The Specter from the Magician's Museum

Lewis Barnavelt #7

by Brad Strickland, John Bellairs, Edward Gorey (Illustrator)

A single drop of blood, a creepy something, a mysterious sorceress--these are the elements that lure Rose Rita Pottinger and Lewis Barnavelt into their most spine-tingling adventure ever. Who would have guessed that the research for their talent show magic act would ensnare these misfit friends in a web of sorcery, vengeance, and spooky creatures from beyond the grave? In all their many perilous pursuits, this may be their most fright-filled ever!

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult, Childrens, Magic, Mystery, Paranormal

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

William Bradley Strickland (b. 1947) is the author (or co-author) of over 60 novels and over 60 pieces of short fiction and poetry.

Born in New Hollard, Strickland earned his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Georgia. He has taught English courses at the University of Georgia, Oglethorpe University, Truett-McConnell College, and, since 1987, at Gainesville State College.

His first novel was 1986's To Stand Beneath the Sun, followed quickly by the books in the Jeremy Moon trilogy.

Strickland has shared co-author credit on many of his books: with his wife, Barbara, on stories in the Star Trek and Are You Afraid of the Dark? properties; and with the late author Thomas Fuller, books in the Wishbone series, involving the popular Jack Russell Terrier from the Public Television series of the same name. Strickland and Fuller also collaborated on numerous original works, including the Pirate Hunter series, the Mars: Year One series, and the comedic mystery for adults, The Ghost Finds a Body.

After the death of John Bellairs, Strickland was approached by John’s son, Frank, to complete the two books his father had already started; these unfinished manuscripts became The Ghost in the Mirror and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder. Strickland also wrote two books based on brief plot outlines left by Bellairs: The Drum, the Doll and the Zombie and The Doom of the Haunted Opera. Beginning in 1996, Strickland has kept Bellairs' legacy alive by writing the further adventures of Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt. Books in the corpus include The Hand of the Necromancer (1996); The Tower at the End of the World (2001); The House Where Nobody Lived (2006); and his most recent title, The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008).

In 2001, Strickland won received the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Children's/Young Adult Division, for When Mack Came Back, set in WWII-era Georgia. Strickland says the story "is based on the farm owned by [his] grandfather, where [I] often visited when [I] was a child." Kong: King of Skull Island was released in 2005, an illustrated tale by Strickland, author John Michlig, and fantasy artist Joe DeVito that serves as both a prequel and sequel to the epic story of the legendary ape.

Strickland is an active member of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, where he writes and performs in numerous audio drama projects. He was awarded the ARTC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is married to the former Barabara Justus and has two grown children.

Reviews

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

+3
“IN THE NAME OF NEITH
IN THE NAME OF ANUBIS
IN THE NAME OF OSIRIS, HEAR!”

Como la mayoría de los libros que he leído estas semanas lo he escogido porque se trataba de una lectura ligera. Además, si mi cerebro se adentraba a algo más complejo explotaba. Creo que no fue una idea muy acertada por mi parte, sobre todo porque a pesar de ser un libro ligero estaba inglés y ha sido un pequeño contratiempo.

Esta novela se podría encuadrar en el espectro de B1 según el nivel de lenguas extranjeras. No utiliza un vocabulario difícil y las frases son más bien simples y concisas. Para practicar el inglés está bastante bien.

En cuanto a la novela en sí pertenece a la saga de Lewis Barnalvelt cuyo primer libro es “El reloj de la casa en la pared”. Esta sigue las aventuras de Lewis, su mejor amiga Rose Rita junto con Mrs. Zimmermann y Jonathan Barnavelt, dos adultos que en realidad son magos en secreto.

“Real magic can get you into a world of trouble”

La historia me ha gustado, sin embargo, no ha sido mi favorita. Tiene su punto de “gótico-terror” ya que a medida que te vas adentrando en la historia, todo se vuelve de un tono bastante oscuro y malévolo que caracteriza la obra de este autor.

Yo creo que su punto son los personajes: para mí son el engranaje de estas novelas. Además, me encanta porque son muy “felices” todos y viven como si no hubiera ningún problema a su alrededor y si lo hay lo enfrentan con una tranquilidad que yo no sería capaz.

“When you’re up against the unknown, thought, it doesn’t do to go charging in. You have to arm yourself so that you can fight if necessary.”

