The Demonata #1: Lord Loss: Book 1 in the Demonata series (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–When sneaky teenaged Grubbs Grady finds himself mysteriously dumped on his aunt's doorstep, he can't help but steal back home to figure out what's going on. Unfortunately, when he arrives, his parents and sister have been horrifically killed in true Shan form: their bodies ripped to shreds by an evil demon named Lord Loss and his vile henchmen. Grubbs somehow manages to escape the fiends and goes to live with his Uncle Dervish, a peculiar dandy who lives in a creepy country mansion whose secrets may hold the key to the murders. Chock-full of family curses, werewolf lore, and stomach-turning gore, Lord Loss is exactly the kind of horror that Cirque Du Freak (Little, Brown) fans will love. Characterizations may take a backseat to fast pacing, but this first installment in a new series is still guaranteed to gross out anyone aged 12 to 20.–Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Older fans of Shan's gory, gripping Cirque du Freak series will welcome this first book in the Demonata series, which features a similar horrific spin, dark humor, and graphic detail. Grubitsch Grady ("Grubbs" for short) walks into his parents' bedroom to find his mother, father, and older sister torn to pieces by Lord Loss, a powerful demon that feeds on human pain and suffering. Grubbs is attacked by Lord Loss' familiars, marvelously creepy hybrid creatures, and to his great astonishment, he manages to escape. Not surprisingly, he ends up in a mental institution, completely derailed by the horror he has seen and experienced. Eventually, he is taken in by his uncle Dervish, discovers a cousin he never knew, and, alas, learns that lycanthropy runs in the family. The plot rolls along at high speed, but Shan is still quite adept when it comes to capturing Grubbs' roller-coaster emotions--loss and grief and, later, trust. A sneak peek at the second book in the series, Demon Thief, shows Shan continuing in the same vein but with different characters. Debbie Carton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316012335
• ISBN-13: 978-0316012331
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,734 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Demonata Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, albeit morbid, read, October 2, 2005

By	Ann L. "annfromva" (VA, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Demonata #1: Lord Loss: Book 1 in the Demonata series (Hardcover)

As always, Darren Shan's writing is intense and deeply moving, and above all believable. Told from a first-person point of view, you really see the heart and soul of Grubb, an average, broody adolescent who suddenly finds his whole life changed in one horrifying, terrible night.

The cast of characters is small, but there are enough people for the characters to interact well with each other, giving the reader the ability to really see each and every character in-depth.

Overall, a spellbinding book. I look forward to reading the second of the Demonata series.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PURE GOLD, September 18, 2005

By	Ruo F. Ho "AnDrOo11793" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Demonata #1: Lord Loss: Book 1 in the Demonata series (Hardcover)

this book is pure greatness...It is about a boy named Grubbs Grady who finds out that 3 evil demons had slaughtered his family leaving them crushed up into pure blood and gore...The Demonata series is neat because each book can be read as a stand alone book meaning you dont have to read it as a continuous series...

this book is scary and gory!!!...bloody (which is a good thing) (for me)...if u had not read this book, i strongly reccomend u to buy it...its heart pounding/nerve racking...REAALY GOOD..THUMBS UP...5 STARS

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interest-Grabbing Beginning For This Series, March 2, 2006

By	Jarrod T Thompson "Young Adult Author" (Junction City, KS) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Demonata #1: Lord Loss: Book 1 in the Demonata series (Hardcover)

Darren Shan is an outstanding writer. First the 12 Cirque Du Freak books and now Lord Loss. Shan's interpretation of other dimensions and evil like the Demonata that exist in those dimensions leave the reader spellbound.

This book begins with a normal brother and sister relationship with cruel revenge because the sister rats on the brother, so he RATS on her so to speak.

I won't give anything away, but after a tragedy, Grubbs finds himself grief-stricken and alone, and that is only the beginning. Grubbs is introduced to a whole new existence and a family genealogy and curse that he could never imagine.

Will Grubbs have to face the Demonata, will his new friend and Uncle Dervish be able to break their family curse in a battle of humans versus demons and their familiars, or will Grubbs former grief be too much for him to overcome?

Read The Demonata Lord Loss and enter Darren Shan's never-ending world of intrigue with his own ideas of topics that have been told and retold, but nothing compares to Darren Shan. He took vampires to a different level, and now...The Demonata Lord Loss...LOOK OUT!!!