Pablo is a quiet fourteen year old boy who just wants to go to the lake and watch the Draconids, the biggest meteor storm of the century. He had planned to meet his friend Thora and her brother Bryce near the quarry so they could all watch it together. But when Pablo's father refuses to let him go, Pablo decides to sneak out his window.
Skyfall
Troll Hunters
By Michael Dahl
Stone Arch Books
August 2012
Pablo's adventure is cut short, however, when a car carrying his schoolmate Zak Fisher and his family is involved in an accident not too far from his house. Before anyone has time to recover, strange events suddenly start happening all over town as people start disappearing and mysterious creatures appear in the night.
Something old and powerful has been awoken under the light of the meteor shower.
Skyfall by Michael Dahl is a book intended more for young readers. The story, while not overly complex, can be a bit confusing as it tends to jump around quite a bit. Very little time is spent on any one scene and we're introduced to a host of strange details and events that are never really explained.
The book itself is rather short, interspersed with illustrations and a dedication to H.P. Lovecraft. There are also several homages to Lovecraft's style of horror and mystery, though most scenes are admittedly tame.
While the story is a nice exercise in horror for a younger generation (i.e. scary, but not too scary), I found it a bit rough trying to navigate through the ever shifting details and seemingly random scenes. The story focuses on several weird occurrences, but never really makes an attempt to tie them together or give any kind of meaning behind them.
The result is an overall air of spookiness that younger children are likely to enjoy, but that might be a bit off-putting for older readers trying to follow along.
However if you have a young reader in your family who is looking for something to tickle their spine, definitely consider Skyfall.
