Demon Thief

The Demonata #2

by Darren Shan

The second novel in this bonechilling series by Darren Shan, author of the New York Times bestselling Cirque Du Freak series is sure to give you goosebumps.



Kernel Fleck has always known he's weird. He sees lights. Strange, multi-colored patches of light, swirling through the air. But it's not until a window opens into a demon world, with horrific consequences, that Kernel discovers his powers. As a Disciple, his mission is to hunt vicious, powerful demons to the death...

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Paranormal, Demons, Supernatural

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian's note: Also writes books for adults under the name Darren Dash. And in the past he has released books for adults under the names D.B. Shan and Darren O'Shaughnessy.

Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak Series in the United States. He is the author of the series The Demonata, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, and Zom-B. He has also released the stand-alone novel, The Thin Executioner, and the stand-alone short novels, Koyasan, and Hagurosan. Plus, for adults, he released The City Trilogy (originally under the name of D.B. Shan), and Lady of the Shades..

Reviews

[Imaydahjr · Rating 3 out of 5]

اتمام
۱۳/اسفند/۰۱
02:23

تازه داشتم به گروبز خنگ عادت می‌کردم که با یه خل و چل جدید آشنا شدم👀😂
راستشو بگم تا اواسط کتاب، داستان کشش کافی برام نداشت..-_- فقط تقریبا یک سوم پایانی خوب بود و پلات توئیست باحالی هم داشت که کمابیش حدسشو زده بودم اما بازم متعجب موندم..🦦
از دِرویش عزیزم هم که نگم براتون.. 🥺
و می‌دونم قراره تو این مجموعه یه بلایی سرش بیاد
و خاک بر سر من که رو هرکی کراش میزنم، نویسنده‌اش علاقه زیادی به شکنجه‌ داره..!

پ.ن: ببخشید اگر که انتظار خلاصه نویسی از من داشتین.. سخته خلاصه نوشتن برای مجموعه های چندجلدی 🗿

[Melika Gohari · Rating 5 out of 5]

اینم تموم کردم. واقعا محشر. اصلا باورم نمیشه مثل دوران راهنمایی/دبیرستانم دارم ازش لذت میبرم.

[Sita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the books in this series, so much that I have rushed out and bought each book the minute I finished with the last. I loved the series so much that I pushed it onto all of my friends to read it (half of them didn’t bother, their loss).

Demon Thief is the second in the series and it was funny (a lot more than the first, I loved it but it was so serious), scary (we got to see where the demons lived), and generally awesome.

Characters: 9/10
I loved these characters a lot more than I liked the ones in Lord Loss; there was just something about all the characters on a whole that I liked more. Maybe because we could see everyone’s personality’s in a different light, when they were younger and not through the judging eyes of Grubbs Grady. The characters in Demon Thief are also a lot funnier and all though the situation is bad these characters are able to make light of it.

Writing: 9/10
The writing and dialogue once again had me sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation for what was to come. The fight scenes, when he was describing the new demon lairs all amazing, I really felt as if I was there watching or there listening in.

Plot: 8/10
Here we are taken back 30 years into the life of Kernel Fleck, Kernel has an ability, he can see lights that open up doors to other dimensions and places in the universe. Kernel’s brother has recently been stolen, so he needs to go on a quest to find him. Kernel meets many people while searching the universe for his brother, one of them being a young Dervish Grady. The plot to this book is good, but not one of the greatest in the book. I liked meeting younger versions of people that I’m sure I’m going to see again and I liked how it was set, the fact that he could jump from place to place really quickly. Overall, the plot was original and kept me interested for the whole book.

Enjoy-ability: 7/10
I’m giving it a seven because Demon Thief is not for everyone, sure, I loved it, but that doesn’t mean you will. Sure give it a go, but if your not into this genre or are just looking for something good to read. Sure check it out but like I said before, this may not be the book for you.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot damn, Darren Shan has such a complex imagination, it's hard to think of many that can compete. It's strange going from a completely different point of view in book one to a new one in book two, but I see this as a prequel, kind of, and backstory. Think I can swing it with the series as long as it doesn't get too confusing.

I enjoyed the main character Kernel. His loneliness spoke to me in the beginning and his painful plight in the ending convinced me. It's a dark story with his parents and sibling, but this of course grows much darker when he has to enter the demon realm.

What was fascinating about this book was the full-fledged magic. Each had their own brand and seeing it being explored always excited the kid in me. The story held a few twists and surprises along the way, especially with the decision of a disciple, a revelation of a theif (although I guessed that right before it was revealed), and how life changes as it goes on without someone.

Meeting the Disciples and seeing how mixed they were was a treat. It took me a moment to recognize who Dervish was since it has been a little while since I read the first book. There are a lot of questions still waiting to be answered but this pulls out for the tension and suspense of the series. Nothing feels like let down or suspended/cut off from that.

Lord Loss was as eerie as ever and it was nifty to go back in time, in his land, to see his horrors face to face in a castle of all things. There's a lot of twists in the demon world, monstrosities too horrible to clearly picture. I do keep picturing that twinkle in Art's eye at the end. I can't fully picture the disasterous appearance that is Lord Loss yet.

Shan did well with this book and that world, although not perfect in terms of imaginations and intricacies. More could be done in future installments to leave a greater impression on the twisted multiverse.

