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Johnny Dixon #12
The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost
When a malevolent creature tries to claim his father as its latest victim, thirteen-year-old Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass risk their own lives trying to save him. Reprint.
166 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
16 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Brad Strickland
135 books107 followersWilliam 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 8, 2023
I'll be honest, when I heard that Brewster was involved in this story, I was worried that it would be another time travel tale, like The Trolley to Yesterday, which was, in my opinion, easily the weakest title in the series. However, this was a juicy thriller and a lot of fun. The stakes were ratcheted up to 150% and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. While perhaps not my favorite book in the series, there's no denying that this was a really good one!
Also, too, this was the last book for a long time, and it sort of reads like it was meant to be the conclusion to the series. The ending is open enough that it doesn't feel like a true conclusion, but if the series stopped here, I could have been satisfied with the ending. Knowing that there's another book, however, has me beside myself with excitement!
Also, too, this was the last book for a long time, and it sort of reads like it was meant to be the conclusion to the series. The ending is open enough that it doesn't feel like a true conclusion, but if the series stopped here, I could have been satisfied with the ending. Knowing that there's another book, however, has me beside myself with excitement!
December 9, 2010
Another mysterious evil book? Brad Strickland, you know you can do better! This was a long-needed return to Johnny’s relationship with his dad. It’s a very poignant and driving problem in Johnny’s life, and has the potential for some great drama. Although Major Harrison Dixon is extremely present in this book, the real conflict isn’t truly about him. If Strickland had made Daddy Dixon’s relationship to his son the driving thrust of the book, it would have done two things – 1) given the characters a chance to grow and change a bit and 2) given the novel a thematic cohesion.
This one is all over the map. I like that, theoretically – the Bellairs books work well when they explore new territory. Setting every story in Duston Heights gets stale after a while. But first we’re in Florida, then we’re in Colorado, then we’re back in Duston Heights, and then we’re in the crazy Spirit World, and it lacks cohesion.
The mysterious evil book literally turns up without a reason at all. There’s just no excuse – there’s gotta be a way to tie that in more believably than having somebody just randomly find it in their tourist cabin. And the reasons Strickland creates for getting Major Dixon back to Duston Heights are embarrassingly illogical.
That said, there’s still some good things in this book. The action scene at the end works, the solution that they come up with feels real and earned and satisfying. Also, the Spirit World is straight out of somebody’s acid dream. The series has never been this far out and metaphysical. And the return of an old bird-shaped friend is fun, too, even if he doesn’t really do much until the very end. And of course, how many people remember a one-off character from the Trolley to Yesterday? The uniqueness of Trolley, it’s one-off nature with respect to the rest of the series, makes it a really out-of-the-blue callback, but that said, I still enjoyed it.
This one is all over the map. I like that, theoretically – the Bellairs books work well when they explore new territory. Setting every story in Duston Heights gets stale after a while. But first we’re in Florida, then we’re in Colorado, then we’re back in Duston Heights, and then we’re in the crazy Spirit World, and it lacks cohesion.
The mysterious evil book literally turns up without a reason at all. There’s just no excuse – there’s gotta be a way to tie that in more believably than having somebody just randomly find it in their tourist cabin. And the reasons Strickland creates for getting Major Dixon back to Duston Heights are embarrassingly illogical.
That said, there’s still some good things in this book. The action scene at the end works, the solution that they come up with feels real and earned and satisfying. Also, the Spirit World is straight out of somebody’s acid dream. The series has never been this far out and metaphysical. And the return of an old bird-shaped friend is fun, too, even if he doesn’t really do much until the very end. And of course, how many people remember a one-off character from the Trolley to Yesterday? The uniqueness of Trolley, it’s one-off nature with respect to the rest of the series, makes it a really out-of-the-blue callback, but that said, I still enjoyed it.
July 12, 2018
"The Trolley to Yesterday" has always been the weirdest book in the Dixon stories--shifting its focus from one of our primary cast of protagonists getting cursed and shuffling the "savior duties" to the remaining characters to an unabashed bit of "take it or leave it" weirdness involving a time machine that nobody seems particularly shocked by--and Strickland's decision to revisit its esoteric trappings is definitely a welcome change of pace.
True enough that we're in the middle of another bit of misery brought on by a damn book (at this point, it's amazing that any of our principles would even be inclined to flip through the pages of one of these things, with their track record) and the conflict revolves around Johnny and company being tasked with the liberation of someone they care about from a malevolent force, but the final few chapters are some of the most frightening and surreal in the entire series. That our heroes are finally faced with their deepest fears in such a sadistic fashion is essential YA brilliance--Fergie's admission that his 'greaser act' is simply a fence for the shame that he feels over his family's economic station, Professor Childermass's PTSD and the fact that Johnny is quite literally scared of everything--and it's quite telling that even after two years' worth of facing off with demons, warlocks and witches, it's the simple terrors of age and everyday life that manifest themselves in such a moment.