Otra cosa que me llamó la atención de este libro es que no solo contemplan el problema “mágico” sino que el autor aprovecha para enlazarlo con otros problemas cotidianos en este caso por ejemplo con la pubertad y los cambios que se sufren para llegar a la edad adulta y concienciar de esta manera al niño-adolescente que todo va a ir bien. Es un momento bastante difícil, pero se supera.

“Oh, I know they hurt your feelings. I know that when they were yelling and booing, they made you feel about six inches tal. And I know that you don’t think you can face anyone at school on Monday. Still, people forget, Rose Rita".

Espero que los siguientes libros sigan en este nivel porque de verdad pasas un buen rato.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lewis and Rose Rita visit a museum of magic and accidentally let loose a spector in spider form (because of course they do). It targets Rose Rita and it's up to Lewis and his uncle and their witchy neighbor to figure out how to save her.
Another fun entry in the series, and Charlie loved it, so I call that a chicken dinner.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Clearly not in the exact tone of Bellairs (but close enough to keep some integrity to the characters). The ending few chapters made the rest of the book worthwhile but overall I found this underwhelming despite his ability to create a visual journey to take the reader on. When RR first became possessed, I thought his depth of detail to be too much for an average 6th grader to stomach. Probably wouldn't read again, but that said, I'm glad I did.

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it wasn't obvious in the earlier books, John Bellairs' style has left with this one. This is not to say that this is a bad thing. But reading through this book, it seemed to me that Brad Strickland has tried to keep to the spirit of the Lewis Barnavelt stories, but the writing does not match anymore.

This is good for Brad Strickland, as his voice is making its presence known. But if you are a Bellairs fan, Strickland's writing is a little more descriptive. John Bellairs wrote in a fair simple fashion yet drew upon the reader's imagination. Strickland seems to go for more detail, so this is just a smidgen less engaging. But there is a compensation in the more visual depictions of evil.

[Charles Lupo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. The Lewis stories are generally the ones I like the least, but this one was hard to put down. Also, I knew that the Lewis stories were set in Michigan, but I didn't realize that New Zebedee was based on Marshall.
The clue for me to do a little Googling was in this book. Lewis watches a TV show with 'Creamy' the clown from the Twin Oaks dairy. I remember drinking Twin Pines milk in middle school. Milky says, "There's magic in Twin Pines." I found this too much of a coincidence, and then fell down the Google rabbit hole learning about the parallels between New Zebedee and Marshall.

I have a few more to read, but I'm not sure if I own them. I'll likely track down the ones I need and then donate them to the library.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Warning - SPIDERS!! **SPIDERS!** EEEEEK!

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As we enter the second half of the Lewis Barnavelt series, Brad Strickland starts to take a stronger authorial tone with the material. Strickland is always good, but never as GREAT as Bellairs at his best- though his "good" is better than Bellairs's couple of weaker installations in the Barnavelt series. Here, we get a story that utilizes the magic world of New Zebedee well enough that it never feels like a Johnny Dixon knockoff, plus a truly great villain, ominous snatches of Egyptian death cult iconography, and the always-welcome perspective shifting between Johnny and Rose Rita, rather than a single-protagonist adventure.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been much more impressed with how Brad Strictland continued to develop the Lewis Barnavelt series compared to the first few Johnny Dixon novels he did, and I wonder if he did these later. They're good.

I've really looked forward to reading these with my kids as an intro to gothic mystery/fantasy that isn't entirely inappropriate for children or quite as scary as others.

I also really love the strong relationships between people of diverse ages and genders in John Bellairs and Brad Strictland books. I appreciate the genuine care and community support they show and representations of platonic friendships that change lives.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a eerie and therefore wonderful as the previous Lewis Barnavelt novels but I am not such a fan of making spiders to be so evil. But I do love the way that dear Lewis and Rose Rita keep finding a way to rise above their inadequacies and be such great kids. I really do love these characters. I do have to say that every other character, especially the adults besides Jonathon and Mrs. Zimmerman are total ninnies. But, I guess that helps to move the stories along!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for kids - maybe about middle school age.
It's a scary book, featuring evil spells. It's creepy at times.
Also, it features friendship and the determination to fight evil and help your friend.