As I've mentioned in reviews of most of Darren Shan's books, this may be set for middle school to young adult, but the subject matter, violence, and blood/gore level is intense enough for an adult. There's some disturbing material here that works perfectly for all horror fans of all ages. If you're a sensitive adult about what your child reads, you may want to preview some of this stuff, although I'm fine with my son reading it. Then again I was never sensitive about reading material and believed in allowing the imagination to stretch and experience for itself. Adults should not grow bored - look at me, I read these and love them, he's a favorite author for sure.

I'm pleased to see I've fallen more into the series. The first book was good but didn't grab me. Cirque Du Freak was such an epic cant-put-down feeling that I hope to get the same with the Demonata.

[Ali Ebrahimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

دوباره دارم میخونمش😁
۱۴۰۲/۶/۱۱
جلد دوم رو هم خوندم و خیلی برام از جلد اول جذاب تر بود و دوستش داشتم.

[Hosein · Rating 5 out of 5]

همچنان بهتر از چیزی که یادمه!

داستان یکسری ساب پلات داره، همشون خیلی قشنگ و به نوبت باز میشن و این دقیقا تا آخرین کلمه‌ی کتاب ادامه داره. بعد همه چیز به موقع بود، اطلاعات رو زود یا دیر نمیداد. اینقدری به مخاطبش احترام میذاشت که فقط کلمه پشت سر هم نذاره، با این پی‌رنگ داستانش کاملا کشش این رو داشت که حدود پونصد صفحه بشه.

به طور کلی، من خیال میکردم سری دیموناتا مال بچگی‌هامه و هیچ‌وقت بین آثار بزرگ فانتزی و وحشت حسابش نمیکردم. اما الان میگم اگه ادامه‌شم به خوبی همین دو جلد باشه واقعا جزو بهترین‌هاس.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Demon Thief book two of the Demonata by Darren Shan is a as good as book one Lord Loss but maybe with a more enjoyable story. I really liked the world and the characters that Shan created in book one of the Demonata. In the Demon Thief, Darren Shan makes a bold choice to set this book 30 years in the past to the events that take place in Lord Loss. Not only is it a prequel it is not really about Grubbs, or his family, but Uncle Dervish does have a role.

I enjoyed this one more than the first because of what a cool and special boy that Kernel is, our main protagonist. I also had a blast revisiting the world of the Demonata and reading the style of Darren Shan. These books maybe classified as Young Adult, but Shan does not hold back on the blood, action, and gore. These books may not be appropriate for many if you have problems with blood and gore. Back again is the main baddie Lord Loss, albeit in a much smaller roll.

The magic in this book is in your face and it rocks. Kernel has seen lights since he was 4 and when he discovers what it is all about, the real fun begins. The plot is straight forward with minimal turns along the way. The reading is easy going and there is plenty of action to speed things along. I connected with Kernel and liked the special twist about this story. I hope to read more about him in the future books.

This one is a blast and now I am signing up for the long haul. I am a Darren Shan fan now and look forward to reading more. Really fun stuff...

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I read the entire Demonata Saga in 48 hours?! Check out my reviews of all 10 books in the series by Darren Shan on my YouTube channel, How to Train Your Gavin: https://youtu.be/ZsSuarXyPcA

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing first, don’t read this review if you haven’t read Lord Loss by Darren Shan. Lord Loss is a wonderful, horror filled novel and this book I’m reviewing is its sequel, so go read the first!

One thing I love about the Demonata series is how the books, at least the first two, don’t seem to be related at all! When you start Demon Thief you have just finished Lord Loss and you’re expecting the story to continue but it doesn’t! It takes you into a completely different story with characters you’ve never met before, although Dervish does make an appearance.

The main character of this book is Kernel Fleck. For as long as Kernel can remember he has been surrounded by lighted shapes in the air. They’ve never bothered him, but when he concentrates he can move them around into patterns. One day, he discovers that if he moves the pulsating pieces together, they form a window. Unfortunately there is a demon trying to come out of the window. Kernel manages to push it back but feels compelled to follow it through the light. When he wakes up, with his brother Art in his arms, several days have passed and he cannot remember what happened after he went through the window. One night his parents bundle Kernel and Art home and drive them to their new lazy town called Paskinston. In Paskinston, no one knows that Kernel disappeared and he is able to live a normal life. Until he must find out what happened to him and what the lights are.

The only thing that made this book not as interesting to me as the first was that I knew exactly what would happen. I think this is because I read the book a couple years ago and was drawing off that. I knew who the demon thief was from the very beginning. Because of this I was hurrying to finish the book and move on. But never the less I found it to still keep me enthralled.

Shan’s horror is still ever present in this installment of the Demonata Series. If you have a queasy stomach or rather not read a description of a head being torn of a body, this book is not for you. But if horror is your thing, don’t pass this book by. Once the action starts you won’t be able to put down this book, it’s a fast entertaining read.

Check out my blog at www.dwhpbooknerd.blogspot.com

[Fatima difarko · Rating 4 out of 5]

از جلد اولش واقعا بهتر بود ولي اولاش خوب نبود اين چهارستاررو واسه پايانش ميدم چون واقعا دوست داشتم پايانشو:)))
خيلييي خوب بود ديدن جووني درويش:)
وحس ميكنم بعد اين جلد قراره خيلي جذاب بشه..

