Meg and the Mystery of Black-Magic Cave - Mystery #5 in a series

The penultimate book in the "Meg" series is the best one of the first five books.  One has to wonder if the ghostwriter for the previous book also wrote this one, as both books definitely have more mature themes to them than the first three books.  That, of course, is one of the reasons why I wish these book publishers back in the day had retained one author to ghostwrite a series of books, so that they stories would have a certain consistency to them, both in characterization and in tone.  Some series did (such as the Penny Parker series by Mildred Wirt Benson), while other employed any number of writers (such as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc.).  While having a series bible may help the writers remain consistent with character names, occupations, hair and eye color, settings, etc., the rotation of writers is still noticeable in the way a story is written and how a character talks and acts.  Now, one could argue that Meg and Kerry have grown some since the first book, and therefore, after solving several mysteries, they might have matured in the way they handle them, but that is stretching it a bit, I think.

 

Meg and the Mystery of the Black-Magic Cave takes Meg and Kerry out of their home state of Virginia and places them in Merrybones, Maine, where Meg's Uncle Hal vacations each summer.  This year, he offers to take them along with him, partially to enjoy the locale, but also because there is a mystery to be solved, and he knows how much the girls enjoy solving mysteries.  And, in case you are wondering, no, "Merrybones" is a made up township in Maine, although it perhaps draws its name from Marylebone, which is in the city of Westminster in London, England.   The mystery surrounds a schoolteacher friend of Uncle Hal's by the name of Emily Hawthorne (p. 16), who has asked for his help.  Now, I have to think that the author specifically chose the name "Hawthorne" for several reasons:  (1) the name is the same as that of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous author who hailed from New England, and (2) Nathaniel Hawthorne's great-great-frandfather (John Hathorne) was one of the judges during the famous Salem witch trials.  And, since this particular book deals with witches...

 

The author delves into a world of witchcraft and black magic, as the girls learn from Miss Hawthorne that someone has threatened her with a curse, and her black cat, Melissa, has gone missing.  Someone wants her out of Merrybones, and it's up to Uncle Hal, Meg, and Kerry to figure out who it is.  As if right one cue, Meg and Kerry learn about a nearby cave that is referred to as "Black-Magic Cave," and while picking blueberries near the cave, the girls find a makeshift altar with a candle burning and a pentagram drawn on the floor in front of it!  This begins the girls' quest to uncover the truth about the cave, the witches' coven operating in Merrybones, and whether the women who make up the coven are responsible for threatening Miss Hawthorne and stealing her cat.   

 

The witches' coven and black magic aspect of the story are played up well, and Meg and Kerry even manage to witness a gathering of witches in what they suspect is a meeting in which the women will attempt to cast a spell to rid the town of Miss Hawthorne once and for all!  But the girls are clever, and while the witches are in the cave, Meg, Kerry, and their new friends gather up the shoes the women left outside the cave and take them with them (so that, like Cinderella, they can identify the witches by having the women try on shoes to see if they match!).  It's quite a climactic confrontation between the defeated women and the police, alongside Meg and her friends.  And the author holds back one particular surprise, which a careful reader will pick up on earlier in the story as to the identity of the specific person that wants Miss Hawthorne gone and why!  Overall, the book offers a well-plotted mystery that is very entertaining reading.

 

I did find it rather amusing that when the girls find a book of black magic in the attic of the house where they are staying, they discover the words are written rather uniquely - in Old English, where the s's are written like f's, and some words have "e" at the end, which is pronounced like our current "y" (p. 75).  And there is even a paragraph written in that styles, with Old English font!  Definitely a great way to introduce young readers as to how much the English language has changed in the last couple of centuries!

