The Face in the Frost
John Bellairs
Open Road Media
Fiction, Fantasy
Themes: Books, Buildings with Character, Classics, Curses, Ghosts and Spirits, Wizards
***+
Description
In a time of magic and wizardry, in a divided land of squabbling rulers, the wizard Prospero (not the one you're thinking of) becomes aware of a dark force stalking him - sometimes in his own home: haunting dreams, strange shadows and visions, and a constant feeling of being watched and hunted. When his friend, the necromancer Roger Bacon, comes to call, he, too, reports odd occurrences and encounters. Some malevolent force is reaching out to darken the whole land, spreading fear and hate and foulness. The two set out to track down the source of the scourge, but might discover something far more powerful than the both of them.
Review
This title is something of a classic, first published in 1969. As such, the style is a bit throwback, but still eminently enjoyable. The tone is often light and riddled with anachronisms, but can also veer darker, moreso as it goes on and the full strength and power of their foe becomes more apparent, with numerous dangers and deadly traps awaiting the wizards. The plot and characters aren't particularly deep, but the story is generally entertaining and never dull. The ending, though, feels unsatisfactory, and some developments drop in out of the blue. On the whole, I've read a lot worse.