The Doom Stone [Hardcover]

Paul Zindel (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

A killer beast—half-man, half-apelike—terrorizes the English plain on which Stonehenge lies. Fifteen-year-old Jackson Cauley, with the help of his anthropologist aunt and a local girl, has tracked down the predator’s lair. But the source of the beast’s power lies in the ancient Doom Stone of Stonehenge, and unless its secret is unlocked, the deadly slaughter will continue.

1995 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA)
1996 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1997-98 Texas Lone Star Reading List
1998 Soaring Eagle Book Award Honor Book (WY)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zindel (Loch; see David & Della, below) wastes no time on subtleties or philosophizing in this all-action supernatural/SF thriller. Even before Jackson, a 15-year-old New Yorker, arrives at his anthropologist aunt's lodgings near Stonehenge, he gets a nasty glimpse of the murderous beast that the British Army has engaged his aunt to track down. As Jackson and his aunt, Dr. Cawley, determine, the monster, "Ramid," is an ancient mutant hominid that, in tune with the 19-year cycle of the moon, comes out of its home in abandoned flint mines to feed. When a bite from Ramid gradually puts Dr. Cawley in its thrall, it's up to Jackson and a comely local girl to hunt the monster. Zindel makes plentiful use of local scenery and Stonehenge lore and, for YA thrill-seekers, there's plenty of gore and creepy-crawly slimy stuff. The final showdown on the roof of Salisbury Cathedral is a spine-tingler. Ages 11-15.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10?While driving past Stonehenge on his way to visit his anthropologist aunt, Jackson, 15, sees a creature mauling a young man. It turns out that Aunt Sarah is leading a team of scientists and military personnel who are investigating a series of mutilations in the area. Jackson tags along as the monster is sighted and manages several narrow escapes. The creature, actually an intelligent and bloodthirsty hominid living beneath Salisbury Plain, kills several people, and Zindel describes the deaths in gruesome detail. The action and thrills are nonstop, but the hunt for the beast poses moral dilemmas, too. Jackson and his friend Alma discover a similar but harmless new species as well, and Jackson wants to keep them a secret. At times the plot is contrived. It seems unlikely that Jackson would really be asked to take part in the search, or that he and Alma could travel so freely about in a conveniently available dune buggy without being spotted. But the intriguing premise and suspenseful, fast-paced action will surely please readers who like horror stories with a bit more substance than the latest Pike or Stine.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1st edition (October 13, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060247266
• ISBN-13: 978-0060247263
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,409,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good action packed horror/mystery book, December 23, 2000

By 

jasenao (Dothan, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doom Stone (Paperback)

In "The Doom Stone," fifteen-year-old Jackson goes to visit his aunt (Sarah Cawley) near Stonehenge in England. Dr. Cawley is an anthropologist who studies skeletons of humans who have been dead for centuries. Soon Jackson spots a strange looking creature that looks like a living skeleton with huge red eye sockets and with slime oozing out of its nose. The creature, called Skull Face, is on a killing spree and it's up to Dr. Cawley, Jackson, Alma (a girl who lives close to Stonehenge in a crematorium), and the police to try to find the monster's weakness and find a way to kill it.

I've read a few of Paul Zindel's books, and I have to say that he is best at writing books like "The Doom Stone," "Loch," and "Rats." Of those 3, "The Doom Stone" is my least favorite, but it's still great. "The Doom Stone" is more of an action packed horror book and it lacks in plot at the end of the book a little bit. However, I still liked it a lot because it was action packed and it was hard to put the book down. If you like action packed horror books, I recommend reading "The Doom Stone."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting thriller about a monster lurking in Stonehenge., May 27, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doom Stone (Paperback)

Fifteen-year-old Jackson is visting his aunt in England, while she does important research near Stonehenge. People are being savagely attacked by an unknown assailant, including his aunt, who barely survives and is now acting very strange. A glimpse of the attacker convinces Jackson it's a monster. Now he must provide proof to the millitary, who have taken over the situation. I highly reccomend this to horror fans; be forewarned, however, it is very gory.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book rules!!!!!!!!!, November 4, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Doom Stone (Paperback)

This book is a very hard to put down horror story. This story is a very exiting book. I couldn't put it down ever.