Ancient Light
Shades 3
Robert Hood
Hodder Headline 2001
160pp., pbk., $13.95
0733612989
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Once again, Robert Hood used all his writing talents to describe the scenery, the gore, the way people say things, and the intense horror.
Shades #3: Ancient Light is a very good book for advanced year 6 readers and higher who like horror & gore because there is a lot of gory paragraphs in this book. Also people in year 6 and over who are thinkers would like this book because there are a lot of paragraphs which will make you think.
Shades #3: Ancient Light is told by a girl called Melissa who is friends with creatures called Shades. It is about a Shade called Isis, who disappeared at the end of Shades #2: Night Beast. Isis thinks she is the ancient Roman goddess Isis and brings back her true love
I love this book (and the series) because it is very interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. I like this book so much that I would be happy to buy it with my own money. One thing is that the Shades series should be read in order, especially books 2 & 3, because the series has information in each book which explains things which happened in previous books. Reading the books out of order can also ruin the storyline.
Matt, aged 12, Sydney
Melissa Greeley is an ordinary young girl, with some extraordinary friends called shades. Shades are people who have already died and who have come back as people who can only be seen when in shadow. The women in Melissas family have the unique ability to see them. When Melissa returns home from a holiday, she finds the town in ruins. When people tell her that the town had experienced a terrible storm, Melissa is sure that a violent shadow monster named Isis is the reason behind the mess. All of the shades think thought that Isis was dead, but now Isis reappearance from the shadow realm becomes very dangerous. Young men are suddenly being found dead all over the town. Is Isis responsible? When Melissa discovers why Isis has gone mad, she realises that she is probably the only person that can stop this mad shade. But thats not going to be easy for her. Melissa, herself, isnt a shade and has no special powers whatsoever.
This is a fantastic book. It should appeal to all young people who love horror stories. The plot itself also links to the story of the Egyptian goddess Isis, and as a result, teaches us a little about ancient Egyptian history. The language is exciting and helps to develop a clear image of some really unique characters. I am glad there are no illustrations in this book because they would take away the power of imagination when reading the story. It is an excellent story to read alone during the middle of the night! I would recommend it for everyone aged eleven to thirteen.
Sam, aged 12, Canberra, ACT
