By John Connolly (Samuel Johnson #3)
Samuel Johnson is not in a happy place.
He is dating the wrong girl, demons are occupying his spare room, and the town in which he lives appears to be cursed.
But there is some good news on the horizon. After years of neglect, the grand old building that once housed Wreckit & Sons is about to reopen as the greatest toy shop that Biddlecombe has ever seen, and Samuel and his faithful dachshund Boswell are to be the guests of honour at the big event. A splendid time will be had by all, as long as they can ignore the sinister statue that keeps moving around the town, the Shadows that are slowly blocking out the stars, the murderous Christmas elves, and the fact that somewhere in Biddlecombe a rotten black heart is beating a rhythm of revenge.
A trap has been set. The Earth is doomed. The last hope for humanity lies with one young boy and the girl who is secretly in love with him. Oh, and a dog, two demons, four dwarfs, and a very polite monster.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and a Happy End of the World.
I really loved the Samuel Johnson series and I’m a bit sad that now it’s done. All three books were pretty witty and page-turning, while making extensive use of footnotes.
The third book of the series features Samuel once again facing off against sinister forces that want to kill him and wipe his home off the map. This time though, he’s got a pair of not-so-evil demons and his best human friend, Maria, on his side.
The book is set right around the holidays making it a great alternative to the usual, happy Christmas story. Murderous elves and evil children’s toys for starters.
John Connolly’s dark children’s books are really just all-around showstoppers and if you haven’t read one yet, either pick up the Samuel Johnson stories or The Book of Lost Things.