The Thin Executioner

July 19, 2010
Shan (the Cirque Du Freak series) delivers a fun if predictable stand-alone novel that loosely updates Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn while posing some interesting moral questions. Set in an alternate Arabia filled with multiple religions and gods, Jebel Rum is the youngest and scrawniest son of the executioner of the Um Aineh people. After he impulsively embarks on a quest to get the gifts of strength and invincibility from the god Sabbah Eid, Jebel finds himself on the road with the slave Tel Hesani, who must be sacrificed to complete the quest. Their adventures cause Jebel to question the nature of his indoctrinated religious beliefs, as well as the assumption that only the Um Aineh ways—built heavily on slavery and violence—are correct. Although Shan takes on imperialism and organized religion (the con artists are named Bush and Blair), the politics intertwine smoothly with the travelers' adventures and don't overwhelm the encounters with assorted threats. While the ending is never in doubt, Shan delivers an exciting adventure en route. Ages 15–up.

July 15, 2010

When his father publicly shames him, Jebel Rum takes the brand of quester and seeks the blessing of the fire god to obtain strength and invincibility. Guided by his sacrificial slave, Tel Hasani, Jebel encounters a fanatical cult, grave robbers and secretive regimes along the way. When he finally encounters the god, Jebel must decide if his quest goal has changed in the course of his journey. Shan works to blend action with social education and occasionally misses both. Readers will find less gore than in previous novels--though the corporeal mortification scenes are intense and disturbing--which tamps down the former, and the exploration of justice, fairness, morality and religion are at times oversimplified. Hasani's annoyance with his spoiled charge is perfectly fitting, though, and Jebel's character development arcs nicely. Readers familiar with Huckleberry Finn may recognize parallels between Hasani and Jebel and Jim and Huck, a deliberate echo that is perhaps this book's greatest success. Heads roll at the start, but by the end, Shan reaches for the heartstrings. (Fantasy/horror. 10-14)

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July 1, 2010
Gr 7 Up—-han's latest fantasy marks something of a departure from his gory, demon-infested "Demonata" and "Cirque du Freak" series (both Little, Brown). Based loosely on "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" it takes readers on a hero's journey through a harsh world filled with ignorant, brutal people, competing pagan religions, and the occasional supernatural being. Like Huck, Jebel Rum undertakes a dangerous journey accompanied by a slave. And just like Finn, his long-held beliefs are challenged by his experience with the "lesser" man. He and his slave, Tel Hasani, also suffer at the hands of con men posing as royalty. But this story is merely a pale shadow of Twain's classic. Jebel Rum sets out not to free his slave but to sacrifice him at the altar of one of his gods in exchange for invincibility. His goal is to compete for the right to replace his father as his city's executioner. Shan's characterizations and dialogue are weak at best, and Jebel's conversion is predictable and artless. The overriding message is heavy-handed and unsatisfying. Despite all of that, readers who cut their teeth on "Cirque du Freak" and moved on to the "Demonata" will most likely gobble up this lengthier, slightly more cerebral novel. There is just enough brutality to keep the pages turning.—"Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2010
Grades 9-12 Though its basis on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn provides a potential inroad for educators, the nonstop action and violence make Shans latest best suited for reading with no strings attached. It is the saga of young Jebel Rum, the weakest son of the best executioner in the land of Wadi. When Jebel is publicly shamed, he embarks upon a quest to mythical Tubaygat, where legend holds he will be granted invincibility if he makes it through alive and sacrifices a slave. Tel Hasani volunteers for the suicide role in exchange for his familys freedom, and the duos relationship commences with continual indignities thrown at the slave by his privileged master. By its very nature, the episodic design requires readers to repeatedly refresh their interest level; thankfully, Shan leaves no stone unturned, no lesson unlearned, and no head unsevered. Mad cults, ghostly reapers, grave robbers, and more provide the trials that shape Jebels developing awareness of the world around him. A gripping, enveloping adventure about, of all things, the power of kindness.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)