The Early Years

September 15, 2012
The Dark Lord of the Iron Tower of Despair at the Gates of Doom...has to go to seventh grade!? After waking up in a parking lot trapped in the body of a 12-year-old human, the Dark Lord--renamed Dirk Lloyd by confused, puny Earthlings--is taken to the Hospital Lockup and then to a House of Detention. None of his dread spells work, and he's forced to wear jeans! Everyone thinks him insane, but thankfully, Christopher, the child of his captors, agrees to be a minion, as does goth girl Sooz. Dirk must find a way back to his Darklands before he loses his mind and his "Mwah, ha, ha!" and definitely before the White Beast sent after him by the White Wizard Hasdruban cleaves from him his evil soul. British author Thomson stands the human-trapped-in-a-fantasyland tale on its head in this cheeky first of a trilogy. The Dark Lord's misunderstandings of our world and his hyperbolic boasts of evil can be, at times, hysterical. However, as Dirk becomes more acclimated to our realm, the tale loses steam and its sense of humor for a bit. That said, the final chapters deftly set up Volume 2, already out in the U.K. It's Lord Sauron, powerless and back in middle school...fun in many ways. (Fantasy. 9-14)

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February 1, 2013

Gr. 6-8-The Dark Lord, ruler of the Iron Tower of Despair, has just awakened in the body of a 12-year-old boy lying in the parking lot of Savemart Supermarket. His powers have left him, his command of the legions of the Darklands is no more, and the police have mistakenly called him, horror of horrors, Dirk Lloyd. Worse still, he learns that he will be placed with a foster family and sent to school. There he is forced to contend with tyrannical Principal Grousammer, shrill English teacher Mrs. Batelakes, and a host of bullies, all while trying to discover a way to return to the Darklands and to defeat Hasdruban the Pure. Unfortunately for Dirk, just about everyone thinks he's insane. Despite these perceptions, he manages to gather an inner circle around him, including his foster brother Christopher, Goth-girl Sooz, and "Sports Lord" Sal. Dirk's continual attempts to maintain his evil persona are extremely funny, but the story loses some of its humor as Dirk begins to think that he really might be delusional. Scratchy, funny illustrations appear throughout, visualizing Dirk's thoughts of the world around him, and journal entries give insight into his thoughts and feelings. This delightful book will hook even a reluctant reader or two.-Wayne R. Cherry, Jr., First Baptist Academy Lib., Houston, TX

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