I also love the final scene, if for nothing more than its simplicity. We have the standard "everybody hug and weep" denouement, but it seems fitting that it's Roderick Childermass who gets the last bit of weary reflection, and doubly so that his final words are shared with a talking bird statue. If that doesn't summarize twelve books' worth of high times and supernatural lows, what would?
True enough that we're in the middle of another bit of misery brought on by a damn book (at this point, it's amazing that any of our principles would even be inclined to flip through the pages of one of these things, with their track record) and the conflict revolves around Johnny and company being tasked with the liberation of someone they care about from a malevolent force, but the final few chapters are some of the most frightening and surreal in the entire series. That our heroes are finally faced with their deepest fears in such a sadistic fashion is essential YA brilliance--Fergie's admission that his 'greaser act' is simply a fence for the shame that he feels over his family's economic station, Professor Childermass's PTSD and the fact that Johnny is quite literally scared of everything--and it's quite telling that even after two years' worth of facing off with demons, warlocks and witches, it's the simple terrors of age and everyday life that manifest themselves in such a moment.
I also love the final scene, if for nothing more than its simplicity. We have the standard "everybody hug and weep" denouement, but it seems fitting that it's Roderick Childermass who gets the last bit of weary reflection, and doubly so that his final words are shared with a talking bird statue. If that doesn't summarize twelve books' worth of high times and supernatural lows, what would?
January 28, 2020
Admittedly, this is one of the books that I had not read previously. It is an interesting one for various reasons. Since it has been nearly 20 years since its publication, I think it safe to presume that this is the last of the Johnny Dixon books. But it is also interesting in that this plot is perhaps a bit too much for a children's book. Similarly to some of the previous books, the reader is swept up into a battle of the spirit realms. Though it's not clear why any of this happens to Johnny Dixon and his father.
Just like the reader, the characters move from one plot point to the next without much explanation. And before you know it, it's over.
I am sad to say that Sarah never makes another reappearance, though she is mentioned several times.
Taken as a whole, the Johnny Dixon books are a teeny bit more grounded in reality than the Lewis Barnevelt books. Though I'm not sure this necessarily makes them better. As with the other series, the continuity of their lives is a complete mess. Johnny should have left for college if we truly strung together the chronology of these books.
I would be interested to know if anyone was thinking of trying to take up Bellairs' mantel and continuing these stories. But it's also acceptable for things to end here as they did.
Just like the reader, the characters move from one plot point to the next without much explanation. And before you know it, it's over.
I am sad to say that Sarah never makes another reappearance, though she is mentioned several times.
Taken as a whole, the Johnny Dixon books are a teeny bit more grounded in reality than the Lewis Barnevelt books. Though I'm not sure this necessarily makes them better. As with the other series, the continuity of their lives is a complete mess. Johnny should have left for college if we truly strung together the chronology of these books.
I would be interested to know if anyone was thinking of trying to take up Bellairs' mantel and continuing these stories. But it's also acceptable for things to end here as they did.
April 25, 2018
I didn't know what to expect from the finale of the Johnny Dixon series, but it certainly wasn't a big, splashy "TV series finale" adventure like this. Reuniting almost all the main characters (late addition Sarah gets sidelined again, I'll dock a few points for that), this final volume amplifies Strickland's tendencies to go a little wilder than Bellairs ever did. There's a demonic ritual turning a henchman into an exploding fireball, a journey into an alternate dimension, more of Brewster, and even an overarching "big bad" whose presence explains the mythology of the entire series. (Did Lovecraft references pop up in the series before this one? I don't think so.) At any rate, it's not quite as pitch-perfect as the previous volume, but it makes a nice wrap-up.
May 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this book.
I've read all the John Bellairs' books and now continuing with the books that Brad Strickland wrote to continue the stories with John Bellairs' characters.
I like the characters, the stories, and the settings firmly in the 1950's.
I've read all the John Bellairs' books and now continuing with the books that Brad Strickland wrote to continue the stories with John Bellairs' characters.
I like the characters, the stories, and the settings firmly in the 1950's.
December 25, 2025
The book has some plot inconsistencies or things that happen just to progress the story and too many rapid changes of setting that I felt were not really useful for the plot.
The spirit world is very well written though and its fever dream landscapes are fascinating.
The spirit world is very well written though and its fever dream landscapes are fascinating.
August 13, 2018
So. Much. Fun!!! I love these books.
October 22, 2012
I'm figuring this is the last book to be written for this series as it has been over a decade since this was written. A much more involved storyline than all the previous stories and finally seems to bring Johnny and his father closer together. The story also brings Brewster back (a character from the Time Travel Trolley story.)
This story, which has Fergie, Johnny and the Professor facing a huge enemy and for once and all may convince these three that there are all sorts of spirits out in the world. :) Felt like this one pulled out all the stops to wind up the series.
This story, which has Fergie, Johnny and the Professor facing a huge enemy and for once and all may convince these three that there are all sorts of spirits out in the world. :) Felt like this one pulled out all the stops to wind up the series.
July 26, 2011
Quick & creepy read, written in that good old John Bellairs style. But nothing quite matches up to Bellairs' s own novels, especially Figure in the Shadows, House with a Clock in its Walls, and so forth.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews