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The Nine Circles of Heck #5
Snivel: The Fifth Circle of Heck
Dale E. Basye sends Milton and Marlo to Snivel, the circle reserved for crybabies, for their latest hilarious escapade in Heck. Snivel is a camp—a bummer camp—a dismal place where it's always raining, and Unhappy Campers are besieged by swarms of strange mosquitoes that suck the color right out of them. Soon the Fausters discover that some Unhappy Campers have been disappearing. So after Marlo gets chosen for a special project and never comes back, Milton makes up his mind to find her and all the missing children.
Can Milton find his sister and get the heck out of Snivel? With the help of some new friends, his pet ferret, and Vincent Van Gogh's ear, he just might have a chance.
Can Milton find his sister and get the heck out of Snivel? With the help of some new friends, his pet ferret, and Vincent Van Gogh's ear, he just might have a chance.
448 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
377 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 10, 2019
I think this was one of the better books in the series. The creativity really shone through! Marlo's perspective really gave genuine emotion to the character. Great!
June 30, 2021
Interesting setting, but I feel like it went a bit off the rails. I liked the initial setting of the camp, with Poe as the vice principal and Van Gogh and other figures as the teachers. But then Basye splits Marlo and Milton up (AGAIN) and Marlo’s story is kind of interesting, but Milton’s felt like a different book entirely. Very “Ready Player One” ish? It’s not bad, it’s just a very different tone than the rest of the book. But it did keep me interested, and I wanted to see what happens next, but I wish there was more focus on the camp and the trial of Satan (all the trial chapters are the best written, IMO), and less on the soul sucking video game. Basye’s plot about himself, while amusing, isn’t terribly interesting either. I mainly pushed through them to get back to Heck and the Fauster siblings.
April 19, 2013
Welcome to Bummer camp! Milton and his new friends find out its not all boring, wet, and gloomy, there's video games galore in Arcadia (run by Tesla), or is that a trap too? Meantime VP Poe drags Marlo off to a shadow box room where she finds she can communicate with the surface, sort of, and that her parents need her help. Can she manage it as a mere shadow of herself? Will Milton and his teammates get the top score? What diabolical scheme are the forces at Snivel/Arcadia trying to pull off and how will the resourceful twins (and friends) stop it?
January 14, 2014
this is a great way to learn
this was a great way to make sure that your own mind is going. I choosed this rating because I was kept thinking what's going to happen next in the book.
LOVE ABIGAIL BRECKENRIDGE :-)
this was a great way to make sure that your own mind is going. I choosed this rating because I was kept thinking what's going to happen next in the book.
LOVE ABIGAIL BRECKENRIDGE :-)
October 28, 2014
This was my favorite book so far in this series. I was chuckling and giggling throughout the entire book!
April 20, 2015
it was cool
October 29, 2019
An overall plot is beginning to emerge! It's very witty and fun. But the overarching drive to the story is somewhat lacking.
October 31, 2023
Done, and I have 0 intent on reading the last two books. This series is dragged OUT. The stories could have been like 75 pages each instead of full books. I also hate when authors write themselves into the story
April 11, 2021
I love this series! Clever, witty, good characters, fast read.
June 3, 2012
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
Snivel continues on with more of the same of what we've come to expect from this series by this time. Book Five is not as good as the last book but stands strong along with the others. The plot will really be a lot of fun for kids as the majority of the action takes place with Milton & his new group of friends inside a video game version of "Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go". This time Milton and Marlo start out together and are quickly separated. The narrative switches alternately between each of them as they each have their own individual adventure. There are not so many famous people that they run across this time but more plays on words such as at the monastery they meet Abbot Costello. Probably more recognizable by mom and dad than the intended audience. Likewise the two main antagonists are Edgar Allan Poe and a dude named Provost Marshal Tesla. Now most will know who Poe is, the other took me some research. I knew from Bayse's technique that he had to be based on a real person. His character was a foreign mad scientist heavily involved in electricity experiments and he was behind this whole video game scheme. It is not until near the end of the book that Tesla's first name is mentioned and a simple google lead me to the real "mad scientist". But this is all likely to go over the intended audience's head. But again *I* enjoyed the detective work!
The story is fun, kids are going to enjoy it, the new characters introduced are a wacky bunch and will be appreciated though it is disappointing not to have the return of any old classmates. This is slightly made up for by the return of Milton's pet ferret, Lucky, who has either been missing or played an insignificant role in the last few books. Lucky is back in the limelight in Snivel and he is a warm welcome back. The author himself is back as a main character, which I'll admit is a bit strange but Basye makes it work and this seems to be the end of it. I don't think it would hold up well as a long running joke, but over the two volumes it was a fun side story. There is a very brief return of two old teachers who have popped up several times now and it appears this may just be the last of them. A fun story with lots of action, especially in the Milton story arc. Religion plays a very small part in this volume and both Satan and the Big Guy Upstairs make small appearances, as do the archangels. Marlo and Milton finish up being sent to Precocia, which we will have to wait until next year to read in Precocia: the Sixth Circle of Heck.
