The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules

by Gerald Killingworth

What starts as a little sibling rivalry escalates to a life-or-death threat to a little sister. Can Edwin save his baby sister from the terrible dangers of the Dead World? Edwin really doesn't want to be a big brother. Forced to move house, start a new school and make way for this unwelcome interloper in his parents' affections, he feels like everything is chaos. But things might not be as bad as he fears, as Edwin makes an unusual pen-pal, Lanthorne, who introduces him to a strange world filled with dark secrets and thrilling adventures. This excitement seems safe until those secrets and adventures start to intrude on Edwin's life and, more worryingly, on the life of his baby sister. Can Edwin and Lanthorne work together to save Mandoline from the evil Aunt Necra? And can they figure out why Lanthorne's family is so divided, and what the terrible secret is that so many people seem to know all about but refuse to share with Edwin? Gerald Killingworth studied English at Cambridge and for much of his writing career he was an English teacher. He has produced fantasy novels for adults ( Hy Brazil ) and children ( Lord of the Silver Hand ) and continues to publish poetry. Living in Dorset, not far from Thomas Hardy's birthplace, Gerald enjoys and participates in English folk culture, singing and morris dancing. These have a habit of sneaking into his writing.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Horror, Adventure, Dark, Childrens

288 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2020

Reviews

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Pushkin Children’s Books and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

I hadn’t been requesting or reading books from NetGalley for the last few months as I wanted to tackle my own TBR pile. But browsing through NetGalley some days ago I came across this one, and reading the description made me think this was something on the lines of Eva Ibbotson’s books which I very much enjoy so I decided to put in a request, and this did turn out to be a great deal of fun.

Twelve-year-old Edwin Robbins lives with his parents, and they are planning to have a small swimming pool to which he dreams of inviting his friends. But these dreams are shattered when he learns that not only is there going to be no pool, the family must move to another house and he is going to have a sibling. To add to his woes (he is certainly not ‘thrilled to bits’ as his parents claim), his baby sister is named Mandoline. On one house-hunting trip with his father, Edwin comes across a strange advertisement for a pen pal, and decides for fun to answer and places the reply (as called for by the notice) in a chimney. To his horror, it goes up and some weeks later he even receives a response. The writer (and he who placed the ad) is another young boy, Lanthorne Ghules but he lives not in Edwin’s world but a strange parallel world where everything is dark, grey and rotten, and the inhabitants are more or less, ghouls.  After a letter or two which expectedly scares Edwin, Lanthorne comes for a short visit, and before he knows it, Edwin finds himself pulled into Lanthorne’s world—here Edwin is a shiner, someone who stands out in a grey, dark space and who is a curiosity not much liked. After encountering some rather strange creatures, and almost running into Lanthorne’s rather dangerous aunt Necra, Edwin manages to escape only to find that his little sister, who he claimed to not like has been kidnapped and taken to Lanthorne’s world, and it is only him (with Lanthorne’s help) who can rescue and bring her back.

The world that the author has created in the book is dark and creepy but still I think a good bit of fun (to read about, at any rate). Lanthorne’s world lies parallel to the human world and Lanthorne, Edwin and others go back and forth through ‘doors’. In Lanthorne’s world, not only are people grey skinned, but the general atmosphere is grey and musty too, as are people clothes—the world is devoid of any light or colour, and their food habits are equally strange for they allow things to ‘ripen’ before they eat them. Things here have reflections of the human world (such as celebrating Nollig not Christmas, and in Dikembra not December) but are still as different as can be, and the ways of the 'traditionalists' here are stranger still. The animals who live here are no less peculiar, and some positively deadly. I did like the Snarghe though. The author has created an imaginative and fairly scary place, where one certainly wouldn’t want to be trapped--ever.

The plot itself I enjoyed a lot—a fun adventure where young Edwin finds himself having to undertake a rescue mission that he alone can (having been in Lanthorne's world before, and being the only one who knows of it). Lanthorne stands by and helps Edwin like a true friend but with the others in his world, one can never be sure for everyone and everything is strange, and one doesn’t know whom to trust (Of course, as events unfold we find that just as in the human world, there are kind-hearted people as well as evil ones). Still the boys go on, helped by one person or another but find themselves in danger more than once, at times with little hope of escape.

