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    Review of ALIENS OF TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY by Patrick Bone

    A SILVER DAGGER MYSTERY

    Overmountain Press, 2002

    There have been rumors of alien vampires living in the mountains of Transylvania county--but it was the 1950s and only old women believe that sort of story. So, when high school senior John Croshaw challenges his classmates to climb Devil's Mountain during a full moon, pretty Hannah Jane Goins agrees--and Chester (Chess) decides he has to follow to keep her out of trouble. What they find is that the stories are true--alien vampires really do live in the Appalachians. And when Chester emerges from the mountains, alone, and with his unbelievable story, he is sent to reform school.

    Chess has a lot of growing up to do and reform school, his escape from the school, and his meeting with an ancient Civil War veteran, a preacher with a gift of sight, and an old woman whose mother may have been the only person ever to escape the vampires, play a critical role in this growth. Finally, with the help of two teenaged friends he meets along the way, Chess is ready to return to Devil's Mountain and face the alien vampires in their lair.

    Author Patrick Bone writes convincingly, almost lyrically about the Appalachian countryside and its people. The dialogue comes alive and the life lessons that Chess must face ring true. The plot itself is relatively straightforward and silly, but the writing makes the story come alive.

    I'm not sure whether the target audience for this short novel is the teen market, or adults. I suspect that each will get something quite different from the story.

    Three Stars

    Reviewed 8/25/02

    Purchase ALIENS OF TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY from Amazon.com (hardback).

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