The Chessmen of Doom

Johnny Dixon #7

by John Bellairs

Johnny Dixon, Fergie and Professor Childermass comply with a strange will left by the Professor's brother, which requires them to spend the summer at a desolate estate where they encounter a madman bent on destroying the world.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade

155 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 1989

About the author

John Bellairs (1938–1991) was an American novelist. He is best known for the children's classic The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973) and the fantasy novel The Face in the Frost (1969). Bellairs held a bachelor's degree from Notre Dame University and a master's in English from the University of Chicago. He later lived and wrote in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has the magic. It was so good. It is set in Maine at a big mansion in the middle of nowhere. Johnny, the professor and Fergie need to spend the summer at this mansion so the professor can inherit it from his brother. Sounds like a nice summer to everyone. It is not so easy as all that.

I love John Bellairs. His writing style is so simple and straight forward. He seems like he was classically trained. He knows latin and the Roman emperor's and this time around Astronomy and Astrology. He seems to be a treasure trove of knowledge.

I like the character of Johnny Dixon. He is not your typical protagonist. He is meek and a little hesitant and afraid, yet he always faces his fears and jumps right into the scary. Things seem to happen to John anyway.

These books are fantastic and wonderful little stories of gothic occult for young readers and up. I'm so glad I am finally reading this series. I would love to go back and read these as a kid or when they came out. I hope new generations will continue to give these a read.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a slight genre misstep in volume 6, "The Chessmen of Doom" restores the Johnny Dixon series to its oddball gothic glory, complete with necromancy, elaborate tombs and moldering New England architectural follies. To an extent, Bellairs has gotten in over his head here: so many of the rococo details (the tower and statue, the mysterious "communicating tomb" and the observatory) seem to be red herrings or unloaded Chekhov's guns. But in a way, that's part of the charm- the weirdness of the Johnny Dixon universe need not always be plot-forwarding.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book of 2007! John Bellairs's Johnny Dixon books are notable not just for being above-average gothic horror for young folks, but also because older editions have some absolutely terrifying Edward Gorey covers and frontspieces. The stories don't creep me out as much as they did when I was a kid, but of lordy those illustrations.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't even my very favorite Bellairs, and it's still fab. I think I like the House with a Clock in its Walls, or the one about the secret abandoned railway better, but they are all so enjoyable. Always a great mix of mystery, adventure, and pre-Harry Potter magic.

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites from John's work! a perfect summer read.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the disappointing TROLLEY TO YESTERDAY, this books is a return to form for Bellairs. Instead of the weird slapstick comedy of the previous installment, Johnny, Fergie, and the Professor are back in familiar creepy territory. This time, the boys and the professor have to deal with mysterious happenings in an old estate that was once owned by the professor's brother. As usual, there are mysterious forces at work, and time is running out for our protagonists.

While there are several unbelievable plot twists and coincidences, Bellairs does a nice job of helping readers suspend their disbelief, and the character's actions don't seem as forced as in TIME TROLLEY.

There are only two more books that were written entirely by Bellairs, so I'm going to take a little break before I dive into them.

[She's Stacked (Jo-Anne) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book based on my memories of "A House With A Clock In Its Walls" which I read a few times when I was younger. The elements of witchcraft and demonic activities are still present but the book just wasn't as scary. It had a lot of potential but it was very dismal in its point of view - almost despairing. It felt like it was always on the brink of excitement. I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I had to the characters in "A House With..." I shall have to go back and reread it and see if it is still as exciting or if I have lost my connections with it as a grown up.

[PokeyPuppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love John Bellairs, so spooky and silly! Not as good as the Lewis Barnavelt/Rose Rita stories, but still fun!

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my ultimate faves!

[Jan Yip · Rating 5 out of 5]

childhood favorite....I Loved all John Bellairs' books!

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it when I was younger but re-read it for #JOHNBELLAIRSMONTH. Still as awesome and spooky as before. :)

[Alec Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are reading Bellairs for the occult elements, this entry in the Johnny Dixon series may be the best in that regard. The characters and overall story-arch are the standard for a Bellairs mystery but the atmosphere and danger these characters get into make-up for the minor short comings.

