The Beast of Noor
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
Now in paperback along with its sequel, what Booklist calls “an eerie, atmospheric tale, full of terror and courage, set in a convincingly realized magical realm.”
Do not wander in the deeps where the Shriker's shadow creeps.
When he rises from beneath. Beware the sharpness of his teeth.
For over 300 years, a monster known as the Shriker has roamed Shalem Wood, terrorizing the villagers who live on its edges and slaughtering those unfortunate enough to wander on to his path. The people of Noor have lived in fear for so long that most of them have forgotten that once upon a time the Shriker was just a loyal dog, until the day when he was cruelly betrayed by his master and cursed to live a bloodthirsty life, always seeking revenge for the fate his owner dealt him. But Miles and Hanna Ferrell have not forgotten where the Shriker came from--how could they? It was their ancestor who betrayed the dog...
A tale of terror and magic that channels Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Beast of Noor tells the story of two siblings determined to set their family free and break the curse of the Shriker or die trying.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Carey (The Double Life of Zoe Flynn) begins her atmospheric thriller with a doozy of a premise: 300 years ago, a man named Rory Sheen handed over his beloved dog to the Grim Reaper in order to spare his own life: "Your master has betrayed you," he tells Rory's dog, "And through his betrayal man's best friend becomes his worst enemy." This story is repeated through the years, up to the present, when siblings Miles, 15, and 13-year-old Hanna Ferrell find the body of a girl in Shalem Wood who has been killed by an animal, the bones picked clean. Even though the townsfolk suspect the demon dog (the Shriker), they blame the Ferrells, for they are the descendants of Rory Sheen and thus treated as outsiders. An encounter with the Sylth Queen in the forest garners Miles the gift of shapeshifting-an ability also possessed by the Shriker-and he becomes obsessed with killing the beast, in hopes of ending the family curse. But when Miles assumes the form of a wolf, and experiences its hunger, the distinction between man and animal begins to dissolve. Readers might be conflicted about how the beast meets its end-the explanation may be too rosy for a story this dark-but the idea that kindness conquers all is ultimately a satisfying one. Ages 10-14.