Snivel continues on with more of the same of what we've come to expect from this series by this time. Book Five is not as good as the last book but stands strong along with the others. The plot will really be a lot of fun for kids as the majority of the action takes place with Milton & his new group of friends inside a video game version of "Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go". This time Milton and Marlo start out together and are quickly separated. The narrative switches alternately between each of them as they each have their own individual adventure. There are not so many famous people that they run across this time but more plays on words such as at the monastery they meet Abbot Costello. Probably more recognizable by mom and dad than the intended audience. Likewise the two main antagonists are Edgar Allan Poe and a dude named Provost Marshal Tesla. Now most will know who Poe is, the other took me some research. I knew from Bayse's technique that he had to be based on a real person. His character was a foreign mad scientist heavily involved in electricity experiments and he was behind this whole video game scheme. It is not until near the end of the book that Tesla's first name is mentioned and a simple google lead me to the real "mad scientist". But this is all likely to go over the intended audience's head. But again *I* enjoyed the detective work!
The story is fun, kids are going to enjoy it, the new characters introduced are a wacky bunch and will be appreciated though it is disappointing not to have the return of any old classmates. This is slightly made up for by the return of Milton's pet ferret, Lucky, who has either been missing or played an insignificant role in the last few books. Lucky is back in the limelight in Snivel and he is a warm welcome back. The author himself is back as a main character, which I'll admit is a bit strange but Basye makes it work and this seems to be the end of it. I don't think it would hold up well as a long running joke, but over the two volumes it was a fun side story. There is a very brief return of two old teachers who have popped up several times now and it appears this may just be the last of them. A fun story with lots of action, especially in the Milton story arc. Religion plays a very small part in this volume and both Satan and the Big Guy Upstairs make small appearances, as do the archangels. Marlo and Milton finish up being sent to Precocia, which we will have to wait until next year to read in Precocia: the Sixth Circle of Heck.
June 16, 2012
I think it is hysterical that this book is listed for readers 9 and up. Sure, they can read it, but will they get some of the jokes and puns? Probably not? Do I care? Nope, I don't? Did I enjoy the book? Hell yeah!
The Heck series is so awesome!
Besides your usually players of Milton, Marlo and the Principal Bea "Elsa" Bubb we have some new celebrities on board in Heck, like Edgar Allen Poe and Vincent Van Gogh! Oh and Principal Bubb is trying to get elected to Satan's job as he's on trial and has been ousted from his job.
A hint of some of the puns...Vladamir Lenin and Joseph McCarthy worked on Bubb's campaign song...Anyone want to hold her claw? But the best pun was "All you need is Bubb!"
Yeah..don't see any 9 year old's getting that, but I sure laughed my butt off.
Oh and the author is a character in the book playing himself as his books are turned into a video game that does more than turn kids into balls of jello in front of the tv set!
If you haven't read any of the Heck series, you'll want to start at the beginning as they'll make more sense to you. These books will appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. They are a little dark, but so funny and the characters are very quirky...I mean how can you not be amused by a book with Frequent Friar Miles?
Yup...very punny indeed!
I'm glad there are still a few more circles of Heck to go! I really love this series!
The Heck series is so awesome!
Besides your usually players of Milton, Marlo and the Principal Bea "Elsa" Bubb we have some new celebrities on board in Heck, like Edgar Allen Poe and Vincent Van Gogh! Oh and Principal Bubb is trying to get elected to Satan's job as he's on trial and has been ousted from his job.
A hint of some of the puns...Vladamir Lenin and Joseph McCarthy worked on Bubb's campaign song...Anyone want to hold her claw? But the best pun was "All you need is Bubb!"
Yeah..don't see any 9 year old's getting that, but I sure laughed my butt off.
Oh and the author is a character in the book playing himself as his books are turned into a video game that does more than turn kids into balls of jello in front of the tv set!
If you haven't read any of the Heck series, you'll want to start at the beginning as they'll make more sense to you. These books will appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. They are a little dark, but so funny and the characters are very quirky...I mean how can you not be amused by a book with Frequent Friar Miles?
Yup...very punny indeed!
I'm glad there are still a few more circles of Heck to go! I really love this series!
February 6, 2013
This category-defying pun-fest of a series continues to have me snickering myself into public embarrassment, although I'd still love to meet the member of the target-audience age group who would fully appreciate all of the sly plays-on-words & pop-cultural references scattered so liberally over each & every page.
Marlo & Milton Fauster have somehow managed to make it to the fifth circle of Heck: Snivel, where all of the weepy, whiny kids spend eternity or until they turn eighteen, whichever comes first - & it looks like the world's most depressing summer camp, with famously melancholy dead poet/author Edgar Allan Poe as the head counselor. But there's more than meets the eye here, as Milton accidentally discovers the world within the world: a diabolical video game world called Arcadia, designed by the incredibly demented & obviously deceased inventor Nikola Tesla. But what is his purpose? Only one thing is for sure: now that the Fausters have turned up, things in Snivel are never going to be quite the same.