Of the characters, Edwin himself I didn’t take to too much—he came across as a bit of a brat, not grateful for the help he gets or those going out of their way for him. One does feel for him since he is trapped in a frightening place for little fault of his own, but at the same time, his attitude towards things was off-putting. Lanthorne on the other hand, I did like—he is genuinely looking to make friends, and takes trouble to help Edwin as far as he can from lending him things and helping him return the first time to being by his side, supporting him throughout the trip to rescue Mandoline. The villains are nice and creepy, their actions at times giving one chills down the spine.

Despite not liking Edwin all that much, I did enjoy the book—imaginative and entertaining, though with a definitely dark touch! The ending had a rather fun little touch that I liked very much indeed!

This review is also on my blog: https://potpourri2015.wordpress.com/2...

[Sheena ☆ Book Sheenanigans · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules' was an imaginative, brilliant read. It was dark, creepy and unexpected for a middle grade novel and I was blown away by the characters and storyline that instantly captivated me from the get-go.

From the very first page, readers are thrown into a parallel universe as we follow Edwin, a twelve year old, who answers an odd pen pal advertisement submitted by Lanthorne. Shortly after his visit, Edwin finds himself pulled into another world where he encountered grey skinned people, dark scenery, rotten and foul smells and odd creatures. His real adventure begins when he sets out to rescue his baby sister Mandoline from the depths of his pen pal's evil Aunt, Necra, who decided to kidnap and take her to their world

It was weird, wonderful and everything else in between that made this a fun riveting novel a standout and will surely be a re-read in my near future.

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss

If you’re looking for a rather quick, but very engrossing read, The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules is definitely the book for you. It’s a middle grade adventure that will appeal to kids, teens and adults alike – it was a read of two evenings for me, and it really did leave an impression! The book has a very specific vibe that I’ve previously found in a few Halloween-style middle grade stories, and it’s an aesthetic I enjoy very much! Here's why I definitely recommend checking it out:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/the-dead...



I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

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[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

A quick review for a quick read. This is an okay book. I think readers 8-12 who like "scary" stories will really enjoy it and its a perfect Halloween read for them. The overall story is fine as are the characters and the writing is clear and fast paced. Unfortunately, if you know what a ghoul is prior to reading this book then the "big reveal" will hold no surprises for you and all of the twists and turns are going to be pretty obvious for older teens and adult readers. 2 stars for adult readers, 3 for kids.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

It might actually be a fairly brave and rash thing to begin a young reader's fantasy novel, first published in 2019, with the use of open fireplaces and hearths – one of the characters here has no concept of central heating, and the opposite might be said of many of its potential audience. Still, these fireplaces, chimneys et al are the initial key to giving our young hero Edwin and Lanthorne a chance to make first contact. For they live in different, parallel worlds, you see – Lanthorne's all grey, drab, cold and whiffy, Edwin's pretty much ours. Edwin the regular kid just wants a swimming pool in the back garden but gets a baby sister instead, then has to cope with the weird goings-on in his life when he and Lanthorne start doing the inevitable switching between worlds. Suddenly a crying, shitting little baby girl, occupying too much of his parents' time and attention, looks appealing…

There was a slight hiccup to these pages fairly early on, in that the other world was so desolate, grey and smell-filled, that Edwin found each and every reason to not want to be there any further. And some of that was actually rubbing off on me, not wanting to be there either. So the prospect of pretty much most of the book being set there held little appeal to begin with. However, the cause of that is a highly dramatic one, the narrative drive of what goes on in this stygian dystopia is pretty decent (if never, ever pretty), and all told this book is good company for the few hours it takes to read. There is enough invention and storytelling craft here to make this worth a recommendation.

[Anne Secher · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars.

RTC

[Geertje · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The ending was a little weak, but overall, this was a fun and creepy middle-grade read!

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baby sister? Edwin was expecting a pool! He had plans! Now there is no chance of him and his mates spending their summer in a new pool, and to make things even worse, they have to move.

