The Thin Executioner »

"I was born in London in 1972 and moved to Ireland when I was 6 years old, where I've lived ever since. I always wanted to be a writer - I've loved telling stories since I was a child. I started out writing books for adults, and managed to get a couple published. One day, on a whim, I decided to try a book for children. The result was Cirque Du Freak. Much to my surprise, it took off, and I became a de facto children's author! Since then I've used my ill-gotten gains to buy lots of comic-strip art and travel the world. When I'm not working or traveling, I like watching movies.

In a kingdom of merciless tyrants, Jebel Rum's family is honored as royalty because his father is the executioner. But Rashed Rum is near retirement. And when he goes, there will be a contest to determine his successor. It is a contest that thin, puny Jebel has no chance of winning.

Humiliated and ashamed, Jebel sets out on a quest to the faraway home of a legendary fire god to beg for inhuman powers so that he can become the most lethal of men. He must take with him a slave, named Tel Hesani, to be sacrificed to the god. It will be a dark and brutal journey filled with lynch mobs, suicide cults, terrible monsters, and worse, monstrous men. But to Jebel, the risk is worth it.

To retrieve his honor . . .

To wield unimaginable power . . .

To become . . .

The thin executioner

Inspired by theAdventures of Huckleberry Finn, international bestselling master of horror Darren Shan takes readers on a thrilling, fast-paced journey into a nightmarish world where compassion and kindness are the greatest crimes of all.

Publishers Weekly

Shan (the Cirque Du Freak series) delivers a fun if predictable stand-alone novel that loosely updates Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn while posing some interesting moral questions. Set in an alternate Arabia filled with multiple religions and gods, Jebel Rum is the youngest and scrawniest son of the executioner of the Um Aineh people. After he impulsively embarks on a quest to get the gifts of strength and invincibility from the god Sabbah Eid, Jebel finds himself on the road with the slave Tel Hesani, who must be sacrificed to complete the quest. Their adventures cause Jebel to question the nature of his indoctrinated religious beliefs, as well as the assumption that only the Um Aineh ways--built heavily on slavery and violence--are correct. Although Shan takes on imperialism and organized religion (the con artists are named Bush and Blair), the politics intertwine smoothly with the travelers' adventures and don't overwhelm the encounters with assorted threats. While the ending is never in doubt, Shan delivers an exciting adventure en route. Ages 15-up. (Aug.)