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second part in the Demonata series, and to be bold, even better than the first. In Lord Loss the writing sometimes was very short, in little sentences. That didn't bother me at all, but in Demon Thief the writing is improved a great deal. The dialogue flows more, it reads away so easily.

In this part our narrator is Kernel Fleck (Darren has an interesting choice of names!), a bold boy that can see shards of light floating in the air. There is nothing much to say about the plot without giving anything away, but it comes down to this: by some gross horrible accident he ends up in the universe of the Demonata.

The story in this book is set before Lord Loss, so we meet a younger Dervish, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We get to meet our favorite monsters Vein and Artery again, and pay a nice visit to good old Lord Loss. In this book it struck me that Lord Loss isn't actually that bad for a demon master. I wonder if that was the intention. I mean, he is like a walking corpse and has no heart, but because of that he isn't hate bearing either. Strange thought.

Darren Shan is a genius. For a young writer he has accomplished so much. In some way I like his Demonata series better than his Cirque du Freak series. The universe he creates is brilliant, the gloomy feel his books leave behind is amazing, and I truly adore his characters. I mean, they all have such a good heart, and have to go through such hardship you can't but feel for them. I want them to finally get their happy ending. A bitter sweet kind of happy ending. Like one that makes you cry but deep down you know that this was how it supposed to turn out.

Can't wait to see what new horrifying adventures Darren Shan will torture us (in a very good way) with next!

[S._aqa._r · Rating 5 out of 5]

در کل میتونم مثل همه ی کتاب های دارن شان منو به وجد اورد
این بار که کتاب رو بازخوانی کردم شخصیت کرنل برام ملموس تر بود و بهتر میتونستم درکش کنم
گذشت زمان و تفاوت زمانی دنیاها این قسمت بیشتر قابل درک بود
و درویش جوان واقعا جالب بود
کلا این سری این کتاب رو با دید دیگه ای خوندم و جالبه که خیلی بیشتر از قبل برام جالب و هیجان انگیز بود

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was little, I wanted to be a writer and I was a bit obsessed with Zombies! probably that’s to blame on the game Resident Evil, not sure, but I remember I decided to write a story about a zombie apocalypse.

I wanted to write something terrifying, I wanted that the people who read it would be so scared that it would make them develop a trauma about zombies, and wouldn’t be able to sleep for days!

So I started writing all kinds of gory and violent things to describe how the zombies were taking over the world. I don’t really remember the details, but I wrote a 10 pages long story full of dismembering, blood and brains being drained out of people’s heads and then eaten by zombies.

When I handed over my story to some of my relatives their reaction was not exactly of horror and panic. In my mind while writing it, I was expecting something like this:

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“Holy shit! No way did that just happen… “

“This story is so horrible!” *puts it down terrified*

Probably I was not really expecting it, because frankly when I read it myself, it didn’t scare me, but I was trying real hard to put as much gore as I could. The actual reaction I got was something like this:

”He threw himself over the guy and started eating him alive!”

[image error]

It didn’t hurt my feelings, I was actually glad they were laughing because it meant they were enjoying the story a bit, and all of them finished reading the whole ten pages, I thought maybe they would give up half way through.

…
…All right… uhm… So what does this have to do with the book?
…

Well, this book made me remember of that time, because it contained many gory details to make the story terrifying and just like mine instead of causing a reaction of fright it caused me to laugh out loud!

This is a fast paced story of Kernel, a kid who can see lights and can move them and everyone thinks he’s mentally ill for that. The true reason of the lights is because he can open windows to different universes and access through them. That’s how he discovered the universe of demons, better known as The Demonata.

I’m not really going to go into the details of the plot as I consider it might be too spoilery, but I will just say that the mystery presented in there was no mystery to me. I realized about it since it happened. So the whole book, though a bit entertaining, was not interesting because I didn’t feel it as an anigma, it was so predictable…

I really liked the first book in this series, Lord Loss. That’s why I’m going to read book 3, Slawter, because that book is more related to book 1 than this one. Hopefully it won’t let me down like this one here did.

[Aishah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. Not as good as Lord Loss but the plot twist was amazing though.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this is my last book review of 2023. I’ve had a lot of fun reading and reviewing this year and I ultimately feel satisfied with how much I’ve read.

Book #2 in The Demonata series is great. We shift perspective in protagonist from Grubbs Grady to Kernel Fleck (interesting names, I know). Kernel is a much more layered character than Grubbs, at least initially. We also get to see a younger Dervish who is still just as fun and cool. Probably one of the most important (and powerful) characters we meet is Beranabus; a wickedly powerful magician that has his own set of goals and motivations.

Darren Shan does quite a bit of world building in this book and it ended up being my favorite aspect of Book Thief. You can tell that he’s setting the plot up for future events while also showing us some big players and fleshing out their personalities. Certainly the most interesting in this regard is Kernel. He constantly feels alone and isolated. It’s pretty clear that he has severe depression and he even contemplates suicide throughout the story.

The ending of this book was smart as well. The identity of the ‘demon thief’ was surprising and I was entertained during the entire reveal. Even Kernel’s final decision and revelation at the end were a major bummer. I’m probably going to take a break from The Demonata for a bit but I need you to know that book 3 will be gnawing at the back of my mind all year until I get back to it.