 

The paperback cover art, by Olindo Giacomini, is definitely my favorite of the two, as it has Meg and Kerry hiding behind an old tree, spying on the witches as they are marching out of the cave, holding lit candles.  Of course, the scene is in the reverse in the story, as they watch the witches go into the cave, not out of it.  The cover art on the original hardcover version of the book, by Cliff Schule, depicts the witches heading in the proper direction  (and it even accurately shows 13 witches!).  Interestingly, both covers show Kerry wearing a blue top and Meg with a red/burgundy top, thus maintaining some consistency between the two.  And for those of you who are Nancy Drew fans, you might think this cover hearkens back to the cover art for The Secret of Red Gate Farm, in which Nancy is hiding behind a tree, watching hooded figures going into a cave.

 

I have been really enjoying this series, so it's somewhat disheartening to realize I only have one Meg book left to read, and then I'll have completed the series.  It almost makes me want to put off reading that final book ... almost ... 

 

RATING:  9 stones with oddly carved pentagrams out of 10 for a menacing tale of witches, curses, and black cats!

Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend - a DC Comics graphic novel

Zatanna has long been one of my favorite DC Comics characters (after Huntress and Power Girl, of course!).  I was never fond of her first couple of costumes, but truly fell in love with her when George Perez redesigned her costume in Justice League of America #187.  I also loved the fact that her magic spells were spoken backwards (of course, over the years, writers have not only done that in different ways - from keeping the words in the correct order, just spoken backwards to speaking entire sentence backwards), as it gave her something different than just a typical magic-user.  I've purchased all of her comic series (there haven't been many, and sadly, the never lasted long), and I purchased the previous graphic novels aimed at younger readers.  This latest graphic novel, though, is not aimed for children, and it provides a new, unique re-imagining of Zatanna's origin.

 

In The Jewel of Gravesend, written by Alys Arden with art by Jacquelin de Leon, Zatanna has been raised by Ezra and Lola Starr, stage magicians who were friends with Zatanna's parents.  Her mother died and her father is believed dead, and Zatanna is completely unaware of her parents' true magical abilities - Ezra has worked hard to keep that a secret.  But he has kept other secrets as well ... meanwhile, Zatanna has managed to live a somewhat normal life near Coney Island, New York, where her best friends, Izzy and Kenia, also enjoy the carney life.  Zatanna also has a boy who she loves - young Alexei.  The only problem is, his family is mafia, and they run a casino beneath the Golden Elephant where Zatanna lives with the Starrs (yes, the building really is shaped like a huge elephant!).  The main problem Zatanna has is Ezra's constant attempts to involve her in his magic shows.  She wants no part of them.

Until she and her friends check out the new magic and mermaid show, in which they find strange "mirror-script" along the wall.  Zatanna speaks the words, having no idea what they mean - and having no clue that her magical ability has been sparked, giving those words power and causing a near fatal accident! Suddenly, those words that appeared backwards look normal to Zatanna.  And so, her adventure begins as she starts to realize that she has the ability to cast spells and make things happen simply by speaking them backwards.  But someone else is aware of that ability, and that someone will do anything to get that power away from her.

Arden's re-imagining is a really good story.  There's an underlying Romeo/Juliet romance with Alexei and Zatanna ... there's the young girl coming into her own story of Zatanna discovering her powers ... there's the ultimately betrayal caused by the lies surrounding her past and her father ... and there is the unexpected surprise at the end that costs Zatanna way more than she could ever have imagined.  The origin story of most heroes begins with some kind of family tragedy, and this one is no different.  However, it is a far cry from Zatanna's original origin in the comics, and by the time the climatic moments hit, you will have found yourself so invested in the character that they are going to hit you, as the reader, as well.  I cannot deny that my heart broke for poor Zee, as she has to let go of everything in order to move forward to become the hero we all know she becomes.

The art on the book is very beautiful, and the colors are almost (dare I say it?) - magical!  The blues, the pinks, and the purples are brilliantly blended to provide an atmosphere very fitting for the story.  Yes, they are dark, but then, to a degree, so is the story.  While I doubt we will ever see any more stories with this version of Zatanna, I would love to see an ongoing series set in this world, just to see where Zee goes from here.  This is a story of love, magic, and family that is most definitely worth the read.

RATING:  10 blooming flowers out of 10 for a stunning new take on a beloved character that has everything a great story should have to make it an enjoyable read.