It’s whilst being bored silly looking through houses with his dad, that Edwin reads a strange newspaper and follows an advertisement’s instructions. Before long, things get decidedly bad for Edwin. Weird letters from a stranger keep arriving and then this stranger turns up in his bedroom cupboard!

Despite trying to ignore the skinny, grey-skinned boy, Edwin is suddenly yanked from his world into another. The Dead World where the boy is from. The world is called Dikembra, and the boy – Lanthorne Ghules.

Edwin is scared and quickly goes to his default setting – angry. He demands to go home, no matter how much Lanthorne tries to befriend him. Dikembra has no colour, with everything only shades of light grey to black and some brownish, greenish edges to it. The only problem is, this brown and green is mostly the colour of the food.

Lanthorne’s people eat only rotten (or ripe as he calls it) food. The stench, the mould and the fuzzy growth on it make Edwin gag. The more Lanthorne tells Edwin about his family and the strange customs of his land, the more desperate Edwin becomes. When he does discover a way back he knows he will never forget the rancid, rotting smells of Lanthorne’s pantry and vows never to return.

Until the unthinkable happens. Someone followed Edwin home, and they snatched something precious. His baby sister Mandoline. On his return to the grey world of Dikembra, Lanthorne is pleased to see him and determined to help. But there’s something he’s not telling Edwin. Something much worse than rotting food. An old ritual is still being followed in a little town in the ‘Out There’. Mandoline has been taken to be a major part in it.

Part horror, part humour and a whole lot of horrible, The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules is imaginative, creepy, malevolent and very, very grey. A demanding and angry boy called Edwin is suddenly thrust into this world to face creatures with two heads and tongues that can flay skin off, then clothed in smelly rags, and offered rotten food thick with mould and slime.

He’s wary and determined though, especially when faced with the kidnap of his baby sister. Suddenly his jealousy of his new sibling has to be thrust aside. I enjoyed the connections between the Dead World and ours, eg. Yetis escaped into our world when someone left a door open. The horses might be called Nagges but they look ‘as if an ugly horse had swallowed a lizard and then put on a cow suit.’ The skin had ‘the colour and texture of a lichen-covered tombstone.’

A unique setting where the dark, damp, and melancholy of no colour or brightness will seep in as you read.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edwin’s a 12 years old boy. Lives in England. He’s kind of a brat. I didn’t know if I really liked him, really wanted to root for him or just wanted to give a smack. Lanthorne on the other hand, lives in Landarn, is a quiet, kind, easily excitable boy. He’s also gray and kind of smells. Landarn and our world are connected by doors. But not just any doors, you have to find the right ones.

Edwin’s got a baby sister he despises. Lanthorne has a family that really don’t understand him. The boys kind of bond over their shared family dramas. I wouldn’t say become friends, but they get along well enough. When Edwin “falls” through his closet into Lanthorne’s world, he has no idea what is in store for him. Landarn is creepy. Edwin can’t quite put his finger on it, but he’s off. His “kind” (Edwin) are rare in Landarn (he’s a shining) and he’s got to be careful not to be seen.

Our world is light and Landarn is dark. Yet these 2 boys are total opposites of where they come from. Lanthorne’s like a shining light. He’s sweet, kind and usually tries to find the best in everything and everyone. Edwin on the other hand, is spoiled, entitled and just not (to me anyway), a very nice person. Even though these two have nothing in common, they strike up a kind of goofy friendship. They travel through Landarn together getting into scrapes and relying on each other. I think that’s the big takeaway here, you really need friends to get you through the rough times.

I really enjoyed the story. Thought the end was a bit of a let down, but I could live with it. It’s not a scary story, just a little bit gross, and that’s a good thing. Makes it more fun to read! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone over the age of 10. It’s a fun read.

[Heather Daughrity · Rating 4 out of 5]

This middle grade novel is an exciting adventure full of action and danger. Young Edwin happens accidentally upon a penpal ad in a strange newspaper, introducing him to the mysterious boy that is Lanthorne Ghules. Drawn against his will into Lanthorne's world, he finds it a dark, depressing version of his own, a world in which everyone is gray, the sun barely shines, ghosts, ghouls, and monstrous creatures are normal, and food isn't considered palatable until it's "ripe" (which really means rotten). Edwin also gets a look at Lanthorne's evil Auntie Necra, and it is Auntie Necra who follows Edwin back into his own world and kidnaps his baby sister.