Demonata Ranking:

1. Demon Thief
2. Lord Loss

[Roya · Rating 4 out of 5]

من جلد اول مجموعه دموناتا (لردلاس) رو سال ها پیش، چندین بارررر خوندم *-*
اما سراغ جلدهای دیگه ش نرفتم(نمیدونم چرا آخهههه).
خیلی وقت بود که کتابی توی ژانر فانتزی نخونده بودم و فکر نمیکردم دوباره برگردم سراغ کتاب های فانتزی و دارن شانِ عزیزم :)))
اوایلِ کتاب فکر میکردم خیلی بچه گانه باشه و علاقه ی من به این ژانر تموم شده.... اما هنوز 50 صفحه هم نگذشته بود که به شدت جذب کتاب شدم و با وجود اینکه به شدت توسط امتحانات محاصره شدم، هرروز با هیجان مینشستم و این کتاب رو میخوندم. قرار گذاشته بودم که بعد از این جلد، کتاب دیگه ای 😂😅رو بخونم اما اونقدر پر هیجان و زیبا تموم شد که همین الان میخوام به سوی جلد سوم بشتابم و کوچیکترین اهمیتی به میانترم درس تخصصی فردام ندم
دارن شان توی این مجموعه شما رو با غیرقابل باور ترین اتفاق ها سوپرایز میکنه. چیزی که توی آثار دارن شان دوست دارم اینه که تصویر سازی به شدت قوی داره. با اینکه سال ها از خوندن جلد اول میگذره اما صفحه به صفحه کتاب رو جلوی چشام میبینم و جلد دوم هم مستثنی نبود

[Armando · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, solid sequel to Lord Loss.

Demon Thief like the first, has a bit of a slow start, but really gets going about a third of the way through. Once certain plot details are revealed and familiar faces return, its a full on race to the finish. Like the first, this one is just very well written, its chapters are aptly named to prepare you for what they hold and the devilish games of wit and battle between the demons and the humans are just top-notch.

Great read!

[Sang Cast · Rating 2 out of 5]

هرچند برای خواندن کتاب قبلی و اشکال‌یابی هم‌زمان آن در این‌جا، کارم سخت شده بود، و گاهی به خاطر قطعی اینترنت حوصله خواندن کتاب را هم نداشتم (که به طور معمول هم به زور حوصله‌ام را برای خواندنش جمع می‌کنم)، اما این بار هم تصمیم گرفتم همین امر خداپسندانه را انجام دهم و مشکلات کتاب را توی سر ناشر و نمونه‌خوان و ویراستار و تایپیست و مترجم بکوبم، و دل خودم را خنک کنم...

(نکته ۱: به تازگی سری به میدان انقلاب زدم و چاپ جدید کتاب را دیدم، و فهمیدم که نشر قدیانی برخی مشکلات را در کتاب حل کرده است، و حاشیه کتاب‌ها هم کم‌تر و فونت متن هم کوچک‌تر شده است، که کارهایی بسیار پسندیده بودند. از همین رو، تصمیم گرفتم برای منصفانه بودن نوشته‌ام، شماره چاپ هر جلدی که می‌خوانم را ذکر کنم: من چاپ چهاردهم (۱۳۹۹) این جلد را خوانده‌ام و در ادامه توضیح داده‌ام.)

(نکته ۲: در صورتی که نقد و بررسی جلد اول را ندیده و نخوانده‌اید، می‌توانید از لینک روبه‌رو به آن برسید: لُرد لاس)

۱. صفحه ۷: «به خصوص توی خانه یا توی مدرسه زنگ‌های تفریح». اصل متن به صورت «especially at home or when I have free time at school» بوده، که در نتیجه باید «زنگ‌های تفریح مدرسه» ترجمه می‌شده، نه «مدرسه زنگ‌های تفریح». حتی «مدرسه و زنگ‌های تفریح» هم بهتر از چنین چیزی می‌بود!

۲. صفحه ۷: جمله «درباره موضوع با مامان و بابا حرف زده‌ام، اما فهماندن این‌که چه‌قدر احساس بدبختی دارم به آن‌ها خیلی سخت است.» اگر به صورت «درباره موضوع با مامان و بابا حرف زده‌ام، اما خیلی سخت است که به آن‌ها بفهمانم چه‌قدر احساس بدبختی دارم.» نوشته می‌شد، خیلی راحت‌تر خوانده و فهمیده می‌شد!

۳. صفحه ۹۸: «ما -مطمئنیم که این را از طرف همه می‌گویم- از ملاقات با تو خیلی خوش‌حالیم...» همان‌طور که مشخص است، «مطمئنیم» و «می‌گویم» کاملا متناسب هستند و هیچ مشکلی در این جمله نیست و من آن را الکی ذکر کرده‌ام؛ اما ویراستار حتی الکی هم ��واسش به این قضیه نبوده!

۴. صفحه ۱۲۵: لازم نیست جمله «The acid eats into it» را به «اسید درون آن را می‌خورد» ترجمه کنیم. خیلی ساده می‌شود گفت: «اسید آن را می‌خورد»، و معقول‌تر هم هست، چون اسید به طور خاص با قاشق نمی‌رود سراغ درون آن چیز، و از هر گوشه‌ای که دستش برسد شروع به خوردن می‌کند و پیش می‌رود.

