The Demon Queen [Hardcover]

Richard Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2008

The final assault on Longview was going to do more than just destroy the town -- it was going to rip open the world. In the blackness surrounding the town he thought he could see Rangda's enormous maw, open and hungry, ready to devour.

Jesse is a boy with a mysterious past. In and out of foster homes his whole life, he believes he was abandoned in Los Angeles as a baby. When he comes under the scrutiny of Homeland Security in an incident involving a mistaken identity, he starts learning some unsettling facts about himself.

Now he is living with the Mindells in a small Midwestern town, and for the first time he feels like he may have a real home -- until Honor Clarke shows up. Ever since Honor and her mother moved back to town following the gruesome death of Honor's father, strange things have been happening. Someone is murdering birds and painting odd symbols all over town, and Jesse feels as if he's losing his mind. He starts to see a man no one else can see, he is having violent nightmares, and it all seems to be leading to one conclusion -- he is here for only one reason: to fight the evil that is Rangda, the Demon Queen, and her loyal follower, Honor Clarke, no matter the consequences.

Richard Lewis brings Indonesian mythology and legend to the present day in this chilling novel of unimaginable horror.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—In a small town in Illinois, Jesse, a 15-year-old orphan with an unknown past, is trying to live a normal, inconspicuous life with his latest foster family, and wants to avoid being in trouble with Homeland Security again. His well-developed instinct for self-preservation is swept away when he meets Honor Clarke, who has just returned from Bali, where her father was murdered. Soon, strange and disturbing occurrences become too all-encompassing to explain away as mere coincidences. Jesse realizes that the resurrection of the Balinese Demon Queen is the cause of the trouble and that he is the only one who can stop it. The main characters remain for the most part quite flat. Headless bodies and one-liners solidly entrench the story in "B-grade Hollywood horror movie" mode, as Jesse quips. But for all the gory events (for example, a young man is found tied to his bed with turkey intestines), the mood is somewhat light. Despite the mystery, there is little suspense. Supernatural elements instill a sense of incredulity and the absurd, with a touch of humor, instead of stomach-wrenching horror and fear. A live mask, a time- and space-traveling Balinese priest, and a mynah bird that transforms into a spirit monster will appeal to fans of Darren Shan and those wanting to move on from R. L. Stine's "Fear Street" series (S & S). Readers will soak up the over-the-top, gloomy atmosphere and blood-smattered, monster-filled action. The open ending will leave them eager for imminent sequels.—Amy J. Chow, The Brearley School, New York City
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About the Author

Richard Lewis is the son of American missionary parents. Although he attended university in the United States, he was born, raised, and lives in Bali, Indonesia.  He is the author of four books for young adults, including Monster's Proof, The Demon Queen and The Killing Sea.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (June 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416935894
• ISBN-13: 978-1416935896
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,939,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Armageddon from Bali, July 13, 2008

By 

William R. Hamilton (Choroní, Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Demon Queen (Hardcover)

Move over Harry Potter. We muggles have a new secret world to discover. The Apocalypse is coming in the horrid form of a blood-thirsty Indonesian goddess and a mysterious boy with no family is our only hope.

The provincial Midwestern town of Longview has no clue that the fate of the world hangs in the balance between a young girl named Honor and a boy named Jessie, two outsiders in their small, closed society. Not even Jessie knows the heroic role that has been forced upon him.

Richard Lewis, who has given us exciting YA adventures in the Christian-Moslem conflict of THE FLAME TREE and the tsunami disaster of THE KILLING SEA, now takes on an other-worldly roller-coaster ride from the small island of Bali to the cornfields of America. This exciting page-turner will make you hope Jessie will come back again to save us in a sequel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fantasy for teens, December 10, 2008

By 

Sarah J. Carlin "blinkclear" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Demon Queen (Hardcover)

As a baby, Jesse was found on an abandoned ship in the Pacific Ocean. He has been through many foster families in his life and was even held by Homeland Security because he had no background or identity. He ends up in Illinois with a new foster family who really seem to care for him. Any screw ups and he knows that Homeland Security will deport him. He does well at keeping out of trouble until a new girl arrives. Her name is Honor and she grew up with American parents in Bali. She chants at lunch, writes in Sanskrit, and makes weird sacrificial shrines to gods. Jesse befriends her anyway but keeps his distance because something seems off about her. Then he starts to see this strange old man around town who warns him that the demon queen is coming and only he can stop it. Soon weird things start happening around town and he is getting the blame.

The ending gets a bit fantastical but the story is very interesting and mysterious. For fans of Cirque du Freak and other fantasy books set in a real world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ages 12 and older will find it a fine fantasy story, October 11, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Demon Queen (Hardcover)

Richard Lewis' THE DEMON QUEEN tells of Jesse, a boy with a mysterious past who has been in and out of foster homes his whole life. When he earns the attention of Homeland Security after a case of mistaken identity, he finds the first clues to a strange past - clues which threaten his new foster home when Honor Clarke shows up and odd symbols and bird murders begin. Ages 12 and older will find it a fine fantasy story.