Edwin knows what he must do, entering the spooky gray world again to rescue his sister with his new friend Lanthorne at his side. Facing down enemies, questionable friends, dark, cold, monsters, cannibals, and more, Edwin will stop at nothing to save his sister and return them both to their own world.
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A well written story, with just enough scary bits to keep kids hooked, The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules rates four stars and will be a hit with all kids who love creepy stories. The book releases September 15, 2020.

I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Paula Reyes Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book. I had a great time reading it.

This is about Edwin, he's 12 years old and has a newly born sister that he can't stand. She's always making troubles for him, always cries when he cares for her and stuff like that.
Along with this he has a penpal, Lanthorne, but he's a really odd friend, from another world, a some kind of creepy world.

When Edwin and his sister are thrown into Lanthorne's world in separate ways, Edwin must rescue his sister and come home at time for Christmas.

This book reminded me of Goosebumps or ghat kind of TV shows, hahaha, I really enjoyed the misfortunes that Edwin and Lanthorne got through.
Some of the characters were super creepy and odd, Auntie Necra was the worst of all.
The Dead World was super gross and funny to read because of that, but some characters have some awful ways, the Old Ways, and those weren't so nice to read about, hahaha.

I certainly recommend it, it was super fun, at times it felt too long, but in general was a fun, entertaining, curious read.

[Tasnim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy of the book for honest review.
As a fond reader of children's fiction, I was eager to read it.
Plot line: The story is about Edwin, a little boy who was feed up of dealing with his baby sister. To get away with his frustration, he made pen friendship with a weird boy named Lanthorne. This friendship causes turmoil not only for Edwin but also for his sister.
Review: The story was interesting. The writing was easy to read and the characters were interesting. I liked how the story nicely described the bitter sweet relationship of siblings. I also enjoyed the unique friendship between Edwin and Lanthorne. The eerie description of Lanthorne's world was intriguing. It was a fun light read for me. A good book for young fans of adventure, fantasy and horror fiction.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules focuses on twelve-year-old Edwin and the lengths he is willing to go to get his baby sister back, despite wanting a pool more than a sister. This book is perfect for kids who like Coraline, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Narnia, Labyrinth, and Lemony Snicket. Edwin is bratty, self-centered, and the typical big brother in all the right and wrong ways.

Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

[Karl Orbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas and imagination on display here, with a great take on the creatures under the bed, ghouls and decay lurking in the dark. No cutesy Monsters Inc. here, it's putrid. A very good story and reasonably well narrated. My only serious gripe is the main character, Edwin, who is a bit of a selfish and immature brat, always behaving terribly and utterly wrapped up in his own desires. He was very hard to feel sympathy for, which was a problem with his plight being the primary story arc.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a present and although I doubt it would be something I pick up of my own accord I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lanthorne’s innocence paired with Edwins begrudging nature makes for an interesting duo and the mission to rescue baby Mandoline is a brilliant adventure. I would definitely recommend this book to old and young readers alike

[Vicky Blanken · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprising delight of a book!

Free with Prime Audible so I thought I'd give it a shot as a light listen whilst I worked.
Such a different and refreshing concept to the usual paranormal stuff!
Vivid language and an excellent narrator lead me into a world of putrid scents, otherworldly beings and a sense of danger.
I really hope to hear more from Lanthorne and Edwin.

[GJ Nevery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a laugh-out-loud, scream-of-a-read. Through a spin-web of words, Gerald brings characters to life in a world that I wish I could go and visit. A definite book for young and old alike by an author that needs to be spotlighted.

[Claire O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dark story indeed but a good one, it really captures the feeling of being trapped somewhere

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weird and wonderful middle-grade book that will spark the imagination of many.

I really enjoyed this book and i loves the contrasts between the 2 worlds and the character development of Edwin.

[Heidi_pie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of my favourite kids books I've ever read!! You can't beat a bit of light hearted cannibalism tbh!

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I just say I now want a snarg...

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars rounding up to 2. The only middle grade I've read so far that I genuinely disliked and even hated. I don't want to talk or think about it - just don't read this book.