۵. صفحه ۱۵۲: «ممکن است که رفتار نورها این‌جا با رفتارشان در آن قلمرو فرق داشته باشد...» که یک «در» بعد از کلمه «نورها» و قبل از کلمه «این‌جا» جا افتاده و کسی هم نفهمیده. چه بامزه!

۶. صفحه ۱۶۷: این مورد برای خودم هم تا حدودی سؤال است: «آخر زمان» بهتر است یا «آخرالزمان»؟ من دومی را بیشتر دوست دارم چون جاافتاده‌تر است و خوش‌خوان‌تر هم به نظر می‌رسد، اما به هر حال فکر می‌کنم معنی جفت‌شان یک چیز باشد. آیا نوشتن این عبارت بدون «ال» برای جلوگیری از استفاده از کلمات عربی‌ست یا دلیل دیگری وجود دارد؟ واقعا چه‌قدر باید جلوی استفاده از واژه‌های عربی ایستاد و مقاومت کرد؟ اصلا فایده چنین مقاومتی، به خصوص در برابر واژه‌هایی که جزئی از زبان روزمره و زندگی مردم فارسی‌زبان شده‌اند، چیست؟

۷. صفحه ۱۸۲: یکی از بهترین و دقیق‌ترین ترجمه‌های ممکن را، در همین صفحه خواندم، و تصمیم گرفتم آن را در اختیار شما هم بذارم، تا شیوه صحیح این کار را بیاموزید: «My stomach drops as I picture myself falling through the mist, then the sky, hitting the ground hard and splattering.» این جمله، به درستی به صورت «وقتی سقوط خود را روی ابر و مه تجسم می‌کنم، و این صحنه را که بعد از آن آسمان محکم به زمین می‌خورد و تکه‌تکه همه‌جا پخش می‌شود، قلبم فرو می‌ریزد.» در واقع شاید هیچ‌کدام از ما توجه نکرده باشیم که چه‌قدر این صحنه معمول است که آسمان به زمین کوبیده و شکسته شود، آن هم درست وقتی که یک نفر دارد از بالای ابرها سقوط می‌کند. شاید منظور نوعی خودکشی نمادین آسمان به خاطر سقوط آن فرد باشد. شاید هم آسمان همیشه همین سقوط و خرد شدن را تجربه می‌کند، اما حالا هم‌زمانی‌اش با سقوط آن آدم خیلی صحنه ترسناکی را ساخته که من نمی‌فهمم. به هر حال بابت این جمله بسیار شگفت‌انگیز از همه دست‌اندرکاران این کتاب متشکرم.

۸. صفحه ۱۸۸: خیلی اتفاقی متوجه شدم که در ترجمه فارسی کتاب، شخصیت‌ها آن‌چنان از دیدن هم هیجان‌زده نمی‌شوند که بخواهند هم را بغل کنند، که احتمالا به فرهنگ فارسی‌زبانان برمی‌گردد، وگرنه در جایی که گفته شده «“It is good to see you again, Kernel,” Sharmila says, stepping forward to hug me.» شارمیلاخانم فقط می‌آید جلو و حرفش را می‌زند. البته شاید هم چون فقط نیت کرده بوده و کتاب توضیحی نداده که این کار را کرده یا نه، مترجم و ناشر نخواسته‌اند که خواننده با این فکرها گیج شود و مطالب و ماجرای اصلی کتاب را از دست بدهد. بوس و بغل احتمالا چون امر پیش‌پاافتاده و مضحکی است در باقی کتاب هم خبری ازش نباشد، همان‌طور که شراب حضرت حافظ، به معنای غرق شدن در عشق الهی است.

۹. صفحه ۲۲۷: این یکی ربطی به ترجمه ندارد و احتمالا اشکال از تایپیست بوده، هرچند ویراستار و نمونه‌خوان احتمالا پیش از چاپ کتاب زنده بوده‌اند... «این هیولایی شیطانی» که در واقع مطابق متن انگلیسی باید «این شیطان» باشد، به «هیولایی شیطانی» نیاز ندارد، بلکه «هیولای شیطانی» کافی بوده.

۱۰. صفحه ۲۷۵: «از جودم، فقط تکه‌هایی گوشت و استخوان باقی می‌ماند که روی سطح گدازه را لکه‌دار می‌کنند - و دیگر هیچ.» با تشکر از تایپیست و نمونه‌خوان محترم، که باعث شدند کرنل فلک پیش از ذوب کامل در گدازه‌های جهنمی دنیای شطرنجی و تارعنکبوتی لرد لاس به بخشش اجزای بدنش دست بزند، و از سر جود و سخاوت خود، همه‌چیز را رها کند. دوست داشتم از این فرصت استفاده‌های بیشتری کنم!

۱۱. صفحه ۳۰۳: «it’s time to kick demonic ass!» ترجمه شده «وقتش است که یک اردنگی شیطانی بزنیم!» که فکر می‌کنم درستش این است که «وقتش است به یک باسن شیطانی اردنگی بزنیم!» یا برای مؤدبانه‌تر شدنش می‌توان گفت: «وقتش است به یک شیطان اردنگی بزنیم!» البته مطمئن نیستم، پس «همسایه‌ها یاری کنین!»