[Alethia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Kathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

[Jane Vellichor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Still really enjoying this series of which this volume may become a favorite.

[Cabu7815 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series.
Quick-read, feel-good middle grade mixed with dark, gothic themes and events!
This is one of my favorites in the series for sure!

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Will review at Fantasy Literature.

[Abby Woodland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a great book but I always feel the ending is rushed and short. At least they are good at building suspense. Oh well. On to the next book!

[Miguel Osorio Cesped · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this story ✨🙌🙂
This book was so dark 🙂👌
New zabedee is full of mistery and secrets.


But, the adventures continue ...

[Abigael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arachnophobia warning

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installment to an excellent series! This was a seriously creepy one--definitely gave me the shivers!

[Saddy But Daddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and spooky, but comfort food. My wife & I love this series, and these characters and writers.

[Andy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good!

[Sheryl Sato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky and creepy, one of the best Louis Barnavelt books.

[Liz Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sixth installment in the Lewis Barnavelt series, and a great one at that!
Lewis and his best friend Rose Rita Pottinger have to preform in a school talent show even though they don’t want to, so they come up with the idea to do a magic show.
Lewis’s Uncle Jonathon tells them he has a friend who is opening a museum all about magicians and magic so they go to check it out.
The museum is full of weird and wonderful finds, the man who owns the museum let Lewis borrow some books, and while Lewis was browsing, Rose Rita found a strange scroll and picked it up, when they left she had forgotten to put it back and said they would put it back on their next visit.
That night, Rose Rita examined the scroll and Belle Frisson was written on it along with markings that looked like they were partial lines of letters but weren’t complete.
When they went back to the museum, Rose Rita asked about Belle Frisson and the man told her all about her and that she was supposedly able to reach the spirits and she was buried not far from their town.He took Lewis and Rose Rita with him on his next trip to the graveyard and Rose Rita was enthralled with Belle Frisson’s tomb which was a massive tomb topped with a stone platform with chalk markings over it that were put there to show that the tomb and platform move with a crystal ball atop it.
Later, Rose Rita gets a book from the museum that talks about Belle Frisson and how she made sure things were in place when she died, having weird people come to her tomb, and that she would be buried in this very particular tomb etc.
Meanwhile, Rose Rita has been hearing a strange voice inside her head that wasn’t her own and it was convincing her to do bad things.
One day, Rose Rita leaves home all by herself and hitchhikes to the town near the graveyard with a lady trucker and she tells her that her name is Rowena Potter.
When she looks in her bag, she shockingly discovers that along with her book about Belle Frisson is the scroll that she had put back at the museum!
As she stands in front of the tomb, the scroll is magically pulled out of her hands and magically attached itself and wraps itself around the tomb, which now spell out a magical spell that the spirit of Belle Frisson is forcing her to speak (the markings on the scroll were partial lines of letters that were only partially formed by the chalk markings on the tomb.)
Rose Rita no longer has control of her actions and she is made to walk down a flight of steps under the tomb.I’m not going to reveal the ending, but it was a great one, I was a bit anxious to see what was going to happen myself.

[Justin K. Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the exemplary The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder, Strickland swings and misses. It’s too similar to the previous book – an exploration of the troubled sidekick through an enchanted object, the human sacrifice thing, etc – it’s not terrible but it just doesn’t live up to the potential. I really like that Strickland is trying to develop the characters more, and this, being a Rose-Rita centered book, is a great opportunity to delve into her psychology in the way that he did with Fergie in the previous novel. But instead of Rose Rita’s hopes and fears we get some generic angst that seems out of character.

I like the Egyptian magic angle, and some of the imagery of Belle Frisson and her tomb are intriguing, but the driving force is still Rose Rita’s psychological journey, and it just doesn’t work.

There’s also a question of the role of magic in this world. The two main Bellairs worlds are the Johnny Dixon/Prof Childermass world, and the Lewis Barnavelt world. In Johnny’s world, magic is something strange and foreign that the good guys don’t have. It’s a continuing mystery. With Lewis, magic is an everyday part of his life. Not only do the good guys have magic powers, they even have their own social organization. This is a place where magic exists, and people can possess it, but it’s just under the radar for most people.

