. (What Jebediah did to ensure himself of living long enough to complete his work is a good clue as to how loathesome he was. I'm not a bit sorry about what Elihu did to him by having that bridge built.) There were several twists I didn't see coming in this one. Certainly Uncle Jonathan's backyard illusion was like no other. The implications in chapter 10 made me feel so grossed out that I barely took in the dreadful danger Lewis and Rita were in. Yes, the book is a little too short for the big battle at the end. I would think that the enormous popularity of the thick Harry Potter books would make publishers realize that children in this series' intended age group DON'T need to have books kept to 150 pages or so to maintain their interest. As a fat reader, I object to having fat Uncle Jonathan described as "heavyset". Such euphemisms just reinforce the idea that being fat is wrong. I'm also not pleased that Rose Rita's description is so neutral. I was a homely teenager and I remember how pleased I was whenever I found a book in which the heroine was at least plain. It made me feel hope that a girl didn't have to be cute, pretty, or beautiful to have adventures or do well. Those citicisms aside, I heartily recommend this book.

Brad Stricland has always done an amazing job of copying the Bellairs "style" of writing mystery/horror books, and he certainly continues the tradition with the latest installment to the Lewis Barnavelt series "The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge". Compared to many other authors who have tred to emulate a famous author after his death (such as Christopher Tolkien or Brian Herbert), Brad Strickland does a phenomenal job. He was a perfect choice to take over the Bellairs legacy when the timeless author bit the dust in 1991. "The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge" is a good Stricland effort, although not my favorite by Strickland. The book unfortunately suffers from over editing, cutting the size down to a pitiful 150 pages (although not quite as pitiful as "The Secret of the Underground Room" which was only around 120!) The shortness of the book gives the ending a "hurried" feeling which detracts from what would otherwise have been a great ending. Otherwise, the book is definitely one for Bellairs fans to read.Thanks, Mr. Strickland, and keep up the good work with next year's "The Tower at the End of the World"!

The Beast under the Wizard's Bridge is an excellent addition by Brad Strickland to the Bellairs Series of mystery books. It has every element of a good story. The charming protagonists of shy but persistent Lewis Barnavelt and precocious Rose Rita Pottinger take us on a small town supernatural adventure that kept me turning the pages. Lewis's wizard uncle Jonathan Barnavelt is his usual jolly self, as is Jonathan's best friend, the honest to goodness witch (yes, a good, but crabby, witch) Mrs. Zimmeremann. They provide spectacular magical fare, making this story a fantasy as much as a thriller. The villains are, by far, as creepy as they come: an old and sinister couple of evil magic users seeking eternal life and total dominion of the earth and a frightening "pet" monster right out of H.P. Lovecraft. The climax is well worth the 150 pages. Read this book on a rainy night. You're sure to get the socks sacred out of you. The Beast under the Wizard's Bridge also provides allusions to the main characters past and futures. This book really reminded me of the better Bellairs books. As one will see by this and his many other books, Strickland is a master of his craft. He has taken an established series and took care of it like it was his child. I give this book very high recommendations.