۱۲. صفحه ۳۴۲: از مشکلات همیشگی کتاب‌های فارسی، به خصوص ترجمه‌شده‌های‌شان، گیومه‌های پرت‌وپلا هستند. در این‌جا هم احتمالا چون متن اصلی به صورت «“Yeah,” Shark agrees. “I knew Raz. A top cat. But let’s not talk about him. In our business, it’s best to forget about death and focus on living.”» آمده بوده و صحبت‌های شارک ۲تکه شده بوده، فراموش کرده‌‌اند که موقع یکی کردن دیالوگ‌هایش، گیومه را باز بگذارند. به همین خاطر هم یک گیومه دو دفعه بسته شده است: «آره.» من راض را می‌شناختم. معرکه بود. اما بیایید حرفش را نزنیم. در کاری که ما پیش گرفته‌ایم، بهتر است مرده‌ها را فراموش کنیم و با همه حواس‌مان به زنده‌ها برسیم.»

۱۳. صفحه ۳۵۳: «قل می‌خوردند و دور می‌شوند.» فعل‌ها کاملا متناسب با هم انتخاب شده‌اند. تیله‌ها در گذشته قل می‌خوردند، اما در حال دور می‌شوند. صحیح!!!

۱۴. صفحه ۳۵۴: انگار تایپیست هرچه به پایان کتاب نزدیک‌تر می‌شده، بیشتر «شیلنگ‌تخته» می‌انداخته و کمتر حوصله تایپ درست را داشته. احتمالا برای همین هم «شلنگ‌تخته» به نظرش آن‌طور که باید کفاف مطلب را نمی‌داده.

۱۵. صفحه ۳۵۶: این مورد چندان ایراد نیست، اما به نظر من یک مترجم خوب می‌تواند جمله‌ها را بهتر و زیباتر هم بنویسد، مگر این‌که اواخر کار خسته شده باشد و بخواهد اثرش را با ماست‌مالی به آخر برساند. جمله «تنها چیزی که نشان می‌دهد این‌جا قلمرویی دیگر است، این است که آب نه، بلکه خون از آبشار پایین می‌آید.» بهتر است به صورت «از آبشار به جای آب، خون پایین می‌آید» نوشته شود. واقعا این‌طوری بهتر نیست؟

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برویم سراغ بررسی «کوتاه» کتاب!
شاید مقداری اسپویل هم در کار باشد. کسی چه می‌داند!

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دوباره ماجراها اول‌شخص روایت می‌شوند، اما این بار خبری از گروبز گریدی نیست، بلکه همراه کورنلیوس (کرنل) فلک هستیم. داستان برایم کشش کافی را نداشت. عملا موقع خواندنش، به خصوص تا قبل از رسیدن به حوالی یک‌سوم کتاب، در حال جان کندن بودم.
بیشتر کتاب احساس می‌کردم که نویسنده مشغول مسخره کردنم است. خیلی از قسمت‌ها قابل‌حدس بودند و مثل سریال‌های صداوسیما فقط به آب (در این‌جا خون و دل و روده و کثافت) بسته شده بودند. صرفا یک بسته بامزه بود که به بچه‌ها می‌دهند تا یک گوشه فروشگاه منتظر بمانند که والدین بتوانند بهترین و به‌صرفه‌ترین بسته دستمال کاغذی و کیسه زباله را پیدا کنند، با این تفاوت که اگر به بچه‌تان این بسته را بدهید، باید تا مدت‌ها شبیه‌سازی‌هایش از ماجراها و نوربازی‌ها و خودقهرمان‌بینی‌هایش را تحمل کنید (نه که چیز بدی باشد، اما بچه‌تان می‌توانست ادای سم وایز و فرودو بگینز، یا حتی بیلبو بگینز در ماجراجویی‌های خارق‌العاده‌شان را در بیاورد، و شما هم یا آراگورن و لگولاس و گیملی بشوید و همراهی‌اش کنید، یا مثل اوروک‌های‌ها و سارومان و سائورون و عنکبوت‌های سیاه‌بیشه را در بیاورید و دنبالش کنید، و حسابی سرگرم شوید!).

در کتاب اول تنها جایی که نویسنده از کتاب‌ها و داستان‌های دیگر به صورت مستقیم نام برده بود، شطرنج با شمایل «ارباب حلقه‌ها» بود، اما این بار از «فاوست» و «۲۰۰۱: اودیسه فضایی» و «موبی دیک» هم نام برده بود. وقتی اسم این آثار را در کتاب‌های دارن شان می‌خوانم، از خودم می‌پرسم: «چه‌طور کسی که چنین چیزهایی را خوانده ممکن است چنین کتاب‌هایی بنویسد؟» اما بعد حس می‌کنم که سؤالم بی‌جاست. مهم‌ترین مهارت دارن شان این نیست که آثار خارق‌العاده و تکرارنشدنی می‌نویسد، چه بسا که خیلی اوقات (اگر نگویم غالب اوقات) کلیشه‌ها و دوخت‌ودوز این کلیشه‌ها به هم خفه‌تان هم خواهد کرد؛ اما مسئله این‌جاست که او به نوشتنش ادامه می‌دهد، و به هر حال کسانی هستند که کتاب‌خوانی را با آثار او شروع می‌کنند.