[Justin K. Rivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorites, this Johnny/Prof Childermass adventure has some great cliffhangers (including one of my all-time favorites) and some odd, creepy ideas, not least of which is the fantastic setting of a sprawling, run-down estate in Maine.

My only complaint here is that, despite some first-rate ingredients, a lot of the plot hinges on coincidences and supposition that seem to fly in from nowhere-land.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time around for this one and even better than I remembered. It's too bad that the publishers saw fit to give my later edition a different cover. Gorey is crucial to the Bellairs experience.

Third time: "The earth will be a smoldering ball of rubble...but I will survive as a spirit with heightened consciousness and great power. But why should I spend my time explaining things to morons?"

Story of my life.

[Heather Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as engaging...

I started reading the Johnny Dixon books as a child. I picked them up again recently, including the stories I hadn't read then. This wasn't a bad story, but it was less engaging than the others have been. There was less compelling motivation to solve the mystery and less detail surrounding the story compared to earlier books. It's probably great for the intended audience.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Childermass's last brother dies and leaves him a will where he must stay the house for a specific time to get a large inheritance. The interesting thing about this story is that it involves the Professor. The set up and events that take place really move and work the creepy factor well.

Luckily the secret messages of ghosts get decoded!

[Cupof Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lewis Chessmen make an appearance in here. I thought the set-up of this book (the Professor must spend the summer in an old mansion to win his brother's millions in inheritance) had promise, but the follow though was weak. I guess I am used to urban fantasy with a little more explanation as an adult than I did as a child reading this series.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book series strikes me as the type that childhood readers fondly remember and occasionally reread, but exist as great books only in the realm of nostalgia. This one was a quick, easy read and I probably would have really enjoyed the mystery and magical elements as a kid, but as an adult....eh. It was fine.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited | I'm not going to continue with the series. The formula is too obvious, the characters don't grow and take no lessons from previous experiences, but worst is Fergie. He is not Johnny's friend, he's a real jerk, treats Johnny worse even than the Professor, and taunts and intimidates Johnny into dangerous rule-breaking. Holding this kid up as a good friend is too irritating.

[audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, 12-year-old self.

100 pages of awesome (eccentric WWI vet/professor whose brother leaves him a haunted mansion and a doomsday prophecy) followed by 55 pages of drek (slow pacing, too much Fergie, deus ex machina and bonus misogyny). But those first 100 pages do give good Maine, so there's that.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the better stories in the Johnny Dixon Series. Bellairs didn't call into the standard formula of the previous books: weird things happen, the adults scoff, the kids plunge ahead and the adults rush to catch up. The tension was nicely ratcheted in the last third of the book and while the ultimate solution was a Deus ex Machina, it was reasonably plausible.

[Tanvir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in th Johnny Dixon series and one of the best. I would reccomend this book to everyone who likes mystery. This book has some scary parts which will make you pee i n your pants. This book is cool.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a ridiculous book. It promised to be an interesting puzzle mystery, but ended far outside the bounds of reality. I found myself wishing for the Hardy Boys to turn up and save this mess. Alas, it was not to be.

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was much better than the last Bellair's/Johnny Dixon book I read. The story was much more interesting, less confusing, and generally better. Good for a quick read.

[Amanda Langdon]

Great Suspense/Thriller for Young Readers

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades 5+. Johnny Dixon, Fergie and Prof. Childermass spend the summer at a desolate estate in Maine where they encounter a madman bent on destroying the world.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have read every single one of them, childhood favorites but this is the best one!! still re-read them

[Portobellord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bellairs is such a great writer for kids. The perfect mix of magic and adventure. They hold up well rereading as an adult.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back on track with gothic horror after the hard-to-get-through Trolley to Yesterday, a welcome return to the Johnny Dixon of old. One more original Bellairs to go...

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to get in the mood for Halloween. I am sad to say it wasn't as good as I remembered it as a kid.