Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers
By John Harris Dunning
Published by Walker Books
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This dark tale, told in black and white, is both unsettling and full of black humour, and at its core is the story of a son trying to do right by his father
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Children's Book review
A mysterious telegram arrives late one night informing Salem Brownstone of his father's death and Salem's inheritance of his estate. This launches our hero into a dark tale involving a travelling circus freak show of contortionists, tiger wrestlers and mysterious magicians; an importance Scree ball; and the evil Shadow Boys. In this dark gothic fantasy, Salem must meet his guardian familiar, get help from his new friends in Dr Kinoshita's Circus of Unearthly Delights and defeat the mysterious dark forces that are trying to steal the Scree ball from him, an orb whose possession resulted in his father's death.
The tale, told in gothic black and white, is not suitable for younger readers as the dark and sometimes grotesque imagery may disturb. But it will appeal to teenagers with a sense of adventure and fantasy, and the simple panel structure, gorgeous design and attention to detail (you can spend entire minutes on each panel as so much is going on) will make this a book to revisit time and again.
Illustrator: Nikhil Singh
Reading age: 13+
Interest level: 13+