With the addition of Bob Hardwick and the eponymous magician’s museum, there’s an awkward juxtaposition of real magic versus slight-of-hand. And I think calling attention to that type of magic undermines the reality of Lewis’ world, where magic is supposed to be an everyday thing. The wonder of House with a Clock in it’s Walls is that magic is part of everyday life. Strickland I think is confusing the worlds of Dixon and Barnavelt, because he treats them like they are basically the same. But they’re different enough for it to matter. And, although Uncle Jonathan is not a very good magician, he surely might be capable of more than mere illusions, right? Since Bellairs’ original books, Jonathan hasn’t done much in the line of magic at all.

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whose bright idea is it to force unwilling kids into a talent show, just to entertain the underclassmen? I’m totally with Lewis and Rose Rita when they express disgust and horror after realising that it is now their turn to participate in their school’s annual talent show - yuck, run away! Luckily, the pair are quick thinkers, and inspired by Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman’s magical talents they decide to try their hand at magic. Stage magic, that is, since they can’t reveal that magic is real to their whole school! Enlisting the help of one of Uncle Jonathan’s acquaintances, the pair visit his museum of magic - an homage to the great stage magicians of the past - to learn about stagecraft and borrow some books from his library. In typical fashion, though, Rose Rita picks up a scroll that contains real magic and unleashes a spell that almost gets her sacrificed to bring back an evil sorceress from the past. Exploring ever-fascinating Egyptian magic lore, Strickland crafts a truly terrifying tale that may be the spookiest of the series yet since the stakes are so high. Thankfully, Lewis and co. use their wits, knowledge, and last-minute luck to defeat the sorceress and save Rose Rita - all while making some astute observations about growing up. The story was engaging throughout, and my only criticism is that Strickland could have delved a bit further into the Egyptian lore to really heighten the realism. Can’t wait to read more of Lewis and Rose Rita’s magical adventures!

[Noah Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

It captures the feeling of Bellairs' Lewis Barnavelt stories, while injecting a modern (truly horrifying) outlook. Whereas the early Bellairs novels had a 1950's nostalgia informed by 20 years of retrospection, these have the benefit of 30 more years of the development of modern horror. The young adults and teens of the 70's might have thought Barnavelt stories quaint; I find the climax of this novel to be pretty horrifying!

The antagonist in this makes Voldemort seem needlessly complex, and it's evident in the course of the action that the Potter books are at least in part influenced by Bellairs and that Rowling must have encountered this book, also. There is a Rowena Potter given as a name and the figure of the kindly neighbor witch bears a striking resemblance to certain Hogwarts faculty.

Anyway, nicely creepy and the emphasis on Rise Rita Pottinger in this story really sums up what it must be like for a young person to feel alienated from their peers - I dimly remember that I felt these same emotions. Perhaps that's why the characters strike a note in me.

Worth a read - if it's late you can do the 150 pages in a couple of hours and still have time for a night cap and cookies

[Kyle Daoust]

The Specter from the Magician's Museum written by Brad Strickland is a book that interested me a lot. The book is about Lewis and Rose going to the National Museum of Magic. After the Museum Rosa starts to act a little strange. It is a evil spirit that try's to take control over Rosa. Lewis, a uncle and their neighbor and school teacher must join heads too try and save Rose. I liked how the book kept me on my toes. The book was very well detailed. One thing I didn't like is I had to reread a lot of parts. The book took me about 4 hours to read. I would suggest this book to someone who likes reading mystery.

[William Bevill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just lacked "oomph." Brad Strickland gives it his best, and I can't fault him. He's writing in the shoes and technically fills them nicely, he has the basic essence of the characters, of Lewis, and Jonathan. But it just winds up hollow and lacks the Bellair's touch. Of course he is his own author, but I just don't feel the world of Lewis here much at all. I give an A for effort and applaud him for keeping the magic alive as much as he can, but the execution leaves something to be desired.

[Tara Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just don't know what it was about this one. First of all, it's not a Bellairs book at all. It was written entirely by Brad Strickland, using Bellairs' characters. It just didn't appeal to me. I felt that the plot was flat and didn't have the same fast pace as the other books.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

May Bellairs rise from his tomb and curse this dude for ruining his characters....okay, I wouldn't go that far, but this WAS a huge disappointment. I enjoyed a book that Strickland finished for Bellairs, so perhaps I'll stick to those.