در این کتاب همه‌چیز فدای عنصر غافل‌گیری شده، و برای همین قلابی که می‌بایست از اوایل داستان خواننده را ترغیب به ادامه دادن می‌کرد هم حوالی صفحه ۵۰ قرار گرفته و انگار از اواسط کتاب تازه جان به رگ‌های داستان می‌دود. از طرفی، برای این‌که این کتاب هم جزئی از مجموعه و شبیه بقیه باشد، بیهوده‌نویسی‌های زیادی صورت گرفته تا حجم داستان مشابه کتاب اول باشد.

نویسنده ایده‌های جالبی داشته و خواندن این کتاب می‌تواند ذهن مخاطب را در مسیر ایده‌پردازی یاری کند. اما صرفا به خاطر ایده‌ها لازم نیست وقت بگذارید و این مجموعه را بخوانید. به خصوص که در این جلد حتی جمله جالب و قابل‌ذکری ندیدم که به صورت نقل‌قول بیاورمش، و فقط همان ایده‌ها برایم جالب بودند.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 8 of 2024
راستش من خیلی منتظر ادامه داستان قبلی بودم و این جلد کلا درمورد یک شخصیت جدید توضیح میداد.
کتاب شروع خوبی داشت و از همون اولش دوستش داشتم .
کرنل شخصیت پردازی خیلی خوبی داشت و به شدت کامل بود .
یکم اواسطش افت کرد اما بعد دوباره خوب شد .
پایانش و اون پلات توییستش رو خیلی دوست داشتم ، واقعا جذاب تموم شد .
و البته درویش عزیزم که توی این جلد بودش 🥲🥹

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 more stars crafted out of demonic guts and topped with gooey slime

Hmmm....This is another book that I wouldn't recommend to my lil bro.

This stuff gets bloodier! And I seem to love it! Except for the part when that muthafockin Cadavers kills all those children

So... Here's a boy named Cornelius "Kernel" Fleck, a new protagonist. This kid is lonely, too damn lonely. He sees patches of lights all around him(like the ones you see when you are hit with a cricket bat, on the head)
And he is bald, gosh, no wonder girls don't like him too much, but those bitches would stand in line for him if they read this book

One day, sorry, night, he is playing with these patches. You see, he can make them move. He slots some of them together in a pattern aaaand... Lo and Behold! A window to the demonic world has opened. And out of it comes LORD LOSS, a powerful demon master. He looks at Kernel then falls back. But our dear Kernel, like every other kid in this kind of books, follows him.

He returns after few days, clutching his brother, Art to his chest. He can't remember what happened after he entered the window. He just can't.

The family skips town(reason, as always, unspecified) and settles into a village. All's well until Kernel meets Mrs.Egin, a bitchy witch. She blabbers stuff about some demon thief and goes bonkers.

Forward. Kernel is taking an outdoor class(along with his friends and Art). And suddenly the Witch appears, She screams stuff about a demon thief(again) and then EXPLODES INTO MILLIONS OF BITESIZE CHUNKS. Sweet. A dead witch is better then a dead bitch.

But NO!

She opens some portal before she dies, and through it comes a Demon named Cadavers. He first...

Gross stuff(no spoilers but still... If you want to read it... Go ahead)
Puts his hairy hand into Mr. Logan(the teacher)'s eyes and pulls them out. Then he rips his head off.. Then he puts it down... And squashes it like a melon. Then he cuts the throat of a little girl. Kills some more kids. Slurps down the blood. Kills some more kids. Eat a kids brain.. Crunchy skulls and stuff.

And then he steals ART and runs away. 4 people, namely, Benarabus, Nadia, Raz and Sharmila,who came after the demon try to go back and continue hunting him... And guess what? Our Kernel Fleck tags along.

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PLOT: It's totally diffrerent than the first one(except for chess, it's the focal point). And it's awesome! You'll find that in a quarter, the aim is to find and name the Demon thief. You should have seen the look on my face when the truth was revealed. Believe me, I bet most of us would never even guess that answer. So, like the other book, this book too has a 50-60 pages where all you see is pointless hacking and slashing at demons. But overall it's great.

CHARACTERS: I liked this protagonist, Kernel Fleck more than the other one in the first book. At one point in the book you'll feel a lot for him(Trust me). Art is a loving child, his innocence is portrayed very well for the most part of the book. Raz, he dies too soon, a gentleman. Sharmila and Nadia (I've got mixed feelings). Benarabus,the magician, A crazy 100+ nutcase, he is that kinda guy who you Hate till the last few chapters. Shark, this guy punches the shit outta demons, loved his style! Dervish, he is a punk here(this takes place nearly 25 years before the book Lord Loss ), and I can do nothing but like him more after knowing how he lived as a kid. Aaaaand LORD LOSS, I feel so exited when his name comes up. His character is shaped so well... Noble in a demonic way. No heart, but still keeps his word. I feel like he'll end up on top of my Favorite Antagonists even before the end of the series(current top guy: Voldemort)


Warning: I'm telling this again, this book is not for you if you have great imagination skills AND hate viloence or seeing Children ripped apart. Women exploding into chunks. Eating brains. Bathing in demonic shit. Demonic intestines in your mouth and you know, stuff like that.
I'm telling this because this is a great book and I don't want to see a 1 star rating and a negative review by someone who hates violence and still reads THIS BOOK.

