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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bun of Darkness is Back..., September 11, 2006
Its been twenty seven years since Bunnicula first hopped from the minds and pages of Deborah and James Howe's Bunnicula: A Rabbit- Tale of Mystery and into the popular lexicon. Merely mention the name Bunnicula to any thirty- something and you are bound to get a smile and a laugh as memories of Chester, Harold, Howie and the Bun of Darkness come flooding back. Finally, the rabbit with a V8 addiction is back; every bit as delightful as he was when he first appeared in 1979, and just in time for us to introduce him to our own children. In the latest book, Pete Monroe has just won a writing contest, and his prize is his favorite author M.T. Graves, writer of the Fleshcrawler Series, coming to visit his school. M.T. Graves has some rather odd requests for his visit; he insists upon staying with the Monroe family, for one. Chester, the family cat, is suspicious of the writer's motives for the visit and, when he learns that something always happens to the pets in the Fleshcrawler books, he soon is seeing omens everywhere. The voice of Harold, our faithful shaggy narrator, is just as humorous and engaging as he's always been while he guides us through the latest mystery under the Monroe's roof... what are the true motives of the mysterious horror writer M.T. Graves' visit to the Monroe household, and why his eerie fascination with Bunnicula? Why do bad things happen to the pets in his books? Could there be something unnatural afoot? Chester, the paranoid voice of supernatural conspiracy theories, seems to think so, and long- time fans of the Bunnicula series will delight in the feline's investigatory antics, and the inevitable chaos they cause. Howie, the wire- haired dachshund pup is also on- hand again to provide comic relief and to aid Chester in his investigations. All the characters still resonate as strongly on the pages as they did years ago, and, while the technology of the day has changed (as Chester utilizes computers in his evidence gathering) the spirit of the characters and the book remains the same; timeless. As Neil Gaiman says of Bunnicula, "Bunnicula is the kind of story that does not age, and in all probablility will never die. Or stay dead, anyway..." Bunnicula himself remains as atonal in this book as he has in all those before it. The character of the rabbit himself still is only developed through the reactions of the other characters to him; we love Bunnicula through the eyes of Harold and his family. Bunnicula himself is still silent on all matters. He is the only main animal character that does not talk... or he was... Meet Edgar Allan Crow, the seemingly eldrich companion of writer M.T. Graves. Chester believes him to be an ill omen, compounded by the large flock of crows that seems to take up residence on the Monroe property upon the arrival of the horror author. Chester waits on pins and needles for the crow to utter the word "Nevermore", at any moment, a' la Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", yet the crow is strangely silent. It seems he has somehow lost his voice. Still, as the title sugests,there is good reason to suspect that this crow knows more than he is letting on... The rich, accessable characters of the Bunniculaverse would be nothing without the humorous, suspenseful type of story we all have come to associate with the series, and fans will not be disappointed. The plot takes its twists and turns with the ease of a coaster on its tracks before arriving at its decidedly non- supernatural, yet eventful, conclusion. As with all the books, having read the prior stories is not a prerequisite to enjoy and become engrossed in Bunnicula's world, as any prior information needed to understand the tale is included neatly and with ease of narrative flow in this story. Any new reader to the Bunniculaverse will have no problem finding their way through the story, and will wish to explore the world more fully once finished~! Only one question remains unanswered at the end of the book... will there be another? The book at the end references the Tales of the House of Bunnicula books; stories which are told by Howie instead of Harold and in which Bunnicula never appears. Without giving details away, the reader is left wondering not when but IF another Bunnicula book will ever grace our shelves. This reader remains hopeful that the Bunnicula series will continue for many more years.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sensational conclusion to a series with bite!, February 2, 2007
The Monroe household is up in arms once more, but this time, much to Chester's chagrin, Bunnicula the vegetable juice-draining vampire bunny, is not to blame. In fact, none of the Monroe pets are to blame for this latest catastrophe. The blame rests solely on the shoulders of twelve-year-old Pete Monroe. When Pete enters a writing contest, and, oddly enough, actually wins it, he learns that his school will be receiving a surprise visit from one of the coolest authors on the planet - M.T. Graves. M.T. Graves is the author of the awesomely disgusting Fleshcrawlers books. And, while almost everyone thinks that M.T. Graves doesn't even exist, Pete is excited to have the chance to prove them all wrong. The reclusive author has never been seen before, and appears to dislike being around anyone other than his pet crow, Edgar. However, when he learns about Pete's strange pets - Harold, Chester, Bunnicula, and Howie - he opts to stay at the Monroe household for a few days, as opposed to checking into a hotel. Howie couldn't be happier to learn of M.T. Graves' arrival, considering he has read every one of his terrifying books. Chester, on the other hand, is suspicious. After all, the strange writer has made very special requests for his arrival: Bunnicula must sleep in his room, he wants unlimited access to salad - sans the dressing, etc. So when the mysterious man arrives at the front door, accompanied by the infamous Edgar Allan Crow, dressed entirely in black, and followed by a flock of crows who have taken up residence in the Monroe backyard, Chester's suspicions are proven right. There is something bizarre about this man, and he resolves to find out exactly what it is. Putting his reading - and sleuthing - skills to work, Chester begins to research the Fleshcrawlers books, and realizes that there is one common theme throughout them all: the pets always fall victim to some unusual fate. Suddenly, Chester knows exactly why M.T. Graves is so interested in all of the Monroe family pets, especially Bunnicula. He plans on using them for deranged science projects, and writing about them in his books. Harold, on the other hand, thinks Chester is barking - or, rather, meowing - up the wrong tree. But as more and more evidence is found, Harold begins to wonder if this is the first time Chester's suspicions will actually prove to be correct. While I have only been reading the BUNNICULA books for the past month or so, I have quickly found myself sucked into their original storylines, and fabulous - if not slightly paranoid - characters. So when I learned that BUNNICULA MEETS EDGAR ALLAN CROW was, quite possibly, the last addition to the series, I knew that I had to pick it up immediately and learn what new adventures the Monroe pets had found themselves mixed up in. I can tell you now that this book does not disappoint. Howe has created an intricate, humble character in M.T. Graves. His likeness to the GOOSEBUMPS author R.L. Stine is interesting, and will most certainly appeal to readers who were obsessed with Stine's series in the past, or currently. M.T. Graves' somber personality, stuttering speech, and passion for black is interesting, yet his penchant for being alone makes the reader sympathize with him, and truly get a taste of the saying "beauty is only skin deep." As with previous BUNNICULA installments, Bunnicula is rarely featured within this tale, and, when he is, he is usually sleeping. However, readers will be delighted to have the opportunity to learn more about Pete and Toby Monroe, as well as some new human characters, from the school librarian, Ms. Pickles, to Pete's English teacher, and even the principal of Pete and Toby's school. Even with all of the human characters present throughout BUNNICULA MEETS EDGAR ALLAN CROW, the animals do not take a backseat in the storyline, and still dominate the mysterious tale, taking part in their usual activities: howling, bathing, eating chocolate, and, of course, sleuthing. While many series fall victim to the curse of bad sequels, Howe has managed to keep his BUNNICULA series soaring high, making each book better than the last. A sensational conclusion to a series with bite! Erika Sorocco Freelance Reviewer
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun Read, January 7, 2007
This is the first Bunnicula book I have read... and it won't be the last. The author has a great style of writing. Even though it is a children's book you cannot tell where the story is going... which makes it unpredictable and great. Highly recommended.
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