Customer Reviews

Tooth and Claw (Rook) (Bk. 2)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was weary of the idea of a storyline that someone can see ghosts, and no one else can as it is too common and gets old fast. Not when Masterton does it. He takes it up six or more levels to something worth reading and entertaining. This is the first of his ROOK series that I have read and i thought it was magnificant. Other than having to bear with the misspellings of some words, it was worthwhile. You cannot put down this book without feeling terrible. I guarantee that you will NOT be disappointed with this book. You should try his other books. I have read all his horror books but one: ROOK. I am trying to find it to buy but no one but Amazon has it ($35.00) a little steep for me right now. Anyhow, I recommend all his books.

This is the second title in the Jim Rook series and it helps to have read the first title but this is not strictly necessary.
Rook is a much loved Special Needs teacher in an LA high school and has a gift he does not always appreciate -the ability to see spirits and communicate with the dead.On a more prosaic -and more important -level he is also an excellent teacher who has the regard and respect of his students ,if not that of his uptight Dean who is more concerned with the image of the school than its student's eeducational advancement and is no friend of the Special Needs programme .
The stories often engage with minority cultures -the Esquimaux in "Snowman" ,Black Americans in "Rook",the opening title .Here it is Native American ,specifically Navajo culture .Catherine White Bird is a Navajo student of exceptional beauty in Rook's class who incurs the wrath of her tradtionally minded brothers by dating hotshot football player Martin Amato.Shorly before a big game the locker rooms are trashed by an entity of exceptional power and soon after Amato is found dead on Venice Beach ,almost literally torn apart.The brothers are arrested but Rook is also targeteed ;the same entity trashes his apartment and he is warned by the shades of both a deceased neighbour and his late grandfather that his own life is under threat.
The key lies in another Navajo ,Dog Brother,who angered at a threat by Catherine to break off their engagement has summoned a hideous demon to kill all who jeopardise the impending nuptials .The result is carnage both in the Arizona desert and in LA itself and major character dies as a result
This works pretty well till we get to the climax at a high school football game where Masterton quite simply gets it wrong and the mood topples over into laughter at a misjudged ending rather than suspense .

The book is minor Masterton ,aimed mainly at teen audiences in the States ,and in evoking Native American themes invites comaprison with the Manitou amd Burial ,both weightier and better books.It is perfectly redable and genre lovers are likey to enjoy the book a lot

The 2nd book in the Jim Rook series is certainly an improvement on the first, but still fails to live up to Masterton's earlier work. The writing style is crisp, if overly simple and some ideas are great, but the characters aren't fleshed out as much as one would hope. The final scene which features a body part being used as a football was very quirky and is worth the price of admission. The Native American mythology added some more intrigue to the tale. If you read the first and liked it, this is a fun continuation of the story. The ending will leave you wanting to read the 3rd in the series, which I certainly plan to do! I just hope they keep getting better.