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"Then set the hounds loose, boy - It's time to kick some demonic ass!"

“One of the things is that in times of severe disorder, you can't worry about the dead, only the living.”

“But I don't think Art's an Einstein - he likes tugging ears, biting people and burping too much to be a genius.”

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That's about it.
And I continue to suck at positive reviews...sigh.
Off you go... Through that shiny window.

[Triceratops · Rating 5 out of 5]

i wanna give my son a hug if horror book why so sad

[Fabio]

Demon Thief
By: Darren Shan
256 pages
ISBN13: 9780316012386

This book is about a boy named Kernel Fleck. One day, he had moved into a new house with his family. Kernel wasn't any ordinary boy. He sees lights just come out randomly. When he told people, they thought that he was crazy. Kernel then figured out that he could put the lights together and ended up opening a portal to the demon world. He saw a red Demon named Lord Loss, which he decides to follow into the demon world. When Kernel gets back home, he couldn't remember anything that had happened.
Darren Shan does an amazing jobs with his books. Each one of his book is literally a movie running in your head. His description of everything in the book is great. He's always outdoing himself and never lets us down. This book is just another great story into his series.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy books and aren't easily disturbed. This book is a great book to read on your spare time. This book is great for all people but should really only be read if you atleast 13.

[Cait S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so sad that I let so much time go between reading the first book and reading this one. These are just... Agh, these books are ridiculously fun. The stories are unique, the characters are vivid, and it's just enjoyable the entire way through.

I would say I liked this one slightly less than the first for two reasons. The first is, I don't know if it was just the version I read, but there were a lot of mistakes and typos, especially later in the book. These don't drive me crazy or anything but they're a little distracting.

Also this mystery isn't nearly as mind blowing as the first one. I had the big twist figured out pretty early on whereas in the first book I was guessing with each page and totally satisfied at the end.

But still, super fun, very fast. Will not put off the third one as long.

[Chappy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I didn't write a review for this bad boy back in 2014, so here we go. Book one of the demonata had me from page one and didn't let go until the series ended with book ten. Book two is a totally fresh perspective from grubs Grady's narration in book one, this time we have a new narrator, point of view and personality to get use to. We also get a much grander view of the demonata universe and various locations included within, it's spectacular, graphic and bloody.
In summary, book two is the same hard hitting, grandiose story of book one but on an even grander scale this time round. We get to learn more about our favourite characters pasts and more epic foreshadowing (given what I know now)

[Kosar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always felt different about Kernel. Grubs is big and strong and loud, but Kernel, with that bald head of his, is so lonely. I never thought someone could depict a child's loneliness so good. In YA stories, you always have a kid who is so hardly tried to be portrayed as ordinary, but when you finish the story, that kid has turned into a superhero. But not here, he is an ordinary child throughout the book, he is not on some grand mission for a higher value, he just misses his little brother and wants him back. He is and ordinary kid in a sad story, always thinking that this will be over and he will get back to his parents.

PS. By the way, I had completely forgotten about the chess maze. Darren shan never seizes to amaze us!

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a goody. I don't remember much about this book from the first time I read it, but it's still a 5-star. Even though the plot wasn't complex, I loved the gore, the magic, the twists, the ideas. I also loved the way it was set before book #1, and it contained some characters from it. I think I did remember that Kernel was the Kah-Gash though, I have no idea how I'd react to the knowledge that I'd been gone 7 years when it only felt like a few days! If I'd found that horrible picture of myself with the scribbled-out face, I'd probably leave too. Even if it hurt them again. Short review but I'm done.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes place prior to Lord Loss, although it is not important to read it first. It is fine to read the books in the published order or the chronological order of the story. I, myself, read them in the published order and found that worked fine.

As this takes place prior to Lord Loss, our main character is someone entirely new. Our new main character, Kernel, is completely different to Grubbs but just as easy to love. This book focuses on a completely different aspect to that focused upon in Lord Loss, yet it is just as well written and enjoyable as Lord Loss and the other books in the series.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing!
I loved everything in it.
Kernel was so lovely (except the fact that he is bald because I had pictured him differently) and he didn't deserve this from his family at the end🥲
My mind blew away when I saw Dervish as a teenager. And then I realized the thing about time in Demonata and our world...
I also liked other characters, like Shark and even Branabus (not sure about the spelling).
I don't think that's the last thing we see from Nadia and she will come back again...

[صدرا · Rating 4 out of 5]

با حدود یه سال فاصله از جلد یک این رو هم خوندم
توی این کتاب هم سعی کرده بود سبک خونریزی و کثیف‌کاری کتاب قبلی رو حفظ کنه البته انگار خیلی موفق نبود، ولی اون غافلگیری خفن ته داستان رو هنوز هم به شکل خیلی خوبی داشت. در کل دارن شان نویسنده خیلی شاخی نیست ولی من که خیلی از این سبک داستانیش مخصوصا تو این مجموعه خوشم می‌آد.

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

definately noth your typical YA novel with all this gore bt an amazing improvement from the first book
cornelious iz a much lovable hero, the quest for baby Art was relatable and watching a young Dervish in action waz all the money
the fantasy reminded me of Moorcock and this iz a compliment of the highest level
hell waz also great