A review by calistareads
Chessmen of Doom, The by John Bellairs

4.0

This book has the magic. It was so good. It is set in Maine at a big mansion in the middle of nowhere. Johnny, the professor and Fergie need to spend the summer at this mansion so the professor can inherit it from his brother. Sounds like a nice summer to everyone. It is not so easy as all that.

I love John Bellairs. His writing style is so simple and straight forward. He seems like he was classically trained. He knows latin and the Roman emperor's and this time around Astronomy and Astrology. He seems to be a treasure trove of knowledge.

I like the character of Johnny Dixon. He is not your typical protagonist. He is meek and a little hesitant and afraid, yet he always faces his fears and jumps right into the scary. Things seem to happen to John anyway.

These books are fantastic and wonderful little stories of gothic occult for young readers and up. I'm so glad I am finally reading this series. I would love to go back and read these as a kid or when they came out. I hope new generations will continue to give these a read.