The Face in the Frost

"The Face In The Frost" is a richly imaginative tale of two wizards, Prospero (not the one you're thinking of) and Roger Bacon, who must overcome a third wizard, the evil Melichus before he destroys them, and a lot of other folks as well. Even if you think you've heard this story before, you've never come across a variation like this one. The closest analogue that I can come up with is "Howl's Moving Castle" for its eccentricity,... Read Full Review

This is fantasy reduced to its purest form. From a laugh out loud first few pages you are plunged into nightmare and horror through to a purely satisfying ending. In decades of reading fantasy I know of no story that better illustrates the form. Something different than Tolkien's idealized fairy-tale, and something better than mere horror, this is a superb book. Prospero - and not the one you are thinking of, either - and... Read Full Review

This splendid little fantasy gem, the only adult-oriented fiction by children's author John Bellairs, mixes two rare moods. Bellairs's genial and charismatic protagonists, wizards Prospero (no, not that one) and Roger Bacon, contribute warmth and wit to the novel, while the nameless horror that begins to stalk Prospero is every bit as creepy as anything H.P. Lovecraft or W.H. Hodgson ever dreamed up. As it turns out, the... Read Full Review

This is a fantasy novel that rejects all the cliches that have plagued the genre over the years. It starts innocently enough, with a good natured Wizard by the name of Prospero starting what looks like simply another day. Incidents shortly take a sharp turn after that, as he finds himself the focus of supernatural events that are beyond his powers. From there, the tone alternates from humor to mystery to horror as Prospero... Read Full Review

"A few centuries (or so) ago there lived a tall, skinny, scraggly-bearded old wizard named Prospero, and not the one you're thinking of, either." John Bellairs' first full-length novel is a tour de force of fantasy--it's fast, funny, and terrifying, all at once. Bellairs' heroes, Prospero and Roger Bacon, must join forces when the evil Melichus begins to assert an uncanny control over the world and its weathers. They go... Read Full Review