The Malifex

Malifex #1

by Steve Alton

In the Dorset, England, countryside on a family vacation, a video game fanatic reluctantly embarks on a quest to battle an ancient evil, aided by the daughter of a Wiccan and a man once apprenticed to Merlin.

Genres: Young Adult

181 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2001

About the author

Steve Alton is a writer and editor, author of the award-winning 'Gooey, Chewy, Rumble, Plop Book' and Deputy Editor of 'Bee Craft', the journal of the British Beekeepers Association. As well as producing children's books such as the ones listed below, he offers a specialist editing, proofreading, writing and research service, specialising in science, ecology, botany and horticulture topics for both children and adults.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragged reluctantly along on a family vacation to Dorset, Sam at first hopes to pass a quiet time playing his video games and ignoring his parents. But when he accidentally awakens the wizard Amergin, asleep for thousands of years in a local barrow, he finds himself at the center of a fantastic struggle against the Malifex, the malevolent and evil spirit of death and decay.

Alton pairs an engaging story with strong folkloric elements, from the Arthurian legends to the Wild Hunt, making this one of the best "Wiccan" style fantasies to come along in a while. The philosophical ideas put forward about balance between good and evil are exactly the kind of "neo-paganism" that the conservative Christian critics seem to find so offensive in some contemporary fantasy.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather generic kid-accidententally-awakens-ancient-evil-and/or-discovers magic powers childrens fantasy. Waking ancient powers that have slumbered for millenia seems to be pretty easy! Defeating them isn't too hard, either. Alton's inclusion of Milesian mythology and the Wicca tradition are somewhat original for a YA novel, although pretty standard for adult fantasy. And given the richness of this corpus I felt he could have done a lot more with -- it seemed rather watered down. For instance, the legendary Amergin was a warrior, bard, and judge, but the character here seems closely reminiscent of Merlin as a kindly but addled old man in the Disney version of The Sword in the Stone. The characters are pretty flat there isn't a lot that would cause me to recommend this book over many similar works. That said, it is a light, harmless read that is suitable for kids just starting out in the fantasy genre. The evil force is never very scary or threatening, and there is no sex, violence, or extreme misbehavior on the part of the protagonists that parents would object to. But really, if someone told me this sounded interesting to them I'd tell them to read Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series instead.

[Nick Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page 119 is a very sexual page!!!

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun middle grade novel about a boy who accidentally awakens a sleeping magician, and finds himself at the center of an endless battle between Good and Evil. It's a fun, quick read, perfect for fans of King Arthur, Merlin, ley lines, and spunky pre teens.