The Story So Far

Johnny Dixon seriesThirteen-year-old Johnny Dixon, possessed by the ghost of the evil Warren Windrow, is dying. And it seems as if there is nothing anyone can do. In a desperate effort to save Johnny's life, his two best friends, Professor Childermass and Fergie, race to the Windrow estate, hoping by some miracle to find something -- anything -- they can use to free him. There, as demonic forces surround and threaten them, they are caught in a most horrifying fight for their own survival.

The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost (1985), by John Bellairs, is the fourth book in the Johnny Dixon series.

Reviews

 

"...an excellent display of Mr. Bellairs' talent as a gothic mystery writer. This is a must-read for not only for Bellairs fans, but any fan of the gothic mystery genre." - Bruce Siwy

Inside

 

At first he just stared at the schoolhouse. Then he moved closer, and he noticed a wooden plaque, with Hebrew letters set in a wreath of golden rays, over the door. The door opened, and Johnny went inside. It was cold and dark and musty smelling. At the far end of the room a tall, ornate candlestick stood next to an oblong block that looked like an altar. In the middle of the altar lay a grayish lump, and as Johnny moved closer to see what the thing was, moonlight flooded the room. Glancing quickly to his left, Johnny saw three tall stained-glass windows. The one on the left showed a hooded figure in a long black robe. The face of the figure was completely hidden by the hood, and something that looked like an octopus tentacle dangled from the left sleeve. The window on the right was filled by a menacing shape of an angel dressed like a Roman soldier. He wore a golden breastplate and carried a shield, and in his upraised right hand was a sword of flickering orange flame. The angel's eyes were wide and unearthly, and they were staring relentlessly at Johnny. They seemed to be burning holes in his brain. With a violent effort, Johnny tore his eyes away from the angel's gaze and looked at the middle window. Before him, lit by the moonlight, was the picture of a gaunt old man in a shimmering blue gown. In one hand the old man held a skull, and in the other a sroll on which the words ZEBULON PATRIARCHA were printed. Like the angel, the old man had wide, hypnotic eyes, and as Johnny stared into them, he heard a faint whispery noise. Suddenly the old man was standing before him on the dusty floor of the room. Johnny stood paralyzed -- he couldn't move a muscle. The old man began to speak, and his words seemed to burst inside Johnny's brain.

I am Zebulon Windrow, said the harsh, grating voice. You have done great wrong to a member of my family. I seek vengeance, and vengeance I will have. Know that the spirit of Warren Windrow still walks the earth. Be warned, foolish child!

And with that the old man vanished, and the room was plunged into darkness. Instantly Johnny heard a horrible rustling sound, like the fluttering of a million insect wings, echoing all around him. Feelers brushed across his body and his face, and he began frantically waving his arms and yelling. The angry buzzing got louder and louder.

Read More Johnny Dixon!

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