DEMON KEEPER

A madcap chase through the streets of Seattle forms the centerpiece of this entertaining, if unpolished debut. Charged with feeding and controlling a house full of mischievous demons—embodied manifestations of Chaos—young Nat suffers a momentary lapse of attention that results in the escape of a truly malign monster who stalks and eats neglected youths. As if that’s not bad enough, Nat’s pursuit is complicated by the arrival of a more powerful Demon Keeper, gone to the bad and out to nail him. With help from aptly named Junior Assistant Librarian Sandy Nertz, chance-met skateboard-dude Richie and a trio of diminutive demonic minions straight out of Monsters, Inc., Nat ultimately does come out on top. However, the author seems unsure which of his three young folk to appoint as protagonist, and ramps up the body count and violence to the point that it’s hard to tell whether he’s trying for horror of the comic or straight sort. Still, an engaging debut with some intriguing ideas and twists. Sequels are possible but not required for closure. (Fantasy. 12-15)