If the series holds true to Dante's original imagining of the structure of Hell, then things are going to be wrapping up, with the next entry being the penultimate level. I am very much looking forward to seeing what happens to Heck in the wake of the Fauster kids.
Marlo & Milton Fauster have somehow managed to make it to the fifth circle of Heck: Snivel, where all of the weepy, whiny kids spend eternity or until they turn eighteen, whichever comes first - & it looks like the world's most depressing summer camp, with famously melancholy dead poet/author Edgar Allan Poe as the head counselor. But there's more than meets the eye here, as Milton accidentally discovers the world within the world: a diabolical video game world called Arcadia, designed by the incredibly demented & obviously deceased inventor Nikola Tesla. But what is his purpose? Only one thing is for sure: now that the Fausters have turned up, things in Snivel are never going to be quite the same.
If the series holds true to Dante's original imagining of the structure of Hell, then things are going to be wrapping up, with the next entry being the penultimate level. I am very much looking forward to seeing what happens to Heck in the wake of the Fauster kids.
June 20, 2012
So I feel much better about the series after reading this entry. The characters seem to be more solid and actually developing. I definitely like Marlo a lot more after this book. The overarching plot, while still a bit murky, is revealed a little more. It will be interesting to see how the final events of this novel affect the rest of the series. Having said that, this is the fourth(?) circle of Heck that Milton and/or Marlo destroyed, why isn't anybody mentioning this!? What's happening with the kids that were in those circles? I feel like the author is kind of forgetting that these characters are dead already, that they're just souls. I hope this is explained more in the series.
September 9, 2012
I started reading this series like 2 years ago and I thought the series ended on book 4, but... I was scouting the library and... guess what? I FOUND THE FIFTH BOOK!!!! I was soooooo excited! Now I will say the pros and cons
Pros: Marlo is as awesomely awesome as ever!! I have been waiting a really long time to hear some of her snark and she is the coolest heroine like ever!!!
Sam/Sara: I don't know just the fact that they were conjoined made them awesome. I mean, a conjoined side character(s)? You do not see that in every book you read(though I wish). Sam annoyed me because he just slept all the time and was jerky to Milton, but Sara was cool.
Lucky! (that is the name of Milton's ferret). I love ferrets! Nuff said.
The whole premise: this whole series is sooooo unique I just love it!
Cons: There is really no cons
March 19, 2023
This has been my favorite book in the series so far, it was fun, creative and overall a really good book! I really enjoyed the creativity especially with Arcadia and the court case. A life or death video game with real players was really cool in my opinion. Similar to the Spy Kids movie. Arcadia, with a mix of Marlo haunting the surface made for a great plot and I never knew what to expect next. Watching both the Fauster children grow as people throughout the series has been really sweet. The only part I found myself really disliking is the author writing himself into the books. Dale, I’m sorry. I love the books but don’t write yourself into them. It’s unnecessary and messes with the fluidity of the book. I especially enjoy the side characters the author develops such as Zane, Sam/Sara and Virgil. I really hope they will make more appearances throughout the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2012
What can be said about Snivel, that hasnt already been said about books 1-4? This book is another wonderful piece of one awesome puzzle. I cant wait for number six! Besides being an interesting story about siblings, Basye sprinkles reality and historical figures through it, I love being able to connect to what I'm reading. Basye keeps you guessing, I recommend this series to all my fellow book lovers.
August 10, 2024
Got kind of bored with this series around here. Don’t worry, it’s still funny, but for some reason this book grated on me. Maybe it’s because being a crybaby is actually a sin and I thought the kids punishments were deserved. Maybe it’s because I didn’t know who Abbott and Costello were. Okay, it’s terrible because of Arcadia, the heaven for kids who play video games. All gamers are going to hell. And Arcadia hates my religion anyway. So, not the best Heck book. Van Gogh’s ear is great though.
April 28, 2014
I honestly did not like this very much at all.I was reading this in school,so I had to keep reading.The only reason I liked this book at all was because it had funny parts initial,and interesting parts. Such as how at it rains from the ground to the sky,the mysterious Mosquitos that suck color,and Vincent Van Gough was the art teacher at the camp.Ot was alright. Definetly not my favorite.
May 23, 2012
Great story. A continuation of Milton and Marlo's adventures through Heck (Where the bad kids go). The book takes up right after the end of the Fourth Circle. Milton and Marlo's adventures get more intriguing as the continue through the circles.
Want to read
December 4, 2011I love this cover! It's so cute!
October 13, 2012
I actually started out loving this series but the longer it goes on it is getting stale and boring. here's hoping the next one makes up for this dull novel.
June 20, 2012
I like this book better than the previous four. In fact, the books get better with each circle of Heck. More meaningful and stimulating.
July 9, 2012
What a wild ride! Mr. Basye's imagination and vocabulary are nothing short of genius!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews